REALLIFE STUDY GROUP

“10 Reasons Why The Church Is Still Relevant”

ICEBREAKER: Tell us one of the funniest or most unusual things you have seen that happened in church.

INTRODUCTION: It was God that instituted and founded the church. And yet the church functions in many different ways with many different structures. The church is called to be the salt or the preservative in a decaying world. The church is also called to be the light of the world in an age that seems to be getting darker and darker. The church is the only living organism and organization that has the right or the privilege to educate the world on the teachings and values of Jesus Christ. The purpose of this lesson is to remind us that we were not only commissioned and called by God to go to church and have good church but we were called to be the church.

CONFESSION: I still believe in God’s plan to use His church to reach a lost and dying world with the good news of the Gospel, to usher in His kingdom and to disciple the nations!

The church may be flawed but our perfect Savior has a perfect plan to perfect his bride!

The church is still a God idea and God’s ideas never fail in the end!

DEFINITION: The Church: God’s called out ones, God’s legislative ones with delegated authority to exercise the will of God in the earth.

OUTLINE:

1. The church was and still is God's idea and God is its builder.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:18, 19 KJV)

2. The church is still the only institution sanctioned by God to hatch, match, dip, sip, din and dispatch.

3. The church has a message, a mission and a mandate from God that is still absolutely timeless

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20 KJV)

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:15, 16 KJV)

4. The church is still God's only Kingdom agent, viceroy and ambassador in the earth to exercise his authority to accomplish his will.

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19 KJV)

5. The church is still God's secret weapon and army of warriors to thwart and annihilate the works of the enemy.

6. The church all throughout history has always found a way by God's grace to survive and thrive on every continent in every country, in every climate in every culture and in every circumstance.

7. The church, from the smallest poorest child to the richest eldest saint, is still a mystery and an enigma that the enemy cannot figure out. We are a bride full of men, a building without an address, a family with all adopted members, an army with state of the art, high tech supernatural invisible weaponry simply accessed by faith

Scripture says, "That's why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. The two will become one." (Genesis 2:24)

That is a deep mystery. But I'm talking about Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31, 32 NIRV)

8. The church is still God's hand extended to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the widows and the orphans, visit the imprisoned, heal the sick, cast out devils, raise the dead, create kingdom wealth, break the chains of bondage and set the captive free.

Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27 RV1885)

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:17, 18 KJV)

But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18 KJV)

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; (Isaiah 58:6-9 KJV)

9. The church is still the called, the commissioned, the equipped, the trained and the gifted to win the world.

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16 KJV)

10. The church is the only religious institution where it's resurrected founder still shows up anywhere, everywhere and every time just two of its members meet and agree

And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:17-20 KJV

STUDY GROUP QUESTIONS:

1. What is your earliest memory of church in your life?

2. Describe one type of a consumer mentality in the church in America in particular.

3. Give us one reason that the world might question the relevance of the church.

4. Name one role or function of the church.

5. Name one symbol that describes the church. (An Army, etc…)

6. What could you personally do to be a better member of the church?

PRAISE REPORTS AND PRAYER REQUESTS:

ACTION POINT: This week I will give, fast and pray every day.