May 14, 2017 | Tom Swanson | 1 Corinthians 3:9-17
COMMUNITY GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS, 05/14/17 Sermon
Getting Acquainted
1) Have you had an experience in life when a hush just seemed to come down on you personally or on a group that you were part of? When was that? What brought about that hush?
2) Have you ever had the kind of experience mentioned above when you entered a church building? If so, when was that? What do you think brought out that reaction in you?
Getting into the Bible
3) Pastor Tom mentioned in the message that there were two different words for temple in the New Testament. One general word refers to the larger temple complex with courtyards, places for teaching, places for prayer and the actual temple building (read Luke 2:27, Luke 2:46, Matthew 21:12 and Acts 2:46 to get some idea of what happened there). A second word refers only to the actual temple building with the Holy Place and Holy of Holies. Only priests were allowed there. Read Luke 1:9, John 2:19-21, Matthew 27:5, Matthew 27:51 and Acts 17:24 to get an idea about this word. When it says in Ephesians 2:19-21 that the Church is a temple, this second word is used. What significance do you see in that?
4) Read 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. The word used for temple here is the same as in Ephesians 2:19-21 and
1 Corinthians 3:16-17. While the latter verses talk about the Church, 1 Corinthian 6:12-20 talks about our physical bodies. In light of what you’ve seen about this word for temple, does that influence how you think about the “personal choices” that you make? What significance do you see in those choices?
Working it out in Life
5) Was there something that was said in last Sunday’s sermon that really caught your attention, made you think or moved you to respond in some way? What was that?
6) In 1 Corinthians 3:9-17 we see that the as the church we are building on the foundation of Jesus Christ. What do we do at CWF to try to keep the focus on Jesus? What can you personally do as part of the church to help others to keep the focus on Jesus?
7) In Ephesians 2:19-22 we saw that as the Church we are joined together, we are growing together and we are being built together. What do those things look like at CWF? Can you think of ways that you are or can be involved in helping the church be joined, grow or be built?
Digging Deeper
8) Looking at your own spiritual journey, how has the Church helped you to keep spiritually on track? What do you appreciate about the Church (whether the Church in general or CWF in particular?
9) It’s easy to forget how Christ sees the Church. It is his lovely bride, his family and his glorious temple! Do you need to make any adjustments in your own thinking to see the Church as Christ sees the Church?
Series title: A Look in the Mirror
Message 1: May 14, 2017
Message title: A Temple under Construction
Message Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:9-17
Message summary: Maybe you’ve experienced it. You walked into a soaring Gothic cathedral or a small, white frame country church. But when you entered, you knew there was something special about that place. You sensed that God was present. We’ve heard it said that the Church is not about the building, but about the people in the building. That’s true, but the Bible also tells us that God’s people, the Church, is a building. The Church is a temple and God comes to his temple and fills it with his presence. We are still under construction, but we are God’s temple!
Outline:
1) Building on a good foundation 1 Corinthians 3:9-17
2) Being built together Ephesians 2:19-22
