theCrossroads UPC

The Great Commission - Church Department or Church Culture

Read chapters 7–8 before the meeting.

Opening

How did you come to be part of this small group?

Scripture reading

• II Corinthians 2:13

• Luke 10:25–29

Watch the video for session 4

Discuss the following questions:

1. Who is primarily responsible to notice when people are absent at church on Sunday?

2. In the intersection of vision and culture, which one is stronger?

3. Give an example of something amazing God has done in your life.

4. Have you shared your testimony with anyone recently?

5. As you consider your own personal testimony, what components do you think are the most compelling? Would others agree with your assessment, or are there aspects that might be more appealing to somebody else?

Closing

Think about something amazing God has done in your life, and share your testimony with someone this

week.

Reading assignment

Read chapters 9–10 before the next meeting.

Disciple Makers as Tour Guides

Read chapters 9–10 before the meeting.

Opening

Have you ever experienced a new place with a tour guide? Have you gone to a new place without one? What was each experience like and which do you prefer?

Scripture reading

• I Peter 2:9

• Acts 11:25–26

Watch the video for session 5

Discuss the following questions:

1. Who do you know who possesses a “there you are” spirit?

2. What does the phrase “walk slowly through the crowd” communicate to you?

3. How mature do you believe disciples must be before they can begin to make disciples?

4. What experience(s) have you had in helping someone mature in Christ and what impact did it have on you?

5. What are the positive aspects of someone ask- ing you questions about what you believe?

Closing

Consider what opportunities you might have in the coming week to serve people.

Reading assignment

Read chapters 11–13 before the next meeting.

No More Excuses - Make a Disciple, Secure the Future

Read chapters 11–13 before the meeting.

Opening

Who was your first friend? How did you become friends with that person?

Scripture reading

• Ruth 1:8–14

• Acts 6:3–8

Watch the video for session 6

Discuss the following questions:

1. Have you ever had someone believe in you more than you believe in yourself? Who was that person?

2. What would you tell someone who feels unqualified or uncalled to make a disciple?

3. Which Bible character had inadequacies that encourage you when you think about being a disciple-maker?

4. What do you see as your greatest strengths in disciple-making? What are the things that challenge you?

5. What are your next steps to make a disciple?

Closing

Set a goal for disciple-making over the next twelve months.

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DappyTKeys Piano Worship is founded on the scripture from the book of 1 Samuel 16:23​ ("...David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him"). My music is Anointed, Inspirational and God inspired; it's an overflow of time spent in God's presence and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. I pray you will be drawn to the love of God in Christ Jesus, you will experience a peace that pass all understanding, you will experience healing from your sickness, and May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your heart and mind as you listen. Amen!

..............................................................................

You can support this ministry by donating here: https://www.paypal.me/DappyTKeysUK

The Lesson in Context

Now that we have been redeemed by His blood, we cannot simply make peace with the way things are in our world. We have been called out of that kind of darkness into a marvelous light. We do not conform to the world. Our faith might not seem to work in theory, but it works in practice. We look at a cross and insist it is the throne of God. We look at the crown of thorns and call it a crown of glory. Like our Lord, we never take the world at face value. We shake our fists at the spiritual desert and demand it rain. We look at the houses of prostitutes, the broken, the addicts, and insist they are to be houses of the redeemed. We look out on whole continents in the grip of Satan and declare them won for Christ.

To all of life’s heartaches, it might be tempting to say, “That’s just the way it is.” But if you listen closely, you will hear another “it.” For on a dark, skull-shaped hill many years ago, the earth shook, Christ died, and His disciples heard Him say, “It is finished.”

Group Discussion

1. In what ways did John “prepare the way” for the Lord to come?

2. Has God made a promise that seems impossible to you?

3. Why do you think God likes to change the status quo?

4. Why do we sometimes struggle to take God at His word?

5. How would you describe God’s love to someone who has never experienced God?

Scripture Focus: Psalm 150:6

The Lesson in Context

“Praise ye the Lord” is not just a verbal command. It is the unspoken command of the soul. It is what people will hear from your life whenever they think of you. Like the Kiowa grandfather, speaking with his whole life of the majesty of his people and compelling his grandson to walk away blazing with a desire to tell others of this majesty, so does the Apostolic, having in concert a life lived in praise of God, teach others of the glory of God and compel them in a thousand ways: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”

Group Discussion

1. What is the most beautiful place you have ever been? What made it so striking and significant to you?

2. In what ways do we worship God every day?

3. What is a mighty act God has performed in your life?

4. What is one of your favorite worship songs? Why is it a favorite of yours?

5. What are some things people worship in our world? Why do you consider it worship?

Scripture Focus: Psalm 51:1–3

The Lesson in Context

To describe sin, some have used the metaphor of archers shooting arrows at a target. One might miss the bullseye by only a couple inches, and another might miss by several feet. However, the result is the same: the target has been missed, and the archer has failed the assignment. Similarly, any sin can cause us to miss the target and can separate us from God.

