ReChurch. discussion questions

Transcription

1 IS BN: ReChurch It seems that everyone who has ever been part of a church has suffered a church hurt. The pastor had an affair or the congregation fought over money or the leaders were disguising gossip as prayer. Stephen Mansfield has been there. Though he is now a New York Times bestselling author, he was a pastor for over 20 years, and he loved it until he learned how much a church can hurt. Yet he also learned how to dig out of that hurt, break through the bitterness and anger, stop making excuses, and get back to where he ought to be with God and his people. discussion questions Chapter 1 The Image of Our Folly Discuss the real message behind Stephen s illustr ation of Timmy. Give some ex amples of areas where a church might hold a Timmy Death Grip. In what sense might a religiously wounded person be in danger of a tainted life of smallness and pain, missed destinies, and the bitter downward spir al? Discuss some areas of your church body where there may be wounded souls. How can your church minister to them? What do you think Stephen means when he says it s possible to be part of a church without surrendering your soul (p. 14 )? Chapter 2 The Sea B reeze of the Centuries How might looking at the past encour age members of your church to work through their own church hurt? What surprised you most about the spiritual wounds experienced by George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and Vincent van Gogh? What did their stories have in common with one another? What can we take away from their stories? Consider the story of St. Patrick s life. What kept him from simply walking away from the church after he was betr ayed by his friend and publicly humiliated?

2 Why is it that being hurt by members of the church often leaves us more wounded than conflicts with nonbelievers? Chapter 3 Man : The Greatness and the Grief What did God intend for his church to look like? Expl ain what it means that humans are a combination of greatness and grief? How can Christians maintain a firm gr asp on this realit y without becoming cynical about what happens in their churches? Expl ain the danger of viewing life with a naive, sentimental gloss r ather than as it really is. How can doing this actually expose us to even deeper church hurt? Read Acts 13 1 What did you learn about Mark s first years in the ministry that you hadn t known before? Just as Barnabas supported Mark in spite of his mistake, can you think of a time someone saw potential in you when others didn t? Imagine the heated conversation that likely took pl ace bet ween Paul and Barnabas, and expl ain how both men were hurt by Mark s behavior. How was their ministry affected by this dispute? What can we take away from the fact that the early church faced conflict, hurt, and struggles the same way we do? How might this knowledge help you overcome the church hurt you may be facing today? 7. Stephen writes, Christianit y is the message of a God who uses our stupidit y and hurt to make us what we are destined to be. Share a time when you ve experienced God using your weakness to accomplish something bigger in your life. Chapter 4 Lessons from a Season in Hell Expand on your answer to question # 1 on page 67. What have your own critics taught you about yourself? What are some pr actical ways to use their criticism to positively shape the way you conduct yourself? Consider question # 2 on page 7 Where did you turn to for comfort during your season of hurt? Looking back on that time, how might you change your method of coping?

3 How much of your time did you spend seeking justification for your actions or being the victim r ather than pursuing reconciliation? Have you ever participated in or been on the receiving end of the Oswald Complex? What effect did this have on you and the people involved? What are some qualities Jonathan in the Bible possessed that we should look for in true friendships? Share the personal sources of inspir ation that gave you hope or a renewed sense of purpose during your season of pain. What inspires your church body during difficult times? Chapter 5 The Throne Room of Your Mind What does the throne room of your mind look like? How does your personal definition of the word offense differ from the definition in the Koine Greek in which the Bible was originally written? How is the original meaning rel ated to the Greek word scandalon? If the devil is indeed setting tr aps for you, what bait might he use to tr ap you? What kind of bait is most effective in tr apping your church body? Take a few minutes and make a list of the ways in which you see yourself fulfilling the biblical description of an offended and tr apped person. you? What steps can you take today to forgive those who have wronged Chapter 6 Truths for Getting Whole Expl ain the distinction bet ween the Greek word for well, sozo, and the Greek word for cleansed, k atharizo. What effects has your church hurt had on your spiritual life?

4 How might your church react differently to pain knowing that God has predetermined its hardships and difficult times? What benefits have come from your church s wounding experiences in the past? Stephen suggests memorizing the Scriptures that speak of preordained suffering as a way to battle self -pit y, bitterness, and disillusionment. In addition to the verses on page 124, list other verses. Describe what it would feel like for someone to feel doomed. Is it also possible for a church body to experience the same sense of haunting doom? As odd as it sounds, we often like the part of ourselves where demons are working. Why is this so? Name some demons that may be at work in your church family. Chapter 7 Coming Home How did you did decide which church to attend? What factors did you consider? Looking back, how might you reprioritize those factors? What are your spiritual gifts? How do you serve the body of Christ with those gifts? Name the strengths your church has in addressing hardships and hurt. What are some areas you feel your church could improve on? What things about church are you sensitive to? Where are you prone to be hurt? How do you reach out to the members of your congregation who have been wounded? How do they react? Epilogue What lessons can you learn from the way Paul accepted Mark back into his ministry? What role did mentorship pl ay in the way Mark confronted his mistakes and emerged as a lion of the faith?

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