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07 | Life in Community: Part 2 - We are Servants

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Titus 2.11-15

Titus 2.14 says the Church is the special, treasured possession of Jesus - a people rescued from sin, called into relationship, and sent into the world to carry on the mission of Jesus. This week we look at the Church as a people bought with a high price and called to be Servants of Jesus in all of life. Because Jesus has served us, giving His life as a ransom for many, our way of life as His disciples is to be marked by obeying Him, submitting to Him, expecting from Him, and relying on Him as we generously steward time, treasure, and talent in sacrificial service.

For Discussion:

1. Read Mark 10.35-45, and answer the 4 Questions: Who is God? What has He done? Who are we? How should we live?

2. How does Jesus define greatness? What does He do with His own greatness and power, and in what ways does that contrast with our Western Culture?

3. Our way of life is to embody the self-sacrificing life of Jesus, generously stewarding time, talent, and treasure for His mission. As you think about those 3 categories, which is most difficult for you to give away? Why? How does the Gospel free you toward generosity?

4. For Kids & Youth: Practice generosity as a family this week. Look around your house, asking your kids to identify what God has given you (could be toys, food, kitchen table, clothes, money, etc.). Decide together what you can give away, and to whom. If you give to the Church or to other ministries, discuss with your kids what you give and why, showing them what joyful stewardship looks like!

October 20, 2019 - Steve Hart

 
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06 | Life in Community: Part 1 - We are Family

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Titus 2.11-15

The Church is a people who, having been rescued by Jesus, now belong to Him as His treasured possession. When we repent and believe the Gospel, we are born again, and we are baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit. This means we are now God's people, brought into relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit. This week, we explore our relationship to the Father's, what it means to be His adopted children, and how we can learn to love one another as His Family.

For Reflection or Discussion:

1. Read Galatians 4.1-7.

2. What does it look like when you're living out of your orphan identity? What does it look like when you're living out of your adopted identity? See page 50 in your Basics manual for reference.

3. How does God's triunity (3 persons in one) influence your understanding of community? Think: God is love and exists in perfect unity. This reveals God's heart and idea of the world and community. Relationship is not an option, it's who we are.

4. As individuals, think about this: how would your relationships change if Jesus, rather than personal interests, was the glue? What would be easier and what would be more difficult?

5. If you’d like to dig more deeply into this week’s content, you can access the video here: https://subspla.sh/7r2cntb. In particular, here are 2 short clips to watch and discuss:

1) 6:30-10:00 The Gospel Flow; and

2) 25:00-40:00 Slaves or Sons

6. For Kids & Youth: Ask your kids what they think the Bible means when it says we're adopted? If we have been adopted into God's family, how do we help other people know that they are a part of God's family?

October 13, 2019 - Steve Hart

 
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05 | Gospel Formation Summary & Sharing

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Titus 2.11-15

Over the last 3 weeks, we've looked at the past, present, and future tenses of salvation: We have been saved from the penalty of sin (past), are being saved from the power of sin (present), and will be saved from the presence of sin (future). All 3 have massive implications for us as followers of Jesus, and taken together can transform our lives. But how does that transformation happen? This week we explore Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3.14-21, where he asks the Spirit to bring the truth and power of God's love for us in Christ deep into our hearts. We look at how to welcome this process and hear stories of how people in our church family are experiencing the Gospel's power today.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Read Ephesians 3.14-21. The focus of Paul’s prayer is the Spirit’s work to drive the love of God in Jesus into our hearts. Why is the Bible ruthlessly “heart” focused when it comes to real growth and change? What happens if we ignore, minimize, or deny the central role of the heart?

2. What is one area of living (thoughts, words, or actions) that you’d like to see change? What is the root or heart issue involved (think: what am I believing, desiring, or trusting)?

3. What aspect of the Gospel, if it was “known beyond knowledge,” would fill you with the fullness of God and set you free?

4. If you’d like to dig more deeply into this week’s content, you can access the Gospel Formation Workshop videos here:

(Part 1) https://subspla.sh/tzq655p

(Part 2) https://subspla.sh/m2fnskt

5. For Kids & Youth: Discuss with your kids why the focus of change is the heart (consider Luke 6.43-45). As much as we want our kids to obey us and God, we are ultimately hoping God will grab ahold of their hearts and desires, and lead them into newness of life. Pray with your kids, asking the Spirit to fill our hearts with the love of God!

