Micro-Church | Fall 2022 | Week 7

Sunday we discussed the idea of focusing less on doing more Christian things and focus on actually spending more time with Christ. That is not to say that we shouldn't have Spiritual disciplines at work in our lives, but rather that we should get the "why" right before we spend our energy on the "what" we are doing. We used an example of a marker bleeding onto a white paper as it is held in the center. Likewise, our lives should show the marks of Christianity because of our contact with Christ, not just because we know how to do the right things. Romans 12 began with a charge from Paul to present ourselves to Christ. Tonight, let's talk about what that means.

Someone in your Micro-Church read this passage aloud:

Romans 12:1–8 (ESV)

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Re-read this passage in a slightly more dynamic passage:

Romans 12:1–8 (NLT)

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

What do you notice about the nature of God from this passage?

What do you notice about people (who are part of the church) in this passage?

Fundamentally, Paul makes a point about four key areas in the life of believers:

Submission, Transformation, Evaluation, and Application

Submission

We have talked a good bit about presenting our lives to God in submission over the last couple of weeks.

What do you think Paul meant by telling us to present ourselves as "Living" & "Holy" sacrifices?

Transformation

Paul says that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. This renewal has the opportunity to give us a Christ-centered outlook that responds to life in ways that may be different than what most would consider to be normal.

Have you experienced God working to "change your mind" about a situation or an outlook in your life? How so?

Evaluation

What do you think Paul meant by "Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves"? How do you incorporate that into your Christian life?

Application

Paul points out that as we are honest in evaluating ourselves, it allows us to operate in the body of Christ properly. Each person who becomes a follower of Jesus has a part to play in the local body of believers.

There are more listed in other passages, but specifically here:

What "gifts" are listed here in this passage?

Do you see yourself operating in any of these gifts?

Is there anyone in your MC that you are encouraged by would like to encourage them in their giftings?

Bonus question:

Who do you know that would benefit from a faith community like your Micro-Church?

As a group, write those names down and pray for God to open their hearts and create opportunities to invite them to your Micro-Church.

As you pray throughout the week, look for opportunities to invest in that relationship and to share your faith with that person.