Hello This is a Test

Group Guide

July 24th, 2022
0

This Week's City 7:

6. Is the Bible God’s word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)

Ice-Breaker:

What animal/reptile/insect are you the most afraid of? What is wrong with people that like snakes? 

Discussion Questions:

  • Jesus sends out the 72 to share the message that the Kingdom of God is near. In verse 2 he tells them that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. We've all heard this verse before, but there is more here than meets the eye. His compassion was brought on by His knowledge of what awaits those who refuse to repent; the harvest he’s talking about wasn’t just about bringing people into the kingdom of God. It was the gathering of sinners for their final judgment. All of humanity is heading for God’s judgment and eternal hell, and only few are working to reach them with the saving truth of the Gospel. True evangelism begins with an awareness of their desperate condition and with the realization that they all face the terrifying reality of eternal punishment. The first takeaway on Sunday was that this reality needs to break our hearts. We need a sense of urgency when we see so many people around us that need Jesus. What would you say your level of urgency is when it comes to sharing the gospel? How often do you think about how short time is running? How often does that move you to act?

  • Jesus tells the 72 to go to the cities that accept them and their message, but if they don't accept them they are to "shake the dust off their feet" and leave them to their fate. He calls out six different cities, three Jewish and three Gentile. He says that it will be worse for the three Jewish communities that reject his message than it will for the Gentile ones. In fact, Capernaum will get the worst of it. That was where Jesus kept his headquarters during his ministry in Galilee. They had seen all the miracles and heard all the teaching. There was no record of them being hostile to Jesus, so what was it they had done so wrong? They had merely tolerated him. Indifference, Jesus says, is just as damning as outright rejection. When God makes an offer of peace to a dying world, it is offensive to him for people to be indifferent. How much indifference towards and "tolerance" of Jesus do you see in today's culture? How easy is it for indifference to creep into your attitudes?

  • Another takeaway from Sunday was that we should live with JOY. We should rejoice that our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We should rejoice even when things aren't going well in our lives. We should also make sure, like Jesus warned the disciples, that we are rejoicing in the right things. Do you remember how much joy you had when you first gave your life to Jesus? Has that light gotten dim? What is your source of joy? What things in your life do you celebrate, publicize on social media or tell stories about? Are your priorities in the right place?

  • Next, we should live with AUTHORITY. Jesus' resurrection, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, gives us authority over Satan, who seeks to destroy us. We take so much garbage from the enemy when we don't have to. Scripture tells us that if we resist the devil he will flee from us. What lies from the enemy are you accepting? What battles are you forfeiting in your life, kids or family by failing to pray and exercise that authority?

  • Finally, we should live out the GOSPEL. Evangelism is the hallmark of a true Jesus follower. When we lose our sense of this mission, we are no longer on the same page with God; we aren't interested in the same things. No matter where we go or what we do, we should always be on mission, always looking for opportunities to be used by God. You are where you are for a reason. What are you doing with the circles of influence God has given you? Who needs to be on your "name list"? Who do you need to be praying for to meet Jesus? Share the names with the group and commit to pray for opportunities!


Prayer Topics:

  • That our hearts would break over so many people heading towards eternal punishment. 
  • That we would never be indifferent to Jesus and his mission.
  • That we would live our lives with JOY and AUTHORITY.
  • That we would live on mission with Jesus.

No Comments


Add Your Comment
Submit