FOCUS ON COMMUNITY. Dedicated to Philip R. Knowles. Hebrews 12:1

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1 FOCUS ON COMMUNITY Dedicated to Philip R. Knowles Hebrews 12:1

2 50 DAYS OF FOCUS ON COMMUNITY Study Guide Copyright 2017 PAUL TIBBETTS ISBN: All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher or author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. 1970s, updated in 1984 and Used by permission. Author: Paul Tibbetts Contact the author: caymanis@candw.ky Designed by Charles R. Gilman Published by CLM PUBLISHING PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...II PREFACE... IV INTRODUCTION Authentic Community... VII LIFE GROUP SESSIONS Session 1: A Christian Community...1 Session 2: A Loving Community...15 Session 3: A Growing Community...27 Session 4: A Praying Community...41 Session 5: A Serving Community...55 Session 6: A Worshipping Community...67 Session 7: A Missional Community...81 EPILOGUE...95 A WORD ABOUT LIFE GROUPS...96 TIPS FOR GROUP LEADERS...97 I

4 Acknowledgements Psalm 127:1 says that unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. That is most certainly true of writing books, and God s hand of guidance and blessing has been at work through this project from initial prayer beginnings to final publication. This season, as we Focus on Community and look at the body of believers, it has been amazing to see so many in our local church body, our Community of Love, that came together to help bring this study guide and campaign project to completion. I want to express my deep gratefulness to Pastor Randy Von Kanel. I am humbled with the great trust you placed in me to guide the creation of this third book in the Focus series. Throughout the process of writing this book, you have served as editor, compiler, counselor, reviewer, spiritual advisor, friend and supporter, amongst your other roles. I am deeply indebted to you for your Godly guidance and steadfast effort in bringing this book to fruition. I count it a blessed privilege and joy to call you my Pastor. I want to acknowledge the ongoing efforts of others in the Cayman Islands Baptist Church Discipleship Team, particularly Joel Scott and Mike Irby, who God used as catalysts for this joint effort and who have labored together along the way to bring it to reality. Your continual prayers and commitment to this overall project made a huge contribution. I am indebted to the Pastoral and Leadership Councils at Cayman Islands Baptist Church for your continued prayer and support. Charles Gilman, thank you for the professional layout and design in creating the look and feel of the material for the second year in a row. Thank you to Jasser Camacho for the original cover design and conceptual logo for the Focus materials. Special thanks to our gifted team of writers who penned the daily devotionals! Appreciation goes to: Arthur Agee, Karie Bergstrom, Carla Bregani, Annie Ebanks, Vanessa Gilman, Ray Harris, Mike Irby, Faye II

5 Lippett, Jordan Richmond, Cleavy Scott, Emily Tibbetts, Randy Von Kanel and Sharon Williams. I am grateful to each of you for your willingness to let God speak through you. Thank you, Virginia Castillo, for your constant support, encouragement and for your assistance with the Focus project in so many ways! And thank you, Carla Bregani, for your years of writing, proofing and offerings of insights and ideas, and to you, Vanessa Gilman, for your eyes and heart in the final proofing. Finally, thank you to my wife, Emily! She has been an incredible support throughout the process of writing this book from giving me time to devote to preparing the material, to proof reading, editing and devotional writing. You always amaze me, and I am forever grateful to God for you. Paul Tibbetts Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 1 September, 2017 III

6 Preface October 2015 marked the beginning of the first discipleship study in the Focus line-up, Focus on What Matters Most, a series anchored in seven core concerns for our Christian walk and built on the framework of a 50-day small-group campaign. Seven matters that matter most were the foci of that initial introductory and summary campaign, with the studies centered on 1) the Gospel; 2) Community; 3) God s Word; 4) Faith; 5) Family; 6) Life; and 7) Missions. From that beginning, an anticipated seven-year cycle was launched, with plans to hold an annual 50-day emphasis on each of the seven matters of the original study. Now, after two years of successful campaigns (the initial Focus on What Matters Most and last year s Focus on the Gospel) and a deepening of the Body of Christ here at the Cayman Islands Baptist Church, we are set to begin our third study: Focus on Community. Written by Paul Tibbetts, our Discipleship leader and long-time Life Group facilitator who has done an amazing job in writing and preparing the material, Focus on Community takes the closer look at what it means to be in a community through the local church the community of faith and love. He leads us to see how we might experience that community both in the small gatherings of our Life groups and in the corporate experience of the larger congregation. As with the previous studies, this Study Guide is designed for use in the small group setting, to offer support in understanding and experiencing the seven expressions of a Christian community. These expressions include: 1) A Christian Community We Are in This Together! 2) A Loving Community We Love Each Other! 3) A Growing Community We Grow Best Together! 4) A Praying Community We Pray Together! 5) A Serving Community We Serve Together! 6) A Worshipping Community We Worship Together! 7) A Missional Community We Are on Mission Together! IV

