Game Over: Week 4

-Why do you think so many believers waste time wondering when the end will be rather than just living each day in a way that shows that they believe the end is coming?

 -Verse 32 says,  “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." What does this verse say about Jesus' divinity? If He is fully God how is it that He doesn't know when He'll return?

-Jesus says that because we don't know when the end will come we need to be on guard and alert. Considering the context we can conclude that Jesus is saying to be on guard and alert to watch out that no one deceives you and that you aren't discouraged by persecution (verses 5 and 9). How can you be on guard against deception? 

-What does "sleeping" look like for us? Mark states emphatically that it would be negative for God to come back and find us sleeping. How can we avoid that? 

-Jesus gives us 4 things to do in this passage:

a. Listen to what Jesus has said.

b. Watch for the signs

c. Pray regularly and stay close to God

d. Keep doing God's work

 

Are you doing these things well?

 

Rubber meets the Road:

 

-What did this text teach you about God?

-What did this text teach you about yourself?

-What are you going to do about it? 

 

Game Over: Week 3

Merry Christmas! 

Pastor Nathan preached a great Christmas Eve Eve sermon this week and I'm excited about the conversations it will produce. Here is a link to the sermon in case you missed it: http://discoverrevo.com/sermons#series_18

Discussion Questions:

-Was it striking for you to hear Pastor Nathan say, "Christmas is not about the birth of Jesus."?  What were your initial thoughts?

-What was the purpose of Jesus birth?

-Mark 13:24-27 paints a radically different picture of Jesus then the portrait celebrated during Christmas. No longer is Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. He is clothed in glory and power. How does your thinking about Jesus second coming effect how you think about His first coming?

On the Ground:

-What did this text teach you about God?

-What did this text teach you about yourself?

-What are you going to do about it?

Game Over: Week 2

1.  One of the main thrusts of the message on Sunday was, "Tell me how your life is better WITHOUT Jesus?"  For us to effectively communicate the Gospel, we have to answer the question, "How is your life better WITH Jesus?"  So, how do you answer that?

2.  A second question from Sunday has do with what the very definition of the Gospel.  Many people ask the question, "Why now?"  I'm young, happy, successful, and not thinking about mortality or the end of the world.  Why do I need to respond to the Gospel now?  What's the rush?  What does a decision to follow Jesus mean for people RIGHT NOW?

3. Let's look at the characters in this passage.  What does the language, emotion, and style of this text say about Jesus?  What does it say about us and what our response should be?

4.  Below is the video Pastor Nathan mentioned on Sunday.  Listen to it and answer these two questions:  1. Why am I not telling people about Jesus? (fear, anxiety, embarrassed, not sure how) and 2. Who do I need to tell THIS WEEK about the good news? (people that are experiencing the same negative emotions that were mentioned on Sunday, people that are struggling, searching, scared, unfulfilled, etc.)

Make a list, share it with others, and ask each other about it next week.  We hope that we'll hear stories of life change coming from our rGroups as a result of your boldness and the power of the Holy Spirit!

Game Over: Week 1

-When confronted with the reality that the “end” is coming (whether through death or Jesus return) what thoughts come to mind? (does it scare you, stress you out, excite you, etc…)

-In verse 9 Jesus says believers will be severely persecuted as we get closer to the end. While we don’t currently encounter intense physical persecution in the US, all around the world believers are being put to death for their faith in Jesus and bold proclamation of the Gospel. How does this make you feel about your boldness in comfortable circumstances?  

-Read verse 13. Does this suggest that we’re saved by our ability to persist in faith during hard times?

Practicality

-What did this text teach you about God (any of the Persons of the Trinity)?

-What did this text teach you about yourself?

-What are you going to do about it?

Announcements

-Christmas Eve Eve service on the eve of Christmas Eve...Be there!