Church
Pastor Suzy continued our "Altars" sermon series by teaching us about the altar of the church. In the Bible, most altars were communal. Jesus addresses the churches of Ephesus and Laodicea in Revelation, who both forgot that the church is meant to be an altar, or a place of sacrifice and presence. They pushed Jesus out of his own church, building an altar but forgetting to maintain it. The good news, however, is that Jesus stands at the door of his church and knocks.
Pastor Suzy presented three cases of disciples who built and maintained the altar of the church: 1) David with his tent and tabernacle; 2) the early Jersualem church; and 3) the Moravians in the 18th century. From these historical examples, we can glean 8 principles for fanning our flame in the modern church. These include: gathering together regularly, spending time in worship, prayer, spending time in scripture, sharing testimonies, sharing communal meals, boldly proclaiming the Gospel, and modeling passion for new disciples.
Here is a link to the slide deck from this sermon.
teaching text
REVELATION 2:1-5 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."
REVELATION 3:14-20 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."
discussion questions
*Note: Feel free to choose one question from each of the following categories that you think will resonate most with your group.
Connect (Icebreaker):
What is something you are passionate about? When you share your passion with people, do you ever feel silly, awkward, or foolish?
Head (Revisit and review the content):
What were the warnings written to the churches of Ephesus and Laodicea in Revelation?
The communities in the three cases Suzy presented were able to build and maintain altars in the church for generations - what did they have in common?
Why is physically gathering together essential for the church today?
Heart (Consider how the content affected you):
What does it mean to become "undignified' in worship?
Why do we need corporate prayer to become a passionate community?
How do we cultivate a hunger for scripture that rivals our hunger for food, and how do we do this in community?
Hands (Apply the content):
Pastor Suzy says that "one person's story can become another person's prayer." Does anyone have a story or testimony they'd like to share from their week that could encourage us? What did you see God do this week?
Encounter (Facilitate ministry time):
One of the principles for fanning the flames of our first love is "boldy proclaiming the Gospel." Pastor Suzy explained that when we love someone, we can risk being bold, awkward, and silly - we just want to tell everyone about the love we have. Break your group up into smaller groups of 2-4. Encourage each group to talk with each other about why they love God. It can be as sappy, simple, brief, or long as they'd like. Or, encourage group members to take some time to reflect and write their reasons down on paper before sharing.
You could also take it a step further and have groups write poems/songs about their love for God. They can work together and create a single piece. Remind group members that the early church often spoke to each other in "psalms, hymns, and songs." Encourage them to incorporate Scripture in their writing. Groups can share with the wider group when they're done.