We had an incredible baptism celebration yesterday. Nine people went public in their relationship with Jesus through baptism and we're stoked about that!
Tonight in your rGroup spend some time sharing your stories of life change. Eat, hang out, and be encouraged as you hear about how God has worked in the lives of people in your group.
As the group leader you may want to offer to go first so people aren't intimidated.
Some details to include as you share your story:
-Your life before Jesus (how you lived & why it was dissatisfying)
-How God drew you to Himself (what circumstances or people did God use in saving you)
-How your life is different since God saved you
Monday, April 22, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
Expletive: Holy Sp*t
Mark 7:31-37 & Mark 8:22-26
1. When God works in your life in "stages," rather answering everything how you want when you want it, what does that do
for your faith?
2. What areas of our lives are in the different chairs? Some areas of your life may be completely changed (chair 4), while other areas are still a bit blurry and still unfolding (chair 3). Can you share a time when you were in chair 2, blind to what God was doing, and then everything went clear and you moved to chair 4?
3. How can you pray specifically without laying out specific guidelines for how God must work in your life? (Think about the prayers of Jesus, pleading that the cup be removed but ending with "thy will be done." What if we asked God for things, but approached his verbally and spiritually with the attitude of "thy will be done, whatever you want to do is what I want and I trust you).
4. What attributes do you see about God and yourself in this passage? (God is patient, all knowing, in control, knows the best way, and is in it for our benefit and His glory. For us, we are impatient, don't know anything except the past and what's directly in front of us, have no control, only think about the easiest or shortest way, and are in it for our own selfish reasons).
Homework this week: Think through the areas of your life where God has brought you from chair 1 to 4. Remembering what God has done in the past in your life can encourage you as you move chairs in other areas in your life.
Please close your group time with these announcements:
There are 3 Serve Hard opportunities this Saturday (April 20th)
1. Yard Sale at FBCRH (7105 Broad St. Rural Hall, NC). REVO will have a booth. Donated items are greatly apprecieated. All funds will go directly towards the July Cuba trip. Also, great opportunity to meet some people from the North side of town. Yard Sale from 8-1. Need volunteers to work the booths as well as donate items.
2. SPCC (Salem Pregnancy Care Center) Walk for Life-
They're looking for volunteers to man some of the booths, concessions, and help with tear down. Will work in 1 hr shifts. Great way to serve alongside one of our strategic partners in one of their biggest events of the year in a family friendly atmosphere.
3. Ashley Elementary clean up day-
Another opportunity to serve one of our strategic ministry partners in a family friendly atmosphere. There will be a clean-up day at the school from 2-5. Serve alongside others from the community to love on the students and staff of Ashley Elementary.
2. What areas of our lives are in the different chairs? Some areas of your life may be completely changed (chair 4), while other areas are still a bit blurry and still unfolding (chair 3). Can you share a time when you were in chair 2, blind to what God was doing, and then everything went clear and you moved to chair 4?
3. How can you pray specifically without laying out specific guidelines for how God must work in your life? (Think about the prayers of Jesus, pleading that the cup be removed but ending with "thy will be done." What if we asked God for things, but approached his verbally and spiritually with the attitude of "thy will be done, whatever you want to do is what I want and I trust you).
4. What attributes do you see about God and yourself in this passage? (God is patient, all knowing, in control, knows the best way, and is in it for our benefit and His glory. For us, we are impatient, don't know anything except the past and what's directly in front of us, have no control, only think about the easiest or shortest way, and are in it for our own selfish reasons).
Homework this week: Think through the areas of your life where God has brought you from chair 1 to 4. Remembering what God has done in the past in your life can encourage you as you move chairs in other areas in your life.
Please close your group time with these announcements:
There are 3 Serve Hard opportunities this Saturday (April 20th)
1. Yard Sale at FBCRH (7105 Broad St. Rural Hall, NC). REVO will have a booth. Donated items are greatly apprecieated. All funds will go directly towards the July Cuba trip. Also, great opportunity to meet some people from the North side of town. Yard Sale from 8-1. Need volunteers to work the booths as well as donate items.
2. SPCC (Salem Pregnancy Care Center) Walk for Life-
They're looking for volunteers to man some of the booths, concessions, and help with tear down. Will work in 1 hr shifts. Great way to serve alongside one of our strategic partners in one of their biggest events of the year in a family friendly atmosphere.
