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Week 2: Kingdom Community

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Ephesians 2:11-22
11 Therefore remember that at one .me you Gen.les in the esh, called the uncircumcision by what is
called the circumcision, which is made in the esh by hands 12 remember that you were at that .me
separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of
promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were
far o have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us
both one and has broken down in his esh the dividing wall of hos.lity 15 by abolishing the law of
commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the
two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby
killing the hos.lity. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far o and peace to those who
were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no
longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow ci.zens with the saints and members of the household of
God, 20 built on the founda.on of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him
you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Introduc.on

Introduc@on

This week, we are Focusing on the eects of the Gospel in our lives as we look at the topic of community.
So much has been said in the the last few genera.ons about Chris.anity being about a rela.onship and
not a religion. There is a lot of truth in that statement. However, much is made about our personal
rela.onship with God. To be sure, as a son of God, I have a personal rela.onship with God. I know Jesus
personally. I am personally connected to Him. I personally worship Him. I personally pray to Him. That is
all good, important and true. However, in all of our emphasis on our personal rela.onship with God
through Christ, we have uninten.onally overlooked and even neglected to remind ourselves and each
other of our corporate rela.onship with God through Jesus. Ephesians 2 tells us that God has reconciled
us to Himself through Jesus in one body, not alone and by ourselves. God has united you and me to
Himself by making us a part of His bride, His church.

Discussion

Ask these ques@ons in your group and discuss the answers.

When you see yourself in your rela.onship with God, do you see yourself before Him as an individual, or
as a part of His corporate body? Why do you think we tend to see ourselves as individuals so easily?
What do you think hinders us from seeing ourselves as a part of Christs body? Why do you think we
hesitate to iden.fy ourselves with others? How are you currently connected to Christ corporately?
(Church? reGroup? etc.)

Explana@on

1. Community is more than just a status.

Being a Chris.an is more than just a social status or being a part of a club. When you become a
Chris.an, you become a member of a family, and not just any family, but Gods family. Members of Gods

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family have responsibili.es. The gospel has an incredible eect on our lives. When Jesus saves you,
everything changes. In Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul is speaking to Gen.les who were outcasts when it
came to the community of God. He reminds them that though they were once separated from God, they
have now been brought near and are part of Christs body.

Ephesians 2:12-13
Remember that you were at that .me separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth
of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the
world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far o have been brought near by the
blood of Christ.

Not only are we brought near, but we are brought near with a purpose. We are brought near to
reconcile. This is exactly what Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of
reconcilia.on; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not coun.ng their
trespasses against them, and entrus@ng to us the message of reconcilia@on.

2. Community is more than just snacks and fellowship. Jesus unites us.

Ephesians 2:14
For he himself (Jesus) is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his esh
the dividing wall of hos.lity.

God has united us all. It doesnt maeer if we were born Jew or Gen.le, slave or free, red, yellow, black or
white. The death of Christ removed all of these barriers that separate us and unites us in Christ.

Ephesians 2:18-19
18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer
strangers and aliens, but you are fellow ci.zens with the saints and members of the household
of God,

Chris0anity is not for lone rangers. We are saved by Jesus to be a vital part of the team called the
church, the body of Christ. Daniel Akin

3. Community is about God, not us.

We see this in at least two ways:

a. When we get together, we represent the temple of God.

Ephesians 2:19-22
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow ci.zens with the saints and
members of the household of God, 20 built on the founda.on of the apostles and prophets,
Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined

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together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a
dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

b. When we get together, we exalt Jesus.

Brad House says it this way Community is a an instrument of worship, a weapon against sin, and
a tool for evangelism- all for exal0ng Jesus. Brad House

Applica@on

We have the privilege as well as the opportunity to be a part of Gods community, His church. The church
gathers for worship every single week. But thats not the only .me the church gathers. The church
gathers to study Gods word every week in small groups. The church gathers together to pray for our city
every week in small groups. The church gathers to encourage one another, exhort one another, remind
one another of Gods commands as well as His promises, every single week in small groups. Chris.an
community is not just a privilege and an opportunity, it is a responsibility. God has given every single
Chris.an His Spirit. He has also given each of us a Spiritual gif, as well as the responsibility to use that
gif in the process of sanc.ca.on. If we are not using our gifs to bless and encourage others to help
them become mature in Christ, then we are not only missing out on an opportunity and a blessing, but
we are living in disobedience.

Ephesians 4:11-13
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the
saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 un.l we all aeain to the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ,

There is always an excuse. We are all too busy. But we need to challenge and encourage one another to
stop making excuses and make community a priority.

Here are a few ques.ons for each of us to meditate on this week.

What are some things that you need to get rid of in order to have the .me to invest in community as a
part of the church? If you have kids, what are you communica.ng to them is more important than being
a part of the body of Christ?

This weeks focus:

Get in a reGroup. Congratula.ons, you are here!!!

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