The New (Old) Way: Eyes Forward

Everything has a life cycle. What's true for people and animals and machines and companies is true for local churches, too. The way to interrupt the slope toward decline and death is to interrupt it with new life. How will we succeed in bringing new life? We turned to Philippians 3 to learn how.

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The New (Old) Way: Common Possessions

Jesus and the other New Testament teachers repeatedly make the point that spiritual unity will express itself in material giving. We cannot claim to love others or God if we withhold our possessions as our own. And one way to increase spiritual unity is to give materially. As we look at Acts chapter 4, we discover how the early church found community through common possessions.

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The New (Old) Way: Common Place

What does it take to make community around a "common place" commonplace? What steps can we take to build these essential elements into our relationships?

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The New (Old) Way: Common Mission

What are we going to do to intentionally reach our friends, neighbors, and family with the gospel? This is a message you don't want to miss, because it explains both the how and why of our strategy for reaching our community for Christ.

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The New (Old) Way: Common Purpose

In order to have true community, a group must hold four things in common: a common purpose, a common mission, a common place, and common possessions, which are all evident in the story of the early church (Acts 2:42-47).

This week, we studied our common purpose from Colossians 1-2, which comes from a common truth, a common hope, and common submission.

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The New (Old) Way: Fishing with a Net

When Jesus used fishing as a picture of evangelism, the picture that came to the minds of Peter, Andrew, James, and John was not a solitary man standing by a lake with a pole. In their experience, fishing was a team effort. What stands in the way of success in evangelism?

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The New (Old) Way: The Home Team

A good team isn't made up of people fulfilling basic expectations. A team thrives when people dedicate themselves to becoming the best teammate they can be. What makes a good team member in the church? What will it take from us individually for our home groups to thrive?

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The New (Old) Way: Judgment-Free Zone

In order to walk in the light, we have to feel safe to walk into the light, where we can admit our struggles, share our joys, and be ourselves without condemnation. How do we make our churches safe places to be ourselves? Why is the church, in fact, a place free of condemnation?

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The New (Old) Way: True Fellowship

Everyone has heard the verse "God is love" (1 John 4:8). But have you considered that John starts that same letter with the statement "God is light" (1 John 1:5)? He also begins his Gospel this way (John 1:4-5, 9). What does it mean that "God is light" and how does it affect how we relate to God and one another?

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The New (Old) Way: Discipleship Fundamentals

The primary task of the church is to make disciples. What makes a disciple? The work of the Holy Spirit, obviously, but what do we need to do as a church to facilitate this work? What are the fundamentals of discipleship and how do home groups fit into this picture?

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The New Old Way: 20:20 Vision (Acts 20:20)

As we begin our transition to home groups, the question we need to ask is whether we are following a human "bright idea" or if we are following a biblical example. This week, we look at the "20:20 Vision" we get from the book of Acts and the biblical call to hospitality.

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