1. In Nehemiah 11:1-3, we see the worship service end and the people go home. Part of their strategy to Reach the City is to live like people that are "sent out" by God to tell the world about Him. For many people, missions and living sent centers around a trip or an event (Cuba, the Big Serve, church service). However, that's an incomplete viewpoint of missions. How is missions more of a lifestyle than an event? How can our lives be missional where we live, play, eat, shop, and work?
2. What is the message that we are called to proclaim in the Great Commission and in Jesus' last words here on earth in Acts 1:8? How would you define the Gospel? Do you have a clear understanding of the message that we have been entrusted with? Some may be hesitant to share their faith because they have a lack of clarity or understanding about it. Here's an easy breakdown to remember and use as a guide when you are telling people about your faith in Jesus.
a. God- Creator, Sustainer, desires a relationship with His people
b. Sin- We are separated from God because of our sin, therefore solidifying our need for a savior.
c. Jesus- He is the only way back to God, and he offers the free gift of salvation.
d. Response- We can accept or reject that free gift. Our choice has huge ramifications for eternity.
3. What is your roll in the process of your friends, family, and coworkers beginning a relationship with Jesus? Do you think you have a responsibility in that? Nehemiah and the people viewed themselves as spiritual mail carriers. In the temple at the worship experience, they were given the Good News, a package/letter about who God is and what He has done for people. They then took it on as their responsibility to leave the worship experience and deliver this Good News to people that needed to receive it. Have you delivered this Good News to anyone lately?
4. What are some of the fears that you have that are keeping you from starting a conversation about Jesus? (Rejection, hard questions being asked that we don't have the answers to, being politically correct, not wanting to be pushy or pressure people into something, don't know what to say). How can your group have some accountability with one another to make sure you're sharing your story? Would you commit to having at least one spiritual conversation this week? Would you be willing to get a game plan together for how to live a missional life in all aspects of your life?
Closing thought:
Answer this question out loud: "Can you really be a follower of Jesus and not tell others about Jesus?"
There are 2 explanations to why followers of Jesus don't tell other people about Jesus.
1. They really don't know Jesus. They may think they do, but their life hasn't been changed by Jesus.
2. They are being disobedient. Jesus was clear on what he has called his followers to do.
Our response to those things is to do some soul searching. Has Jesus really changed my life? Have I really given my life to follow him?
If so, do I need to repent over my sin of disobedience? Do I need to be reminded of the Gospel message and how powerful and life changing it is?
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Reach This City: A Holy Marathon
Nehemiah 10:1-39
Recap:
On the heels of an incredible worship experience (Nehemiah chapters 8 & 9) God's people decide not to let the passion that welled up in them fade. They covenant with God and with one another to do four things: keep God's law, lead their families according God's Word, press into God's presence communally and without distraction (have a day of worship), and give generously to God's work in their city. This covenant served as strategy for walking closely with God daily rather than simply encountering His presence in the context of a corporate worship experience.
For Group Consideration:
-Nehemiah 9:38 says that the people made a, "firm covenant in writing..." What is a covenant and why is it beneficial to make one with God and fellow believers?
-Nehemiah 10:28-29 outline the first point of the covenant. Essentially the commitment is to keep God's law. As New Covenant Christians (people living after the death and resurrection of Christ) is it still important to keep God's law? Jesus fulfilled the law on our behalf and died to take the punishment we deserve for not keeping the law...so what incentive or reason have we to adopt this point of the covenant?
-Nehemiah 10:30 says that the people committed to align themselves in marriage with other followers of God exclusively. This kind of marital alignment obviously makes sense, but what about people who have already married someone who is not a follower of God or whose life is a contradiction to their profession of faith? How might we counsel and encourage those individuals to proceed in their marriages?
-Nehemiah 10:31 tells us that a layer of the covenant obligated the people to observe a day of worship where they celebrate God together and submit to Bible teaching. Is there a day that you really dedicate to worship and to leading your family/friends if single into a deeper relationship with Jesus?
*This doesn't mean that you are dedicating an entire day to reading the Bible, but it does mean that there should be a day when the work calls and emails go unanswered because you are giving a day to the Lord and to live out the Gospel clearly and intentionally in front of your family/friends if single.
