July 4, 2021
Change: Excuses
Stories that change the World and your heart.
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Luke 14:15-24
Message Questions:
- Tell the story behind the best meal (feast!) you’ve ever eaten.
- Read Isaiah 25:6-9. This is the backdrop to Jesus’ parable and the comment, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast of the Kingdom of God.” The most popular assumption in Jesus’ day was that only law-observing Jews would “eat at the feast.” What is the most popular assumption in our day about who will “be saved”/be part of the Kingdom to come?
- What do you make of these excuses? Do they seem reasonable to you?
- In the story, the lame and the poor are invited in and welcomed, and then even those on the country roads and beyond are earnestly invited. What would a church look like that lived like this?
- What does the phrase “so that my house will be full” reveal about the heart of God?
Extend your small group discussion with the expanded guide for today’s message. It includes more questions and soul training practices for you and your small group.
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Acts 13:1-5 -The first Christians had small groups! They knew, because Jesus modelled it, that we’re much better in groups than we are as individuals. The group that gathered in Antioch was diverse, zoned in on Jesus and figuring out how to be outward-facing. Your own group will want all that and more!
Acts 8:9-25 - Simon put on a good show (literally!), but his heart was full of bitterness. He wasn’t healthy and wasn’t taking the steps to be healthy. What about us today?
