An Uncomfortable Message for an Overly Comfortable Church

A strikingly simple picture of the Church.

| Acts 2:42-47 |

• A people who have it, the , and are .

• A people committed to regularly for , , and .

When the church is the church…

| Job 40:1-5, 42:1-5 | 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, 11-12 | Proverbs 22:9 | Luke 6:38 | John 13:35, 15:5-8 | 1 Peter 4:8 | Romans 12:5, 10 | Ephesians 4:25 |

• of is tangible.

• The of God is at .

• Uncomfortable translates to met.

• Relational outpaces .

• is .

How to be more like the church in Acts than the Church in America.

| Luke 6:45 | Acts 2:46-47, 16:5 |

• Start saying “” church and it.

• Instead of and … .

• Live in awe of God and devote yourselves to the work of the Kingdom.

Small Group Questions

What do you think?

Have someone quickly re-read the fill-ins from Sunday’s message. Then share what particular point(s) stood out to you, challenged you, or raised a question for you.

The story of your life.

1. In one word, share how you tend to respond when someone shares something uncomfortable with you (ex: defensive, curious, confused, startled, shocked, interested, frustrated, judged, withdrawn, hurt, trusting, etc.).

2. Tell about a time when someone shared something uncomfortable with you that benefited you later on.

Digging deeper in God’s Word.

1. The Bible is full of examples of people who had to have uncomfortable conversations. For a Christian, the hope and prayer is that the conversation helps the person feel loved and ultimately grows closer to Jesus. One example of a hard conversation in the Bible was when Moses’ father-in-law Jethro confronted Moses on some poor leadership decisions. Read Exodus 18:13-27 and respond to the following prompts and questions.
   1. Imagine the scene in verses 13-14. What feelings would you be experiencing if you were Jethro or Moses? What would be difficult for you?

   2. How does Jethro approach this conversation with Moses?

   3. What conversations in your own life does this situation between Jethro and Moses remind you of and why? What could you learn from it?

2. As united as the church was in Acts, we know Jesus’ disciples often disagreed both before his death/resurrection/ascension and after. Luke 9:46-48 tells us about a time when they disagreed before. Read it together and respond to the following prompts and questions.
   1. Pick a disciple and put yourself in their shoes in verse 46. What are you feeling? Why do you think you feel this way?

   2. How effective do you think Jesus’ response is? How do you imagine the disciples responded?

   3. Now read Luke 9:49-50. In this case, Jesus’ disciples attempt to confront someone. Compare and contrast the two different ways Jesus responded to these two difficult topics in the passage?

   4. What do these verses teach us about relational unity?

3. Like the early church, we pray that City Church is a place where relational unity and trust outpace conflict. We also know this is something we have to work at and continually improve upon. What insights do the following verses offer on pursuing relational unity?
   1. Matthew 10:19.
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   2. Ephesians 4:15.
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   3. 2 Timothy 3:16.
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   4. Romans 14:19.
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   5. Philippians 2:3.
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   6. James 5:16.
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   7. 1 Peter 5:5-7.
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Personal reflection and application.

1. Have everyone share one thing someone else shared in the discussion that struck a chord with you.

2. Break up into smaller groups and pray for one another (men with men/women with women if possible.