July 4, 2021
Change: Excuses
Stories that change the World and your heart.
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Songs for this week: Spotify
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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Recent Sermons
Matthew 26:36-39 - Christian practices like prayer and Sabbath quiet the noise so we can hear God’s voice and face the deeper emotions He invites us to heal.
Mark 1:35 - Jesus modelled a life of restraint and rhythm, showing us how to live with peace and purpose even amid urgency through the practices he shared.
Luke 6:39-49 - Jesus reminds us that we all have teachers shaping us. Some lead us astray, but when we follow him, we learn to live as we were truly meant to.
Romans 12:1-2 - Jesus’ invitation is to follow him: to be with him, become like him, and do what he did. We surrender control to Jesus, resist the pattern of the world that shapes us, and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit for transformation.
Mark 1:16-18 -We begin our series on Practicing the Way—exploring how Jesus’ rhythms of prayer, fasting, solitude, and Sabbath invite ordinary people to grow in grace and intimacy with God
Acts 17:16-34 -Paul shares the hope of Jesus in everyday language, guiding seekers toward truth and showing where their search for God had gone astray.
