Before We Get Started

For our discussion today, we will be using the sermon series discussion guides. If you would like to follow along you can access this discussion guide on the website at mosaicchurchaustin.com and then select “community group resources” in the menu options.

Prayer

Because the primary goal of our time together is to establish relationships and learn how to walk with one another in all that God has called us to be and do, we’d like to begin by praying for one another. So, does anyone have anything you’d like us to pray for or anything to share regarding how you’ve seen God moving in your life that we can celebrate together?

This Week’s Topic

Family Matters

Today’s Topic

Practicing Unity

Discussion Questions

Eph 4:1-13, NASB

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them….

Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,

“When He ascended on high,
He led captive a host of captives,
And He gave gifts to men.”

 

(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what [b]does it mean except that He also [c]had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God…” 

In the sermon, Pastor Morgan presented six ways to preserve and pursue unity as mature Christians. Take some time to talk through these questions about each one:

1. Emphasize discipleship in a multiethnic context.

What are the benefits of “reading our bible” with people from different backgrounds?

What are the challenges we face as we hear perspectives and experiences that might be different than our own?

What practices or perspectives help you connect with Christians who may see things differently than you see them? 

2. We forgo the display of political symbols. 

What makes us vulnerable to raising our political allegiances above our theological allegiance? 

What practices or perspectives help you keep an open, loving heart toward people who may vote differently than you?

3. We don’t endorse a particular party or candidate 

At what level do you participate in local or national politics? (Participation could mean anything from watching/reading/listening to the news to voting to helping with campaigns or running for office.)

What do you actively reach out to connect and love people in your life with different political views?  

4. We remain scriptural when discussing social responsibility.

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Psalm 82:3

Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

Isaiah 1:17

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

What do you find convicting or compelling about the scriptures above?

Are there any other scriptures or bible stories God has used to spur you toward being more socially responsible?

5. Church leadership must model desired behavior

How could church leaders best model unity in their churches? 

Who is looking to you as a model of how best to pursue unity?

6. Humility of Belief 

How does growing in our ability to listen well help us retain humility in our beliefs?

How should we act and respond when we realize we were wrong or misguided in what we believed?

Closing Thought

Dr. Jay Green

The past [several] years have witnessed a sea change in American public life… Old, ​​​reliable assumptions about public values, behaviors, and coalitions have ​​​​crumbled; new rules for public engagement are taking hold… What once ​​​​functioned as sturdy alliances, shared beliefs, and presumed common ground ​​​among friends and fellow travelers—left and right—crashed and burned in a ​​​cloud of anger, confusion, and distrust… Month by month churches are dividing, ​​​families are fracturing, and longstanding bonds of faith are unraveling.

 

Spend some time praying for our church and city, that God would help us learn how to live in unity with one another, loving one another generously and with mature, humble hearts.