Missinal Living Series Week 1: The Resurrectin The Hpe: The Call t the Missin Fr the week f April 12 Hme Grup Leader Instructins: In preparatin fr leading grup discussins and the use f the prvided material, take a few mments t read thrugh these instructins. Befre the Grup Meeting 1. Spend time reading the Passages fr Study and praying. 2. Read thrugh all the material. As yu lk thrugh it, yu will find helpful tips in the Leader Guide sectin that will help yu better facilitate the discussin. 3. Think thrugh ways yu can help yur grup mve frm knwing abut missinal living t actually living missinally. Write dwn 2-3 ideas n hw t d that. At the Grup Meeting 1. Summarize the Intrductin. Yu may want t read the Intrductin ut lud if that is helpful. 2. Assign readers fr the passages utlined in the Discussin Questins sectin. 3. Walk yur grup thrugh each questin (r the nes that time permits). Use the italicized answers fllwing each questin t help facilitate the discussin. 4. Summarize the Review & Reflectin sectin. Yu may want t read this sectin ut lud if that is helpful. 5. Share yur thught n hw yu and yur grup can begin t apply what was learned in this lessn. Help them frmulate ideas fr living missinally. 6. Share with yur grup the resurces frm the Keep Digging Deeper sectin. 7. End in a time f prayer fr the Hly Spirit s empwerment t be an ambassadr fr Christ in every part f life. Intrductin T understand the missin f Gd, yu first must understand what is called the meta-narrative r the redemptive stry in which all f histry flws. Essentially, this stry cnsists in fur parts: Creatin, The Fall, Redemptin and Cnsummatin. Gd s missin f recnciling man and creatin t
Himself has been wven thrughut the meta-narrative. Thrugh the resurrectin f Jesus Christ frm the dead we have been invited int Gd s missin f recnciliatin (2 Cr. 5:18). It is thrugh the defeating f sin and death by the death and resurrectin f Jesus Christ that we have been given life. Nt just life nw, but life eternal. We are n lnger enemies f Gd, but rather a new creatin. And, as a new creatin, we are called t the missin, the missin f recnciliatin. Passages fr Study: 1 Crinthians 15:1-58 & 2 Crinthians 5:14-21 Discussin Questins 1) Accrding t 1 Crinthians 15:3-4, what is f first imprtanc e? The gspel. The gspel is that Jesus Christ came (Incarnatin) and that He died upn the crss fr the sins f His peple (Justificatin) and that He defeated sin and death by rising frm the grave n the third day (Glrificatin), all accrding t the Scriptures. 2) Why des Paul say in 1 Crinthians 15:17 & 19 that if Christ has nt been raised yur faith is futile and yu are still in yur sins If in this life nly we have hped in Christ, we are f all peple mst t be pitied.? If Christ nly died, then the wages f sin wuld nt be vercme. Death wuld have victry, nt life thrugh Christ. If there is n resurrectin, then what hpe d we have t have victry ver sin and death? If we have n hpe, then why wuld we strive s hard t knw, lve and serve the Lrd? 3) What did the resurrectin f Christ accmplish (1 Crinthians 15:54-58)? It wn victry ver sin and death, eternal life. It gives us a hpe n which we can firmly stand and which reminds us that ur labr fr the Lrd is nt in vain. We have ffended a hly Gd and therefre deserve punishment and wrath, but because f Christ wh lived the perfect life and his death, ur sins have been paid thrugh his wrath absrbing sacrifice. 4) Wh are we t live fr, and why (2 Crinthians 5:14-15)? We are t live fr the One wh fr ur sake died and was raised, Jesus Christ. 5) Fr thse whm Christ died, what have they becme (2 Crinthians 5:17)? We have becme a new creatin. The ld has passed away, the new has cme. 6) If we are a new creatin, what ministry and message have we been given (2 Crinthians 5:18-19)? We have been given the ministry and message f recnciliatin. 7) Wh then are we t be (2 Crinthians 5:20)? We are t be ambassadrs fr Christ. That is, we are t be Christ s representative in every aspect f ur life, s that thrugh ur life and in ur wrds Christ is seen. The Church is His instrument in which the hpe f Christ is made manifest. In the title, ambassadr, ging is assumed. An ambassadr is a spkes persn fr his/her leader. Therefre, we g int ur hmes, neighbrhds,
wrk places, schls, cmmunities and t the uttermst parts f the wrld as Christ s representative. We d s, having been given the ministry and message f recnciliatin. 8) What are the ministry f recnciliatin and the message f recnciliatin? Gd s children have been given the ministry and message f recnciliatin in which their whle existence is being restred t the rhythm that Gd created. T help us understand that this is bth an individual calling and at the same time a crprate calling t the lcal Church we describe the ministry and message f recnciliatin like this: The Ministry f Recnciliatin is: the crprate and cllective activities f the Church t engage a wrld in all facets that is separated frm the Gd wh created and sustains it. The Message f Recnciliatin is: the persnal message f the gspel as seen in an individual s life and expressed t peple wh are separated frm the Gd wh lves them. 9) What missin have we been called t participate in? We have been called by the resurrectin f Christ, having been made new by His victry ver sin and death, t participated in the missin f Gd t restre man and creatin t right relatinship with Himself. This is the ministry, the message, and the missin f recnciliatin. 