3. Ashley Elementary clean up day-
Another opportunity to serve one of our strategic ministry partners in a family friendly atmosphere. There will be a clean-up day at the school from 2-5. Serve alongside others from the community to love on the students and staff of Ashley Elementary.
If you or your group is interested in serving in any of three opportunities on Sat, please contact Paul Davidson, paul@discovererevo.com.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Expletive: Resurrection
John 20:19-21
Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
-Verse 17 says that if Christ wasn't raised then we're still in our sins. Why did Jesus have to rise in order for us to be free from sin; was His death not sufficient to provide that freedom?
*Jesus' death provides atonement for sin, absorbing the punishment for it. That doesn't have any implications for our current sin struggles (meaning that Jesus' death on the cross doesn't help us overcome sin it just ensures we won't be punished for it). We need a Savior who beat sin so that He can give us that victory as well. If Jesus did not rise He was in fact beaten by sin and can offer us no victory over our sin.
-Verse 14 says that if Christ is not raised then our faith is in vain. How so?
*If Jesus isn't alive then He is a lair (Jesus told His disciples that He would die and rise again) and we've misplaced our faith and trusted someone who failed us.
-According to verse 18, if Jesus didn't rise from the dead then every Christian that dies, truly dies and is not raised to life in heaven.
*The entire Gospel hinges on the reality of Jesus resurrection. It is the evidence that proves that the plan worked! If there is no resurrection every promise of the Gospel breaks down including the promise of of eternal life with Christ in heaven.
-What does verse 19 mean?
Let's get practical:
-What did this text teach you about God?
-What did this text teach you about yourself?
-What are you going to do about it?
Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
-Verse 17 says that if Christ wasn't raised then we're still in our sins. Why did Jesus have to rise in order for us to be free from sin; was His death not sufficient to provide that freedom?
*Jesus' death provides atonement for sin, absorbing the punishment for it. That doesn't have any implications for our current sin struggles (meaning that Jesus' death on the cross doesn't help us overcome sin it just ensures we won't be punished for it). We need a Savior who beat sin so that He can give us that victory as well. If Jesus did not rise He was in fact beaten by sin and can offer us no victory over our sin.
-Verse 14 says that if Christ is not raised then our faith is in vain. How so?
*If Jesus isn't alive then He is a lair (Jesus told His disciples that He would die and rise again) and we've misplaced our faith and trusted someone who failed us.
-According to verse 18, if Jesus didn't rise from the dead then every Christian that dies, truly dies and is not raised to life in heaven.
*The entire Gospel hinges on the reality of Jesus resurrection. It is the evidence that proves that the plan worked! If there is no resurrection every promise of the Gospel breaks down including the promise of of eternal life with Christ in heaven.
-What does verse 19 mean?
Let's get practical:
-What did this text teach you about God?
-What did this text teach you about yourself?
-What are you going to do about it?
Monday, April 1, 2013
Revolution: Hoarders
Mark 14:26-31 & 14:66-72
*Sin is ugly, impractical, we look ridiculous in it, and it keeps us from the life Jesus wants us to live.
-What sin do you need to take off? (Not necessarily intended for verbal response)
-Every sin issue is about more than an external problem. How do you take off/stop committing/get rid of a sin you've become enslaved to? Seriously group think this, spitball ideas, and get a conversation going about this.
I've written three things below that will help us take the ugly sin jacket off. Have your group write these three things down. After each point discuss with your group...ask them why confession, connecting to the church, and accessing God's presence is important:
1 confess- sin shouldn't push believers away from God it should cause us to run toward Him.
2 connect- use the resource of the church! Get around people who push you toward Jesus and stir your affection for Him. Not superficial relationships but deep honest prayer-filled relationships that help you move forward. If you start spending intentional with people who are pursuing Jesus it will begin to pull that out of you as well.
3 Access- Jesus died on the cross so that you could have access to God's presence, so spend time in God's presence! When you do this you'll find that you won't be so easily deceived by your sin because you'll have experienced the alternative.
If you find yourself enslaved by the same patterns of sin in your life it's probably because you've neglected one or all of these things.
-What sin do you need to take off? (Not necessarily intended for verbal response)
-Every sin issue is about more than an external problem. How do you take off/stop committing/get rid of a sin you've become enslaved to? Seriously group think this, spitball ideas, and get a conversation going about this.
