COMMUNITY GROUP GUIDE
Why Church? Becoming the Church Jesus Died For
Vision Series // Teacher: Phil Chan
Big Idea
Jesus didn’t endure the cross with resentment toward the church — He endured it for the joy set before Him.
Jesus is deeply committed to His church, and He is forming us to become the kind of people and community He died for.
Opening Question (5–10 min)
Think back to your story with church.
What first brought you in — and what has most shaped your relationship with church since then?
Optional Scripture Reading
Hebrews 12:2
“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross…”
Optional prompt:
What do you think Jesus was seeing — or holding onto — that made the cross worth enduring?Teaching Summary
Phil named a key tension many of us live with:
If we commit to church only when our positive experiences outweigh our negative ones, we drift into consumerism.
Jesus calls us instead to conviction — a commitment rooted in how He sees the church.
Phil highlighted three ways Jesus sees His church:
1. Jesus Sees the Church’s Beauty
Revelation shows the church as a bride — radiant, mature, and ready.
Jesus knows the church’s imperfections, yet He chooses to see her beauty and future glory.
Key question:
Will we be more offended by the church’s imperfections on her rehearsal day, or more enamored by her beauty on her wedding day?
2. Jesus Sees the Church’s Devotion
In Scripture, love is not primarily a feeling — it’s a cost.
Jesus is worthy of a people who love Him with devotion, courage, and sacrifice.
Phrase to remember: He’s worthy.
3. Jesus Sees the Church’s Purpose
Jesus didn’t leave behind a political movement, an army, or a strategy — He left behind a church.
What He began on the cross, He entrusted the church to carry forward.
There is no backup plan.
The church is the hope of the world.
Discussion Questions (15–25 min)
• What have been some of your most meaningful experiences of church? What have been some of the hardest?
• Where do you notice a consumer mindset show up in you — even subtly?
• Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus endured the cross “for the joy set before Him.” What do you think that joy includes?
• Which feels hardest right now: seeing the church’s beauty, embracing devotion with cost, or stepping into purpose?
• Where has God placed you (work, neighborhood, relationships) where you might be “the only church someone knows”?
Practices for the Week
Choose one practice to keep this simple and embodied.
Practice 1: One Act of Conviction
Do one concrete thing this week that reflects conviction rather than consumption.
Examples:
• Serve in a tangible way
• Encourage a leader or volunteer
• Show up early or stay late to help
• Repair a relationship instead of withdrawing
Practice 2: One Costly “Yes” to Jesus
Ask: What is one cost Jesus may be inviting me into this week?
This could involve time, generosity, humility, obedience, or reconciliation.
Practice 3: Seeing the Church Differently (Daily Prayer)
Pray once a day:
“Jesus, help me see Your church the way You see her.
Heal my cynicism.
Grow my love.”
Prayer (15–20 min)
End with a moment of quiet.
Prayer prompts:
• Where have I been hurt, disappointed, or guarded toward church?
• Where is Jesus inviting me from consumption into conviction?
• What is one way I sense God forming me through community right now?
Optional Prayer Together:
“Jesus, we want to become the church You died for —
beautiful, devoted, and faithful in our time.
Form us. Unite us. Send us. Amen.”