The Recall
Overview
Key Elements
- Key Passage - Review
- Scripture Memory - “Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
- Catechism - Q: How are Christians to relate to one another? A: Community.
Conclusion
For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.
Woe to him that is alone. David was alone when, Satan drew him to defile his neighbor’s wife. While the sheep flock together they are safe, as being under the shepherd’s eye; but if one straggle from the rest, it is quickly a prey to the ravenous wolf. It is no hard matter to rob that house that stands far from neighbors. The cruel pirate Satan watches for those vessels that sail without a convoy.
In this study, we coursed through biblical waters to discover God’s plan for Christian community. Knowing that God is himself is a community—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—we would expect no less than interpersonal relationships being a vital component of our Christian faith. In fact, the path toward Christian maturity involves growth in the way we interact with others. The Scriptures instruct disciples how to faithfully relate to others in various spheres of life. It is this simple and important agenda that has occupied the sessions of this book.
The first six sessions of this book explored elements of Christian community that grow out of an ordered family. In Genesis 15:1–19:38, we saw the foundational and formative importance of the family in shaping all other interpersonal relationships. The narrative about Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 24:1–67 provided a meaningful portrait of marriage: a sacred union of one man and one woman joined together in covenant relationship. Within the context of a godly marriage, parents raise their children to follow God’s ways. In 1 Samuel 1:1–3:21 we recounted principles of parenting from Hannah and Samuel (and the contrast of Eli and his sons). The deep bond of friendship between David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 18:1–20:42 provided an inspiring vision for genuine friendship and fraternal camaraderie. In Daniel 1:1–2:49 and 4:1–6:28, we observed Daniel navigate meaningful engagement in the public sector in a way that was faithful to God’s ways. Then, we witnessed Nehemiah embrace his vocation (and lifework) in Nehemiah 1:1–7:4 in such a way that is instructive for disciples of all cultures and epochs.
God builds his people—the community of faith—as an ordered household. In Mark 3:7–35, we saw Jesus build his church as a family of faithful Christ followers. Heeding Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 17:22–18:35, we learned about essential community virtues that bind God’s people together in genuine care and selfless service. Christian community is enjoyed with such a depth that members steward (and even sell) their possessions to meet urgent needs within the community of faith, as we saw in Acts 4:32–6:7. Christians need to learn how to relate to leaders and other churches. The narrative of Acts 14:19–16:5 helped guide us toward this end. Placed in a hostile world of competing values, Christians need to learn to winsomely and wisely engage various domains of society. A brief glimpse at Paul’s second missionary journey in Acts 16:6–18:17 helped facilitate this exploration. Finally, Paul’s circuitous journey to Rome in Acts 27:1–28:31 helped to instruct us how Christians should engage those who are outsiders.
This study does not cover everything that can (and should) be said about Christian community. It does, however, offer an introductory and formative exposure to this most important topic of the Christian faith. The narratives are as instructional as they are inspiring. We simply cannot mature in our faith without attending to the domain of interpersonal relationships. As we grow in these various spheres—and strengthen the bond between us—we progress as disciples of Christ. Such progress leads us one step further toward the rich joys and blessings promised for followers of Jesus. In this final session, use the following pages as a means to review, synthesize, commit, and celebrate all that God has done in your midst!
Book Overview: Surveying the Landscape
Disciples mature as they get grounded in the essentials of the faith. In this section, summarize the main idea of this study, retell one of the biblical narratives from your Storycraft, and review the core biblical passages explored in this study.
Key Idea
After such an intensive study, it is important to sum up our learning. Think through the broad theme(s) of this study. Summarize the main idea in your own words in a way that broadly addresses all the main teachings.
Story Retell
We deepen our knowledge of those things that we can articulate in our own words (and it’s even better if we can recite from memory). Pick one of the biblical narratives from this study. Review and update your Storycraft and prepare to share your revised version with your faith community. Consider sharing it from memory.
Narrative Review
God wants us to become fluent in speaking his word to others. Summarize the twelve biblical narratives that were studied over the past weeks. Identify the basic narrative content and overarching theme that each passage addressed. Use the space below to record your overview (i.e., chart, diagram, drawing, storyboard).
Faith Foundation: Exploring the Terrain
God gifts us with Christian community as a critical environment for ongoing faith formation. In this section, interact with the discussion questions and record significant insights you have gleaned over the course of this study.
Discussion Questions
God grows our faith in the context of loving and committed community relationships. Explore the following discussion questions with your faith community in order to review the impact of this study in various domains of life.
1. What new beliefs and convictions have you developed as a result of this study?
2. How has God exposed sinful areas of your heart? How has God stirred you to great joy?
3. What new behaviors and habits is God calling you to develop?
4. In what ways have you already seen God change your relationships?
Significant Insights
It is important to keep track of insights and lessons God has taught us as we trek in our faith journey. Identify significant quotes, key verses, biblical principles, or community comments that you encountered throughout the course of this study. Record these in the space below and share a few in your group discussion.
Learning Plan: Charting the Course
The life of discipleship is a journey of lifelong learning. Use the list of selected passages and recommended reading as a starting place for ongoing development in this key area of the Christian faith.
Selected Passages
God’s word is the ultimate guide for life and godliness. Glance at the passages below. Identify one or two passages that you will study (or memorize) as a means of further development in this area.
