A House of Hope
A look into one of God’s greatest gifts, the Church.
Community Practices
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Pray
Gather together as a community in a comfortable setting, then have one person read 1 Peter 2:4-5 and invite the Holy Spirit to guide your time.
Recap
The New Testament is filled with metaphors describing what the church is. Whether it’s called the body of Christ, the family of God, a flock of sheep, or even living stones, the point remains the same; the church is a community of people marked by love, relational intimacy, and unity, all centered on the person of Jesus. The truth is, we cannot be followers of Jesus on our own! We are called to a shared life. Every person within the church has something to offer their brothers and sisters, and every person is needed.
We all know that the church is not a perfect place. It’s filled with people, and people are broken. But in the community of believers, each person is invited into a house of hope where they can find healing, care, and a place at the table of God. And when the church lives out their identity and calling as a unified people, even though they do it imperfectly, they stand as a witness to all of creation, pointing them to the goodness and love of God.
Discuss
Discuss the following prompts as a group.
If you haven’t already, take a few moments to check in with each other (share highs and lows, give an update on your past week, etc.).
What is one thing that stood out to you from the most recent teaching?
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “church”?
What changes when we stop seeing church as a place we go and start seeing it as who we are?
The teaching talked about four “devotions” present in the early church (devotion to the Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer/worship). Which of these are the easiest, and which are the hardest, for you to practice?
Practice
This week’s practice is an invitation for you to consider how your everyday relationships and routines can be a reflection of the church as a community built on Jesus.
Part 1: Read and Reflect
Take a few minutes to read Colossians 3:12-17 slowly. Spend a short time in silence with Jesus, and then ask, “If my closest relationships looked completely shaped by the peace and word (or message) of Christ, what would change?” If helpful, journal anything that comes to mind.
Part 2: Consider Your Space and Time
Take a few moments to walk through your living space or look at your weekly calendar. As you do, ask Jesus to help you identify a physical spot or time slot (such as your kitchen table, a lunch break, or a free weeknight) and write down one simple way you can use that space or time to welcome or serve someone else this week. As an act of accountability, make a specific plan for how you will welcome or serve someone, and share it with a trusted friend.
Part 3: Pray and Encourage
This week, ask Jesus to bring someone to mind from your community group or church family that you can pray for or encourage. Whether it’s a brief word of encouragement, a thank you for how they reflect Christ, or a specific offer to pray for them, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Reach out over text, through a phone call, or simply talk to them in person the next time you see them. Once again, make a specific plan for how you will do this, and share it with a friend for accountability.
Be ready to share about your experience with your community the next time you meet.
Pray
To end your time, read 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 as a group and then have someone close in prayer.
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Pray
Gather together as a community in a comfortable setting, then have one person read Hebrews 12:11 and invite the Holy Spirit to guide your time.
Recap
It’s easy to imagine the early followers of Jesus as having an idyllic church experience, especially if we only consider the description of their activity in Acts 2:42-47. When we read that passage, it seems that everyone was joyfully doing life together, sharing their resources, and spending all their time having meals and worshiping. But life as a first-century follower of Jesus was far from easy, and certainly wasn’t pain free. And frankly, the same is still true today.
But the invitation we receive from Jesus, when we experience the pains of this life, is not to ignore them or explain them away. Instead, it’s to face them head on, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the love of our brothers and sisters around us, so that the pain we face becomes an opportunity for our education. The author of Hebrews calls us to endure hardship as discipline, or education, so that through it we will reap a harvest of righteousness and peace. And through it all, we get to fix our eyes on Jesus, who did not shy away from his own pain. Instead, for the joy set before him, he endured the cross so that we might be redeemed and restored to our loving Father.
Discuss
Discuss the following prompts as a group.
Spend a few minutes debriefing last week’s take-home practice (Did you do it? How did it go?).
What is one thing that stood out to you from the most recent teaching?
Sunday’s teaching reframed the idea of enduring hardship and pain as discipline into the broader concept of enduring it as education. How could that help you adjust the way you think about or respond to pain and hardship?
Where in your life are you currently feeling pain?
How can we, as the church, practically walk with our brothers and sisters in their pain?
Practice
This week, set aside 15-30 minutes for a time of Scripture reading and reflection.
Begin with a few moments of centering silence. Then, invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the words of Scripture and read Hebrews 12:5-11 slowly.
After reading the passage, write down anything that feels challenging or comforting to you regarding the discipline of God.
Next, ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind a past season of hardship or pain with the goal of exploring it through two lenses: The lesson and the fruit.
The Lesson: What did I learn about God’s character that I could have only learned through this season of hardship or pain?
The Fruit: What specific spiritual fruit (e.g., patience, humility, empathy, grace) did the season produce in my life?
Ask Jesus to help you identify the lesson and the fruit that you gained from that past experience. If helpful, journal anything that comes to mind.
When your time is over, close with a simple prayer of thanksgiving to the Father.
Be ready to share about your experience with your community the next time you meet.
Pray
To end your time, read Hebrews 12:1-3 as a group and then have someone close in prayer.
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Pray
Gather together as a community in a comfortable setting, then have one person read Revelation 21:2-4 and invite the Holy Spirit to guide your time.
