Message Notes for April 7, 2024

Series: Under the Hood—A Look at 1st Corinthians

Title: Diagnostics and Function

Bottom Line: The church is made up of imperfect people serving a perfect God. Together, God equips the church and all its different people to be a witness to his love and steadfastness.

1 Corinthians 1:1-9 “This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. 2 I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. 3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 4 I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. 5 Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. 6 This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. 7 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9 God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

· Do we recognize a difference and do others see a difference in our life?

· Are we a learner and a teacher?

· Find the right foundation

Family/Group Study Notes for the week of April 7, 2024

Series: Under the Hood—A Look at 1st Corinthians

Title: Diagnostics and Function

* Can you remember a time in your spiritual walk where you found yourself needing guidance or direction? What did you do? Was a fellow believer there to help? Has another person ever asked you for help in making a small or large life decision? If possible, share if/how you directed them back to God and building up their spiritual walk.

* Read 1 Corinthians 1:1-9. What parts of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church stand out to you? Why? Reread verses two and three, have you ever considered that to be your identity? Often our identity comes from many different places but why would our Christian identity be the most important? Have you felt that identity change when you first became a Christian or did it take time? How can we continue to grow our identity as Children of God and that he has made us “holy” and “washed clean”? In what ways can we speak this into others this week as ways of encouragement?

* Re-read Corinthians 1:4-9. Have you ever felt uniquely equipped (in a certain situation, each day, etc.) by having Jesus in your life? Explain. If not, how so? Paul talks about in the above scripture having “all we need to stay strong until Christ’s return”. How does having Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives help keep us strong in our faith until Christ’s return? In what ways does it help us live apart from the world into the new lives we are called into as Christians?

* Do we often think of the faithfulness of God as being part of his inherent nature? That he will be faithful in all things whether we see the whole picture or not. How does that confidence change our outlook on our daily lives, various situations we encounter, or choices we make?

* Gather in small groups and pray for each other. Pray that as believers in Christ, we would continue to have all the fullness of God in our lives and active in the church. Pray for the church to have a firm foundation on God and for us as believers to live into our identity as a child of God each day.