Build the Church

Scofield Foster | Feb 13, 2022 | Watch in español

Study Guide

When the early church faces tension and division due to rapid growth, the apostles raise up leaders and put structures in place to address the gap that has been exposed. In order for believers to uphold God’s holiness and see his power at work, sin must be dealt with openly and honestly. Only then can the church engage the needs of the body and grow in unity and maturity.
Application

  1. We are humans with limited energy. Consider how you spend your energy at home, in the church, and in your personal life. What are the good things you have to say no to in order to say yes to the things God has made you most responsible for?

  2. The early church experienced division because they allowed worldly distinctions to become greater than God’s distinctions. Have you ever seen this happen in the church? How did it affect those involved and the church as a whole?

  3. God calls us to elevate his mission over our comfort. What does it look like for you to maintain a regard for God’s holiness and address issues that God exposes in your life? What sins do you need to confess even if it makes you uncomfortable?

  4. Each member of the church has a significant and valuable contribution to make. What does it look like for you to engage the needs of the church and invest your life in serving others who cannot benefit you and may be different than you? How can you utilize structure in your life to meet the needs of God’s family in a way that supports responsiveness to the Holy Spirit?

Key Points

  • Through the church, God is building a people for himself who demonstrate his power and image in the world. And in order to flourish, the church must be willing to deal with corruption.

  • The division in his passage is a result of the church allowing worldly distinctions to become greater than God’s distinctions. Even if we are different, as believers, a more important reality should unite us.

  • The apostles address the division directly. They are willing to open themselves up to change and redirection. So also should we be willing to openly address any problems in our church body.

  • If we want to maintain a regard for God’s holiness and see his power at work in our lives personally and in the church, we must address our sin honestly. Our church’s ability to address hard issues begins with our ability to deal with sin in our lives.

  • The apostles understand that they have limited energy, so they delegate responsibility to others. We too must say no to some good things in order to say yes to the things God has made us most responsible for.

  • Each member of the church body has something significant and valuable to contribute. As believers engage the needs of the church, it matures and gives glory to God.

Other Scripture References

Ephesians 4:11-16

Scripture: Acts 6:1-7