AS YOU MEET WITH EACH OTHER THIS WEEK, CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS:
In this week's message we looked at Genesis 17 and discussed what God's covenant of circumcision means for New Testament believers in Christ. We saw that it is not external circumcision that counts for anything, but instead the "circumcision of the heart" where we are not hiding from God in our inner being, but walking with him in a real relationship - this is the only thing that God requires.
1. In the early church there were some who insisted on external circumcision for the new gentile believers. As circumcision was a very important part of the Jewish customs, the idea was that Gentile believers needed to become culturally Jewish if they wanted to believe in the Jewish Saviour. The Apostle Paul condemned this teaching with the strongest of words. In the same way there is a danger today for Chritians to subtly or explicitly add cultural expectations and demands for people to conform to if they want to be Christians. Did you ever see Christianity in this way, as a cultural movement rather than a relationship with Christ? What are some ways we can make this mistake if we are not careful?
2. What habits, traditions, or good works do we consciously or sub-consciously trust in to feel like we're holding up our end of the covenant, rather than relying and trusting in the finished work of Christ and the spiritual circumcision we have received from Him?
3. We know that the gospel is for all peoples, every tribe and every tongue, every political persuasion, personality type etc. This is naturally going to bring together people who have different ways of seeing the world. How do we preserve unity and live in loving fellowship with brothers and sisters we disagree with?