Word Night, January 1st-7th

Luke 15:1-10

-When you read Scripture, Jesus really loved hanging out with groups of people that the regular religious crowd avoided.  Religious people really enjoyed hanging out with each other and avoiding people that weren't like them.  Which best describes you?

-How does it make you feel to know that God pursues a real relationship with people?  The creator of the universe actually desires that you have a second chance and experience life change.  Wow!  That viewpoint totally tears apart the misconceptions that many people that don't know Jesus have about God, Christianity, and Christians today.  So share that side of the story with them!

-What does God desire?  What gets God fired up?  What causes the heavens to rejoice and celebrate?  Shouldn't we as a church and as followers of Jesus be desiring, striving, working towards, and celebrating the same things?

-Review the 3 main points:

1. God takes the initiative to go to great lengths to bring back to Himself those who were estranged from Him.

2. Reclaiming such people should lead to joyous celebration

3. The faithfulness of the majority may never excuse us from ignoring anyone who still remains distant from God.

Answer some of these questions with your group:

-Are you inwardly focused, or outwardly focused?  

-When you get up in the morning and you’re pulling out of your driveway and you see your neighbor mowing his grass, what’s your thought?  

-Do you have the desire and urgency for them to experience life change through Jesus?  

-Do you yearn for them to be connected to a local church?  

-Do you open up your house to show them what real community is that so many people today are desperate for?

-On a scale from 1-10, with 1 being total complacency, what is your level of urgency when it comes to seeing lost people found?  (I imagine everyone would acknowledge the importance of that).  Now, how do your actions coincide with that number?  Does your mouth say a 9 but your actions say a 3?  Do you acknowledge and appreciate the life changing message of the Gospel in your life, but fail to transfer that urgency in your actions and speech to others that don't know Him?

-Make the "Empty Chair" personal for you and your group.  Discuss names of people from work, school, or your neighborhood that would fit the description.   Challenge your group to verbalize a game plan for this week to invite them to church and tell them about Jesus.  Next week, ask your group members how they did and keep them accountable.  Also, as a group leader, make sure you are setting the bar on investing and inviting people.