Discussion Questions
Before Starting:
REMINDER - In two weeks we are having our first community night. Discuss with your group whether you'd like to do a potluck, eat out, or do an activity. If you are doing a potluck, create a sign-up sheet of what people are bringing.
After you decide, reflect on who God has put in your life that you could invite. Please be in prayer this week for God to give you the courage and opportunity to invite them.
QUESTIONS
1. Part of the focus of the sermon and evangelism workshop was the importance of sharing your own story with Jesus. If someone is comfortable, have one person share their own spiritual story in 3-5 minutes. The three parts of the story are:
- Your life BEFORE you met Jesus
- HOW you met Jesus
- What's changed AFTER meeting Jesus
We'd like to give everyone in the group a chance to share their story if they are comfortable doing so. If someone wants to, have them sign up to prepare and share their story at life group next week.
2. Mike talked about how his dog is a missional partner because it can help him get to know his neighbor, building relationships that can lead to sharing Jesus. What in your life can be used to help you build relationships and create future opportunities to talk about Jesus with others?
3. We want our faith to be noticeable by others - what does it look like for us as a church and as individuals to have a public, visible faith to non-Christians in our lives?
- HOW you met Jesus
- What's changed AFTER meeting Jesus
We'd like to give everyone in the group a chance to share their story if they are comfortable doing so. If someone wants to, have them sign up to prepare and share their story at life group next week.
2. Mike talked about how his dog is a missional partner because it can help him get to know his neighbor, building relationships that can lead to sharing Jesus. What in your life can be used to help you build relationships and create future opportunities to talk about Jesus with others?
3. We want our faith to be noticeable by others - what does it look like for us as a church and as individuals to have a public, visible faith to non-Christians in our lives?
Read Acts 14:21-27, then answer the following questions:
- What does this passage tell me about God and about people?
- If I believe today's teaching is from God and that He loved me so much He sent Jesus to die for me, what is the appropriate way to respond in my everyday life?
- Who can I talk to more about this or share this with?
Spend time sharing life updates and prayer requests as a group, and close your time in prayer together.
This Sunday, we had a guest preacher named Mike Griffin. Mike serves as the Church Health Coordinator for our denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, in our local presbytery, in addition to serving as a lead pastor at an EPC church.
Mike talked about how we as Christians are all called to engage our community by joining Jesus on His mission as an everyday missionary. This represents a paradigm shift when it comes to living on mission: rather than seeing ourselves as the hero bringing salvation, we recognize that Jesus is already working in the community in ways we don't always see, and we get to join and partner with Him on His mission. Part of engaging community includes thinking outside the box to reach others. For example, rather than organizing meal trains only for fellow Christians who have a crisis, why couldn't we do a meal train for a non-Christian neighbor during their crisis as a means of sharing the love of Jesus with them?
Mike talked about how we as Christians are all called to engage our community by joining Jesus on His mission as an everyday missionary. This represents a paradigm shift when it comes to living on mission: rather than seeing ourselves as the hero bringing salvation, we recognize that Jesus is already working in the community in ways we don't always see, and we get to join and partner with Him on His mission. Part of engaging community includes thinking outside the box to reach others. For example, rather than organizing meal trains only for fellow Christians who have a crisis, why couldn't we do a meal train for a non-Christian neighbor during their crisis as a means of sharing the love of Jesus with them?
Scripture
- Acts 14:21-27: They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia." From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
- 1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.