Recommended Reading
God wants you to continue growing in this area of your Christian life. Survey the books below and prayerfully consider one book to read in order to continue your growth in this area.
| Session | Topic | Recommended Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Session 1 | Family | Elisabeth Elliot, The Shaping of a Christian Family Donald S. Whitney, Family Worship |
| Session 2 | Marriage | Andreas J. Köstenberger and David W. Jones, Marriage and the Family John MacArthur Jr., Divine Design |
| Session 3 | Parenting | Voddie Baucham Jr., Family Shepherds Tedd Tripp, Shepherding a Child’s Heart |
| Session 4 | Friendship | C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves Joel R. Beeke and Michael A. G. Haykin, How Should We Develop Biblical Friendship? |
| Session 5 | Civic Engagement | James K. A. Smith, How (Not) to Be Secular David F. Wells, God in the Wasteland |
| Session 6 | Vocation | Timothy Keller, Every Good Endeavor Ben Witherington III, Work: A Kingdom Perspective on Labor |
| Session 7 | Church | Scot McKnight, A Fellowship of Differents Joseph H. Hellerman, When the Church Was a Family |
| Session 8 | Community Virtues | Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together Jim Wilder, The Other Half of Church |
| Session 9 | Common Life | Tim Chester, Total Church Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church |
| Session 10 | Global Network | Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, The Trellis and the Vine George Miley, Loving the Church … Blessing the Nations |
| Session 11 | World Engagement | Francis A. Schaeffer, The Church Before the Watching World Russell Moore, Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel |
| Session 12 | Outsiders | Rosaria Butterfield, The Gospel Comes with a House Key Christine D. Pohl, Making Room |
Core Project: Synthesizing the Faith
A mature faith integrates God’s truth into the reality of life. Use this section to synthesize your learning over the course of the past weeks by producing a confessional summary statement and writing a journal reflection.
Community Covenant
God calls us into covenant relationships with himself and other believers. As a community or as an individual, write a community covenant that serves as a condensed, memorable summary of the core biblical teachings on Christian community (consider a line, phrase, or short sentence for each topic/session in this study).
The community covenant should be short (summarizes the key biblical teachings in a condensed and accessible format), memorable (articulates biblical principles in a way that is easily memorizable), usable (expresses the covenant as a statement that can be affirmed and confessed together as a church community), accurate (makes correct, biblical affirmations of Christian community), and comprehensive (addresses all major domains of interpersonal relationships).
Journal Reflection
It is important to periodically reflect on how God is growing us in godliness. Write a reflection considering the ways in which your life has been changed as a result of this study.
Faith Practice: Following the Way
Following Jesus is a lifelong venture of continuous progress. In this final section, evaluate your growth in the outlined objectives, identify practical next steps, and commit fellow community members to God in a time of focused prayer.
Growth Evaluation
Mature disciples practice regular self-examination in which they keep track of their progress in the faith. Take time to reflect on your growth in the specific objectives of this study. Use the following guide to assess how well you developed in each area.
| Objective | Exemplary | Mature | Developing | Emerging | Unsound |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conviction: establish a mature Christian perspective of interpersonal relationships | deep understanding of God-honoring relationships, using scriptural passages to contend against culture values | accurate understanding of godly relationships, grounded in core biblical teaching as a countercultural worldview | growing but partial familiarity with God’s design for relationships, learning biblical foundations and perceiving cultural errors | general awareness of ordered relationships across various life spheres, willing to engage Bible as source of truth and realizing faults in wider culture | deficient views of interpersonal relationships, hesitant to trust biblical teaching and broad conformity to cultural norms |
| Commitment: cultivate a deepening commitment to God’s plan for the family and church in society | exemplary devotion to God’s plan for relationships, defending family and church as foundations for societal impact | clear and compelling commitment to godly relationships, embracing God’s design for family and church in wider society | eager pursuit of mature Christian relationality, upholding the central importance of family and church community | initial interest and attraction to Christian lifestyle, open to being trained and instructed in biblical teaching of family and church | open resistance and opposition to God’s order for interpersonal relationships, being reluctant and averse to shape relationships God’s way |
| Conduct: demonstrate rightly ordered relationships across life spheres | sound order and rich experience across relational spheres, serving as a model and competent guide to other believers | convincing maturity in relational spheres, demonstrating biblical orientation and faith foundations in interactions with others | noticeable progress in aligning relationships after God’s design, making healthy adjustments in various relationships | early movement to structure relationships in healthy and sound ways, exerting effort and energy to reorder some relationships | disordered and dysfunctional relationships in many spheres of life, being ignorant of and inattentive to truth |
| Community: undertake meaningful participation in family, church, and society | lasting contribution in various relationships, assuming leadership responsibility for others | active engagement in all life relationships, making personal investment in the well-being of others | expanding participation in various life spheres, developing a sense of accountability for relationships | beginning involvement across life relationships, seeking godly balance and involvement in the lives of others | misplaced focus on one’s role in relationships, displaying a spirit of self-interest and self-centeredness |
| Character: embody spiritual fruit of core relational virtues | obvious appropriation of Christian virtues into one’s life, embracing growth as a lifelong pursuit | clear demonstration of core virtues that foster mature relationships, showing fruit of Christian character | promising signs of being reformed after the ways of Jesus, practicing repentance and obedience | first indications that one is reorienting life after biblical values, possessing a desire to pursue godliness | obvious lack of Christian character, life gripped by destructive vices and sinful passions |
Next Steps
God calls us to follow him in all spheres of life: individual, family, church, and world. Identify concrete decisions and measurable actions you can take to apply these principles in each life sphere. Record these goals below.
Individual
Family
Church
World
Community Prayer
We can only hope to grow in our faith by God’s divine help. In the context of your faith community, celebrate areas of growth and share upcoming goals. Then, spend time praying for each other as a community.