Why Church? Week 5
Worship, Love, Compassion
1. Pastor Bret said that if he was stranded on a desert island, Ephesians 3:14-21 would be the passage he would want to have with him. Do you have a passage like that? Share it with your team. Read it and tell why.
2. How do you interpret the love of God? Sunday we explored the illustration of God’s love being wide, high, long and deep. Revisit each of these expressions of God’s love as a Team and explain their unique angles. Do you struggle in any of these areas? Why? What has helped others on the Team in experiencing God’s love? What are some “love heresies” you’ve encountered?
3. The definition of love Pastor Bret presented was, “The gracious choice to give oneself for the highest good of another.” What do you like about this definition? Is there anything you’d disagree with or add? Love involves both truth and manner. Where has the church missed the mark on this?
Application
Helping one another experience Jesus
We’ve been charged to make Ephesians 3:14-21 the prayer for our church and our teams over the summer months. How can you make this cultural on your Mission Teams so that it’s not just a nice idea, but something that actually becomes the life blood of our church? Come up with some ideas. Share them on social media with #OLMissionTeams to spread ideas with other teams.
Helping people far from God experience Jesus
This past Sunday was Mother’s Day. For most of us (not all!) it is easy to love our own Mothers and we celebrate with them. However, there are Mothers all around us who are estranged from their families, in prison, nursing homes, or simply time and space, and are distant from their families. Find one or a group of mom’s who could use an encouraging word and a tangible display of God’s grace, write them a note during your Team time, and send it to them.