Week 11
Jesus, the Church, and God’s Mission
Watch
In Act I of God’s story, the Old Testament, we discovered the world as God intended, our world as marred by sin and human lostness, and God’s calling of a missional people to reflect his character in/to/for the world. All throughout Act 1, signs were pointing toward the hope of a messiah, which is where we’ll be spending our time this week…with the expectation of a new King and a new era of salvation. Jesus’ coming marks the beginning of Act II of God’s story. Watch these videos which show how Jesus fulfills so much from the Old Testament.
READ
In the “Invitation” Book, read Chapter 9: Jesus, the Church, and God’s Mission
• Day 1: Jesus Fulfills the Old Testament Story
• Day 2: The Kingdom and Breaking Down Boundaries
• Day 3: The Kingdom and Lostness
• Day 4: Responding to the Kingdom: Belief & Unbelief
• Day 5: Living “All In” for Jesus’ Kingdom
• Day 6: Cross, Resurrection, and Mission
In the Bible read:
• Matthew 5:17-20
• Matthew 8:1-17
• Luke 15
• Matthew 13: 1-9
• Matthew 16:21-28
• Matthew 28: 1-20
Ponder
Questions for journaling or discussing with a friend or group:
• How did your study of the Old Testament expand or change your prior understanding of Jesus?
• How does Jesus’ living out the Old Testament Scriptures give us a model of a life shaped by Scripture?
• One of the key teachings of Jesus is the necessity of moving past the boundaries that separate God’s people from those whom God desires to bless with the Good News. What does a community open to all look like?
• The gospel always comes to us on its way to someone else. Who is God calling you to bring the good news to next?
• Read Luke 15: What is keeping you from returning to the God who loves you?
• Who is the lost son at the end of the parable of lost son?
• Do we rejoice as God rejoices when a lost person receives mercy, love, and compassion?
• Matt 13: 1-9: The ancient farmer had little control over the outcome of his work. The encouragement from this parable is that God’s people are not responsible for the growth of the kingdom. God’s people are thus free from the tyranny of results. How does this free you to scatter more seeds?
• With which soil do you identify?
• What is the greatest threat to you ability to be fruitful – the evil one, persecution, or the allures of affluence?
• I am to live as one carrying my own cross – a person on the final journey of my life with nothing left to lose. There is great freedom in this. Are you all-in”?
• Jesus’ death was not the end. God raised him from the dead to definitively declare victory of love over all darkness & sin. Where do you need to see victory?
• What does Jesus’ death and resurrection mean for your life and mission?