Thinking Rightly In a Broken World: Flourishing When All Else Is Floundering
COMMUNITY GUIDE
The Community Guide below is based on Sunday’s teaching for our new series: Thinking Rightly in a Broken World. As your whole Community gathers (online or in-person), use the Community Guide below to give shape to your time together.
Begin by Practicing the Lord’s Supper Together (5 minutes)
Begin your night by partaking of the bread and the cup together. Have each person bring their own Communion elements or provide elements for the group. To facilitate your time, you can either ask a member of your Community to come ready with a short prayer, scripture reading, or assign someone to read the Apostles Creed we’ve provided below. For those of you that may not be familiar with the Apostles Creed, it is a proclamation of faith that has been recited throughout the years and has often been used as an act of worship and reflection prior to receiving the Lord’s Supper. It is a proclamation of what we as followers of Jesus believe. After reading this ancient creed (aloud), spend a moment in silence before continuing:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church (universal Christian church), the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
CHECK-IN (10 MINUTES)
As we focus on this series, we want to continue to create space for checking in on each other but doing so in a shorter amount of time. Take a few minutes to do a whole person check-in (emotional, spiritual, physical) with your Community, creating space for each person to answer the question below:
How did you experience the Grace of Jesus in your life last week? Who or what are you praying for this coming week?
If the need arises, spend a few minutes praying for one another, asking God to meet needs and help each person carry what feels heavy right now.
READ THIS OVERVIEW (5 MINUTES)
Like no other time in my (Todd) lifetime, people, including Christians, have struggled to rightly understand and navigate life. More specifically, we were exposed as ill-prepared. We were hit hard by several harsh realities over the last 2 years, and sadly, we floundered. For the Apostle Paul, however, Christians shouldn't be naive or foolish to the difficulties of life. Instead, we are to know God's will (Eph 5:15-17). But how? The way in which we can discern and approve God's will is that we must be transformed. And the way in which we are transformed is through the renewing of the mind (Rom 12:1-2). God's people, even in difficulty (see Rom 8), can flourish. It isn’t just that we can know God's will, but that his will is something that is “good and acceptable and perfect.”
QUESTIONS (20 Minutes)
In Romans 12:1-2, we learn that God desires to reveal his will to us. He wants us to think and live rightly in our world. As a group, read Romans 12:3-21 together. In that passage, Paul gives us the goal of thinking and living rightly. Take some time as a group to discuss what sticks out to you from the reading. Why is it important to have the goal in mind when seeking to live and think rightly?
To understand God’s will, Todd explained that the idea of “sacrifice” for Paul in Romans 12:1 was essential. It is an everyday, moment-by-moment desire and intent to bring all facets of your life into submission to the lordship of Jesus. Some areas of our lives are easy to give as a sacrifice and others aren’t. What areas of your life have you struggled to give as a sacrifice? Explain.
In line with the last question, where do you tend to be most influenced by, and therefore, most “conformed to” the pattern of this world or age, which keeps you from discerning God’s will? With the group, spend some time explaining your answer to the question.
What stood out to you most from the sermon this Sunday?
Missionary Practice For The Week Ahead: BLESS (10 Minutes)
ᐅ B.L.E.S.S.
(B)egin with Prayer:
Pray for the people in your life and the places that you’re in.
People: Who do you live, work and play with that is far from God? Pray that God would create spiritual curiosity in them, and then spend time with them.
Places:
Where does pain exist here? Pray for healing.
Who makes the decisions here? Pray for integrity.
Who throws parties here? Pray for community.
Where are the pennies spent here? Pray for provision.
(L)isten:
Listen to and discover the needs of others and for the places where God is at work.
Before you can help others find Jesus, you need to listen to them first - their hopes, pains, challenges and dreams. In your interactions with others today, take the posture of a learner. Lay down assumptions and practice being present in conversations.
(E)at:
Share meals, drink coffee, and spend time with people in your life that don’t yet know Jesus.
Who can you eat with (or have coffee with) that is far from God? A co-worker over lunch? A neighbor during the day? A friend or family member over the weekend?
Is there a place that you regularly visit (coffee shop, gym, etc.)? Ask God to grant you opportunities to eat with people.
(S)erve:
Who can you serve this week? Who do you know that has a practical need? Ask them how you can help.
Before jumping into serving, have you taken the time to pray for, listen to and eat with these people? Doing these things first helps you discover the way that you really need to serve them.
(S)tory:
Share the story of Jesus and what He is doing in your life with others.
Start by sharing how God has blessed you and made a difference in your life.
Share your story in such a way that demonstrates that Jesus is also at work in their life.
Don’t feel like you have to tell your life story at once. Think “bite-size” stories.
Prayer (10 Minutes)
Spend a few minutes praying for God’s grace over each other, that we might become a people who make Jesus our Lord, and that there might be a sweeping renewal of the Holy Spirit in our city. Ask that God would stir up within us a desire to be with him in prayer and to serve him, one another, and our neighbor in love.