Sunday Rewind | 7.31.2016
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
UNSTOPPABLE GOD (Matthew 17:20)
Brown, Furtick, Joye | Sony/ATV Tree Publishing
ALWAYS (Psalm 121:1-2
Ingram, Stanfill | EMI Christian Music Publishing
MAJESTY( 1 Chronicles 29:11)
Smith, Gerrard | Curious? Music UK
THIS I BELIEVE (THE CREED) (Romans 1:16)
Fielding, Crocker | Hillsong Music Publishing
FOREVER REIGN (Lamentations 5:19)
Ingram, Morgan | Hillsong Music Publishing
TEACHING: The Gospel & Relationships
Love, humility, sacrifice and grace – these four pillars of the gospel of Jesus Christ have the power to change the direction of a nation.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO & VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing you found particularly interesting, insightful, helpful or difficult to understand from this Sunday?
- How would you explain justification and sanctification to someone who do not know what these words mean? Why are these important in the life of a believer?
- Read and discuss Philippians 2:1-11. What does this tell us about us? What do these verses tell us about God? What commands, encouragements or warnings are there for us to heed?
- In the text above, where do you see the four pillars of the gospel Pastor Mike mentions – love, humility, sacrifice and grace? What other scriptures can you think of that instruct us on each of these pillars?
- What are the opposite of those pillars that we should be careful to avoid as Christ-followers?
- What is one profound way you have been the recipient of love? What is one area of your life where you need to extend gospel-centric love?
- How is humility emphasized in these verses? What examples of humility have impacted you in your life? Where is an area where you need to grow in gospel-centric humility?
- How have you seen sacrifice modeled? Is there an area of life where God is asking you to make a gospel-centric sacrifice that might point others to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice?
- How would you define grace? How have you seen grace in action? What relationship you need to apply gospel-centric grace?
- Spend some time praying for our nation, and asking God how you can move forth in your circles of influence with the power of the gospel of Jesus.
Thank you Pastor Minter for the inspiring message on the four pillars of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The message led me to delve deeper on the theme of sacrifice. I wish to share my own perception of sacrifice that I have held for a long time.
As I see it, the term sacrifice has been used extensively in the Bible, conveying different meanings in different contexts. In the context of being one of the pillars of the gospel, my understanding of its meaning is: giving up or being ready to give up one’s worldly comforts for Jesus’ sake; in other words putting up or being ready to put up with hardships of the world for His sake.
To me, sacrifice in the deeper sense, means surrendering more than what one receives. As Christian believers, we sacrifice nothing to God as we receive much more from Him than what we give back to Him. The gift of life, the fruits of the Spirit and every other blessing added by Him in this world, far out-weigh anything else we surrender in the world for His sake.
The following verses sum up what Jesus, the only one Person to have given up more than what He received, had to say on sacrifice:
Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. Luke 18: 28-30