 Takeaway Truth from Sunday’s message – Blessed are those who can’t pray worth a darn.
What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? A beatitude is a statement declaring who it is that is ‘blessed’. How are people who can’t pray worth a darn blessed in the Kingdom Jesus describes? Read Genesis 18:23-33. What observations do you make about this ‘prayer’ session? What assumptions does this challenge about God or prayer? What might it affirm? Read Luke 18:1-8. Again, what does this reveal about God and prayer? What do you think of the statement, “God wants to be pestered/bothered.” Why do you think God listens to people, bargains with them, or even takes time to converse with them? What would a church-community look like (what kinds of practices or postures) that was built around blessing those who struggle to pray? Are these things you can see at Vox? Can you think of ways we could move closer to this?
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Takeaway Truth from Sunday’s message – Blessed are the unfeeling (but faithful).
What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? A beatitude is a statement declaring who it is that is ‘blessed’. How are people who have a complicated relationship with feelings still blessed in the kingdom? Read Galatians 5:22-23. How are these markers of the presence of God different from our feelings? What would be different in your life if you measured your closeness to God by these instead of your feelings? Read Amos 5:13-14, 21-24. What is God saying about worship and how we express ourselves? What do you think of the statement, “Feelings make great teachers but terrible masters.”? What do we need to affirm about feelings? What do we need to be cautious about? What would a church-community look like (what kinds of practices or postures) that was built around blessing those who have a variety of feelings and abilities to express them? Are these things you can see at Vox? Can you think of ways we could move closer to this? Takeaway Truth from Sunday’s message – Blessed are those who long for more.
Bible Passages - Luke 2:19; John 14:1-3; John 14:27; Hosea 2:19; John 3:28-30; Ephesians 5:31-32; 1 Cor 6:19-20; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 19:6-9 What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? What do you think of the statement, “Your feelings have nothing to do with whether God loves you or is present in your life”? How would describe your current sense of satisfaction in your relationship with God? Has there been a time when this was different for you? A beatitude is a statement declaring who it is that is ‘blessed’. How can dissatisfaction be a blessing? Read John 14:1-3. What kind of relationship is Jesus describing here between himself and his followers? What are some of the challenges and/or benefits of this arrangement? What would a church-community look like (what kinds of practices or postures) that was built around blessing those who long for more? Are these things you can see at Vox? Can you think of ways we could move closer to this? Takeaway Truth from Sunday’s message —
Bible Passages - Matthew 5:1-12 What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? Can you describe a time when you felt like an outsider or ‘misfit’? A beatitude is a statement declaring who it is that is ‘blessed’. What kind of people are considered ‘blessed’ by our culture’s standards? Read Matthew 5:1-12. These are the beatitudes taught by Jesus. How does this list of who is ‘blessed’ compare with the answer to the previous question? What would a church-community look like (what kinds of practices or postures) that was built around the beatitudes of Jesus? Are these things you can see at Vox? Can you think of ways we could move closer to the Reality Jesus describes? What is it you appreciate about God (Father/Son/Spirit) as revealed these passages? Takeaway Truth from Sunday’s message – People May Be More Receptive Than We Think.
Bible Passages - The book of Jonah; Matthew 12:41 & Luke 11:32; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Matthew 22:39 What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? What questions came to mind as you considered the Bible passage and message? A recent survey of unchurched people revealed 78% are open to hearing or discussing spiritual matters. Does this surprise you? What assumptions do you make about the unchurched around you? Read the account in John 4:1-42 and especially note Jesus words in John 4:35. How does the effect of the disciples’ trip into town compare with the results of the woman’s trip to town? As you go about your regular routines of life, how often are you mindful that you are sent as Christ’s ambassador? How would your actions change if you assumed people were receptive to God’s truth? “Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world. What you see reflects your thinking. And your thinking but reflects your choice of what you want to see. If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” – Mother Teresa “True intellectual strength is not merely the ability to think. It is the ability to choose what to think and when to think. Thought is the founder of legacy. Words shape us. Head-talk forms us.” – Alicia Britt Chole How much choice do we have in our thinking and how does that affect our emotions and behavior? Alicia Britt Chole offer this practical advice concerning our thought life: Next time a thought presses our minds for entrance, pause long enough to ask, “Can I think this thought with Jesus? Am I engaged in a duet with God or a solo with myself in my thoughts?” Jesus says one of the greatest commandments is to love our neighbor. What did you learn from the exercise evaluating your relationships with your neighbors? What is it you appreciate about God as revealed these passages? Takeaway Truth from Sunday’s message – God Pursues Us No Matter What.
Bible Passages - Take time this week to read the entire book of Jonah at one setting (It’s short and easy.) What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? What questions came to mind as you considered the Bible passage and message? We have three tendencies when holding on to sin: avoiding the issue, lessening prayer/communion, diminishing our view of God. How have you seen these played out in your own life? What is your “favorite sin management” strategy? ;) Read Psalm 32 and notice the psalmist’s distress before he acknowledges his wrongdoing. Rosemary Nixon writes, “Words give substance and clarity to thoughts and feelings. Through the spoken word we communicate, not only with others but also with ourselves. Through our words we articulate attitudes, sensitivities and yearnings which might otherwise remain inchoate. It is truly said that confession is good for the soul. … Articulating who we are before God is a crucial step in knowing who we are and being empowered to move on.” What aspect of confession to God or others do you find most challenging? Matthew 5:20-26 calls us to pursue reconciliation when we are at odds with someone. What has been your experience with this? God speaks to each of us in ways that are unique to us. Read John 11:17-37. What do Martha and Mary both say to Jesus? What is his response to each of them? From what we know of these women from Luke 10:38-42, how might his communication fit their personalities and unique needs? What is it you appreciate about God as revealed these passages? Bible Passages - Read John 20:19-31 & John 11:7-16 (interactions with Thomas)
What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? What questions came to mind as you considered the Bible passage and message? Thomas put himself around those who had heard from Jesus (despite possible feelings of “missing out” or jealousy). What does this say about him? What are some ways you surround yourself with those who are in close communion with God? How often do you tell others when the Lord has communicated something to you? What makes this easy or difficult for you? Read John 14:12-21 & John 15:18-16:4 Considering Jesus warned the disciples about the incredible hardship they would endure, and most were eventually martyred, how was the best yet to come for them? In what ways may the best be yet to come in your own life? What is it you appreciate about Jesus from these passages?  Need to listen to this sermon? Bible Passages - Genesis 18; Hebrews 13:1-3; Colossians 1:15-20; Matthew 6:27
What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? What questions came to mind as you considered the Bible passage and message? What are your thoughts on the following ideas?
“So what’s at stake? Well, your relationship with God and your relationship with others. A buffered self or a porous self. A self addicted to control who cannot connect to a greater life than your own, or a self that is open to experience reality as it comes to you, ready to learn, ready to accept and embrace the truth as it comes to you.” Have you seen the results of these two kinds of lives in people you know? What can we learn? Joyfully tithing, fasting, not getting your way, and worshiping God are four practices that teach us to surrender control to God. Talk about experiences you have with these things and what you have learned. |
ReverbEach week, you are invited to use the Reverb discussion guide with family, friends, or a small group for further Scripture readings, questions to ponder, or practices to engage. Archives
December 2018
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