Our Resurrection Weekend services begin with our Good Friday Evening Gathering, March 29 at 7:00 pm, and conclude with our regular Sunday activities on Resurrection Sunday Morning, March 31!

20161002 preparing post

Prepare your heart for Sunday by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and tangibly putting scripture to action in your personal life, and in our corporate body.

Carefully Think

  • Read 1 Corinthians 1:1-17.  Focus on verses 10-17 for this Sunday.  
  • What does it mean that Paul is appealing to the Corinthians by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ?  Why would he do this in light of the situation?  What authority is he calling upon?
  • What is Paul meaning in his expectation that the Corinthians agree like they have the same mind and the same judgement?  What kind of unity would that display?  
  • In verse 11 why does Paul state the report that he has received?  What is the message of the report to him and why was it brought to him?
  • What kinds of quarrelling are evident in the Corinthian church?  Why would the Corinthians divide and follow others?  What is(are) the main reason(s) for the division Paul states in the following verses?
  • How should it impact the Corinthians that Paul asks "Is Christ divided"?
  • What is Paul saying when he is thankful that he has not baptized more people?   Does this devalue baptism?  Who does this imply are doing the baptisms?
  • What is Paul emphasizing as his most important mission from God in verse 17?  Why does he emphasize it over baptism for himself?  Would this be applicable to all?
  • Why does Paul end with preaching the Gospel is not done with eloquent words of wisdom? Who is the focus when all preaching is eloquent words of wisdom?  What does it do to the Gospel?  What does that do to unity?
  • The Sermon Study equipping class notes are available online for anyone wanting to dig deeper. Please review this week's notes to help study the text. Click here for the notes.

Prayerfully Meditate

  • What do you believe is essential for a church to have biblical unity? Why?
  • Describe ways we could be unified but in unhealthy and unbiblical ways.
    What would you describe as typical temptations for disunity in a congregation?
  • How do you determine what is essential in doctrine for a church to be united over? What are practical ways to achieve this kind of doctrinal unity in a local church? How do you personally pursue doctrinal unity with our church?
  • Why is doctrinal unity necessary (or why is it not)?
  • God uses a variety of different people to provide significant spiritual influence and ministry in many lives over time within a local congregation. How can you respect them appropriately, but not inflate your value of them to the detriment of congregational unity, or in a way that tends to pit one spiritual influence against another?
  • Like what we see in 1 Cor 1:12, what are typical ways we see similar divisions over congregational leaders and their approaches to ministry today? How do you see this in your own heart? How can you change this in yourself and assist in our congregation?
  • What are modern examples of "words of eloquent wisdom" or "cleverness of speech" that tends to empty the message of the cross of its power?
  • How can you personally promote and encourage biblical congregational unity? How can you regularly evaluate and guard your heart against temptations toward congregational disunity?
  • What in this message was most impactful to you and why? How will it help you in the upcoming week to pray for our congregation?

Intentionally Act

  • Examine your heart in terms of unity and disunity in the church.  Look at your words and actions to determine what you are building in this church.
  • Try to join a growth group to help integrate into the church body and build unity.  Pray for a group to join and visit them.  Prepare your heart to engage in the meditations above.
  • Pray for other growth groups and leaders in our church to gain the mind of Christ in wisdom, love, and judgement.  
  • Read through the lyrics and practice the songs with a mind towards unity in the church, not creating divisions in the church based on preferences, but one mind and one body in Christ worshipping in unity to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  
  • Pray for those leading our corporate gathering this week and for the Holy Spirit’s work as the Word of God is further explained and applied: Dawson Bryant: music; Brett Harris: Elders' prayer and Scripture reading; Bret Capranica: teaching.

Songs for Sunday

Lyrics

Lyrics Morning Gathering - October 2, 2016