Come As You Are
Week 4: Ephesians 5:25-27, 1 Timothy 1:12-14, Matthew 16:13-20, Acts 22:1-5

Have each person in your group share what his or her church background is. (i.e. raised in church, never went to church, parents sent you to church but they never went, etc.)
Have you ever had a bad church experience? If so, without going into too many details and withholding any names, how did it affect your attitude towards the church? Share.
Read aloud Ephesians 5:25-27. Verse 27 reveals that Christ will present the church to Himself as a “radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” What does this say about the church now?
The church is messy because it’s full of people, and people have messy lives. Peter and Paul are great examples of people who had messy lives, and yet, God used both of these men to further His Kingdom. Think of people in your life that have had messy lives, but God used to do His work. Share.
Read aloud what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:12-14. Keeping this passage in mind, compare who you once were to who you are now.
As you close, pray that any bad church experiences will not keep people from attending church and being a part of the body of Christ.