Regeneration and Church DisciplineMatthew 18:15-20Discipleship Starts at Regeneration

• John 20:30-31

• 1 Peter 1:23

• Titus 3:5

• Matthew 16:18-19

Discipleship Requires Discipline

• Acts 2:42

• Matthew 18:15-17

• 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Membership Is Meaningless If It Is Unconditional

• Matthew 18:18-20

• 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Application Points:

• Membership is less about “joining” and more about “submitting” to God

• Discipleship starts at regeneration

• Without discipline there is no discipleship

• The Gospel must be defended

• Discipleship demands repentance and growth

The Boundaries of the Church

Ephesians 4:11-20

Discipleship Happens in the Life of the Church

• Matthew 28:18-20

• Acts 1:8

• Ephesians 4:11-13

The Church Sets Boundaries Around Truth and Error

• Ephesians 4:14-16

• Acts 20:24-30

The Church Gives Clarity to the Work of the Gospel

• Ephesians 4:17-20

• Titus 2:11-15

Application Points:

• Commit to environments of discipleship

• Live to bear witness to what Jesus has done

• Be thankful for the boundaries of the Gospel

• Commit to a life of growth in discipleship

No Other GodThere Is Only One God

• Exodus 20:1-3

• Deuteronomy 6:4-5

• Isaiah 45:5-6

• 1 Kings 18:26-29

• 1 Kings 18:36-39

All People Have An Idolatry Problem

• 1 John 5:21

• 1 Corinthians 10:14

Jesus Is the Only One Worthy of Your Worship

• John 14:6

• Matthew 6:24

• 1 Corinthians 8:4-6

Application Points:

• Our God is the only God, therefore worship him

• Take inventory of your idols frequently

• See Jesus as the God of the entire Bible

• Boldly proclaim Jesus as the only true God

“The Church Made Visible”

Acts 2:42-47

The Church Is Meant to Be Seen in This World

• Acts 2:42-47

• 1 Corinthians 14:22-25

• A Local Church Is:

• A community of regenerated believers (Christians) who confess Jesus Christ as Lord (Titus 3:5-8)

• Organized under qualified leadership (1 Timothy 3:1-7)

• Gather regularly for preaching and worship (Hebrews 10:24-25; 2 Timothy 4:1-2)

• Observe the biblical ordinances of baptism and communion (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

• Unified by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 1:10)

• Disciplined for holiness (Titus 3:10)

• Scatter to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission as missionaries to the world (Matthew 28:19-20)

Membership Makes the Gathered Church Visible

• Romans 12:4-5

• 1 Corinthians 12:13, 27

• Hebrews 10:24-25

Membership Helps the World to Know Who Is in and Who Is Out

• 1 Timothy 3:14-15

• Hebrews 13:7-8

• Hebrews 13:17

• 1 Peter 5:5

• Church Membership Is:

• A covenant of union between a particular church and a Christian

• Consists of the church’s affirmation of the Christian’s gospel profession

• Consists of the church’s promise to give oversight to the Christian

• Consists of the Christian’s promise to gather with the church and submit to its oversight

Application Points:

• Following Jesus leads to real commitment to a real church

• Non-Christians see the Gospel at work through the gathered church

• The local church offers tangible environments to obey God

• Covenant membership provides the WHICH, the WHO and the HOW of building God’s church

Serving Outside the Walls of the ChurchTo Follow Jesus is to Serve

• Mark 10:42-45

• Luke 17:7-10

• 1 Peter 2:16

Christians Serve Through the Church

• Matthew 5:13-16

• Luke 6:32-36

Christians Serve Their Neighbors

• 1 Corinthians 10:33

• Matthew 9:11-12

Application Points:

• Serve Jesus because He served you

• Play your part in the body of Christ

• Reach your neighbors

“The Church Emerges from the Gospel”

Matthew 16:18

The Church Is the Eternal Plan of God

• Matthew 16:18

The Church Is the Body of Christ

• Ephesians 1:22-23

• Ephesians 4:11-16

The Universal Church Is Only Expressed in the Local Church

• 1 Corinthians 12:27

• 1 Corinthians 12:14-26

Application Points:

• God wants you to build His Church

• You can’t follow Jesus without a local church

• Building the church demands commitment

• Discipleship happens through environments in the church

“God Has Not Been Silent”

Matthew 23:34-39

Download the Group GuideGod Is There and He Is Not Silent

• Matthew 23:34-36

• Matthew 21:42-43

• Matthew 22:31-32

• Luke 11:49-51

God Is Eager to Bless Faith in Jesus

• Matthew 23:37-38

• Matthew 11:28-29

• Romans 2:4-5

• John 3:18

Your Life Will Be Defined by the Gospel

• Matthew 23:38-39

• Zechariah 14:8-9

Application Points:

• God has given sufficient revelation of who He is, what He wants, what He has done, and what He is going to do

• God wants to save people from sin

• Live to take the Gospel to people

• You cannot escape God

“Trials and Temptation”

James 1:12-18

Download the Group GuideEndure Trials with Eternity in Mind

• James 1:2-4

• Genesis 50:20-21

• Matthew 7:24-25

Your Greatest Enemy Is You

• Jeremiah 17:9

Every Good and Perfect Gift Comes from Above

• Hebrews 13:8

Application:

• Always have eternity in mind

• Remember God’s faithfulness in the past

• Face the real source of your temptation

• Trust the God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever

• If you are new in Christ, live like it

“The Danger of False Religion”

Matthew 23:25-33

Download the Group GuideOutward Appearances Can Be Deceiving

• Matthew 23:25-26

• Matthew 15:14

• Revelation 3:17

Real Change Happens from the Inside Out

• Matthew 23:27-28

• Ephesians 4:20-24

False Piety Is Deadly

• Matthew 23:29-33

• Numbers 32:14

• John 9:39

Application Points:

• Build the faith that changes you from the inside out

• Seek the approval of God rather than man

• Real faith deals with the why behind the what

• Build faith that leads others to Jesus

“God Defines Faithfulness”

Matthew 23:16-24

Download the Group GuideYou Cannot Lie to God

• Matthew 23:16-22

• Numbers 30:2

• Matthew 5:36-37

• Psalm 33:13-15

Distorting God’s Truth Is Damnable

• Matthew 23:16-22

• Isaiah 5:20

• John 14:21

• Matthew 28:20a

God Defines Faithfulness

• Matthew 23:23-24

• Deuteronomy 14:22

• Micah 6:8

Application Points

• Live like you cannot lie to God (because you can’t)

• Never minimize what it looks like to follow Jesus

• Commit to God’s definition of faithfulness

• Respond to the world’s lies with the Gospel