Sermon Discussion Guide
Message Series // Tribe – Welcome To Church
Message Date // November 24, 2019 (Scotty Priest)
Big Idea
We need reminders. We need times where we get back on the same page. We need opportunities to refocus on what
really matters. This might go for a lot of things in our lives, but it also pertains to the Church…this idea of belonging to a tribe that is pursuing Jesus together. The great thing is that we can see in the Bible what the Church looks like when it’s alive and thriving, and at Journey, we want to be a part of that! We want to see the same things at Journey that God was doing when the Church originally started, and we believe it can happen. So we simply ask…”Why not us?”
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
Discussion
Read Acts 2:41-47. The author (Luke) paints us a picture of what the first Church looked like. As you read, what are some of the things you observe the first Church did? Why were these practices so important to the life of the first Church? Why are they still?
When the Church is alive and thriving, it’s marked by 7 key things outlined in the Acts passage. They are…
• Unmistakable Mission (Acts 2:41 and Acts 1:8)
• Uncommon Devotion (Acts 2:42)
• Uninhibited Worship (Acts 2:43)
• Unexpected Unity (Acts 2:44)
• Unrivaled Generosity (Acts 2:45)
• Unremarkable Strategy (Acts 2:46)
• Unparalleled Results (Acts 2:47)
Why does the Church thrive when these 7 things are being expressed? Which one or two of these Church
expressions hits home to you the most? Which ones do you see Journey being strong in? Is there one you can help
Journey grow in?
Erwin McManus is quoted as saying…”The church does not exist for us, we are the church — the church exists for the
world.” One of the biggest perspectives we have to solidify in our minds and hearts when it comes to the Church is that it doesn’t exist for us. If we never come to grips with that truth, then the 7 marks of the church outlined above cannot be realized. What do you think about McManus’ quote? How does our understanding of who the Church exists for determine our love for the Church?
Next Steps
Re-read Acts 2:41-47. At Journey, let’s ask…”Why not us?”. But in order to ask that question, it takes all of us pursuing
together what God desires the Church to be…and that means we need to be contributors, not consumers. What part can
you play to help Journey thrive? What part can your small group as a whole play?