Sermon Based Small Group Lessons

Don’t Come to Ch= urch; Be the Church

2008 February 17

Rick Swing, Executive Pastor of Ministries

Meeting Sched= ule

1. Fellowsh= ip time & snacks

2. Share pr= ayer requests

3. Pray (ta= king turns with short sentence prayers is good if group members are comfortable)= .

4. Begin the lesson.

&= nbsp; a. Share= the title (above)

&= nbsp; b. Ask t= he Ice Breaker Question

&= nbsp; c. Follow the guide, reading the Scripture and asking the questions.

Ice Breaker Questions

Share your name and how competitive you are on a scale of= 1 to 10.

Who is the most competitive person you know?

God has a design for the church to win. His plan includes everyone being involved. God has gifted every believer and expects us to use those gifts in His service.

Rick Swing likes to ask people, “What are you doing?” He means, ̶= 0;What are you doing in the church to build the kingdom of God?” How would you answer that question= ? If you can’t answer based on= what you are doing now, answer with what you think God might have gifted you to = do.

Focus Scripture: 1 Cor. 12:= 12-27

12T= he body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by^=
[a] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

14= N= ow the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I= am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16= A= nd if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where wo= uld the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sen= se of smell be? 18= B= ut in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19= I= f they were all one part, where would the body be? = 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21= T= he eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot s= ay to the feet, "I don't need you!" <= span class=3Dsup1>22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no spe= cial treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given great= er honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in = the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. <= span id=3Den-NIV-28645>26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27= N= ow you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

Digging for T= ruth

1. We need each other.

= We aren’t designed to do it alone. Doing church as a team makes everyone better. In what ways do you think believer= s need one another?

= Read Prov. 27:17. In what ways has someone else sharpened you? D= o you have any intimate friends who are close enough to help you grow?

2. We differ from one another.

= Read Romans 12:4-5. What do you th= ink this verse means for Westwood?

= GodR= 17;s word also says that He has placed members in the body just as He desires. That means he has placed us here f= or some purpose. How can we go a= bout discovering that purpose?

3. We care for one another.

= Many of us are familiar with the story of the Rick Burgess family of the Rick and Bubba show who lost a young son. The Bible says that when one part of the body suffers, all parts suffer. What can we do = for others in times of need?

= In what situations have you seen the church care for each other?

= In a church the size of Westwood, we need to be a part of a small group. Relationships in a large church sometimes require more work because we don’t know one another.

4. Every individual has to do their part for the church to win.

&= nbsp; What keeps you from being a part of the body as God desires?

= Through= out the Bible, God uses flawed individuals to fulfill His purpose. Could it be that Satan uses our fa= ilures to keep us from serving God fully?

= Can you name some “failures” in the Bible that God used?

We are designed to ser= ve and we are fulfilled when we live by design!

Closing Quest= ions

1. What can= we do this week to be more a part of the body of Christ?

2. How can = we encourage one another to find a regular place of service in the church?

Closing Challenge=

&= nbsp; Seek to read a chapter in God’s word every day. You can find a great plan that man= y at Westwood are doing at www.BiblePlan.o= rg. Sign up for the New Testament in a= year plan.