Small Group Guide
WHERE DO CHURCHES COME FROM?
The Church at Brook Hills J.D. Payne May 22, 2016 Acts 11:19-30
MAIN TRUTH
Message Outline
To download the outline for this week’s sermon, visit brookhills.org/media.
Message Summary
Acts 11:19-30 addresses the questions of where churches come from and what church planting is. While church planting is a routine part of conversations and culture at The Church at Brook Hills, we should not assume that every Christian knows what church planting is or that every believer who is involved in making disciples is involved in church planting efforts. Biblical church planting is defined as evangelism that results in new churches. As described in Acts 11, a local church consists of a group of disciples who have been baptized, who have united together to identify as the local expression of Jesus’ Body, and who are committed to following the Bible, which tells us how to relate to God, to one another as a local church, to other Christians, and to those who are not yet Christians.
Acts 11:19-30 reveals a significant development in the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles and tells how the church at Antioch came into existence. The beginning of the church at Antioch marks the expansion of disciple-making activities to unreached people groups and obedience to Jesus’ command to His followers that they be His witnesses in all the world (Acts 1:8). A better understanding of where churches come from better equips every believer to pray for our church planters by knowing more of what they are experiencing, and it challenges each of us to consider being a part of a church plant. Whether we stay in Birmingham or move elsewhere, God calls us to spread the gospel and to make disciples to all nations. Ultimately, churches come from the grace of God working through disciples who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the gospel for God’s glory.
WHY IT MATTERS
Digging Deeper
Read Acts 11:19-30 together. Consider the self-examination questions Pastor J.D. asked about church planting in the sermon: “Could I see myself and family involved in such Kingdom activities? Could I remain in my vocation and serve with a church planting team in Birmingham, across North America, or throughout the world?”
· How would you answer these questions at this time?
· Jesus did the complex work on the cross, and the Holy Spirit does the complex work in people’s hearts. How can we be a part of the simple, although not easy, work of growing the church through evangelism and discipleship?
· Pray through the Worship Guide insert that shows where The Church at Brook Hills has church planting teams and where we are hoping to send teams.
· Is the Spirit leading you to join one of these teams, or go to one of these new locations in KL, Russia, the U.S., etc.? If so, what next step can you take? How can this small group come alongside you as you discern God’s direction?
· Pray for clarity, wisdom, and discernment as the Spirit leads you and your family to consider being a part of church planting activity both locally and globally.
· For those who do not sense the Spirit leading you away from Birmingham, how can you be purposeful in your job, activities, time, and relationships and use them for Kingdom purposes? What would it look like to reach the unreached here in this city?
NOW WHAT DO WE DO?
Group Discussion & Application
Use the following questions to examine what the sermon and its text mean, to apply the Word to your life, and to guide how you pray.
1. Acts 11:18 says, “And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.’” How do we see in this passage a full expression of the gospel engaging the Gentiles like never before in salvation history?
2. Read Acts 11:19-30. How did the gospel reach the Gentiles in Antioch? How was a church planted there? How does this passage reveal a gospel advancing disciple-making activity that was a cultural shock to the Jewish believers?
3. In what ways was the process of planting churches among unreached people groups a difficult but simple process? How can we apply those simple truths of church planting to the growth of the church today?
4. Read Acts 1:8. In what ways was the beginning of the church at Antioch a major development in the expansion of the gospel and a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to His people that they would be His witnesses in all the world?
5. What are some differences between the biblical church multiplication model revealed in Acts versus a church split model that is a common way for churches to multiply? How is the church split model unhealthy?
6. Discuss what the Scriptures say about where churches originate. Even though there is not a verse that directly tells us to plant churches, how does the Bible reveal that churches are started from disciple-making activities?
7. How well are we aligning ourselves with the biblical example given in Acts 11? Discuss what changes need to be made as individuals, families, and small groups that make up the local body at Brook Hills in order to align with the principles in this text of Scripture.
8. Discuss the importance of knowing that the local church is the church the moment of her birth and not something that happens over time. Why is that a difficult truth to consider in our culture today?
9. How are we as a faith family committed to obeying the teachings of the Lord in order to be the church and not just go to church?
10. How can we teach new believers to follow Jesus in our everyday community? Where should we start? What is the end goal?
11. What does it mean to be a disciple? What should characterize a disciple? What should a disciple look like, know, be, and do?
12. As disciples, we are to be committed to obeying the teachings of the Lord. Often, we know the commands of Scripture, but we do not obey. How does this disconnect affect a Christian? Why would there be such a disconnect between what we know in our heads and how we live and feel? How do we address such a disconnect if it is present in our lives?
13. What is the purpose of our weekly Worship Gatherings as The Church at Brook Hills? Why are they important? Why is regular church attendance important for a Christian?
14. Based off Acts 11:19-30, who can and should plant churches? How should the answer to that question fuel our efforts as a body of believers to multiply churches and to be disciples who make disciples?
15. Why is it important to remember that churches come from the grace of God working through disciples who preach the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit and not by our own efforts and strength alone?
16. What are practical ways we can cross the cultural gap to reach unreached people groups in Birmingham?
17. Why is it important to remember that we are not told to make converts but disciples? Discuss practical ways we can both reach and teach those not yet in the Kingdom.
Resources for Small Group Leaders
Weekly Prayer Focus
· Pray for Our Church:
o Praise God for the members of our faith family who are currently engaged in planting churches among unreached people groups.
o Pray for our Engage Teams right here in Birmingham and for God to grant favor to them and lead them to people He has prepared to hear and respond to the gospel.
o Pray for our team serving an Indian Hindu people in New York to continue steadfastly in the work to which the Lord has called them.
o Pray for perseverance for all our Church Planting teams serving internationally in East Asia, Central Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. Ask God to continue to fill out their teams with the members needed for the work they have to do.
o Pray for God’s direction in considering locations of church planting work, and ask Him to reveal to each of us how we might be involved
· Pray for Our City:
o Pray for Lifeline Children’s Services, a holistic Christian orphan care ministry in Birmingham.
o Pray for Brook Hills to continue grow as a partner with Lifeline to train our foster care parents and WRAP ministry volunteers and to coach adoptive parents
o Pray for Household of Faith Church, and Pastor Larry Cockrell.
· Pray for Our World:
o Pray for Brook Hills Mid-Termer, Lindsey W. serving in Southeast Asia.
o Pray for gospel opportunities as Lindsey ministers to girls who have left prostitution and are trying to start a new life through learning a useful skill/trade to support themselves financially for a sustainable future.
.
“Where do Churches Come From?,” May 22, 2016 | Page 3