Membership for THE Mission: Our Discipleship Pathway
COMMUNITY GUIDE
The Community Guide below is based on Sunday’s teaching for our current series: Membership for THE Mission. As your whole Community gathers (in-person or online), use the Community Guide below to give shape to your time together.
Begin by Practicing the Lord’s Supper Together (5 minutes)
Begin your night by partaking of the bread and the cup together. Have each person bring their own Communion elements or provide elements for the group. To facilitate your time, you can either ask a member of your Community to come ready with a short prayer, scripture reading, or assign someone to read the Apostles Creed we’ve provided below. For those of you that may not be familiar with the Apostles Creed, it is a proclamation of faith that has been recited throughout the years and has often been used as an act of worship and reflection prior to receiving the Lord’s Supper. It is a proclamation of what we as followers of Jesus believe. After reading this ancient creed (aloud), spend a moment in silence before continuing:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church (universal Christian church), the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
CHECK-IN (10 MINUTES)
As we focus on this series, we want to continue to create space for checking in on each other, but doing so in a shorter amount of time. Take a few minutes to do a whole health check-in (emotional, spiritual, physical) with your Community, creating space for each person to answer the question below:
What is one thing you’re having to trust Jesus with right now?
If the need arises, spend a few minutes praying for one another, asking God to meet needs and help each person carry what feels heavy right now.
READ THIS OVERVIEW (5 MINUTES)
On week one of our membership series, we discussed the importance the Bible places upon local committed relationships in advancing the mission of God—of making disciples. In the second week, Christian helped us to see that membership is, at its heart, the mutual commitment of making disciples of Jesus Christ that we make to one another (“a follower of Jesus who is learning from Jesus, trusting Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and helping others do the same”). Last week, Christian explained even further what the commitment is by helping us to understand the idea of a covenant — “a formalized relationship based upon promises of ongoing faithfulness in pursuit of a common mission.” Most importantly, we learned that the “purpose of membership at Cornerstone is nothing more (or less) than the commitment to live according to the relationship, promises, and mission of the new covenant within this particular local church.”
This week, our heart is to help clarify even further what membership is at Cornerstone. We will do this by looking at Cornerstone’s Discipleship Pathway. And what is comforting is that we don’t need to do something new. Instead, we need to constantly remind ourselves to return to something very ancient. The Discipleship Pathway is based upon the way in which Jesus and the early church made disciples.
Cornerstone’s Membership Booklet: Church Membership, p. 14
QUESTIONS (20 Minutes)
Think back to what Christian and Todd discussed with us about the Discipleship Pathway, feel free to include what you already know about the life and ministry of Jesus. Answer the following questions together:
How did Jesus live so that that people (i.e. Andrew and Peter) could “come and see,” and learn who He was?
What were some of the most important things that Jesus said and did that called (and equipped) his followers to deeper commitment to follow him? How have you experienced this reality in your life?
Often, we equate spiritual maturity with things like personal bible knowledge, diminishing sin, or evangelism. (No doubt, these spiritual disciplines are wonderful.) What are your thoughts on spiritual maturity being defined by helping others to grow in following Jesus?
Where are you on the discipleship pathway?
Are you trying to discover (connect to) who Jesus is?
Have you committed your life to following Jesus?
Are you living out the call of making disciples of Jesus?
In your life, how are you helping others to grow in following Jesus?
*Please feel to use as many of these questions that are helpful for your group conversation.
Missionary Practice For The Week Ahead: BLESS (10 Minutes)
ᐅ B.L.E.S.S.
(B)egin with Prayer:
Pray for the people in your life and the places that you’re in.
People: Who do you live, work and play with that is far from God? Pray that God would create spiritual curiosity in them, and then spend time with them.
Places:
Where does pain exist here? Pray for healing.
Who makes the decisions here? Pray for integrity.
Who throws parties here? Pray for community.
Where are the pennies spent here? Pray for provision.
(L)isten:
Listen to and discover the needs of others and for the places where God is at work.
Before you can help others find Jesus, you need to listen to them first - their hopes, pains, challenges and dreams. In your interactions with others today, take the posture of a learner. Lay down assumptions and practice being present in conversations.
(E)at:
Share meals, drink coffee, and spend time with people in your life that don’t yet know Jesus.
Who can you eat with (or have coffee with) that is far from God? A co-worker over lunch? A neighbor during the day? A friend or family member over the weekend?
Is there a place that you regularly visit (coffee shop, gym, etc.)? Ask God to grant you opportunities to eat with people.
(S)erve:
Who can you serve this week? Who do you know that has a practical need? Ask them how you can help.
Before jumping into serving, have you taken the time to pray for, listen to and eat with these people? Doing these things first helps you discover the way that you really need to serve them.
(S)tory:
Share the story of Jesus and what He is doing in your life with others.
Start by sharing how God has blessed you and made a difference in your life.
Share your story in such a way that demonstrates that Jesus is also at work in their life.
Don’t feel like you have to tell your life story at once. Think “bite-size” stories.
Prayer (10 Minutes)
Spend a few minutes praying for God’s grace over each other, that we might become a people who make Jesus our Lord, and that there might be a sweeping renewal of the Holy Spirit in our city. Ask that God would stir up within us a desire to be with him in prayer and to serve him, one another, and our neighbor in love.