-Nehemiah 10:32-39 shows us that the people committed to give generously to God's work in their city. Why do you suppose they were motivated to do this? What issues do/did you personally have with giving to the local church? Do you believe that God has called followers of Jesus to give to the local church? Have an open dialogue giving...
Announcements:
-Membership Event November 24th
Recap:
On the heels of an incredible worship experience (Nehemiah chapters 8 & 9) God's people decide not to let the passion that welled up in them fade. They covenant with God and with one another to do four things: keep God's law, lead their families according God's Word, press into God's presence communally and without distraction (have a day of worship), and give generously to God's work in their city. This covenant served as strategy for walking closely with God daily rather than simply encountering His presence in the context of a corporate worship experience.
For Group Consideration:
-Nehemiah 9:38 says that the people made a, "firm covenant in writing..." What is a covenant and why is it beneficial to make one with God and fellow believers?
-Nehemiah 10:28-29 outline the first point of the covenant. Essentially the commitment is to keep God's law. As New Covenant Christians (people living after the death and resurrection of Christ) is it still important to keep God's law? Jesus fulfilled the law on our behalf and died to take the punishment we deserve for not keeping the law...so what incentive or reason have we to adopt this point of the covenant?
-Nehemiah 10:30 says that the people committed to align themselves in marriage with other followers of God exclusively. This kind of marital alignment obviously makes sense, but what about people who have already married someone who is not a follower of God or whose life is a contradiction to their profession of faith? How might we counsel and encourage those individuals to proceed in their marriages?
-Nehemiah 10:31 tells us that a layer of the covenant obligated the people to observe a day of worship where they celebrate God together and submit to Bible teaching. Is there a day that you really dedicate to worship and to leading your family/friends if single into a deeper relationship with Jesus?
*This doesn't mean that you are dedicating an entire day to reading the Bible, but it does mean that there should be a day when the work calls and emails go unanswered because you are giving a day to the Lord and to live out the Gospel clearly and intentionally in front of your family/friends if single.
-Nehemiah 10:32-39 shows us that the people committed to give generously to God's work in their city. Why do you suppose they were motivated to do this? What issues do/did you personally have with giving to the local church? Do you believe that God has called followers of Jesus to give to the local church? Have an open dialogue giving...
Announcements:
-Membership Event November 24th
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Reach This City: Prayer and the Word
Text: Nehemiah 8-9
1. What is your approach to reading the Bible? How do you do it? (Pick a book, start on page 1, drop the book open and read whatever page it lands on).
2. What are you expecting to get out of it? (check it off the daily list, direction, instruction, wanting to hear from God, needing advice, needing help, obligation).
3. What is your most common reaction after reading the word? (learned something new, convicted over sin, didn't understand, like reading a good story, don't know what the next step is).
4. When is the last time you had a "Feast of Booths" moment? (when you read the Bible, were challenged by it, and put a plan of action into place).
5. Define what the real purpose of the Word is. (challenge, equip, convict, encourage, instruct, all that is good. But the Word is designed to change us and produce results). Is your time in the Word producing results?
6. We have 3 different aspects of prayer in chapter 9: Adoration, Confession, and Thanksgiving. Go around the room and take turns voicing these aloud. Start with one-liners of adoration about God. Leave some time of silence for people to confess to God silently. Remind them of the examples of why we need to confess on Sunday (stiff necked, threw out the laws, turned a cold shoulder, and didn't listen) and confess those things. Then close out the time by each person acknowledging lines of thanksgiving to God.
1. What is your approach to reading the Bible? How do you do it? (Pick a book, start on page 1, drop the book open and read whatever page it lands on).
2. What are you expecting to get out of it? (check it off the daily list, direction, instruction, wanting to hear from God, needing advice, needing help, obligation).
3. What is your most common reaction after reading the word? (learned something new, convicted over sin, didn't understand, like reading a good story, don't know what the next step is).
4. When is the last time you had a "Feast of Booths" moment? (when you read the Bible, were challenged by it, and put a plan of action into place).
