Being a Christian means first, believing the gospel, and second, letting your belief in the gospel take such a deep root that everything in your life is then shaped by the gospel. Paul here confronts Peter, because Peter was not walking "in step with the truth of the gospel," and invites us to a life of consistency in which everything in our lives flows from and is shaped by the gospel.

Application Questions:

1. Why does Paul confront Peter? How does Peter undermine the gospel with his actions?
2. What does it mean to walk "in step with the truth of the gospel"? How does this relate to gospel-consistency and hypocrisy?
3. How can the power of the gospel confront fear and idolatry in your life?

This passage doesn’t stand out to us, but it’s pivotal, because in it Paul is fighting for the future of the church. When we see how Paul and the apostles preserve the gospel, we’ll know how to preserve it ourselves so that we keep the freedom and the fellowship that Christ gives us by grace.

Application Questions:

1. What are ways you’ve seen people try to reconstruct the gospel? Why is that something we need to avoid?

2. How do you struggle with thinking some things you do make God love you more or less? How does that lead to slavery and not freedom? 

3. Imagine a community that is built on the gospel and not other things. How would you describe it?

The life of Paul can often seem like one that is unassailable, out of reach for the average Christian.  But Paul's own words remind us of the transforming power of the gospel that is available and at work in every believer, for the glory of God and the Christian's eternal joy and good.

Application Questions:

1. Does the initiating revelation of the gospel by God humble you? Why or why not?
2. Do you allow the magnitude of the gospel to fill you with gratitude and wonder?
3. In what ways can you change to allow what you say and do be more of a reflection and pointer to God’s glory?

Paul normally starts his letters with thanksgiving and encouragement, but in Galatians he begins with admonishment. Paul is deadly serious about any adjustments people make to the gospel of grace in Christ, and in this short passage he shows us how to tell the difference between the true gospel and its counterfeits.

Application Questions

1. Why can’t you make any adjustment to the gospel without ruining it?

2. Can you identify some false gospels that promise good news but only deliver slavery? 

3. What about the true gospel is better than the false gospels you identified? How can that help you in your life this week?

Galatians is a powerful book that has contributed to revivals in history and can do so today. In Paul’s introduction, we get major themes from the rest of the book on the importance of doctrine, the heart of the gospel, and the way we can put doctrine to work in our own lives.

Application Questions

1. What are some ways you’ve seen doctrine affect your life? 

2. What about the gospel seems most relevant to your life right now? 

3. What might it look like for you to apply doctrine to your life this week?

Paul prays that we would know the message of Easter not just with our minds but in our bones. How? By seeing that Jesus’ resurrection can be our resurrection. God in Christ meets us in our sin and raises us to life, with more life to come for eternity.

Application Questions:

1. How does the resurrection show us the power of God? What does that mean for our spiritual life?
2. Why does Paul want us to know about the depth of our sin? 
3. How is salvation bigger than we often think? What about forgiveness, new life, and new hope stands out to you the most?

Missional hospitality is built to fit into a life of self-giving love. When we live as those who daily take up their cross, losing our lives to find it in Jesus, missional hospitality will fit naturally.

Application Questions:

1. Why do you think Jesus wants us to take up a cross to follow him? 

2. How does losing your life for Jesus’ sake lead to saving it? What does that kind of life look like day to day?

3. How is missional hospitality a way of taking up a cross and losing your life? How does that lead to saving your life?

As we continue to explore how God is calling each of us to extend his welcome to our city, we look at a third practical question that often hinders us. "What exactly am I supposed to say?" Over the years you may have learned all sorts of different gospel presentations, but they inevitably all feel awkward or strange to deliver. How do we convey the message of the gospel in a way that is compelling and natural in a city that generally rejects the existence of God all together?

Application Questions:

1. How has this series on missional hospitality changed or affirmed how you view or think about the task of evangelism?

2. If the message we share is rooted in truth, what does someone need to understand about Jesus in order to be saved?

3. How might you personalize the saving message of the gospel to different individuals in your life? Try to come up with some examples.

4. In what ways does your speech fail to always be gracious and how might you strive to convey the message of Christ in a way that is saturated in grace?

Missional hospitality can seem daunting, but the example set for us by Jesus and Paul is one where people are invited into the rhythms of their lives. The same is true for us. We let our light shine before men by inviting them into the things in life that we already do: Work, Rest, Celebrate, and Eat. These are the contexts for welcoming in others around us, and these are the places where we will be able to share about Christ with them.

Application Questions:

1. How can you welcome others into all parts of your life?

2. What does missional hospitality look like at your vocation? 

3. How can you invite and welcome others into your rest?

4. What practical steps can you take to welcome others into your celebration?

5. With the 21 meals you have a week, where can you invite and welcome others into your eating?

As we seek to understand how God is calling each of us to extend his welcome to our city, a number of practical questions arise. The first question we're going to examine is: Who, specifically, is God calling me to welcome?  In a city of millions of people, where do we start?

Application Questions:

1. When deciding who to spend time with, what usually determines your choice?

2. How does the example of welcoming in "whoever is there" simplify your understanding of God's call on your life here in our city?

3. Where do you see an openness to the things of God in the lives of those that don't know Christ around you?

4. Who, specifically, may God want you to welcome into your life for the sake of welcoming into a relationship with him?