7 The whole spectrum of what is meant and offered in a genuine Christian community is found within these areas of the life and ministry of a local church and the small groups that it comprises. This small-group study guide is produced to help our Life Groups engage at a deeper level in the larger church campaign, 50 Days of Focus on Community. The overall campaign is designed so that you, the participant, might experience the life and love offered within the community of a New Testament church. We are excited about what God has brought together and about what we believe He will do through this discipleship campaign not only in our congregation, but wherever the study may be used in other local churches. In tandem with this Guide, a Sunday morning preaching series, Focus on Community, offers parallel, weekly messages that provide foundational biblical support for the small group studies. The combined Sunday sermons and weekly small group studies are intended to facilitate a more comprehensive coverage of the Community focus. Audio/Video copies of the sermons are available, as well as the sermon notes. We believe deeply in what we are about with this study. We are praying that our Lord will use these days to help us engage more deeply in the life of the local church, to strengthen our sense and experience of community, to anchor ourselves more firmly in God s Word, to deepen and grow our faith, to love and bless our families, to enhance our witness of life lived in and for Him, and to lead and empower each of us to tell the nations the Good News of Jesus Christ! Thank you for joining us in these days of focus on Community and ultimately on Jesus, the very life of our community of faith and love and who Himself is the Head of His Body the Church. Randy Von Kanel, Pastor and Focus Series Editor Cayman Islands Baptist Church Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 1 September 2017 V

8 SETTING UP The Life Group in Focus The Set Up for the Life Group experience and study enables the group members to mix, connect, and engage in a relaxed and fun environment of fellowship. The Setting Up activities open the Life Group meeting for the purpose of bringing participants together for the time of focus. FIXING OUR SIGHTS Once the group is underway, the first thing is to get the big picture of the object of the focus. The key Scripture passage and the opening reflection question(s) offer the first look at the subject matter for the evening and invites participants in the group to engage in the study and discussion. ZOOMING IN At this point, the Life group will zoom in on the subject, reading and/or discussing the opening commentary, which is provided to offer a theological and biblical overview of the subject. THE FOCUS As with the turning of the lens on the camera to focus clearly on the object being viewed, group members participate in a video teaching series with Pastor Randy Von Kanel, exploring the focus on community. HEART REFLECTIONS In Heart Reflections, group members are given the opportunity to reflect on what they have seen and experienced, helping members to open up in a safe and caring small group experience. This time facilitates heart connections with others in the group and with God. VI

9 PRAYER FOCUS The group meeting concludes with a time of prayer. Praying together as a small group community with personal and corporate expressions of faith and petitions, as well as interceding for and with members of the group, make for a very special time of worship and prayer. FOR FURTHER VIEWING Daily devotionals on the major focus points of the Gospel are offered for the fifty-day period covering the timeframe of the small group study. Seven small group studies are presented, with devotional readings given for the following six days each week. Scripture readings, commentary, and applications to life are offered through these short, laser-focused devotional presentations on various aspects of the Community focus from the session before. YOUR LIFE GROUP MEMBERS Name Phone VII

10 50 DAYS OF FOCUS - COMMUNITY Introduction As God s dearly loved creation, we find the whole of history is centered on humanity and God s redemptive process to provide a way to reunite a flawed people with a Holy God. Throughout Scripture, we see where God works this plan in and through communities first, in the Jews, and later, in the New Testament church. In the Old Testament, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, God refers to the Jewish community as My people, called by My name and thousands of years later, Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12:27, refers to Christians as the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. The Christian Community is of utmost importance to God. In Ephesians 5:25, we see where husbands are commanded to love their wives with the same love and dedication that Christ has for the church a love so strong that He gave His very life. It is through this very much loved and cherished Christian Community that we individually experience love, growth, service, worship, and so much more. The focus of this 50-day small group experience will be to explore this Community. Through in-depth Bible studies and small group discussions, we will look at the key areas of an authentic community, including: 1. Christian Community Christ is the center and focus of our community; 2. Loving Community God loves us and that love flows through us; 3. Growing Community We grow closer to God as we learn and spur one another on; 4. Praying Community In community, we pray collectively and individually as we share needs and praises; 5. Serving Community Following Christ s example, we live lives of service; 6. Worshipping Community Spending time acknowledging God for who He is; and 7. Missional Community Ultimately, we are all called to go and share God s good news with a lost world. VIII

11 Authentic Community is highly valued by God and should be by us as well. We were never meant to live lives apart from God or from the other believers. In community we hear, we grow, we go, and we sow. The body of Christ includes every believer that has put their faith and trust in God. This worldwide family of believers allows us to understand and demostrate love. It is where we grow in our faith, exercise our gifts and talents, care for each other, praise God, and work together to shine His light into a dark world. So, welcome! You are about to engage with us in a journey of discovery and renewal that will help focus our lives on what matters the most to God and to us His people the Community of believers. And this focus really matters! Because if we miss His plan and purpose for our lives we ve missed Him! And, ultimately, if we miss God... nothing else really matters! IX