1)Listen to Podcast
2)GG Questions 01/20/2019
Celebration Sunday Make Disciples!
1. Sent: The New Testament signaled a massive shift in the mission of the people of God. God’s elect nation Israel was commissioned with ‘come and see’ ministry that by their worship (1 Kings 8:60) and the witness of their covenant obedience (Deut. 4:5-8), all nations would be drawn to God through them, and, for a time, it worked (1 Kings 10:1, 9)! Jesus’ death and resurrection sparked a transition from a ‘come and see’ evangelistic model to a ‘go and tell’ approach. We have been SENT to a needy world! Examine the following “sending” passages (Matt. 28;18-20; John 20:20-22; Acts 1:8) and examine your life in light of this commission. How has God specifically called you to go and tell?
2. 2019 Special Focus: God is leading our church to focus this year on Jesus’ command for His people to make disciples. On Sunday Jonathan shared with us what he believes should be our driving purpose statement for 2019: “Sent and sending others to be disciples and make disciples everywhere we go .” Break down this statement into each of its component parts and discuss the meaning of each. What does it mean to ‘make disciples’ in your particular context?
3. Leadership: When reflecting on the growth of the church in the book of Acts, it’s easy to assume that this numerical growth came largely at the hands of the ‘super-apostles’. Three thousand people were converted after Peter spoke at Pentecost (Acts 2:41) and that number grew to five thousand as Peter and the apostles continued their ministry in Jerusalem (4:4). But I believe this ‘super-apostle’ mindset is a mistake! How does Ephesians 4:11-12 and Acts 8:1-4 teach that it was the average man and woman in the pew which was responsible for the church’s remarkable growth in that time and today?
4. For Pacifica: It is God’s heart for His people to be busy about building culture in this world for the glory of His name and the benefit of mankind (Gen. 1:28). How does is this calling especially manifest in our church’s outreach programs (Matt. 25:34-40) as an expression of our calling to be ‘known by our love’ (John 13:34-35)? How can we as a church body ‘seek the peace of this city’ (Jer. 29:4-7) and demonstrate that we are ‘for Pacifica’!