Title: Hope for All
Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-52
Speaker: Gabe Coyle, GabeC@ChristCommunityKC.org

> Hope for me.
> Hope for us.
> Hope for all.

As an Atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God.
"Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good. I used to avoid this truth by applauding - as you can - the practical work of mission churches in Africa. It's a pity, I would say, that salvation is part of the package, but Christians black and white, working in Africa, do heal the sick, do teach people to read and write; and only the severest kind of secularist could see a mission hospital or school and say the world would be better without it. I would allow that if faith was needed to motivate missionaries to help, then, fine: but what counted was the help, not the faith. But this doesn't fit the facts. Faith does more than support the missionary; it is also transferred to his flock. This is the effect that matters so immensely, and which I cannot help observing." - Matthew Paris

"We had friends who were missionaries, and as a child I stayed often with them; I also stayed, alone with my little brother, in a traditional rural African village. In the city we had working for us Africans who had converted and were strong believers. The Christians were always different. Far from having cowed or confined its converts, their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them. There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world - a directness in their dealings with others - that seemed to be missing in traditional African life. They stood tall.
- Matthew Paris

"It would suit me to believe that [a Christian’s] honesty, diligence and optimism in their work was unconnected with personal faith. Their work was secular, but surely affected by what they were. What they were was, in turn, influenced by a conception of man's place in the Universe that Christianity had taught." - Matthew Paris

Conversation Starters – Downtown Campus

TAKEAWAY: How would you explain Gabe’s sermon to someone who wasn’t at church on Sunday?

DRAWING CONNECTIONS: In the sermon, Gabe cited Matthew Parris’s op-ed, “As an Atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God.” Parris reported that he observed distinct benefits for entire communities as a result of local church presence. Can you think of areas of need where church presence could make a vital contribution?

NAVIGATING CULTURE: This weekend, Gabe suggested that local churches bring hope not just to those who attend, but to the neighborhoods and cities in which they’re planted. Has this been true in your experience? Why or why not?

TEXT: Read Ephesians 4:17-5:2

MAKE IT PERSONAL: How has your life in Christ made you “refreshing”? Has it impacted others? Your neighbors? Community? Workplace?

ASSESSING HABITS: Gabe said that “refreshing” people 1) have relationship defined by forgiveness, 2) speak words that build others up, and 3) engage work that serves others. As you hear those three characteristics of a “refreshing person,” does one stand out to you as an area where you need to grow? What habits might you embrace to take a step forward in that process?

PRAYER: Imagine what our community would look like if our church was made up of “refreshing” people who loved as Christ loved. Read Ephesians 3:14-21 together, and then ask God for His help as we seek to be “refreshing” people.