Main Point: God places us in community to grow us into maturity

Questions:

What impacted you from the message this weekend? What challenged you or encouraged you? Did you learn anything new about God or about yourself? Think of a time when you experienced growth in your faith. What was going on in your life at the time? Did any of your growth come from being a part of a community? Read Ephesians 4:11-12 In these verses Paul lists different leadership gifts that are given to the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. How would you define each of these roles? What is the purpose of Christ’s gift of leadership to the church? What does the leadership of the church equip the people of the church to do? What is the goal of these works of service? All followers of Christ are called to serve in different ways. Who is responsible for ministering in the church? Read Ephesians 4:13. What does it mean to “reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature”? How does Paul define maturity? Do we need other Christians to reach maturity in the faith? Do other people need us to reach maturity in the faith? How does this understanding of our need for each other influence your understanding of being a part of the church? By God’s grace what is one thing you can do to apply what you have learned this week? How has your understanding of God’s love, grace, and salvation changed or deepened?