October 6, 2019 - Steve Hart

 
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04 | Formed by the Gospel: Part 3 - Future Tense

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Titus 2.11-15

Being a follower of Jesus means understanding all that He is and has done for us, and allowing that news to be worked deep into our hearts so that our whole lives are shaped by Him. We use the term "Gospel Formation" to describe the process of being conformed to Jesus and His ways with our mind, heart and life. This week, we're looking at how the end of the Story - Jesus' return as the rightful King of the World - in which He makes all things new - shapes us today. Through Jesus, we have been saved from the penalty of sin (past), and we are being saved from the power of sin (present). When Jesus returns, we will be saved from the presence of sin (future), transformed into full Christlikeness, and enjoying God forever in this world remade and restored.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Read Titus 2.11-15. This is the text we’ll be in for the whole Basics series. Notice that v.11 is Salvation Past Tense, v.12 is Present, and v.13 is Future. What has happened? What is still happening? What will happen some day?

2. When you think of ‘heaven,’ what comes to mind? What images dominate your mind regarding God’s end goal?

3. Read Romans 8.16-32, a densely packed exploration of what is yet to come. What is promised personally for those in Christ, and how ought that shape our living? What is promised for all of creation, and how ought that shape our living?

4. If you’d like to dig more deeply into this week’s content, you can access the video https://subspla.sh/8wm8jjc. In particular, here are 2 short clips to watch and discuss:

1) 33:30-35:30 - The Weight of Glory or

2) 48:00-50:00 - Thinking Rightly About The Next World

5. Each week, we’ll be giving some ideas for how to engage kids and youth with the basics content. This week, explain the future tense of the Gospel to your kids. What will Jesus do for us personally when He returns? How is that good news for us? And what will He do for all of creation? How does that shape how we live in this world now?

September 29, 2019 - Steve Hart

 
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03 | Formed by the Gospel: Part 2 - Present Tense

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Titus 2.11-15

The Gospel is the central message of Christianity, the good news that functions as a hub on the wheel of everything Christianity is. All that is involved in being a follower of Jesus is directly linked to understanding, believing, and living in light of Jesus' life, death, resurrection, ascension, and soon return! Last week, we unpacked the first of 3 statements regarding the power of the Gospel for our personal lives: We have been saved from the penalty of sin by the life and death of Jesus. We celebrated the good news of gracious acceptance with God, once and for all, knowing Jesus took our sin and gave us His righteousness, so that God treats us as if we perfectly obeyed! This week, we look at the ongoing power of the Gospel: We are being saved from the power of sin through the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Jesus rose victorious over death, disarming sin's power, and now sits at the right hand of God interceding for us. And, He has sent the Holy Spirit to empower our lives toward maturity. We mature into holiness - conformity to Jesus - by grace and the work of the Spirit.

Read Titus 2.11-15. This is the text we’ll be in for the whole Basics series.

Questions for Discussion:
1. Recall the 3 Gospel Statements (Past, Present, and Future Tense). Review from last week the Past Tense statement. What does each mean? With which of these - past, present, future - are you least familiar? How might a deeper understanding of that tense affect your life?
2. Re-read Titus 2.11-12. What life changes does Paul describe in the verses? What does real growth and change look like? Change can be hard. What resources do we have through Jesus’ resurrection and ascension?
3. Look at the list of the 4 Gs in p.26-27 of the handbook. Which are you most prone to forget? What are the results when you do? What changes when you are remembering these truths about God?
4. If you’d like to dig more deeply into this week’s content, you can access the video here: https://subspla.sh/whsk5bh. In particular, here is a short clip to watch and discuss: 41:00-42:00 minutes - Embracing the Process.
5. Each week, we’ll be giving some ideas for how to engage kids and youth with the Basics content. This week, explain the Present Tense of the Gospel to your kids. What has Jesus' resurrection and ascension done for us? What difference does that make when our kids disobey?

September 22, 2019 - Steve Hart

 
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02 | Formed by the Gospel: Part 1 - Past Tense

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Titus 2.11-15

Basics is designed to equip the whole Church to take the whole Gospel to the whole world. Over the next 10 weeks, we're unpacking exactly what the Gospel is, what it means to be the Church together, and how to live the mission of Jesus in the everyday stuff of life. This week we look at Section 2: beginning to look at what it means to have our lives formed by the Gospel of Jesus. In particular, we'll talk about the good news of God's gracious acceptance; that is, that we have been saved from the penalty of sin through Jesus' life and death. The Christian life is built on the foundation of Jesus' atoning death and victorious resurrection, and results in a new status with God - not only are we forgiven through Jesus, but we're also declared righteous, given the perfect record of Jesus, and invited into a relationship of delight with our Creator that transforms every aspect of our lives.

