If I Could Tell You One Thing...Church (Ephesians 4)

These were group-time lessons used for Cornerstone's Family Camp. The room was split into three groups. The speaker introduced the topic (Key Idea) the led the groups through a series of questions and then had them brainstorm actions. Each topic took 20 minutes.

Key Idea
The church is God’s means of growing servants.

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. – Ephesians 4:4-6

There is no practical spiritual growth apart from the church. Why? Because the church is the training ground for servants, where those who have been transformed by the grace of God practice what it really means.

The problem comes when a diverse group of high-powered and high-pride individuals come together, it can strangle God’s mission in a community. Getting off our agenda and onto God’s agenda. Building up others instead of building up ourselves. These are tough habits to replace. What should a church focus on to help its people grow? The Bible teaches us in the first half of chapter 4: unity and service.

Questions
These are questions you should ask yourself about this passage:

Why do you think that unity is such a big problem in churches?

What are the antidotes presented in this chapter?

Action
If we want to be the healthy, growing servants, list three things we should do, based on this chapter? Don’t use the word “remember” or “understand” or similar words in your answer.

Ruth: A Sweet and Bitter Providence

On July 25th, the 10:30am Sunday School at Cornerstone class will be reading the Book of Ruth, along with John Piper's book A Sweet and Bitter Providence "examines the book's relevant, unchanging themes and its dangerous ability to inspire twenty-first-century readers in the cause of love." starts on Sunday mornings at Cornerstone during the 10:30am Sunday School class. Listen to the author share about the core purpose of the book in this short video.

If I Could Tell You One Thing...Money (Matthew 6:24)

These were group-time lessons used for Cornerstone's Family Camp. The room was split into three groups. The speaker introduced the topic (Key Idea) the led the groups through a series of questions and then had them brainstorm actions. Each topic took 20 minutes.
Key Idea
Money acts as a spiritual thermometer, showing our priorities.

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. – Matthew 6:24

There can only be one “first place” in your life. There are no ties. There are no committees. There is either God or something else. And the many something-elses in our life are constantly jockeying to take down God as king of the mountain in our life.

Some of these other things are good things, like love or beauty or excitement. Others prey upon our fears of insignificance or insecurity. The way we use our money is often a symptom or thermometer of our spiritual condition, because it is used as a band-aid for our out-of-control fears and desires.

Jesus highlights one specific symptom: how much attention we pay to the gathering or preservation of money. Think about how much time you spend checking your 401K, your investments, your bank balance, or shifting around money from savings to checking or optimizing your taxes. Are you managing your money or is it managing you? Does it seem like it demanding more and more time and effort? If money is short, do you obsess? If it is plentiful, do you check on it like McScrooge? Those are symptoms that money is trying to claw its way to first place in your life.

Questions
These are questions you should ask yourself about this passage:

The word translated “Money” here was actually the name of a pagan god (mammon). How is money like a god? (see also Colossians 3:5)

What happens to people when they try to serve two masters? What are the symptoms?

How do you think God tests where our true loyalties lie?

Action
What is one practical thing you can do to lessen the hold of money on your life?

List one or two people who are most likely to notice the symptoms in your life.

If I Could Tell You One Thing...Family (Deuteronomy 6)

These were group-time lessons used for Cornerstone's Family Camp. The room was split into three groups. The speaker introduced the topic (Key Idea) the led the groups through a series of questions and then had them brainstorm actions. Each topic took 20 minutes.

Key Idea
The family is God’s means of producing servants.

Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. – Deut. 6:3

God wants serving families more than he wants successful families. Well-educated but spiritually bankrupt describes much of our generation. Why? Because we have become convinced that families should produce superstars rather than servants. We have become convinced that a career is more important that character.

But we do not have the ability to make our children successful. We do not have the ability to make our children joyful. Those are in God’s control, not ours. And in these verses. In Deuteronomy 6, we see how intimately God tie together our spiritual walk with our family’s walk. Verses 4 and 5 are famous (and rightly so) as the Great Commandment. But verse 6 says: “Impress them on your children”

Questions
Why was this experience different for Israel from what happened in the past?

What is it about seasons of hardship (such as Israel’s slavery) that makes it hard to remember God? What is it about seasons of blessing (such as the promised land) that makes it hard to remember God? Write out 3 reasons each. Why is the transition between hardship and blessing critical?

