Messed Up Church: The Amazing Race

When you wake up in the morning and start your day, what drives you? What's the biggest motivating factor in your life?

(Get people to think about WHY they do WHAT they do. Don't embarrass anyone for their answer.) 


Read 1 Corinthians 9:22–23.

Paul knew what he was competing for, and he knew why he was in the competition. He also knew who he was competing against. He was in it to win it. Do you have the same attitude? Why or why not?

Paul says his discipline and determination are "for the sake of the gospel" and that he wants to partake with others in its blessings. How does the gospel motivate you in running the race?

(Helpful Answer: The benefits of the gospel are so awesome and transforming that Paul gave up his life to share it with others. The gospel is the only power that can transform and save people. Because of that, we should be determined more than ever to run the race.)


Read 1 Corinthians 9:24–27.

We're all running some race. Would you say you're running the right race? How do you know?

(Helpful Answer: The pursuit of Jesus is the right.)

Think of someone who is running the race well or someone who has been sidetracked. What can you learn from them?

Top athletes exhibit self-denial, self-control, and self-sacrifice for a prize that will fade. If an athlete is that self-controlled for a prize that is temporary, shouldn't Christians be just as disciplined for what is eternal? What does that kind of biblical discipline/training look like in our daily lives?

Being missional with a passion to "spark a revolution of life change through Jesus" is hardly natural for us. What are some roadblocks that the Devil, culture, and our flesh can put up when we try to run this race and fight for people's souls?

What are the temporal things that you spend a bulk of your mental attention, time, and money on? Where do those priorities get placed in regards to God and His purpose for you?

What can we do to keep the eternal at the front of our minds, so we do not waste our lives and waste opportunities to share the gospel?


Next Steps:

If you're alive, you're in this race. If you're in this race, then that means you constantly need to put one foot in front of the other. At REVO, we call these "next steps", and it's why one of our core values is to "move forward."

1. What is your next step in this race? What do you need to do right now in order to move forward with the gospel?

2. What weights, distractions, or sin is God asking you to give up today for the sake of the gospel?

3. Moving forward, what needs to change in order for you to either start running, get back in the right race, or continue running hard in order to finish well?