Magdalen Road Church Weekend: The Church as Community

Session Two: A Community of Mission
Ephesians 2-3

Reflection
What are your dreams for your church?	

Read Ephesians 2:11-3:11.

The church is:
	a home for God’s presence (2:20-22)
	a showcase for God’s glory (3:10-11)

How do we display God’s glory and make his wisdom known? Because we are a reconciled community:

Ephesians 2:12	Ephesians 3:6	
separate from Christ	member together of one body	
excluded from Israel	heirs together with Israel	
foreigners to the promise	sharers together in the promise	

1.	Christ is our peace (2:14-15)
2.	Christ has made peace (2:15-16)
3.	Christ has preached peace (2:17-18)

The Christian community is the sign and presence of liberation in a broken world – the ‘place where Jesus lives and breathes’.

Two implications
1. A commitment to community (4:1-3)
2. A commitment to mission through community

Reflection
Imagine you are part of a church planting team in Spain. Discuss your answers to the following questions with someone else, perhaps with your home group, and write down your answers.
•	what criteria would you use to decide where to live?
•	how would you approach secular employment?
•	what standard of living would you expect as pioneer missionaries?
•	what would you spend your time doing?
•	what opportunities would you be looking for?
•	what would your prayers be like?
•	what would you be trying to do with your new friends?
•	what kind of team would you want around you?
•	how would you conduct your meetings together?	

Christian community is a vital part of Christian mission. Mission takes place as people see our love for one another (John 13:34-35; Ephesians 3:10-11).

Reflection
1 Thessalonians 2:8: ‘We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.’
	sharing the gospel
	sharing our lives

Can you think of examples of Christians sharing the gospel, but not sharing their lives? Can you think of examples of Christians sharing their lives, by sharing the gospel?	

Reflection
‘My involvement in the community’

1.	Map your existing community involvement.
In zone 1 list the activities in which you are involved.
In zone 2 list the people groups with whom these bring you into contact.
In zone 3 list the issues in which you are interested.
2.	Discuss how you can build on your current activities and interests. How could you be more intentional about:
	serving those from different racial and social groups?
	being distinctive as a Christian in your involvement and finding opportunities to share the gospel message?
	welcoming people to the Christian community?
	working together with other Christians?	

Putting it into Practice

Introducing to Community

Sharing the Gospel

Building Relationships

This model requires ‘gospel intentionality’.

From a divided view of life …
work				
	leisure & family			
		church		
			mission	

… to gospel intentionality:
work		
	leisure & family	
	church		
	mission		

			less ‘religion’		
	more gospel 				
	ordinary life		meetings		

Reflection
	List the activities that you do with other Christians. 
	How would unbelievers feel if they joined you in these activities?
	What would they see and hear of the gospel in this context?	

A supernatural community

Reflection
Think back to your dreams for your church. What are the obstacles that might prevent you realising those dreams? What are the obstacles to you becoming a living display of God’s wisdom in your neighbourhood?	

Read Ephesians 3:12-21

How can we be the place where God lives and the demonstration of his wisdom? The answer is through God’s ‘glorious, unlimited resources’ (3:16 nlt). We are to pray:
	for power to make Christ feel at home in our hearts
	for power to understand Christ’s infinite love

Prayer
	Pray that you would see God’s glorious, unlimited resources at work in your community.
	Pray that together as a community you might have a growing grasp of Christ’s love.
	Remember your dreams for your church. Pray that God will do more than you can imagine.