Sermon Questions
- Not all community is the same. In his book Compelling Community, Jamie Dunlop compares two types of community.
“In gospel-plus community, nearly every relationship is founded on the gospel plus something else. Sam and Joe are both Christians, but the real reason they’re friends is that they’re both singles in their 40s, or share a passion to combat illiteracy, or work as doctors.”
“In gospel-revealing community, many relationships would never exist but for the truth and power of the gospel—either because of the depth of care for each other or because two people in relationship have little in common but Christ.”
How would you primarily describe your relationships at First Free? Your small group?

- Do you think our community at First Free reveals the power of the gospel? Why or why not?

- Brainstorm what kind of practical actions would help foster this kind of unity (one not based on similarity) at First Free. Dunlop shares some suggestions to get you thinking:
“We can sacrifice our comfort to reach out and associate with someone whom we’re not naturally drawn to.”
“We can sacrifice our preferences.”
“We can sacrifice our resources and time to serve fellow church members in need, even when society would deem their time less valuable than ours.”
“We can sacrifice our habits to spend time with those with whom we’d otherwise never see.”

- Share examples of how you’ve see the church built up through people serving and how you’ve seen or experienced the benefit to the one serving others?

- Your small group is a great place to find community, but when you feel connected it can be harder to see when others are struggling to connect. Spend some time praying for our church to grow in our love for one another that results in community that can’t be explained without Christ.