MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM SPIRITUAL GROWTH SERIES - 25/04/10

Jeremiah 17:5-18 If God is Glorious then I don't need to fear

Many of us would agree that God is glorious – everything that is good, pure and holy, and beautiful is found most fully in Him. There is no one like him. Nothing can compare with him. But we don’t believe it at a day to day level –otherwise our lives would look different.

We sin by believing a lie that something is more glorious than God.  However we will fear whatever we think is most powerful.  Therefore if other people are the most glorious thing in our lives we will spend all our time:
• craving their approval,
• fearing their rejection,
• desiring their acceptance.

We can have a downward cycle of sin and fear in our lives:
I don’t share my faith because I fear others > Because I don’t share, I don’t feel God’s approval > Makes me want people’s approval

If you are a Christian we need God – ‘The Consuming Fire’ - to fill our gaze, let his glory, love, goodness and wrath invade our lives.  Biblical word for this is the ‘fear of the lord.’ To fear God means to treat him reverently with respect, worship, awe, trust and submission.  If you trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection our terror can turn to worship.  Also our fear of man can be defeated because Jesus broke the power of sin at the cross.

Mission Group Thoughts:

1) Can you think of a funny story that illustrates how much you can fear people?
2) What or what do you think is more glorious than God?  Or what are your biggest fears?
3) Study Jer 17:5-6.  Jeremiah says that if you trust in man, other people, or anything other than God you’re like a tree in the desert.  What does your fear produce in your life?
4) Study Jer 17:7-8.  How can you be like the tree by the River? what does that mean practically for you?
5) What does the bible (especially Proverbs) say about ‘The Fear of the Lord’?
6) How can the Fear of the Lord be a good thing? How can you grow in it?
7) How does Jesus’ life, death and resurrection set us free from the power of sin and fear?
8) What practical steps can you take to overcome fear in your life?
9) Is it sinful to be fearful?
10) Pray for each other.  Confess your fear, ask God’s forgiveness, pray for the Holy Spirit to set you free from it’s grip on your life, ask God to reveal his glory and acceptance to you.

How I Pastor My Kids?

Here is a helpful article from an Acts 29 church pastor in the US explaining in detail his nightly routine with his kids.

The link:
How to Pastor my kids?
This isn’t the only way to input your kids but it is always helpful to be asking the question.  I would like to encourage all Mosaic dad’s to have thought this through and agreed with their wives how they will pastor their kids.  We have such a wonderful responsibility to bring up our kids knowing Jesus however it is easy to forget about it due to the busyness of life.  If anyone has some other helpful ideas about pastoring their kids, please feel free to comment on this blog.

Here’s another free resources for Dad’s if you’re interested:
Pastor Dad by Mark Driscoll

MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM SPIRITUAL GROWTH - Isaiah 40: God is Great

We are ending our series on spiritual growth by looking at the 4 G's of God.

Why is this? Because as our minds our renewed we will be transformed (Romans 12.1-2). Sin came into the world (and the Shalom of God was broken) because we believed a lie (Genesis 3.1ff). We therefore need the truth that sets us free because the devil is still speaking lies (John 8).

(1) God is Great - so I don’t have to be in control
(2) God is Glorious - so I don’t have to fear others
(3) God is Good - so I don’t have to look elsewhere
(4) God is Gracious - so I don’t have to prove myself

Isaiah 40.12-31 gives us a picture of the greatness and sovereignty of God which climaxes in verse 31 with a promise of “changing your strength” or “gaining new strength.” There are 4 things we know about the people of God

(1) Their Enemies - previously the Assyrians and now the Babylonians
(2) Their Circumstances - living in exile in Babylon
(3) Their Hopes - The other nations and their idols
(4) Their Physical and Emotional state - tired and weary

And into this situation God asks them the question (twice - vs18/25) - To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? Imagine how getting a picture of the greatness of God (having their minds renewed - vs21-28 = do you not know, have you not heard) would have transformed their lives and each of these 4 things. It wouldn’t mean their circumstances would have changed necessarily (there were still enemies and exile etc) but they would have had hope, strength, perspective and reassurance. They would have been able to sleep at night (see Psalm 3) and had confidence for the trials. They would have realised that their idols (what they put their hope in) could easily topple as they would eventually grow tired and weary.

Here are 7 negative (and their counterparts) fruits that come from not believing the truth ‘that God is great and I am small’ but believing the lie that “I am in control”

(1) Manipulations/Patience - people and circumstances
(2) Busyness/Ability to say “no” and “I can’t do that”
(3) Fearful/Confidence
(4) Anxiety/Peace
(5) Obsession with an inability to switch off/Freedom and being able to sleep at night
(6) Pride/humility
(7) Complaining/joyful

Do you see that if you believe the lie then you become tired and weary? And do you notice how the passage ends - Soar….Run…Walk - why the anticlimax? Because in life sometimes we’ll soar…often we’ll run…BUT WE’LL ALWAYS WALK. We still live in a broken world so even though we put our hope in the everlasting God and not ourselves sometimes we cannot expect to always soar and run but we can always expect to walk….and if the weight is on God’s shoulders and not ours….we’ll never be faint.

Practically - see Philippians 4.6-8 - give your requests to God and leave them with him. And read Isaiah 40. Job 38-42.

Reflection + Application

(1) Meditate on Isaiah 40.12-31 (or part of Job 38-42) as a way of focussing on God and his greatness. Thank him for everything it says about his character and his actions.

(2) In what areas of life do we most want to “be in control” and ensure things happen the way we want them? How does this leave you physically, mentally, emotionally + spiritually?

(3) What did the people of God want control over in Isaiah’s day? How did they go about trying to get control? How did that leave them?