10) What des is lk like t be an ambassadr fr Christ at wrk, Starbucks, hme, etc.? (Lead yur grup members t discuss specific answers t this questin and challenge members t hld each ther accuntable t these actins.) Review & Reflectin Thrugh the death and resurrectin f Jesus Christ, we have been recnciled t Gd. He has remved ur sin and shame and given us the message f recnciliatin, the message f hpe that shuld take rt in every area f ur lives. This means that we are t lk at each aspect f life, ur wn hearts and minds, ur relatinships, ur wrk, ur time, etc.; thrugh the lens f the gspel f recnciliatin. Fr example we must ask urselves, Are my relatinships recnciled (restred) t the right rhythm that Gd intended them t be n? By the resurrectin f Christ we have a new life, in what ways are yu living in the new self and what ways are yu living in the ld self? The missin f Gd invlves ur whle being, ur whle wrld being recnciled t Him. What areas f yur life is this recnciling t Gd s created rhythm nt yet seen? T whm are yu taking the message f recnciliatin? T Listen: Resurces t ke ep Digging Deeper Jesus Resurrectin & Our Resurrectin http://www.marshillchurch.rg/media/1st-crinthians?page=2
Six Gifts f the Resurrectin http://www.desiringgd.rg/resurcelibrary/sermns/bydate/1991/752_six_gifts_f_the _Resurrectin/ T Read: Surprised by Hpe N.T. Wright 8 Reasns Why I Believe that Jesus Rse Frm the Dead http://www.desiringgd.rg/resurcelibrary/tpicindex/79_the_resurrectin_f_christ/ The Missin f Gd: Unlcking the Bible s Grand Narrative Christpher J.H. Wright T D: Get Help: http://www.thevillagechurch.net/helping-yu Get Cnnect ed: http://www.thevillagechurch.net/cmmunity Get Serving: http://www.thevillagechurch.net/serving Family Devtinal Week 1: The Call t the Missin Read and Talk Tgether: Read the fllwing passages tgether and discuss them as a family: 2 Crinthians 5:18-19 & Rmans 10:13-14. Lead the family in a discussin f thse verses using the fllwing questins: 1. 2 Crinthians says Gd has recnciled us t Himself. What des it mean fr Gd t recncile us t Himself? Gd fixes the brken relatinship we have with Him s that we can be with Gd. 2. Why is ur relatinship with Gd brken? We all have hearts that are sick with sin that cause us t disbey Gd. The punishment fr sin is death which means we are separated frm Gd, wh is ur greatest gd. 3. Hw did Gd fix ur brken relatinship with Him? He sent Jesus, His perfect Sn, t die and take the punishment fr sins fr all wh wuld lve and trust in Him. 4. If we have been recnciled t Gd, what have we been given? (2 Crinthians 5:18)
We have been given the ministry f recnciliatin. That means Gd has called us t His missin f telling and shwing thers the gspel f Jesus Christ in hpes that thers will als be recnciled t Gd. 5. Rmans 10:13 says everyne wh calls n the name f the Lrd will be saved. What will they be saved frm? They will be saved frm sin and the death they deserve. 6. Why is it imprtant fr Gd s children t preach the gspel accrding t Rmans 10? Fr thers t call n the name f the Lrd and be recnciled t Gd they must believe. Fr them t believe they must hear. Fr them t hear Gd s children must g and preach the gspel. 7. What des it mean t preach the gspel? It means t shw and tell thers what Jesus has dne. 8. What des it lk like fr yur family t shw and tell thers abut the gspel? (Lead the family t discuss specific ways t share the gspel.) Pray Tgether: Spend time as a family praying fr yu, yur family, ur church and thse wh we will be n missin with. Praise Gd because He is ur greatest gd. His nearness is ur gd. Thank Gd fr recnciling us t Himself and giving us the ministry f recnciliatin. Cnfess t Gd any fears yu have abut telling and shwing the gspel f Jesus t thers. Ask Gd t give yu bldness, lve, and the right wrds and actins when telling and shwing thers the gspel f Jesus. On Missin Tgether: Spend time as a family living intentinally n missin, telling and shwing thers the gspel f Jesus. Belw is a list f things yu can d as a family t live n missin. Invite yu neighbrs ver fr dinner. Use this pprtunity t shw them the gspel f Jesus by serving and lving them. Invlve yur kids by letting them help make invitatins, plan the menu, r setting the table. Talk with them abut the jy f serving thers, and pray tgether fr Gd t use yur family t shw and tell the gspel f Jesus with yur neighbrs. Watch the news tgether. Pick a certain situatin yu hear abut and pray that Gd wuld use it s that thers might call n the name f the Lrd and be recnciled t Gd. G ut fr Indian fd. See what yu can learn abut India frm yur dinner experience. After dinner, g hme and pray fr the peple f India. Pray that they wuld be recnciled t Gd. Ask Gd t give Gd s children wh live there bldness and lve when telling and sharing the gspel f Jesus with thers.