Church Wide Prayer Request: Thank God for sending the Holy Spirit to his disciples throughout generations. Pray for an open heart to the Holy Spirit convicting us of sin.

This Week’s Passage: John 1:43-51

Get This: So much of the world around us bears witness to Jesus– History and the Bible point people to Jesus, friends and family point people to Jesus, and God supernaturally works to point people to Jesus.

Discussion Questions

Pastor Rumple read several passages in the Old Testament that point us to Jesus. And he cautioned that there is no difference in the “Old Testament God” and the “New Testament God.”

How does this sit with you or challenge your thinking? Have you found yourself drawing a distinction between the God of the Old Testament and New? Are there certain attributes you are more likely to use to describe God/Jesus in one era or the other?

Who or what pointed you to Jesus? Of the 3 categories mentioned in the sermon (Bible/history, family/friends, and supernatural workings of God), which was most powerful in pointing you to Jesus? Which do you think would be most powerful for the one person whose salvation you are praying for?

Pastor Rumple talked about Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, which is a belief system that acknowledges God, but places most value on being good to each other, emphasizing the importance of our horizontal relationships but not our relationship with God, except when He’s needed to resolve a problem.

Do you agree that this is the “new American religion”? Do you see evidences of these beliefs in people around you?

What are your stratgies for going deeper when moralistic religion (just be a good person) is generally better accepted than a lifelong pursuit of holiness and being shaped by God?

Personal Reflection Questions

Who are the people around you who you can start having intentional gospel conversations with?

What would it look like for you to map out your neighborhood (or workplace, etc) for intentional conversations? Do you know your neighbors names? Do you know anything going on in their lives? Where can you start?