Verses Used:

• Acts 17:16-34
• Romans 1:25
• 1 Corinthians 1:28-29
• Matthew 6:31-34

Takeaways:

• We need to remember this life is not about me; it starts and ends with God.

Mission Ready

• Paul was always ready to be used by God. He wasn’t perfect, but he was available.
• We are all invited to live as missionaries. It’s part of our new identity in Christ.
• Wherever you are, you are invited to be mission ready.

Going for the Heart (Idols)

• Tim Keller defines an idol in several different ways:
• Anything more important to you than God
• Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God
• Anything you seek to give you what only God can give you
• Idolatry can manifest in many different ways including:
• Greed/materialism, lust for achievement/success, codependent relationship with a child or spouse, porn/sexual addiction, or addition to drugs, alcohol, food or entertainment 
• Source Idols look like:
• Comfort, Approval, Control, or Power

Outcomes (Skeptics)

• Paul spoke about the resurrection of the dead and some people mocked him. Some did believe and joined him.
• We get to invite people to trust in Jesus, but not everyone will receive the message of the gospel.
• We get to be faithful and available and leave the results up to Jesus. He is the true savior.

Discussion Questions:    

• What are some of the common idols you see people worship in our world today?
• Why do you think addressing people’s idols can be tricky?
• Why do you think so many people are skeptical of the church or the gospel in our culture?
• How might we act if we think the outcomes belong to us?

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Verses Used:

• Acts 12:1-23
• Romans 13:1
• John 19:11
• James 4:6
• Matthew 23:12

Takeaways:

Herod’s Power

• Herod had power, he had the ability to kill people and get away with it.   
• Sometimes bad people are in power. They get away with doing bad things to good people.
• God is the giver of power and authority.
• Just because we follow Jesus and are about his mission, does not mean that we won’t have opposition.

God’s Power (through prayer)

• We saw the power that Herod had to kill James and imprison Peter, now we will see the power of God to intervene
• Herod showed his power to have James executed and Peter imprisoned, but God showed his power to free Peter from prison.
• God invites us to pray, to converse, to talk with him as a son would with his father, or as you would with your closest friend.
• God includes us in prayer because it’s a relational connection that lets us know him deeper, and we get to see what he is doing.

Pride and Humility

• From James we read, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
• From Matthew we read, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Discussion Questions:    

• What keeps you from placing a higher value on prayer, or spending more time with God in prayer?
• How might your daily life be different if you made prayer a bigger priority?
• Can you think of some ways pride causes problems in our lives?
• Why is it harder to live with humility than pride?

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Verses Used:

• Psalm 105
• Matthew 28:18-20
• Romans 8:28-29
• 2 Corinthians 11:22-28

Takeaways:

Looking Back

• When we remember what God has done for us, our faith is built up. We are encouraged and we see evidence of God fulfilling His promises.
• We need to keep in mind as we celebrate wins, that God is the hero of the story.

Looking Forward

• Our goal, our aim, our mission is to go and make disciples.
• We intend to move people from unbelief to belief in every area of life in light of the gospel.
• Missio was built on smaller discipleship groups and we believe the best discipleship happens in circles, not in rows. We want to see more life-on-life discipleship whether that be Missional Communities, DNA groups, or Gateway Teams.
• At Missio, we place a high value on building trust with people through relationships

It Takes Perseverance and Courage

• To a be part of a church plant, it takes perseverance and courage. Not everything is going the way we would like it to right now.
• We don’t want to leave anyone behind in their struggles. We are called to bear one another’s burdens. The challenge now arises when we are in a trial or struggle of some kind, we still have a mission to make disciples.
• God has invited us to join him on his mission to reach the world.

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If you have any questions about Missio, you'd like to join a Missional Community, or you have any prayer requests, please contact us at https://missio.life/home

Verses Used:

• 1 John 4:7-12
• John 3:161 
• Corinthians 13:1-7

Takeaways:

What does love look like? 

• Eros - Romantic love between a man and a woman.
• Storge - Natural, overflowing love that family members have for one another.
• Philia - Deep and meaningful friendships.
• Agape - Sacrificial, self-giving love that is primarily concerned with the good of someone.

Source of Love

• A person who has received the Spirit of God by placing their faith in Jesus has a new heart. They have a new operating system. It’s called love
• Love is a marker of the Christian - because God lives in me, and God is love.

