Faith Community Group Bible Study

Week of: Feb 4 - 10, 2007

Gazing on the Face of God (6 of 6): Community

This is our final week of follow-up from TheTruth Project as we have gazed on the face of God. We began by looking again at the triune nature of God and saw how God’s own nature is reflected in His design of the family, the church, labor, government and in salvation. We have seen the love and wisdom of God’s plan that has caused us to respond to Him in worship.

We have also seen the terrible problems caused when men reject God’s order for some other notion and this has perhaps first caused us to get angry at the people we hold responsible. But hopefully, it has also caused us to examine ourselves to see areas in our own lives where we have not responded to God in faith and obedience, but instead followed our own idle notions. And hopefully it has also caused us to ask God what He would have us do to bring changes in these spheres—changes that would more closely reflect God’s design, which would bring Him glory and serve our fellow man.

This final study on God’s purpose for human community is a perfect completion to our series. As we have gazed upon God’s face, like Isaiah, may we each say to God with sincerity, “Here am I. Send me!”

Sphere of Human Community

Read the following passages and on the corresponding blank linefill in how each member relates with the other:

  1. 1 Samuel 2:8
  2. Psalm 72:4
  3. Romans 13:8-10
  4. Romans 13:8-10
  5. Luke 14:13-14
  6. Luke 14:13-14
  7. Matthew 25:40
  8. 1 Timothy 5:5
  9. Psalm 35:10

Discussion Questions:

  1. Psalm 35:10 asks, “Who is like you, O Lord?”,who rescues the poor and needy. Why is this such a profound question?
  1. Past and present, how has the Christian church show God’s love to its neighbors?
  1. Would you say that caring for the needy is something Christians do in addition to sharing the gospel, or is this a necessary part of the gospel?
  1. How does the sphere of community differ in structure from the other social spheres we’ve looked at in this study? How does this difference present a special challenge for us as believers?
  1. In most of the post-Christian, western countries, we have pushed off the responsibility to care for the needy to the state. What problems does this create?
  1. Remember back to The Truth Project Tour 12 when we last covered this topic. We asked, “Who is someone in need that you or your whole small group can minister to?” Did you answer that question? What is God telling you to do to make a difference in a neighbor’s life, or in your local or global community?

Challenge for the Week: Preach the gospel at all times. Use words when necessary.