1. Listen to the Message
Today’s Scriptures
Jonah 4:5-11, Colossians 1:15-27
READ TOGETHER
Jonah 4
5 Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city.
6 So the Lord God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant.
7 But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered.
8 When the sun came up God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life.”
9 Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.”
10 Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.
11 Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand…
God’s grace has to reach the same distance for everyone.
Jesus is giving His church an amazing opportunity to refocus on what He wants, not just tweak and polish what we want.
2. Discuss together in a Life Group
A Church must…
1. Have the
Process precedes product, but without power it loses its PURPOSE.
DISCUSS:
Discuss the importance of God’s presence and power in a worship gathering.
2. Be
(Luke 15:7, 10)
Be as concerned for another person’s soul as if it were yours.
3.
We defame God’s grace when we tout it without
DISCUSS:
How does being soul conscious lead to loving people?
4. Gather to
We need to be as excited about church on
Church is not a place, it’s people.
Our gathering is to prepare us for the scattering!
DISCUSS:
Discuss what it means for the church to scatter.
READ TOGETHER
Colossians 1
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,
22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—
23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.
25 Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,
26 that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints,
27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
DISCUSS:
How does the truth of “Christ in you” help in our effectiveness for the gospel?
3. Pray Together
Pray for each other and record any prayer requests here.