Pacific Church

He Shall Be Called // Wonderful Counselor

Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 NIV

30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Luke 1:26b-28 NIV

26 ...God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

1. He is God FOR US

Luke 1:29-30 NIV

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.

Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Romans 8:28 NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

2. He is God WITH US

Luke 1:28 NIV

28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Matthew 1:22-23 NIV

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

John 1:14a NIV

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

3. He is God TO US

Isaiah 9:6a NIV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…

Luke 1:30-31 NIV

30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.

Romans 5:8 NIV

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Questions:

1. Do you truly believe that God is for you? Why or why not?

2. What are two habits that you can put into place in your daily life to be reminders that God is with you?

3. How does understanding that the God of the Universe is for you, He is with you, and He has already come to you in the middle of your mess change the way you look at what you are facing?

Gratitude // Week 3 // Life’s Secret Code

1. Don’t relive the past, instead kill it.

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

18 “Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:25 (NASB)

25 "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.
 

2.  Don’t resent the present, instead embrace it.

Psalm 118:24 (ESV)

24 This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I Samuel 1:8-11 (MSG)

8 Her husband Elkanah said, “Oh, Hannah, why are you crying? Why aren’t you eating? And why are you so upset? Am I not of more worth to you than ten sons?” 9-11 So Hannah ate. Then she pulled herself together, slipped away quietly, and entered the sanctuary. The priest Eli was on duty at the entrance to God’s Temple in the customary seat. Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried—inconsolably. Then she made a vow: Oh, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,

If you’ll take a good, hard look at my pain, If you’ll quit neglecting me and go into action for me. By giving  me a son, I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you. I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline.

3.  Don’t rehearse the future, instead bless it.

Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

1 Samuel 2 (MSG)

2 Hannah prayed: I’m bursting with God-news! I’m walking on air. I’m laughing at my rivals. I’m dancing my salvation. 2-5 Nothing and no one is holy like God, no rock mountain like our God. Don’t dare talk pretentiously—not a word of boasting, ever! For God knows what’s going on. He takes the measure of everything that happens. The weapons of the strong are smashed to pieces,  while the weak are infused with fresh strength. The well-fed are out begging in the streets for crusts,  while the hungry are getting second helpings. The barren woman has a houseful of children, while the mother of many is bereft. 6-10 God brings death and God brings life, brings down to the grave and raises up. God brings poverty and God brings wealth; he lowers, he also lifts up. He puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, Restoring dignity and respect to their lives—a place in the sun! For the very structures of earth are God’s; he has laid out his operations on a firm foundation. He protectively cares for his faithful friends, step by step, but leaves the wicked to stumble in the dark. No one makes it in this life by sheer muscle! God’s enemies will be blasted out of the sky, crashed in a heap and burned. God will set things right all over the earth, he’ll give strength to his king, he’ll set his anointed on top of the world! 11 Elkanah went home to Ramah. The boy stayed and served God in the company of Eli the priest.

Questions:

1. What strategies do you utilize to refrain from dwelling on painful past memories? What have been your experiences?

2. What are elements of the present that bring you stress and/or anxiety? How do you manage those feelings?

3. How do you approach the future? When you think about tomorrow or even further on, what is your immediate reaction?

Gratitude // Week 2 // Gratitude Changes Our Lives

1 Samuel 25 1-3 NIV

1 Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Paran. 2 A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. 3 His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings—he was a Calebite.

1. Gratitude is not a feeling; Gratitude is a choice.

1 Samuel 25:4-11 NIV

4 While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. 5 So he sent ten young men and said to them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. 6 Say to him: ‘Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours! 7 “‘Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. 8 Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.’” 9 When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited. 10 Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. 11 Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”

2.  Gratitude to God results in generosity to others.

2 Corinthians 9:11-12 NIV

11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

Matthew 25:34-40 NIV

3. Gratitude is more about our obedience than our understanding.

1 Samuel 25:14-19 NIV

14 One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. 15 Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing.16 Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. 17 Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.” 18 Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19 Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead; I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

1 Samuel 25:23-27 NIV

23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. 25 Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name means Fool, and folly goes with him.  And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent. 26 And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal. 27 And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you.

Questions:

1. What does it mean to you to choose gratitude, versus feel gratitude? How are these two different?

2. The result of genuine gratitude towards God is generosity to others.  Describe a personal experience of this in your own life, and/or someone you know who displays this in such intentional ways.

3. Have you ever experienced a situation in your life that didn’t make sense or where you didn’t know what to do and yet you still praised and thanked God despite your predicament? If so, describe what happened.  What was the outcome in the end?

Gratitude // Week 1 // Gratitude Changes What We See

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV

18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV

3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-19 NIV

9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit.

1. What do I really believe that I deserve?

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 NIV

9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.

Ephesians 2:4-5; 8-10 NIV

4 But because of his great love for us,God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

2. Does my life show that I put others first?

1 Thessalonians 5:10-15 NIV

10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 NIV

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit.

3. Am I really willing to submit to the Spirit of God?

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NIV

23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Questions

1. What do I really believe that I deserve? Are there areas of your life that any element of entitlement has crept in?

2. Does my life show that I put others first? When I evaluate my actions and the fruit of my life is it evident that I put others first?

3. Am I really willing to submit to the Spirit of God? Am I following the leading of the Spirit even when it means I don’t get everything I want or in the way I wanted?

Questions for Staying Grounded in Times of Chaos

Psalm 23 NASB

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
 

Psalm 42:1-2 NASB

1 As the deer pants for the water brooks,

So my soul pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
 

Psalm 42:3-5 NASB

3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long,

“Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.
 

Psalm 42:5a NASB

5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me?
 