Fortunately, no matter our sin, we boldly can bring all sin to Jesus Christ, the one who paid the price for all of them. The Old Covenant did make distinctions between sins, and the priests offered different sacrifices for different sins. However, when Christ died for our sins, He “offered one sacrifice for sins for ever” (Hebrews 10:12); the work was completed. Now we can come boldly before Him, repent, and receive forgiveness for our sins.

Group Discussion

1. What steps do you take to prevent yourself from being in tempting situations? When you are tempted, how do you escape?

2. Have you ever used Psalm 51 as a model prayer to guide you in repentance? Why or why not? What are some elements of this psalm that you can incorporate into your prayer life?

3. When God delivered you from sin and filled you with His Holy Spirit, what were some positive things God put into your life in place of your former sin? Explain.

4. Think back on the first time you remember repenting. What words would you use to describe that experience? If you have been in the church a long time, think about your prayers of repentance recently. How have your prayers changed?

5. If you have already experienced the power of repentance, what are some things God has restored in your life? Are there things you thought you had lost that He gave back?

Scripture Focus: Psalm 23:1

The Lesson in Context

There is one important distinction between the metaphor of the physical shepherd and our heavenly Shepherd. In the livestock industry, shepherds do not give their animals any choice of whether to stay with the flock. Those sheep have no choice in the matter; they must do whatever the shepherd says. However, God, as our loving and Good Shepherd, recognizes we are humans and not farm animals. He has given each of us free will to humbly submit to His status as the Good Shepherd. He will not force us to stay with the herd. He will continually pursue us, but He will never forcefully coerce us. Instead, He cries out to us, beckoning us to join His flock. He is always ready with a loving embrace.

Those who are already in the flock can participate in God’s mission to find and restore the lost sheep of this world. Probably all of us know some lost sheep, wandering about with no shepherd, no guidance, and no direction. When we encounter these persons, let us be bold to testify of the provision and protection we have found in Christ. Let us allow our anointing and blessings to shine through us for all the world to see. Let us use the goodness and mercy God has given us to bless others. Let us guide this hurting world to the Shepherd who is faithfully guiding us.

Group Discussion

1. What are some ways God shows you He cares for you daily?

2. Oftentimes we think of God’s blessings in terms of what He has given to us, but what about what God has kept us from? What are some of the things we may not have experienced because of God’s protection?

3. What are some things God has provided for you in the past? How do these testimonies give you confidence in His ability to provide for you in the future?

4. Can you count all of God’s blessings in your life? Have you ever tried? Perhaps a good exercise in the coming days would be to sit down and write out as many of God’s blessings as you can recall.

5. What are some of the ways we can constantly, purposefully, and intentionally “dwell” in God’s presence? In between church services, how can we experience God on a daily basis?

Scripture Focus: Psalm 1:1

The Lesson in Context

Everyone has a defining moment. For James, there were certain individual actions that could measure a person’s whole character. We might think of these individual actions as samples, samples that reveal what lies in the core of our identity. We might refer to this as the “royal law” theory. The royal law, James said, is loving our neighbor as ourselves. If we break this law and, say, welcome a rich man who can bless us, but we keep at arm’s length a poor man who cannot, we have broken every conceivable law. Conversely, if we welcome both, we have upheld the whole law. James taught that our true attitude toward Jesus is revealed in how we treat those who can neither bless us nor hurt us.

To demonstrate how this principle might manifest itself in our daily lives: consider your emails. If you take great care in how you write to someone who is in a position to help you, give you a job, give you a promotion, or give you accolades, but you take relatively little care with how you write a subordinate, you are subtly breaking the royal law. This one act is a sample representing the whole of your character— the defining moment, the defining act.

Group Discussion

1. Who or what do you think of when you think of the word blessed?

2. How does the“way of sinners” differ from the“way of the righteous”?

3. Why is receiving the right counsel so important?

4. How can someone meditate on the Word of God day and night?

5. How does someone “walk in righteousness”?