Recap
As the earthly ministry of Jesus was coming to an end, he did an incredible thing. On the night he was betrayed, before he went to the garden and was arrested, he prayed for you and me! He prayed for all the people who would ever come to know him and for the future church that they would become. As his darkest hour approached, Jesus spoke to the Father, and asked that his followers would be united in the same love and relationship shared within the Trinity. That’s how much the church matters to Jesus!
But it’s a challenging idea, that of placing hope not only in Jesus, but also in his imperfect people. The church is made up of broken, flawed individuals who inevitably hurt one another, yet God has chosen his people to make his glory visible in the world. And because Christ dwells within believers, the church becomes a living expression of God’s presence, grace, and healing to everyone around it. So hope in the church is not passive, but requires participation through vulnerability, forgiveness, repentance, and mutual care. And even though the church, the bride of Christ, is often unlovely, she remains worth everything to Jesus.
Discuss
Discuss the following prompts as a group.
Spend a few minutes debriefing last week’s take-home practice (Did you do it? How did it go?).
What is one thing that stood out to you from the most recent teaching?
Why do you think it’s important for us to have hope in the church when churches and people are imperfect?
How have you experienced God’s love, care, or presence through another person in the church, and what impact did that have on you?
What is one step you could take this week toward greater vulnerability, forgiveness, or asking for help so that you can more fully participate in the life of the church?
Practice
This week’s practice is centered around the spiritual disciplines of self-reflection, confession, and intentional community.
Begin by setting aside 10-15 minutes to spend time with God in quiet listening and reflection. Find a distraction-free space and invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you. After a few moments of silence, ask Jesus: “Where have I experienced your love through the church?” Spend a few minutes reflecting on specific people, conversations, prayers, acts of service, or moments of encouragement. As these people or moments come to mind, thank God for them.
Next, ask: “Where have I withdrawn from the church because of fear, disappointment, pride, or hurt?” Spend a few minutes listening, and confess any resentment, isolation, or unwillingness to trust others that comes to mind. As you confess, pray that you would freely receive God’s forgiveness and grace.
Finally, as an act of intentional community building and vulnerability, choose one trusted person from your church and reach out to them this week. As appropriate, share one specific area of your life where you need help, prayer, encouragement, or accountability. Ask them to check in with you about it in the coming week. Then, when they respond, receive their care without minimizing your need or trying to handle it alone. Practice hope by trusting God to work through his people.
Be ready to share about your experience with your community the next time you meet.
Pray
To end your time, read John 17:20-23 as a group and then have someone close in prayer.
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Pray
Gather together as a community in a comfortable setting, then have one person read Luke 17:3-4 and invite the Holy Spirit to guide your time.
Recap
Jesus had a lot to say about a topic we often don’t like to think about: forgiveness. If we’re honest, instead of forgiving, it sometimes feels better to hold onto the pain someone has caused us, and allow it to fester into bitterness. Maybe that’s because we think it scratches some sort of itch for justice or self-righteousness we have. Or maybe it’s simply easier to ignore the situation, instead of having a hard conversation. Either way, Jesus still undeniably calls us to forgiveness.
When Peter asked Jesus how many times he had to forgive his brother or sister who sinned against him, he probably felt pretty high-and-mighty when he said, “up to seven times?” But Jesus replied with a hyperbolic play on Peter’s words and said, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:21-22). The point being, it is always the heart of Jesus that you forgive those who sin against you! He showed us this himself, in the most extreme way, when he prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Jesus teaches us that it is better to release our pain and hurt, than to allow our hearts to harden into unforgiveness. But he also knows this can be difficult for us. Thankfully, Jesus is in the business of transforming hearts, and it is through him that the ancient promise of God becomes fulfilled in us: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).
Discuss
Discuss the following prompts as a group.
Spend a few minutes debriefing last week’s take-home practice (Did you do it? How did it go?).
What is one thing that stood out to you from the most recent teaching?
Why do you think we’re tempted to hold on to the wrongs people commit against us, instead of seeking to forgive them?
Is there someone in your life that you need to forgive? How can you allow Jesus to soften your heart to that person?
Is there someone you need to ask for forgiveness? What would it look like to tangibly apologize and seek forgiveness?
Practice
This week, set aside 15-20 minutes to pray through the following Scriptures and invite the Spirit of Jesus to speak to you about forgiveness.
Begin by finding a quiet, comfortable location, free from distractions. Invite the Spirit to speak to you through the Word of God, and then slowly read through the following passages with a prayerful heart. Re-read them as many times as is helpful.
Colossians 3:13-14
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31-32
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Colossians 1:13-14
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
After praying through these passages, ask God to bring to mind anyone you need to forgive or anyone you need to ask for forgiveness. This is not a time for bitterness or shame, but a time to experience the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the loving grace of Jesus.
Take note of any person or situation that the Spirit brings to mind.
Next, ask Jesus to help you intentionally take steps toward either forgiveness or repentance by finding time to have an honest conversation with the person he brought to mind. Remember to enter into that conversation with a heart of prayer, love, and grace.
As you move toward that conversation, seek support by sharing your next steps with someone in your community or a trusted friend, so that they can encourage you and hold you accountable.
If helpful, revisit Dr. Gerry Breshears’ teaching on forgiveness from October 4th, found on the Van City Podcast, and follow his outline for approaching a conversation around forgiveness.
Be ready to share about your experience with your community the next time you meet.
Pray
To end your time, read Matthew 6:14-15 as a group and then have someone close in prayer.
