The Forge

What area of your life do you feel most fear?
Where have you experienced disappointment with God?
Which strata describes you most?
Where is the Lord teaching you to have an "Even if" faith?

Is there a particular topic that you need to continue to learn more about in order to better respond as a Jesus Follower?
Is there a particular uncomfortable conversation that God has stirred up an interest in? What steps can you take to disciple others in this area?
Is there an uncomfortable conversation that you still want to avoid? Why?
How will you make sure you continue to align/calibrate your beliefs with your behaviors?

For Jesus Followers, balancing Grace and Truth is a constant challenge, a challenge Christians typically have missed the mark on, driving many further away from the Love of Christ. So, how do we, as Jesus followers, change this trajectory?
Do I rank homosexuality above other sins?
What can I do to reconcile this?
Do I need to learn more about what scripture says about sexual sin?
Do my behaviors (direct or indirect) show Christ's love to the LGBTQ community?
Am I willing to follow Jesus into the LGBTQ community?

How can love help align and/or prioritize our political beliefs and behaviors?
Why do you think scripture gives us direction on how we should respond to authority/government?
Does this align or collide with your political beliefs and behaviors? Why or why not?
When it comes to politics, who do you need to do a better job loving - The Lord, Your Neighbor, The Helpless, Your Enemy?
Are there changes in either your beliefs or behaviors towards politics that need to be made in order to more closely follow Jesus? If so what are they?

What is God's heart towards the oppressed?
How had God called us to respond to oppression?
Did you have any oppressive belief systems towards race growing up? What were they?
What does being "neighborly" and/or "now go do the same" look like when it comes to Jesus Followers reconciling racial oppression?

How does scripture want us to view sin?
What are some typical sin behaviors that were emphasized as "more sinful" in your home?
What might Jesus say to us regarding our human nature to rank sin?
How do you think Jesus might respond to a Non-Believer engaging in sinful behaviors today?
How do you want to behave when interacting with others exhibiting sinful behaviors?

Have there been times in your life where Jesus would have called you a hypocrite? Why?
What does loving our enemies and pacifism towards those who are harsh towards us accomplish?
Why does Jesus call us to behave in such a way?
Why does Jesus prioritize his ministry with relationships with sinners?
What can we learn from following Jesus in this area?

Do you hold all of God's laws to still be applicable today?
How is Jesus challenging religious people/Jesus followers to interpret and interact with the Law?
What value does scripture place on love?
What is the relationship between love and the law?

"Jesus, Thank you for being the atonement for my sin. Let me learn how to love greater, as I follow you. Break my heart for what breaks yours and let me love others as you love them. Give me a desire to obey your commandments so that I can be closer to you and so that others might see You through me. Amen."

What are things that have defined your worldview?

How can the biblical narrative of Exile in our biblical Identity help us navigate through life today as we follow Jesus?

Where do I tend to put my Identity rather than as a Jesus follower?

How do I define my worldview and do my actions represent my worldview?

"Jesus help me to fully know what it means to follow you"