Pleasant Valley Church Of Christ - Sept. 10, 2003

"A Church With Open Arms" - 5/20/2012 am - Patrick Mead
"Unity of Spirit; Bond of Peace" - 5/20/2012 class - Patrick Mead
"A Path to Unity" - 5/20/2012 pm - Patrick Mead

(Sermons Online page)

Sept. 10, 2003 - Early Christians

LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

Wednesday Night, September 10, 2003

"Early Christians"

5 Minutes Welcome & Prayer

10 Minutes OPEN

Having a good experience last week, how many of you have been looking forward to being together tonight?

I’d like to go around the room and allow each of you to identify the one thing that has created your “enthusiastic anticipation” of being together as a LIFE Group?

15-20 Minutes DIG

Let’s together read Acts 2:42-47.

What seems to have been the distinguishing features of the

fellowship created by those early Christians?

• Devotion to the apostles’ _____________________.

• Fellowship. Breaking _______________ and prayer.

• Everyone was filled with ________.

• The believers were ____________________ and had everything in _________________.

• Shared their possessions.

• Met together every day in the temple courts.

• Shared a _________ together in their homes.

• Praised God.

• Enjoyed one another.

• And the Lord was ___________ daily to their number.

It was in God’s wisdom to create a Christian community called the church (ekklesia) for “born-again” believers. Drawn together by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, we are a part of something special!

Consider Paul’s words in I Thessalonians 1:1-10.

What were the distinguishing features of the believers in Thessalonica?

• Work produced by ____________.

• Labor prompted by ______________.

• ________________ inspired by hope in Jesus Christ.

• Recognition of their “high-calling” of God.

• Imitators of Christ.

• Joyful amidst ___________________.

• Had become a _____________ to other believers in other places.

• Evangelistic.

• Converted.

• Lived with ________________ of the Lord’s Second Coming.

15 Minutes REFLECT

What do you need to happen in your life right now to restore your zeal and fervor as a Christian?

We had 840 people in attendance last Wednesday. Isn’t that great? What does that indicate about the importance of our LIFE Group Ministry?

What must we do to maintain the intensity over time?

10 Minutes PRAYER TIME

Mention the empty chair. Be fishing!

As we begin this journey together, if you have something specific you’d like for the group to remember in prayer everyday this week, what would that be?