5. Define what the real purpose of the Word is. (challenge, equip, convict, encourage, instruct, all that is good. But the Word is designed to change us and produce results). Is your time in the Word producing results?
6. We have 3 different aspects of prayer in chapter 9: Adoration, Confession, and Thanksgiving. Go around the room and take turns voicing these aloud. Start with one-liners of adoration about God. Leave some time of silence for people to confess to God silently. Remind them of the examples of why we need to confess on Sunday (stiff necked, threw out the laws, turned a cold shoulder, and didn't listen) and confess those things. Then close out the time by each person acknowledging lines of thanksgiving to God.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Reach This City: Life Change is Contagious
Nehemiah 7:5-73
Recap:
Nehemiah chapter 7 verses 5 through 73 contains a lengthy list of names. Over 42,000 people are accounted for within this list. These are the people who returned to Jerusalem after its rebuilding. They showed up on the scene to help re-institute the worship of God within the city of God's people. It is clear that this list is the result of some godly men and women who lead their families well during 141 years of displacement. Even though they were scattered from their city and without a temple, they faithfully taught their children the scriptures and instilled in them the worship of God. This training trickled down from generation to generation such that Nehemiah ended up with some 42,000 people on the core team for his new church plant in the city of Jerusalem. This list of faith followers of God is the legacy left by the men and women who poured into their lives and cultivated them spiritually.
Questions:
-The things you do and the things you choose not do shape your family and set a trajectory for their future. Are you living your life today in light of the reality that your decisions will affect your future and the future of you family? Will you watch netflix or spend time with the kids? Will you play another round of golf or will you engage your wife spiritually?
-The primary responsibility for biblical training within the home falls on the man. Men are you doing this well both in content and in action? Can you honestly say I lead my family in a Gospel-centered direction, I talk about Jesus regularly with my kids and wife, and my actions in the home support my speech?
-Woman, the primary responsibility of spiritual leadership is placed on the man, but do not think that means this text has nothing to do with you. Below are three things to discuss specifically for woman (and the men should here this discussion!). One point to be considered for single woman desiring a man, one point for woman in dating relationships considering marriage, one point for married woman with husbands who aren't leading well, and one point for single mothers who now bear the full responsibility of leadership in the home.
1. Some of you ladies are single and want a man. DO NOT settle for a man who displays passive tendencies, laziness, and never seems to have a great deal to say about his relationship with Jesus. If he seems passive in some areas it's a matter of time before he'll be passive regarding you. If he seem lazy it's a matter of time before he becomes lazy regarding you. If he doesn't appear to be in intense pursuit of Jesus personally he will not push you toward Jesus with any intensity.
2. Some of you ladies are dating a guy. Does he talk about Jesus often? Do you see him teaching/telling others about Jesus regularly? Has he been morally upright in your relationship? Can you see him reading the Bible to your future kids in the living room and modeling the truths he reads in your home? If the answer to these questions is no, end the relationship now.
3. Some of you ladies are married to a guy who is a poor spiritual leader. That's frustrating and exhausting, but your marriage is a covenant not a contract, so don't give up. You can call the honorable man out of your husband and help him become the leader you want him to be. This is done not by brow beating or belittling but by edifying. Pray for him daily, love him sacrificially, and find ways to compliment his spiritual leadership. These things will make him want to be better! Some of you say, "How can I compliment his spiritual leadership if he is doing a poor job?" Look for any possible positive and celebrate it. Does he at least pray before a meal, does he at least take the family to church regularly, does he have a Bible in the house? Celebrate these things. Thank him for praying before meals and showing you and the kids what it looks like to be grateful to God for the things He provides, thank him for getting up on Sundays and taking the family to church, thank him for keeping God's Word in your home...let him know that you notice these things and you find them attractive...what's celebrated is duplicated. Lift him up and celebrate the things that he is doing right, this will push him toward growth and maturity because he'll realize his wife is his biggest fan (perhaps you should even tell him that)!
4. Some of you ladies have been married and for one reason or another that marriage dissolved. If there are kids in the picture this probably left you with primary custody of the kids making you the primary spiritual leader in their lives. Let me encourage you. You've got an incredible opportunity to leave your legacy with your kids! Live in such a way that when you're gone your children might speak of you as a woman of God, a woman sacrificed for their well being, a woman who taught them the Bible and modeled its teaching. Leave your mark with your kids and let be a mark of which you're proud.