Psalm 42:5b-6a NASB

5 Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. O my God, my soul is [k]in despair within me;

Therefore I remember You…
 

Psalm 23:6a NASB

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me
 

1) My Beliefs - What am I Certain of?
 

2) My Beloved - Who Is Chasing Me?
 

Psalm 23:6a NASB

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me
 

Psalm 23:6a NLT

6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life

3) My Belonging - Whose Child Am I?

Psalm 23:6 NIV

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
 

Galatians 4:7 NIV

7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
 

Luke 15:11-19 NIV

11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country nd there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’

Luke 15:20 NIV

20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

Luke 15:21-24 NIV

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
 

Isaiah 64:6a NIV

6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags
 

Isaiah 61:10a NIV

10 I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness

Galatians 4:7 NIV

7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
 

Questions for Reflection & Study

1. What am I certain of?

2. Who or what is chasing me?

3. Whose child am I?

Community // True Discipleship

Community Defined: “A community is a place where believers connect with each other on a soul level and in doing so, spur each other on to a deeper relationship with God. A community is more than just individual friendships; it is an atmosphere of deep relationships, a synergistic place where friends connect in grace and truth. In such a community, believers can authentically challenge each other through words and deeds toward being more like Christ.”

1) The Surrendering

Matthew 4:18-22 NIV

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Luke 9:23 NIV

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves  and take up their cross daily and follow me.

2) The Source

Revelation 3:14-16 NIV

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

John 1:14 NIV

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 17:15-19 NIV

15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the Truth; your Word is Truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

3) The Sanctification

John 17:20-21 NIV

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.

Questions:

1. When you consider what it means to pursue a life of true discipleship, are there areas of your life that you haven’t fully surrendered over to Jesus?  What are those areas?  What is stopping you from letting those things go?

2. Jesus wants all of you including your trust that He will provide all that you need.  When you hear that He needs to be your source, what does that mean to you?

3. What does the word sanctification mean to you? This idea of setting yourself apart to pursue the things of God, how does this resonate with you?

Community // When Anviety Strikes!

Matthew 6:25-27 NIV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

SO WHERE IN MY LIFE CAN I FIND THAT PEACE JESUS OFFERS?

1. Your Thankfulness

Philippians 4:6-7 ESV

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:15 NIV

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

1 Peter 5:7-8a NIV

7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind.

2. Your Thinking

Philippians 4:6-7 ESV

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:8-9 ESV

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

3. Your Trust

Matthew 6:31-34 NIV

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Questions:

1. Historically, how have you handled anxiety or even moments of panic?

2. What are things you do to promote healthy thinking in your life? How does your community help in this?

3. From a scale of 1-10, what grade would you give yourself in the area of trusting God to meet all of your needs? How does this resonate with you?

COMMUNITY // “YEAH, BUT WHAT ABOUT MY ENEMIES?”

Enemy: A person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.

Matthew 5:43-48 NIV 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

1) Shift your perspective of what Jesus asks of you

Luke 6:27-35 NLT 27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

Romans 12:17-20 NIV

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

2) Shift your perspective from the temporary to the eternal

James 4:13-14 NIV 13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Matthew 5:11-12 NIV 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

1 Peter 3:9 NIV 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

3) Shift your perspective on how it's done!

Acts 1:8 NIV 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Proverbs 16:6b-7 NLT 6 By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil. 7 When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them.

Questions

1. How have you dealt with your enemies, those who actively oppose you in the past, and currently here in the present?  What have been the results in those relationships?

2. None of us enjoys being persecuted by others, and yet Jesus says that we are blessed when it happens, and that we should be glad because our reward is in heaven.  How does this resonate with you?  Have you experienced this in your life? Describe a specific instance where you encountered something like this.

3. How has the Holy Spirit played a role in your life in this area of loving your enemies? What new actions steps will you take starting today, that will help bring peace in your process?

COMMUNITY // CIRCLES ARE BETTER THAN ROWS

“Your friends determine the quality and direction of your life.” -Andy Stanley

Circles are better than rows

Mark 2:1-4 NIV

1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.

Mark 2:4 NIV

4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.

In Circles We Carry Each Others Mats

Hebrews 13:16 NIV

16 And do not forget to do good and to SHARE with others, for with such SACRIFICES God is pleased.

In Circles We Do The Hard Work

Galatians 6:2 NIV

2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Romans 12:10 ESV

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

John 15:13 NIV

13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

In Circles We Bring Others Closer To Jesus

“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” -Helen Keller

Mark 2:5 NIV

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Mark 2:5-12 NIV

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

4. In Circles Opposition Can’t Overtake You

Questions:

1. What have been your experiences in regards to doing life together with other Believers in a more personal way?

2.When you meditate on that phrase “circles are better than rows”, what thoughts come to mind? How does it resonate with you?

3.What are ways that you can begin today to move from the row into a circle?

COMMUNITY // UNITY STARTS WITH YOU

John 13:34-35 NIV

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this EVERYONE will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 17:20-23 NIV

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them MAY BE ONE, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

1 Peter 3:8 (ESV)

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

The goal is: UNITY. The action step is: HUMILITY

Philippians 2:1-2 NIV

1 Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being in spirit and of one mind.
YOU MUST CHOOSE YOUR FOCUS

Philippians 2:3-4 NIV

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

YOU MUST CHOOSE TO BE HUMBLE

Philippians 2:5-8 NIV

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,  did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, HE MADE HIMSELF NOTHING by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—   even death on a cross!

YOU MUST CHOOSE TO BE OBEDIENT

Questions:

1. How has unity within a Christian community context impacted your life? How have you seen unity displayed within your circles?

2. Humility plays a huge role in the life of every Believer. Describe a person in your life who displays humility on a regular basis.

3. What are new ways you can engage that promotes unity within your community?