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study 2 - CHURCH
Before I became a Christian, I was learning to sing, and my teacher got me to join a
church choir to get more experience. The music was absolutely beautiful… but the
words were in Latin. We all had to wear robes and the priest would wave incense over
us as we proceeded into the building singing.
These were just some of the rituals that went on week by week, always without
explanation. I’d been taught about Jesus as a kid, but I still didn’t understand what
was going on. It convinced me I was right not to worry too much about this Jesus
stuff. It was all antiquated and strange.
In many ways churches can turn people off Jesus instead of drawing people to him.
But as we look at 1 Corinthians 14 and listen to Sam Chan, we’ll see it doesn’t need to
be that way at all…
Bible time
Read 1 Corinthians 14:1-25 before the sermon on May 3.
1.
Which is better in church, tongues (“uttering mysteries by the Spirit”) or
prophesying (“speaking to people for their strengthening, encouragement and
comfort”)? Why?
2.
Who is Paul particularly concerned for at the end of the passage?
3.
How will it affect them if they don’t understand what’s going on in church? How
about if they do?
Listen to the sermon on 1 Corinthians 14:1-25 at church, and/or online when it’s
available. To listen online, go to http://mpc.org.au/resources/resources15.html and
click on the link to May 3’s sermon, or if you’re reading this on-screen, click here.
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FOLLOWING SERMON ON MAY 3
Sam time
We’ve seen from 1 Corinthians 14 and the sermon how church itself can be a place
where non-Christians can get to know Christians, and understand Jesus, as long as
we run church in a way that’s always fully understandable to non-Christians.
What would that look like for us today?
Watch Sam Chan’s second tip: ‘Church is for both Christians
and non-Christians’, by going to http://new.mpc.org.au/features/
unawkwarding-jesus/ and clicking on the link to Sam Chan
Video 2 or if you’re reading this on-screen, click here.
As you listen to Sam, take notes by answering the following questions:
1.
How did non-Christians relate to church in the 1960s?
How is that different now?
2.
How is “evangelistic worship” helpful for a) Christians and b) non-Christians?
3.
What’s the “minister/non-minister dilemma”? How can “evangelistic worship”
solve it?
4.
What’s the secret to doing “evangelistic worship”?
5.
What’s the effect of doing just one Sunday as if there’s no non-Christians there?
6.
What should be our “tone” during the service?
7.
Which things should we explain each week? On what basis should we
explain them?
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8.
How can the announcements and the prayers be just as evangelistic as
the sermon?
9.
How are banks and post offices designed differently now? Why is that?
10. What message should we be sending to those outside our church?
Discussion time
Sam says church itself should be evangelistic. We should do everything (everything!)
with non-Christians in mind as much as Christians. We should talk as if we
expect non-Christians to be there, even when we’re not sure they are. We should
thoughtfully anticipate what non-Christians might find strange or incomprehensible
and briefly explain each thing as motivated by the good news about Jesus. We
should do all this with a tone of empathy toward non-Christian people.
In fact, we’ve seen Paul himself say that Christians must change their behaviour to
make church understandable to non-Christians.
Bearing this in mind, now talk practically with each other:
1.
Did listening to Sam persuade you that church can be great for Christians and
non-Christians at the same time? Why or why not? 2.
Do you think MPC church services are already great for Christians and nonChristians? In what areas could we sharpen and improve?
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3.
Do you tend to think of our normal church services as a resource for introducing
your friends to other Christians and to Jesus himself?
Why or why not?
4.
Do you come to church each week intending to help any non-Christian people
who might be there? Why or why not?
5.
If you serve in music, announcements or prayer, or you will in future, are you
happy to always do these things thinking of non-Christian people too? Why or
why not?
6.
“If we run church even once as if there’s no non-Christians there, it’ll stop people
inviting their non-Christian friends.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
7.
What would it take for you to really want your non-Christian friends at our church
services?
Pray for each other that we’d come to church each week wanting to help any nonChristians there, that as a church we’d make our services great for Christians and nonChristians, and that we’d each invite our friends to church out of a genuine desire to
see what God might do for them there.
“In the 1 Corinthians passage, Paul insists that the
Christians should change their behavior so that the
worship service will be comprehensible to nonbelievers.
My thesis is that the weekly worship service can be
very effective in evangelism of non-Christians and in
edification of Christians if it does not aim at either alone
but is gospel centered and in the vernacular.”
p. 302
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