Brand New (1) – Letting Go

Welcome to CROLCC, we are so glad you are here worshiping with us. We just finished our series on Resolution and we are challenging all of us to not just think about making ourselves better in this New Year, but how can we make the world a better place? We said that if we really want to have a better year than last year we should ask the question what needs to be done around me? Ultimately, what breaks your heart? What would you like for people to thank you for at the end of your life? If you don’t have an answer to that question that is ok, as long as you keep thinking about it, God will move you in the direction of what breaks your heart.

Today we are starting a brand new series called Brand New and we are going to talk about the Church. Jesus’ arrival signaled an end to one way of relating to God and the beginning of something entirely new. Jesus instructed us to love one another as well as those who won’t love us back. Over time and across cultures, different churches have tried to live that out in different ways. But when you reduce church to its irreducible minimum, it is a group of people doing their best to follow a teacher—Jesus— that we believe was sent from God to clear the way and to lead the way to God.

Moving Forward

The arrival of Jesus signaled an end to the temple model and the beginning of something entirely new—no more sacred places and no more sacred people. The Old Testament was fulfilled and its laws reduced to a single verb—love—to be applied to God, neighbor, an enemy. The church got off to an incredible start, but over time the temple thinking resurfaced. It’s still with us today. It makes the church resistible. But together we can change that.

Changing Your Mind

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34–35

Discussion Questions

1. Do you tend to think of the church as an institution or a movement? How do you think that influences the way you think about and relate to God?

2. What are some things you think people today find resistible about Christians and the church? Is their assessment fair? Why or why not?

3. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus challenges his followers to “love your enemies.” You may not think you have enemies, but who are people who make you uncomfortable or pull you out of your comfort zone? What would it look like to love those people?

4. In what ways do you find yourself tempted to relate to God based on the temple model—focused on sacred places, sacred texts, or sacred men? What is one thing you can do to better love God, your neighbor, and your enemy?