Application
Find God’s advice for families in this chapter and paraphrase them as actions for today’s family.

If I Could Tell You One Thing...Work (Colossians 3:17,23-24)

These were group-time lessons used for Cornerstone's Family Camp. The room was split into three groups. The speaker introduced the topic (Key Idea) the led the groups through a series of questions and then had them brainstorm actions. Each topic took 20 minutes.

Work (Colossians 3:23-24)

Key Idea
Your job is your God-designed ministry.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. – Col. 3:23-24

God is the one who hires you and fires you and transfers you to another position. Not your boss. Your job is one way that God infiltrates the world, transforming it by his presence in his people. Sometimes we like to separate our home and family life from the “real world” of the job, but that is not how the Bible looks at it.

Every person you help at work is being helped by the hands and feet of God (Matt. 25:31ff). Every product you produce at work is an offering by you to God (Gen. 4). Every meeting you attend is more about the people in the room than the things you accomplish.

Questions
These are questions you should ask yourself about this passage:

As you read the chapter, why do you think Paul had to write these instructions in the first place (see also Col. 3:17)? What tendency was he trying to counteract?

What reasons do we give for slacking? What reasons do we give for over-involvement in work?

What motivations does Paul give serving in vs. 17, 23-25

Action
List three ways we can be God’s hands and feet at work? How can God’s kingdom invade my office or workplace?

Psalm 23: Worshipping Alone, Together.

A while back, my wife pointed out a curious trend in the Psalms, which I have recently rediscovered for myself in Psalm 23 (a few days ago) and Psalm 27 (today). These psalms start out referring to God in the 3rd person ("He" or "the Lord"). Then switching to 2nd person ("you"). Then back to 3rd person to finish up.

Psalm 23
Consider Psalm 23:

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. - Ps. 23:1-3

In these verses, David is talking about his personal ("I") relationship with God to someone else, probably the congregation (see Ps. 22:22 or Ps. 68:26). Then, in the middle portion, David addresses God directly:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. - Ps. 23:4-5

This is the central idea of the whole song: God protects, guides and blesses David. Then he returns to addressing his hearers to finish:

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. - Ps. 23:6

Together And Alone
To me, these words reflect the personal and together aspects of worship. From his own experiences, he shares what he has learned through the good times and the bad so that those with him can share and gain from his perspective. At the same time, he opens the door to reveal his own inner conversation with God about the same topic. It is an inner conversation that we all have when we go to church, even if it is "When am I getting out of here?" or "Is this relevant?" But the best of worship blends the togetherness of the body with the personal of heart-felt communion with God.

We worship both alone and together. David brings both pieces into view beautifully here.

P.S. If you are interested, another good example of this style is found in Psalm 27, where vs. 1-6 are 3rd person, vs. 7-9 are 2nd person and vs. 10-14 are back in 3rd person.

Jeremiah 29:7: Praying With External Focus

After being carried to Babylon, God spoke to the exiles:

"Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." - Jeremiah 29:7

Often, our actions express an unspoken focus on blessing the church, but ignoring the community in which God placed the church. How about with prayer? What does prayer look like when a church takes its eyes from itself and looks outward? Here's a thought-provoking chart from the book, The Externally Focused Quest[1]:

• "Internally Focused Church" vs "Externally Focused Church" 
• "Prayer inside the church" vs. "Prayer on location in the community (schools, places of violence, etc.)" 
• "Prayer for our people" vs. "Prayer for those outside our church-city officials, human service agency leaders, teachers, etc." 
• "Prayer for our church" vs. "Prayer for other churches"
• "Prayer for you" vs. "Pray with you"
• "Prayer for church finances" vs. "Prayer for money to be freed up to help others." 
• "Prayer for the lost." vs. "Prayer for and engagement with three people who don’t know Jesus." 
• "Prayer gatherings for people in our church." vs. "Prayer gatherings with other churches for the community." 
• "Prayer for myself (my happiness, security, health, etc.)" vs. "Prayer for people in need." 
• "Prayer for God to change them" vs. "Prayer for God to change me" 
• "Prayer for people to come to church" vs. "Prayer for people to be sent out from our church." 
• "Prayer for the success of our church." vs. "Prayer for expansion of the kingdom." 
• "People who pray" vs. "People of prayer." 

Pray outwards.


[1] The Externally Focused Quest, Eric Swanson & Rick Rusaw (John Wiley & Sons, 2010)