Growing Relationships within the Local Church

Discussion Questions Sermon Overview A life pleasing to God includes humbly, genuinely loving his people in the local church.Digging Deeper    Read Romans 12:3-101. Our seventh Defining Value as a church is “Growing Relationships within the Local Church.” (You may want to reread this section of the Defining Values document.)  What are some of the ways you see this value lived out in our life as a church? Are there ways you would like to see us grow in this? How so?   2. When you think of church (or “the church”), what comes to mind?3. Over the last twenty years or so, there has been a decline (accelerated by COVID), in church attendance, even among those who claim to be Bible-believing, evangelical Christians. What are some of the reasons people offer for not attending a local church (or not attending very often)?        4. How might this passage and this sermon help us as we seek (with humility, gentleness, and love) to encourage ourselves or those in our lives who are currently not attending church (not engaged in / participating in a local body), to consider a greater degree of engagement? 5. Pastor Brett helped us see from Rom. 12:3-10 that “A life pleasing to God includes humbly, genuinely loving his people in the local church.”  What are some of the reasons it can be hard to love God’s people in our local church? 6. How does the Gospel provide the motivation and power we need to love others well?7. God calls us to humbly serve one another with the gifts he has given us (Rom. 12:3-8). What gift(s) has God given you? How are you using them to serve God’s people? How might you grow in using the gift(s) he’s given you more effectively? 8. One aspect of loving one another is dealing rightly with good and evil in ourselves and one another (“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” v. 9b).  What is a specific situation in your life right now where God is calling you to do this? What might obedience to this verse in that situation look like for you? 9. God calls us to treat one another (within the church) as a family (“love one another with brotherly affection” v. 10a).  What is one specific concrete thing you could do this week to put this into practice? 10. One of the ways we can genuinely love one another is by “lead(ing) the way in putting others first.” (“Outdo one another in showing honor.” v. 10b). To whom in your life could you seek to show honor? How might you do that this week (in word or deed)? Is there anything in your heart that resists that? If so, please share.Prayer