1. Read Titus 2.11-15. This is the text we’ll be in for the whole Basics series. Consider memorizing it as a community. How might you create space to be formed by this text together?

2. Take a minute and try to speak the Gospel message to one another (or write it down if you’re using these questions alone). How would you articulate the core message of Christianity?

3. Use the manual on page 16-17 to look at Romans 3. What is the bad news about human righteousness? What is the good news about the righteousness of God given through Jesus?

4. Look at the lists of ways we Prove and Pretend (p.18-19). Where do you see yourself in the list? What difference does it make to believe that you are both forgiven and have Jesus’ perfect righteousness?

5. If you’d like to dig more deeply into this week’s content, you can access the video on our webpage here https://subspla.sh/437mgj7. In particular, here are 2 short clips to watch and discuss:

Minutes 45:00-47:00 - God is Pleased With You

Minutes 54:30-1:00:00 - The Growing Cross Diagram

6. Each week, we’ll be giving some ideas for how to engage kids and youth with the basics content. This week, choose one way that the gospel speaks to a family relational challenge (for example, blaming, competing, or shaming). Ask kids how they see those things show up in your home. Explain to your kids why we don’t need to do those things because we wear Jesus’ perfect resume. There’s no need to blame, shame, or compete - we are all forgiven and loved through Jesus!

September 15, 2019 - Steve Hart

 
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01 | Intro - Importance of the Gospel

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Titus 2.11-15

As a church, we're celebrating 15 years this fall, so we thought it a great time to revisit our core convictions. We're asking God to lead us into the next season of mission and ministry with stunning clarity. Our mission is to form whole-

hearted disciples of Jesus in life-shaping relationships for everyday disciple-making. Basics is about what that means and how we intend to continue accomplishing the mission. This week, we start by unpacking the core message of Christianity: the Gospel or good news. What is the center of Christianity? What is it

all about? And what does that mean for us?

Questions for Discussion:

1. Read Titus 2.11-15. This is the text we’ll be in for the whole Basics series. Consider memorizing it as a community. How might you create space to be formed by this text together?

2. Talk about the Basics series and the manual. What sort of commitment do you all want to make to grow through this series? What are you hoping to see happen in your life and community? How will you pursue that?

3. Read p.8 in the manual together, and talk about what Jesus has done in his life, death, and resurrection. What of this sounds like good news to you? Why?

4. Using the chart on p.10 of the Basics manual, talk through what you see in yourself. Do any of the ‘religious’ characteristics describe you? Which of the ‘gospel’ characteristics are most attractive to you? Where have you seen gospel take root and grow fruit in your life?

5. If you’d like to dig more deeply into this week’s content, you can access the video on our webpage, somaspokane.org/basics. In particular, here are 2 clips to watch and discuss:

6:30-8:45 - The Solar System of Christianity

17:10-25:30 - What Has Jesus Accomplished?

6. Each week, we’ll be giving some ideas for how to engage kids and youth with the basics content. For this week, creatively explain the image Lloyd-Jones uses to describe the difference between religion and the Gospel (p.6). Discuss how the people might respond to the generals versus how they might respond to the messengers. Help your kids make the connection to Jesus’ work on our behalf: How should we respond knowing Jesus has won the victory for us?!

September 8, 2019 - Steve Hart

 
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07 | Strong Church Review

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1 Corinthians Review

This past Sunday, we looked back on all of 1 Corinthians and our theme of Strong Church. We've covered a lot of ground this year, and revisited Paul's opening words in 1 Corinthians 1.4-9, in order to summarize all we've learned through this series.

Questions for Review:

1. What does Paul emphasize in the first 9 verses of his letter to the Corinthians? How does that compare or contrast to the rest of the letter?

2. Why do you think Paul starts his letter with so much emphasis on Jesus and all that the Corinthians have in Him? Is he just softening them for the blows they get in the rest of the letter?

3. Throughout the letter, at every point in which Paul gives correction, he does so with a clear connection back to Jesus and the themes of 1 Corinthians 1.1-9. What does this imply that he's trying to do in this letter?

4. Take some time to refresh yourself on the 5 sections of 1 Corinthians. What section was most striking to you this year? Where have you been most challenged or encouraged? How have you grown through this year-long series?

August 25, 2019 - Steve Hart

 

 

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