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Group Guide

September 24th, 2023
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This Week's City 7:

2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)

Ice-Breaker:

How have you seen culture change in your lifetime? Is it moving towards God or away from Him? 

Discussion Questions:

  • From the very beginning of the Church, Christians were meant to stand out. In fact, the Biblical word for "church" is ecclesia which literally translates to a group of people that are "called out." We are the called out ones! We are to be called out of our culture and now represent a NEW culture and Kingdom. We are not to lean on our own understanding, but acknowledge the Lord in all our ways. Scripture is now our authority. To simply do what's right in our own eyes is idolatry! Christians are called to be COUNTERCULTURAL. Why do you think it's so easy for Christians to just go with the flow? Have you noticed this tendency in your own life? How do we stand strong against the current of culture?

  • Gender and sexuality are topics that the modern Church has traditionally shied away from. In the meantime, our culture has gone further and further down the path of self-discovery and self-love and self-identity. This can make Christians even less inclined to want to tackle these difficult topics for fear of looking unsympathetic or mean. But now, more than ever, the Church MUST address these issues. Tim Keller, who pastored in Manhattan for 30 years and reached thousands of secular skeptics, says that NOT talking about this subject is no longer an option. If anything, it's counterproductive. At this point in history, it’s better to acknowledge out of the gate that we represent an entirely different kingdom with entirely different values and under an entirely different authority. Discuss the following statement... When it comes to the culture around us and those we love on the other side of this issue, ambiguity isn't kindness, clarity is.

  • Read Psalm 139:13-17 aloud. God obviously designed every part of us on purpose and with much care and His workmanship is MARVELOUS! In fact, even the science will tell you that all 37 trillion cells in your body have a specific sex and are testifying in unison that you are either male or female. And it was God that did that. Going even further back, in Genesis 1 we see that God set up gender roles from the very beginning. He made them male and female, and it was GOOD! THIS is where we get our stance on sex and gender; God's Word. Not culture, not TV or movies, not what our friends or family think... not even what feels good or compassionate or loving! Do you struggle with feeling that holding to the truth on this issue is somehow unloving? How do we approach this issue in a loving way without compromising the truth?

  • The first countercultural truth of this series was that "Gender is not DECIDED, only ACKNOWLEDGED." Because of this sinful and broken world we live in, and because of  the fall of man, mankind wants to go our own way and not God's way. We desire ungodly things. Man's heart is cursed and can't be trusted. We think and feel wrong things. And some begin to question the way God made us. Paul David Tripp said, "Sin distorts our perspective. What seems beautiful is not always beautiful and what feels right is not always right." How do we combat the things we think and feel that might not line up with the truth of God's Word?

  • As Jesus followers, we must follow His example. He was FULL of both GRACE and TRUTH... perfect measures of both. While we can't do this perfectly, we must strive to bring truth clothed in grace, especially on difficult issues such as this. We must love those around us that disagree on this issue or are living a lifestyle contrary to the Truth, but we cannot affirm them. Love and affirmation are not the same thing. In fact, affirming every choice someone makes is very UN-loving. Again, what was Jesus' example? Jesus was about TRANSFORMATIONAL inclusion, not AFFIRMATIONAL inclusion. In your own words, what is the difference in the two? How do we move towards this approach in our daily lives? How can we be about transformational inclusion with those in our own lives that are being deceived?

Prayer Topics:

  • That we would live as "called out" people.
  • That we would strive to be countercultural.
  • That we would be full of grace and truth.

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