I've written three things below that will help us take the ugly sin jacket off. Have your group write these three things down. After each point discuss with your group...ask them why confession, connecting to the church, and accessing God's presence is important:
1 confess- sin shouldn't push believers away from God it should cause us to run toward Him.
2 connect- use the resource of the church! Get around people who push you toward Jesus and stir your affection for Him. Not superficial relationships but deep honest prayer-filled relationships that help you move forward. If you start spending intentional with people who are pursuing Jesus it will begin to pull that out of you as well.
3 Access- Jesus died on the cross so that you could have access to God's presence, so spend time in God's presence! When you do this you'll find that you won't be so easily deceived by your sin because you'll have experienced the alternative.
If you find yourself enslaved by the same patterns of sin in your life it's probably because you've neglected one or all of these things.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Revolution: God is Terrifying
Mark 14:32-50
-What did Jesus’ death on the cross accomplish?
-When you realize how much wrath God has toward sin do you
become more grateful for the cross?
-Do you feel equipped to present the Gospel to others? What
do you need to be equipped?
-Do you feel motivated to present the Gospel to others?
Read Ephesians
2:8-9
-What does it mean that we’re saved by grace through faith?
-Verse 8 says, “And this is not your own doing,” what isn’t
your own doing?
As the group leader
make close the Ephesians discussion by emphasizing that God alone takes credit
for saving people.
The Big Three
-What did this text teach you about God?
-What did this text teach you about yourself?
-What are you going to do about it?
Monday, March 18, 2013
Revolution: Who Is Jesus?
Mark 14:53-65
-What is the difference between being a religious peron and following Jesus?
-Who is Jesus? (List as many answers as you can think of)
-Is there anything lacking in the titles you just assigned to Jesus when you compare them to Jesus explanation of Himself? (Son of God/ Son of Man)
-What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God? Why does that matter?
-What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of Man? Why does that matter?
Light Bulb Moments?
-What did this text teach you about God?
-What did this text teach you about yourself?
-What are you going to do about it?
-Who is Jesus? (List as many answers as you can think of)
-Is there anything lacking in the titles you just assigned to Jesus when you compare them to Jesus explanation of Himself? (Son of God/ Son of Man)
-What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God? Why does that matter?
-What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of Man? Why does that matter?
Light Bulb Moments?
-What did this text teach you about God?
-What did this text teach you about yourself?
-What are you going to do about it?
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Revolution: The Bandwagon
1. What does being on the Jesus bandwagon look like? How do these characteristics compare to fans that are on the bandwagon of a sports team? (emotional, irrational, spiritual roller coaster goes really high and really low, overreacts when things don't go their way, quick to be attracted but quick to leave and abandon, always thinks they could do a better job if they were in charge, thinks they have all the right answers).
2. What is the difference between a fan of Jesus and a follower of Jesus? (How can you tell if you're a follower or a fan? Bottom line: followers follow. Are you following Jesus? Do you know Jesus? Or do you simply know of Jesus? Example: I know OF Michael Jordan. His stats, his team, his jersey number, his pictures. But I don't KNOW Michael Jordan. Never met him, don't have a relationship with him.)
3. What are some personal areas in your life that you are merely a fan of Jesus, and what action steps do you need to take to become a true follower? (think about what Jesus has called you to do. Do you think those are great ideas and good tenants of the faith? Then you are a fan. Being a follower means actually being obedient and doing those things).
4. What is your role in "the game?" What are the areas that you are on the field, doing your part in? What are the areas that you are still sitting in the stands, watching Jesus instead of participating? (evangelism, discipleship, inviting people to church, etc).
5. To some extent, we are all fans of Jesus. We have examples in our lives of when we shout "Hosannah" but also times in our lives when we shout "give us Barabbas." (Barabbas can be any sin we constantly struggle with, or even times when we try to be our own savior and run our lives totally void of Jesus). So what are the results of both? What do you get when you go somewhere else other than Jesus? What emotions do you deal with? Now, what does the Bible promise that you get with Jesus? What does he offer us?
6. Before we begin a relationship with Jesus, we are all guilty of being in the crowd choosing something else other than Jesus to save us. We were enemies of God. What does that say about Jesus? (think about the patience, love, mercy, compassion, and grace that God shows us. We deserve nothing. But God gives us a second chance through Jesus. He loved us when we least deserved it).
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