(4) Read Isaiah 40.12-31 - How would have hearing this truth have set them free (see 4 things above if you are the leader)? How could it set you free in the areas you want control over (pick one verse that helps you…and explain why)?

(5) List the 7 fruits….which one’s do you see in your life? How might the truth of the greatness of God and his control over all things transform your life? What does it practically (day to day) mean to remind yourself of this truth?

(6) What do people feel anxious about at the moment? Use Philippians 4.6-8 as a way of praying about these issues.

*****PLEASE NOTE***** these reflections and application questions are to be tailored by whoever is leading the study. You do not have to do all the questions and you can add in extra questions. If it says that you are to “meditate or reflect” on a bible passage that is to be done during your time of sung worship (not in the study).

Belfast Mission Trip - Easter 2010

Lukas was from Namabia and had only been in Belfast two days. He was desperate to meet some new friends and fortunately he bumped into our team. After taking him out for a drink and sharing their faith, Gaz and Emily discovered he was from a Christian family and very open to talking about Jesus. He’s subsequently hung out with us and should be coming to Redeemer Central on Sunday.

Lukas is one of many different people we have met over the course of our Mission trip.  Each day we have worshipped and prayed during the morning and then hit the streets, telling people about Jesus, Redeemer Central and their upcoming Alpha Course. 

Today, Alex had been asking God for some direction in her outreach.  She was led to a certain shop and then to a certain person.  Alex approached the lady nervously and simply said ‘I’m a Christian and I feel that God wants me to speak to you.’  The women stood there amazed and opened up her life and will hopefully be coming to Redeemer this Sunday too.

We have also spent many hours painting, clearing and cleaning people’s houses.  It has been good to serve some of the church members and their friends.

Please keep praying for us as we seek out the people God wants us to minister too.  We would love more opportunities to pray for the sick, share the good news of Jesus and befriend the lonely.

MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM EASTER SUNDAY- 3/4/10

For our Easter Sunday Baptismal service we looked at John 20.24.31 - Jesus appears to (doubting) Thomas

As with the baptisms, this is a story of a changed life due to an encounter with the risen Christ.

We noticed 2 things about Thomas (1) He had (probably) isolated himself from his mates (vs24) and (2) he was skeptical (vs25-26). It is remarkable that he was skeptical since he had all the evidence before him - the testimony of his best mates, the empty tomb, the testimony of Mary, the previous predictions of Jesus (betrayal…handed over to authorities…suffer + die….BUT ON THE 3RD DAY rise again) and he had already seen the resurrection power of Jesus in action (John 11.16). But he was skeptical - because his worldview wouldn’t allow for a physical resurrection….no worldview allows for it. The Greeks = dualism (body is bad, spirit is good), Jews = resurrection at the end of time for all God’s people in a perfect world and Us = science tells us dead people don’t rise! The resurrection was as strong an intellectual barrier then as it is now!

What broke his worldview? What will break our worldview? An encounter with the risen Christ (vs26-28). But what about all those that don’t meet Jesus in the flesh….who are not as “blessed” as Thomas? Well look what Jesus says (vs29) - the blessed state is if you believe even though you don’t see! Why would anyone believe if they hadn’t seen Jesus (like most people at the time…he was only around for 40 days - cf Acts 1.2-5)? They believed the evidence of the eye-witnesses (Mary, the 10 disciples, Thomas….) including JOHN who wrote a book for future generations to believe and have life (vs30-31). The evidence is there and can break your worldview if you are open to it and see through the eyes of faith!

But there is another reason to believe the resurrection....it is verse 28…the story of thousands and millions of changed lives down the years, starting with Mary and Thomas…and even to the people who got baptised on Sunday. Lives that have been changed as they have met the risen Christ by his Spirit. And what does it mean to be a Christian, to have your life turned around by Christ?

(1) It is to look at the risen Jesus and declare with Thomas (a Jew) “you are the almighty creator God who is Lord of history” - and isn’t it amazing that Jesus accepts Thomas’ worship!

(2) It is to look at the risen Jesus and declare with Thomas (a Roman citizien) “you have my ultimate allegiance not Caesar….even if that means I die” - and we all have our own “Lord and God” that needs to be ‘let go of.’

What an encouraging (for those who doubt) and challenging (for those who want to live for Christ) story!

Reflection and Application

(1) What do we know about Thomas? What is he like? See John 11.16, John 14.5 + John 20.24-25. How do you relate to Thomas?

(2) What evidence did Thomas already have that the resurrection was historical fact? Why didn’t he believe? Why do people today struggle to believe in the resurrection?

(3) What changed Thomas’ mind (vs26-28) and what do Jesus + John put in place to help us see that the resurrection is true? (vs29-31)

(4) As a group try and summarise the evidence that the resurrection is a historical reality (not fiction) and help each other articulate this to your skeptical friends. Download for free a chapter from Mark Driscoll’s latest book on the resurrection - http://theresurgence.com/doctrine-launched-free-chapter

(5) Why is verse 28 such a remarkable claim? What does mean to be a Christian? How does this affect your life as you celebrate Easter this year? What did it mean for Thomas that Easter?

(6) How does this story help us when we have doubts? What should (and shouldn’t) we do?

(7) How does this story encourage or challenge you?

(8) Pray for your unbelieving friends that this Easter the reality of the historical resurrection would cause them to investigate more and come to faith. Do invite them to the next Intro Course on Wednesday 28th April.

*****PLEASE NOTE***** these reflections and application questions are to be tailored by whoever is leading the study. You do not have to do all the questions and you can add in extra questions. If it says that you are to “meditate or reflect” on a bible passage that is to be done during your time of sung worship (not in the study).