Getting Started:

READ: 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NLt

“Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”

  • What could it mean to be “controlled” by Christ’s love?

The concept and idea of church has altered radically since its birth in the AD 30’s. There appears almost a separation between Jesus and the church in contemporary thinking, but this thinking certainly isn’t reflected in Scripture. Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ, but I don’t like your Christians. [They] are so unlike your Christ.”

Many people are turned off from “formal church” for many reasons: people “selling” Jesus like a product; War metaphors; having the wrong enemies—i.e. political parties or gender/sexuality “norms” instead of poverty, injustice and pride. These factors create a perfect atmosphere for hypocrisy and ineffectiveness.

One thing is clear, church is not a location, it is people: people who love Jesus and have given their lives to follow him. Because of this, we need to live that out in every context of life, not just when we’re within the confines of the church building.

This doesn’t mean that the formal church is irrelevant or unnecessary, but it does change what it means forthe body of Christ (the church) to meet together in one place. Instead of meeting to receive, we should be meeting to rejoice, worship, and strengthen each other. We become producers instead of consumers; that’s what the church is.

When we speak about love but live selfishly, we make the message (the Gospel) confusing and undesirable to a world that is desperately looking for true, authentic love.

DISCUSS

  • Why does the word, “Christianity” get such a bad rap?

  • What would it look like to “redeem” the popular perception of church?

  • Donal Miller writes, “the problems with Christianity aren’t ‘out there,’ the problem is me (I, you, us).”

    • In what ways do you make Christianity seem undesirable?

  • When Christians interact with others from a position of equality instead of judgment, how does this change their perception?

Matthew 7:1-5 NCV

“Don’t judge others, or you will be judged. You will be judged in the same way that you judge others, and the amount you give to others will be given to you. Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? How can you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. You hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your friend’s eye.”