Love Came Down

• We live in a world that is so very confused about love. Some of us who are looking for love are chasing a feeling. Some also confuse lust with love.
• There is confusion around God’s love for us as well. Does God really love me? Or does God still love me?
• To believe that God loves you personally, just as you are, right where you are at is transformational.
• The Christmas story is all about a God who in his love, came down to show us exactly what His love is.

Called to Love

• Spiritual maturity means we are more like Jesus than we used to be. And He IS LOVE, so the more we love like Jesus, the more spiritually mature we become.

Jesus’ love is:

• Unconditional - no strings attached. No requirements to be loved.
• Eternal - He won’t stop loving you no matter what happens. He loves forever.
• Perfect - There is no weird agenda or manipulations. His love is pure and perfect.
• Safe - There is no person or spiritual power that can stop His love for you.

Discussion Questions:    

• Why do you think so many people struggle to find genuine love?
• Why is it easy to question God’s love when things don’t go our way in this life?
• Do you agree with the statement that love isn’t something we fall into; love is someone we become? Why or Why not?
• What are a couple of ways you could show love to the people closest to you this week? 

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Verses Used:

• Galatians 5:22-23
• Zephaniah 3:17
• John 15:11
• Luke 2:8-11
• Deuteronomy 19:4-6
• Exodus 34:25-26
• Roman 6:14
• Psalm 51:10-12
• Psalm 16:11
• James 1:2

Takeaways:

Sometimes we live our lives waiting for joy. It seems elusive, like something everybody else gets to experience, but not us.

A Joyful God

• Jesus was and is the most joy filled person who ever lived. His desire is for you to experience his joy.

Joy from Jesus

• Josh spoke about how it’s safe to say that God’s desire is for his followers to be a joyful people. At the birth of Jesus, it’s right there in the Christmas story when we read Luke 2:8-11.
• One of the biggest ways Jesus brings joy is through the new covenant. Grace.
• We can’t fully realize the joy of Jesus without realizing the significance of the new covenant.
• Living under legalism is all about keeping score with others, ourselves, and God.
• Legalism produces cynicism, a judgmental attitude and makes a person downright grumpy.
• For the follower of Jesus, living in grace lets us experience joy. Legalism steals our joy - grace frees us up to experience it.

Living with Joy

• Unconfessed sin - A clean heart, a right heart with God brings Joy. Harboring sin can rob us of that joy that Jesus gives.
• Losing Perspective - Joy doesn’t come from looking at our struggles, but looking beyond them with an eternal perspective.
• From James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Discussion Questions:    

• How might life be different if we got rid of our scorecards? With others, ourselves, God?
• Who do you think experiences more joy; someone living under grace or legalism? Why?
• Why do you think we experience joy when we give a gift to someone else?
• What happens when we live with unconfessed sin in our lives? What happens when we confess it?

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Verses Used:

• Luke 2:13-14
• Hebrews 11:6
• Romans 8:7
• Matthew 5:21-22
• John 14:27
• Romans 12:14-18
• Matthew 5:9
• Isaiah 2:4
• Isaiah 11:6-9
• Colossians 1:20

Takeaways:

Peace with God

• God is not pleased with our good deeds we do to try to earn our own righteousness. God is pleased with the life, death, and resurrection of his son Jesus.
• Faith, more specifically, faith in Jesus is what pleases God. Not our good works.
• Any other peace in our lives has to flow from Jesus and a relationship with God through Jesus. That is where peace starts.

Peace in Me

• Jesus’ desire is for us to be at peace, an internal rest, not full of anxiety and unhealthy fear.
• Healthy fear tells us that we need God and others.
• What we do with initial fear can make a huge difference in how we react. Some may isolate themselves from a relationship with Jesus and others that may cause anxiety and a feeling that we have to be in control.
• The peace Jesus offers to us is a resting that we are not in control and that our true need is faith and wisdom

Peace with Others

• You may be lacking peace in some relationships… and we might not be able to control the outcomes. Relationships require two people. 
• Peace with others and peace on earth may require some waiting.
• Love your enemies, bless those who curse you. Live at peace in your relationships.
• For you, your part in having peace with others is up to you. You get to make a choice in your heart about how you talk to others, how you treat them. 

Peace on Earth

• The world was at peace until sin entered the picture through Adam and Eve. We will still feel the effects of sin and the violent world until Jesus returns.
• We wait in a broken world that longs for peace. A world that longs for a better way. 
• If we know Jesus, we know peace and we get to share a taste of the Kingdom of God to others.

