EXTRA! Ideas for Adults – Being an Authentic Church – Session 6

2 weeks ago 20

Date: May 19, 2024

Doing Life Together in Christ

The Point: Believers share and experience life in Christ together.

Get Into the Study

Share the following after discussing the opening section “The Bible Meets Life.”

America is experiencing an epidemic of loneliness, according to the U.S. surgeon general. That loneliness is most acute among older and younger adults, a new study by researchers at Northwestern University has found. The study was published April 30 in the journal Psychological Science. Why are younger adults lonely? They often navigate life transitions related to career and family, said study coauthor Tomiko Yoneda. Those transitions exacerbate feelings of isolation. The risk of loneliness wanes in middle adulthood when life’s demands often include social interactions like work, marriage, and child rearing. As those social interactions end, loneliness peaks again.

Older adults’ “uptick in loneliness” can increase the risk of premature death to levels comparable with smoking daily, according to study corresponding author Eileen Graham. The loneliness patters persisted across nations and cultures. Researchers found similar patterns in the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweeden, the Netherlands, Australia, Israel, and other nations. “Our study is unique because it harnessed the power of all these datasets to answer the same question—How does loneliness change across the lifespan, and what factors contribute to becoming more or less lonely over time?” Graham said.

In a world with such loneliness, it becomes increasingly important for believers to share and experience life in Christ together.

neurosciencenews.com/loneliness-lifespan-26013

Get Into the Study [Option from Adult Leader Guide]

In advance, play a video clip showing friends or family doing life together. Then ask Question #1.

Get Into the Study [Option from the Advanced Bible Study Teacher Guide]

Here’s a link to the pole-vaulting video to use in introducing the session. Follow the directives in the Optional Idea (p. 60) on how to incorporate this video into the meeting.

Study the Bible

As you discuss question 2 (point 1 on p. 126 of the Daily discipleship Guide), share the following.

Nearly 150 Baptists in east-central Mexico are standing together amid the darkness of persecution. They fled their homes in Mexico’s Hidalgo state in late April after indigenous village leaders cut off their electricity, vandalized and blocked access to their church and homes, and posted guards at village entry points. Among the displaced were five infants and seventy children under age 17. They asked Mexican government authorities to intervene and grant access to their church and homes.

Mexico’s constitution guarantees religious freedom. However, laws permit indigenous communities to govern themselves, and local village leaders have a history of exploiting religious minorities. In March, a pastor and other Baptist church leaders were detained for two days without cause. In early April, village leaders allowed seizure of church members’ land and destruction of their crops. “Freedom of religion or belief is guaranteed to all in Mexico, including those in indigenous communities, and yet the attacks on this right” have been “egregious and ongoing now for almost a decade,” said Scott Bower, CEO of the human rights organization CSW (formerly Christian Solidarity Worldwide). The persecution watchdog group Open Doors ranked Mexico 37 on its list of the 50 countries where Christians suffer the most persecution.

When children of light live out their faith, sometimes the dark world attacks.

https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/baptist-families-forced-from-homes-church-in-mexican-villages/

The week’s writer for Extra is David Roach. David is pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Saraland, Alabama. He and his wife Erin have three children.

Additional Questions

Icebreaker

What interest(s) do you have in common with your best friend?
Who is your best friend and how has he come alongside you in life?
What are some hobbies or interests that have connected you with other people?
Who can you count on to always build you up?

1 Thessalonians 5:4-8

How can a united church help influence culture?
What do you think is the greatest threat facing the church today?
What are some ways we help one another navigate through a world growing increasingly dark?
How do we respond to the evil we see in the world?
In what ways does fellowshipping with other Christians affect your response to the darkness of this world?
What characteristics make believers different from the rest of the world?
Why is self-control an important quality for Christians?

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

How would you explain the hope believers share in Christ?
Have you experienced a time when someone else’s words and presence in your life helped you live in the light, at a time when you were weak or wayward?
When have you seen a little encouragement make a big difference in someone’s life?
Why is mutual encouragement necessary for the growth and effectiveness of the church?
When have you witnessed a group encourage a fellow believer struggling with a life challenge?
Who can you count on to always build you up?
How is mutual encouragement in the church a reflection of the gospel?
What are some practical ways we can build one another up? (BG)

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

Why must believers sometimes be challenged to pursue what is good?
What phrase/exhortation in these verses do you need to grow in?
What is difficult about inviting others to help us in our areas of weakness?
How can we best honor our pastors and other church leaders who provide us with spiritual guidance?
Why should Christians eschew laziness?
According to these verses, how are we instructed to treat our pastors and church leaders and why?
How would you summarize Paul’s message in these verses?
What are appropriate ways to challenge and spur one another on within the church?