Value #3 We Find Community in Life Together
Introduction
In this message from our Mission and Values series, we focused on what it truly means to find community in life together. We were reminded that the church is not a club or a secondary gathering, but a family united through Jesus, across cultures, generations, and backgrounds. Rooted in Scripture, this sermon calls us to live as partners in the gospel, sharing life, bearing one another’s burdens, and showing up sacrificially for each other. As one people in Christ, we are invited to commit to authentic relationships that reflect God’s inclusive love and to become a community that strengthens one another and shines hope into the world around us.
Discussion Questions
Outline
I. United through Jesus. Ephesians 2:19-22
· It doesn’t matter what culture a believer comes from, we have this in common: that we were once lost in our sin, but through Jesus Christ we are saved.
II. Doing Life Together. Acts 2:42-47
· Stop thinking of church in terms of membership and begin thinking of it in terms of partnership in ministry.
III. Showing Up Sacrificially. Galatians 6:2
· We shouldn’t go into a relationship with our walls up but with our arms open.
Study Questions
1. When you hear the word community, what’s your instinctive reaction—positive, negative, or mixed? Why do you think that is?
2. Read Ephesians 2:19–22. What does this passage say about our identity as believers? How does being “members of God’s household” reshape the way we think about church community?
3. The American church is the most segregated institution in the country. Why do you think unity across culture and generation is still so difficult for the church to live out? How can we do better?
4. Read Acts 2:42–47. What specific practices show the early church doing life together? How do the examples of sacrificial care in Acts (sharing possessions, caring for widows, hospitality, prayer) help define what real community looks like?