-Teens, some of you have great parents who teach you the Bible, take you to church, and model the Gospel. Are you honoring them and following the path they've laid out?
Recap:
Nehemiah chapter 7 verses 5 through 73 contains a lengthy list of names. Over 42,000 people are accounted for within this list. These are the people who returned to Jerusalem after its rebuilding. They showed up on the scene to help re-institute the worship of God within the city of God's people. It is clear that this list is the result of some godly men and women who lead their families well during 141 years of displacement. Even though they were scattered from their city and without a temple, they faithfully taught their children the scriptures and instilled in them the worship of God. This training trickled down from generation to generation such that Nehemiah ended up with some 42,000 people on the core team for his new church plant in the city of Jerusalem. This list of faith followers of God is the legacy left by the men and women who poured into their lives and cultivated them spiritually.
Questions:
-The things you do and the things you choose not do shape your family and set a trajectory for their future. Are you living your life today in light of the reality that your decisions will affect your future and the future of you family? Will you watch netflix or spend time with the kids? Will you play another round of golf or will you engage your wife spiritually?
-The primary responsibility for biblical training within the home falls on the man. Men are you doing this well both in content and in action? Can you honestly say I lead my family in a Gospel-centered direction, I talk about Jesus regularly with my kids and wife, and my actions in the home support my speech?
-Woman, the primary responsibility of spiritual leadership is placed on the man, but do not think that means this text has nothing to do with you. Below are three things to discuss specifically for woman (and the men should here this discussion!). One point to be considered for single woman desiring a man, one point for woman in dating relationships considering marriage, one point for married woman with husbands who aren't leading well, and one point for single mothers who now bear the full responsibility of leadership in the home.
1. Some of you ladies are single and want a man. DO NOT settle for a man who displays passive tendencies, laziness, and never seems to have a great deal to say about his relationship with Jesus. If he seems passive in some areas it's a matter of time before he'll be passive regarding you. If he seem lazy it's a matter of time before he becomes lazy regarding you. If he doesn't appear to be in intense pursuit of Jesus personally he will not push you toward Jesus with any intensity.
2. Some of you ladies are dating a guy. Does he talk about Jesus often? Do you see him teaching/telling others about Jesus regularly? Has he been morally upright in your relationship? Can you see him reading the Bible to your future kids in the living room and modeling the truths he reads in your home? If the answer to these questions is no, end the relationship now.
3. Some of you ladies are married to a guy who is a poor spiritual leader. That's frustrating and exhausting, but your marriage is a covenant not a contract, so don't give up. You can call the honorable man out of your husband and help him become the leader you want him to be. This is done not by brow beating or belittling but by edifying. Pray for him daily, love him sacrificially, and find ways to compliment his spiritual leadership. These things will make him want to be better! Some of you say, "How can I compliment his spiritual leadership if he is doing a poor job?" Look for any possible positive and celebrate it. Does he at least pray before a meal, does he at least take the family to church regularly, does he have a Bible in the house? Celebrate these things. Thank him for praying before meals and showing you and the kids what it looks like to be grateful to God for the things He provides, thank him for getting up on Sundays and taking the family to church, thank him for keeping God's Word in your home...let him know that you notice these things and you find them attractive...what's celebrated is duplicated. Lift him up and celebrate the things that he is doing right, this will push him toward growth and maturity because he'll realize his wife is his biggest fan (perhaps you should even tell him that)!
4. Some of you ladies have been married and for one reason or another that marriage dissolved. If there are kids in the picture this probably left you with primary custody of the kids making you the primary spiritual leader in their lives. Let me encourage you. You've got an incredible opportunity to leave your legacy with your kids! Live in such a way that when you're gone your children might speak of you as a woman of God, a woman sacrificed for their well being, a woman who taught them the Bible and modeled its teaching. Leave your mark with your kids and let be a mark of which you're proud.
-Teens, some of you have great parents who teach you the Bible, take you to church, and model the Gospel. Are you honoring them and following the path they've laid out?
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