Church Defined: What is the Church?
What is the Church? | Various | Chris Meade | January 11, 202
Scripture challenges common assumptions about church by calling believers to move beyond a “temple mentality” that views church as a place to go and instead embrace the biblical truth that the church is God’s people, with Jesus as the cornerstone and believers as living stones. Through Scripture, the message emphasized that under the New Covenant, God no longer dwells in buildings but resides fully within His people by the Holy Spirit, meaning we don’t go to God—He is always with us. The sermon also confronted isolationism, reminding us that following Jesus is not an individual pursuit but a shared life of gathering, encouragement, love, and good works. Ultimately, the call was to shift from making church about personal preferences to living as the gathered body of Christ, blessing one another and boldly living out our faith together.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Where did the Holy Spirit speak or challenge you through God’s Word? Were there any “ah-ah” moments?
2. Heart Check: When you hear the word “church,” what honestly comes to mind first—and how have your past experiences, preferences, or pain shaped that view?
o How have you assessed whether “church” is “good” or not? When you gather with the church, do you tend to evaluate it based on what you received—or on how you loved, encouraged, and served others? Why?
o What might God want to heal, correct, or reframe in your understanding?
o What is one practical way we can focus on a “we” mindset rather than “me”?
o In what ways do you catch yourself slipping into a “temple mentality”—thinking of church as a place you go to rather than a people you belong to and participate in? How does this affect how you approach Sundays?
3. Read Matthew 16:15-18; 1 Peter 2:4-5; Eph 2:19-22; 1 Cor 6:19: How could it change your daily life to remember that you are a temple of the Holy Spirit and that God is always with you, not just in certain places or moments?
o Where might you need to trust God’s promises of his presence over your feelings this week?
4. Read Hebrews 10:24-25: What step can you take to make the gathering of the church a clearer priority in your life—not out of obligation, but out of obedience to Jesus and with the intention to bless and love on others?
o How might that decision strengthen both your faith and the faith of others?
o Who in your life—within the church—might be drifting toward isolation right now? How could you intentionally reach out to stir up love, good works, or encouragement this week?
Colossians
Colossians 3:1-17 | Zach Games | January 4, 2026
Colossians 3:1-17 will begin in the context of Christ’s resurrection and its implications for the life of the believer. Paul will urge his readers to orient themselves towards Christ who is in heaven and away from the things of the world as they await the hope of glory and final resurrection with Christ (3:1-4). Paul will then describe what a resurrection life requires of the believers: to put to death the deeds of their former life which greatly affect their own desires and those of inter-personal relationships (3:5-9a). But why? Paul says that these believers have a new identity, deeply rooted in the taking off of their old way of life and putting on the new, renewed identity they have found in Jesus, as He is “all and in all” (3:9b-11). Paul finishes the passage by describing what it means to put on the “new” self (or way of life) and its implications for the community of believers as they strive for a resurrection lifestyle that seeks to glorify God in all they do (3:12-17).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Where did the Holy Spirit speak or challenge you through God’s Word? Were there any “ah-ah” moments?
2. What does it look like in my everyday choices to “set my heart and mind on things above” rather than on earthly things?
3. If my life is truly “hidden with Christ in God,” how should that shape the way I see my identity, purpose, and hope—especially in seasons of uncertainty or struggle?
4. What old attitudes, habits, or sins might God be inviting me to “put to death” or “take off,” and what would repentance look like in practical terms?
5. How does remembering that I have put on a “new self” in Christ change the way I speak, act, and respond to others—especially when it feels difficult?
6. Which of the qualities Paul lists—compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, or love—do I find hardest to “put on,” and why?
7. What would it look like for the peace of Christ to truly rule in my heart and shape my responses in moments of conflict or stress?
8. How can I more intentionally let the word of Christ dwell in me richly—through gratitude, worship, and teaching—so that everything I say and do reflects Jesus?
9. Who in my life do I need to forgive and how can I reflect on the forgiveness God has shown towards me in Christ to shape my response?