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Gathering DNA: Start With Why

By February 5, 2017February 6th, 2017Conversation Starters

If you missed this past Sunday’s message, give it a listen here.

  • Spend some time debriefing the Sunday morning service. How did God speak to you?
  • Jeff talked about “Sacred Cows” (personal preferences/opinions) in the church. Can you think some examples of “Sacred Cows” that church people can sometimes have? What makes these “Sacred Cows” so dangerous to the church? How can they distract the church from living into it’s “why”?
  • Jeff said that “the church doesn’t have a mission, but the mission has a church.” What is the mission that Jesus gave the church? (See Matthew 28:19-20 together)
  • What makes baptism such an integral part of “making disciples”? What did Jesus mean when he said to “teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you”? (See Matthew 22:38-40).
  • After establishing Jesus’ words to “make disciples” as the missional foundation for our church, Jeff shared The Gathering’s new mission statement, “Connecting People to the Love of God!”
    • What is your initial reaction to that statement?
  • “Connecting” – How do you see the word “connecting” connecting to our mission? Why does this matter? (Read 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.)
  • “People” – Jeff talked about how we are to be about ALL people, no matter their background or story.  Why is it often so difficult for the church (in general) to live this out?
  • “The Love of God” – We want to tell a different story about God than the common story that is heard in our culture (that he’s distant and angry). See 1 John 4:9-10. How does the love of God change and grow us (no matter our stage of faith)?
  • Jeff ended his message by asking the question, “Will we put aside our sacred cows in order to live into the sacred mission that God has given us – his church?” What sacred cow to you have, that perhaps God is asking you to put aside for the sake of the mission?
  • Jeff’s ‘Bottom Line’ this week was this: The more we live into our WHY, the more God will use our WHAT to change people’s lives! How does God do this? How might God long to do this through you this week?
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