Springcreek Church

MOSAIC
God's Vision for Our Community
Dr. Jessica Fernandez, Lead Associate Pastor
August 18, 2024


https://www.springcreekchurch.org

Just like a mosaic, which is composed of various colorful pieces that come together to form a beautiful image, our community is made up of diverse individuals, each contributing uniquely to the whole. Through biblical teachings, we will discover how each person's unique gifts, backgrounds, and stories are essential to God's grand design. We'll highlight the importance of unity in diversity, the strength found in our interconnectedness, and the purpose behind our collective journey as the body of Christ. Together, we will learn practical steps to embrace our differences and build a vibrant, loving community that reflects the love and glory of God.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Reflecting on Your Community Experience: Think about a time when you felt truly connected in a community. What aspects of that community made you feel valued and supported? How did the diversity within the group contribute to your experience?

2. Overcoming the Enemies of True Community: The message highlighted affinity, apathy, individualism, and unawareness of semantic change as enemies of true community. Which of these do you think is the biggest challenge in your current community, and what steps can we take to address it?

3. Embracing Diversity in Our Church: The Church of Antioch was remarkable for its inclusivity and diversity. How can we, as a church, better embrace and celebrate the differences among us? What practical actions can we take to ensure that everyone feels included and valued?

4. Living Out Koinonia: Koinonia involves deep, spiritual fellowship and shared purpose. In what ways can you personally contribute to fostering koinonia in our church community? How can we collectively ensure that our relationships go beyond surface-level interactions?

5. Applying the Collective Approach: The collective approach at the Church of Antioch showed the power of working together to achieve God’s mission. How can we apply this collective mindset in our church today? What are some specific areas where we need to shift from individualism to a more collective, community-focused approach?

We’ve been on a journey over the last several weeks where we’ve been examining the toxic effect churches and leaders can sometimes leave in our life. But more importantly, we’ve been learning how to counter the lies and distortions we’ve faced, seen ourselves and God more clearly, and are beginning to experience the healing that accompanies a healthy faith. As we wrap up the series this Sunday, we’re going to learn about the atmosphere where our faith can truly thrive – and that’s grace. Grace is not just something we need to begin the spiritual life. Grace is soil in which our life, faith and maturity come into their fullness. This is one message you don’t want to miss!


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. The feeling of being unwanted or having a name put on you is one of the worst feelings in the world. In what ways have you seen or experienced this type of shaming? Pastor Keith mentioned, “When someone’s calling you names, or demeaning you, the greatest challenge is not to stop the person, but the greater challenge is to stop yourself from mutilating your own identity.” The younger we are, the more difficult it is to not let a name put on us by others become the way we see ourselves. What do you think can be done to curb name-calling? What would you say to someone who had been deeply hurt by an offensive, unfair nickname?

2. So much of today’s lesson involves moving from a place of shame to a place of acceptance? How did we see this truth in the life of Mephibosheth? What practical application can you make from his story to your own life?

3. What has been your experience with grace? Have you heard it explained before today? How has it impacted your life? Why do people fear grace? Why is the teaching of grace something in short supply in toxic churches? How is Rahab an example of grace? Can you think of any other biblical characters that help us in our understanding of grace?

4. What have been your biggest takeaways from this series? Where is God working in you right now to continue the process of healing anything and everything that was added to your spiritual life but did not belong? How can we better model a healthy, well-balanced, biblical faith?

REBUILDING
Healing from Toxic Religion – Part 4
Springcreek Church | Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
August 4, 2024



Wounding that occurs in relationship must be healed in relationship. To rebuild one’s life after experiencing toxic religion requires a new and better understanding of God. Let’s face it, a major driver of toxic practice is toxic theology – a faulty understanding of Who God is and what God is like. But knowing about God is not the same as knowing God. You don’t know God just because you know about Him. It takes spending time with Him, listening to Him, and daring to trust Him with your hurts, problems, and failures. Invite him into every aspect of your life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Discuss the following quote, “The greatest need in people’s lives is to understand the true identity of God.” – R.C. Sproul

2. In the parable of the prodigal son, we typically place all the emphasis on the younger son. Even the name of the parable itself (which is not a name given to it by Jesus or the writers of Scripture) puts the emphasis on the younger son. But Jesus told this story (read Luke 15.1-3) to address the objection of the Pharisees to his eating with sinners. When you understand why Jesus told this story to begin with, it’s clear that the older brother is the Pharisees. What similarities do you see between the Pharisees and the older brother? How can you sometimes be like the older brother?

3. C.S. Lewis explained the difference between sins of the flesh and sins of the spirit. What do you remember about what he said? Why do you think we scandalize the sins of the flesh? Why was Jesus so bothered by the sins of the spirit that He witnessed in the religious leaders? What implication does this teaching have for us today?

4. Take some time to reflect on what you learned about the following passage:
Why do you call me “Lord, Lord,” Jesus says, “and not do what I tell you?” Luke 6.46

Why did Jewish people repeat someone’s name? How does that alter your understanding of this verse? Why are obedience and love interconnected?

5. Experience must be corrected by experience. This is a fundamental truth in our understanding of how God heals us. Of course, the obvious implication is it takes more than facts to change our hearts and minds. We need a deeper experience of the truths we say we believe. This means we must feel them and live them, not just know them in our heads. How have you experienced the love of God? How does your community aid in the experience of the love of God?