Group Guide

February 12th, 2023

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:

Ever get a splinter? Something in your eye? Stump your pinkie toe? How is it that something so seemingly insignificant could absolutely derail your life?

Discussion Questions:

Have someone read Luke 13:18-35 aloud.

Every Jewish person spent their lives eagerly awaiting the promised Messiah. They expected him to cause a revolt, a political rebellion, an earthly king that would rule and reign with great power and wealth. But instead, Jesus was poor and spent his time preaching, feeding and healing people. So they missed it. They missed HIM. This sets up the tension between the Kingdom's modest beginning and its glorious final state. One such tension is that his Kingdom is about TRANSFORMATION, not CONFORMATION. It's about being transformed, from the inside-out, not conforming to some group of laws or behavioral standard. Jesus is saying that those who think they deserve it won't receive it, and those that realize they don't deserve it will. Many will stand before Jesus one day, and he'll say, "I don't know you. You may have conformed but you haven't been transformed. I don't know your heart and you don't know mine." What do you think the difference is between someone that is transformed and someone who has just conformed? What are the different kinds of fruit produced by each life?
The Kingdom of God is INCLUSIVE but also EXCLUSIVE. This Kingdom is no longer just for the nation of Israel. All are invited. But scripture tells us that the road to true life in Jesus is narrow, and few will find it. The road to destruction, however, is wide and there are many on it. The door to the Kingdom is also narrow, and one day it will be locked forever. A time is coming when it will be too late. This is where our culture get's it wrong. They see God and his commands as repressive, like a prison. But God's heart is to have a relationship with his children, to protect and bless them. What seems like restriction to some actually leads to a life of the joy and blessing of the Kingdom. True freedom and joy are found in your submission to the King! How have you experienced this in your own life? What are some ways that your submission to Jesus has resulted in joy in your life and kept you from the pain that some around you might have experienced through their brand of "freedom?"
So what does this mean for us? First, we need to be about KINGDOM values. Instead of chasing lives full of power, position, wealth, power, success or fame, we should be seeking a life marked by prayer, the Bible, church, worship, character, service, faithfulness and the fruits of the Spirit. Instead of prioritizing laws and religion to bring conformity, we need to be about discipleship and being changed from the inside-out. This process is called sanctification, and it happens slowly, over time. It often takes longer than we'd like, and it doesn't happen by accident. It happens through faithful obedience and daily submission to Jesus. It happens through consistent prayer and the study of God's Word. And it happens in community with other believers. How have you seen this process work in your own life? Are you different than you were a year ago? Five years ago? How has your heart and mind changed? How has your faith grown?
We also need KINGDOM vision. Christians often miss Kingdom vision when we put politics above our faith. Jesus' Kingdom isn't advanced through power and politics. The government doesn't make disciples. Just as Israel was looking for an earthly king to solve all their problems, many American Christians are doing the exact same thing. Theologian Darrell Bock says, "Since the days of Constantine the church has struggled with her identity by thinking a text like this is a call to exercise increasing power. The way of discipleship, however, is the way of service and sacrifice. The church is not called to the sword or to power but to service. Whenever the church has confused these two, it has had disastrous results... To “manifest” the kingdom’s presence is not to build buildings or pass laws, but to honor God with a quality of life that is directed powerfully in the transforming work of his Spirit. If God’s people have any priority, it should be the commitment to live, relate, and serve in a way that honors him." What are the dangers of getting this backwards? Have you been one that has looked for their "Christian prince" in a certain political candidate? How can we still be involved and engaged in politics but still make God's Word our "platform"?
Throughout church history, the Church has never done well in power. In fact, it has always gone pretty poorly. Conversely, the Church has always PROSPERED under PERSECUTION, not POWER. The Church doesn't need POWER to CONTROL hearts. Instead, we PREACH to CHANGE hearts. While we haven't experienced any real persecution in America, we very well could... and soon. America is the exception in church history when it comes to our ease of life and lack of consequences for following Jesus. So it should be every believer's strategy to preach the Gospel, make disciples, and live as ambassadors of Jesus to a broken world despite who is in political power. As the heat gets turned up on you and your kids and families, and as culture continues to revile and reject God's Kingdom, how important do you think it will become to have a solid, unshakeable faith and to know WHY you believe WHAT you believe? Do you have a faith that is ready withstand persecution?

Prayer Topics:

That we would seek to be transformed by Jesus.
That we would grow in our relationship with God.
That we would never look to a political candidate for "salvation."
That we would develop and unshakeable faith.

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