Discussion Questions:    

• What are some things we get anxious about in this life that rob us of peace?
• Why do you think so many people believe right standing (peace) with God comes from doing good deeds?
• What are some ways we can live at peace with other people who are maybe not showing us peace?
• How can your life represent the kingdom of God to others?

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Verses Used:

• Isaiah 9:2-7
• Salvation - 1 John 5:13
• Forgiveness - 1 John 1:9
• Provision - Philippians 4:19
• Protection - 1 Thessalonians 3:3
• Prayer - Mark 11:24
• Rest - Matthew 11:28
• Abundant Life - John 10:10

Takeaways:

Waiting for a Savior

•  Notice how the text speaks in future tense: People who walk in darkness will see a great light, You will enlarge the nation of Israel, You will break the yoke of their slavery, You will break the oppressor’s rod, uniforms will be fuel for the fire.
• The things we think can “save” us end up becoming idols that we worship.

Living with Hope

• Waiting requires faith
• Hope is future oriented faith. Hope is an expectation that something will happen.
• Biblical hope is expectant for God to show up and do something that only He can do.

God’s Promises

• Sometimes we need to be reminded of God’s promises. God promises us Salvation, Forgiveness, Provision, Protection, Prayer, Rest, and Abundant Life.
• See the “Verses Used” in the notes section to see which verses we find His promises.
• God is a keeper of His promises

Discussion Questions:    

• Why do you think it is important to live with hope? What happens when we lose all hope?
• What are some things (besides Jesus) you have looked to in your life to be a kind of “savior”?
• How might the next 30 days be different for you if you believe God’s promises and hope in Him?
• How could our neighborhoods or community be impacted by the hope of Jesus through us this Christmas season?

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Verses Used:

• Ephesians 1:3-5
• James 1:16-18
• 1 Chronicles 29:10-14
• John 2:6-11
• John 15:13
• 1 Thessalonians 5:18
• Malachi 3:10

Takeaways:

We can be generous with our time, our talents, and our treasure

Who is God?

• God is the greatest giver of all
• He has given us literally everything. We didn’t bring anything into this world.
• God has created the world and created us. We are his people brought into this world that he made.

How Do We Know?

• Scripture: The best way to find out what God is like is through his word. The Bible. 
• According to Ephesians, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing possible through Jesus. We are adopted into his family. You are not an accident, or an afterthought.
• From James, we see that God gives us gifts. He gave this world for us to live in and enjoy.
• And from John, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus laid down his life for us, so that we could be forgiven of our sins and have a relationship from God. This is the single most generous thing God has ever done.

Who Am I?

• I am a recipient of God’s generosity. I am a son or daughter of God our Father. I am royalty, I am an heir to the kingdom.
• We need to stop living like God doesn’t know or care about us.

How Do I Get to Live?

• Thessalonians says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 

Discussion Questions:    

• Why do you think it can be hard to see God as generous?
• What are some ways you have seen God be generous to you in your life?
• Which is the hardest for you to be generous with, time, talent, or treasure? Why?
• How does being generous as a follower of Jesus testify to others who don’t know him?

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Verses Used:

• Acts 10:1-8
• Ephesians 2:8-9
• Titus 3:5
• Mark 7:9
• Galatians 6:26-29

Takeaways:

• Questions to think about today: How does God see us and those that are different from us? Especially the people we would probably rather not associate with or spend any amount of time with.
• God’s heart has always been to have a redeemed people that know him and love him. In the Old Testament it was the nation of Israel. In the New Testament it is the church.

Ready for Jesus

• Cornelius’ heart and his actions reflected God’s heart and actions.
• People can have faith in God, and reflect his heart to others. But without Jesus, they are still spiritually lost.
• Being good isn’t enough, being spiritual isn’t enough, praying all the time and giving to the poor isn’t enough. Jesus is enough.

Changing Worldviews

• You were made in God’s image and there is such a better life for you in Christ.
• We are going to challenge the sin that destroys you and separates you from God
• We are all created in God’s image

No Favoritism

• God shows no favoritism
• God and a relationship with God is equally accessible to all people regardless of age, gender, status, or race.

Discussion Questions:    

• Why do you think Peter felt the need to push back on Jesus when he was told all foods were clean?
• What heart attitudes keep us from treating everyone as an image bearer of God?
• Why is it good news for us that God shows no favoritism?
• How might you remove favoritism in the way you treat others? How might that reflect God’s heart to the people you come into contact with?

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