Gods Heart For The World
01. God's Heart for the World
January 6, 2019
God's heart for humanity extends to every single corner of the globe. He longs to see his glory spread and his salvation extended to every tongue, tribe, people, and nation. As his children, we get the privilege of participating with him in the spreading of his glory and the inviting into his salvation. The announcement of his hope is the greatest movement taking place on the face of the planet, and he invites us to be a integral part of it. The question for each one of us is not whether or not we will participate, but simply how. Application Questions 1. How do you see the two greatest commandments and the great commission fitting together? 2. In what ways might your life be different if you more fully embraced the opportunity you have to participate with God in the spread of his glory to every tongue, tribe, people, and nation? 3. How do you make your decisions of if/where to“go” in your life? How would those decisions be different if you treated how“reached” various communities were with the gospel as a leading factor in your decision making? 4. How are you currently participating in the sending of others to spread the gospel of God to every tongue, tribe, people, and nation? How else might God want you to participate in sending? 5. Why are you currently living in LA? Why are you staying? How might your time here be different if you stayed for the purpose of spreading the gospel of God to every tongue, tribe, people, and nation?
02. God's Heart for Us to Go
January 13, 2019
Before Jesus departed this earth, he gave His church her marching orders: to go and make disciples of all nations. But if the Bible calls us as Christ followers to be his witnesses in all the world - to be part of the Great Commission that one day will result in people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation worshiping Christ before his throne - we have to acknowledge that some will need to go to the ends of the earth to bring the good news of the gospel to those who have never heard. Although the task is monumental, Christ does not send us out alone to fulfill His mission. Instead, He graciously sends us with His authority and His very own presence. Application Questions 1. How does your identity as an ambassador of Christ (2 Cor 5:20), called to proclaim His excellencies (1 Pet 2:9), impact your life right now? What are ways you can actively grow in these areas? 2. In light of the Great Commission, have you considered whether God has called you to a new home for the primary purpose of making disciples among those who are under-reached or unreached by the gospel? If so, what has that process looked like, and what did God teach you through that process? If not, what has prevented you?Is“going” to the nations something you actively pray about? How could a proper understanding of the Great Commission change your prayer life? 3. How are you affected by the reality that Jesus gives us His authority and His presence for the fulfillment of the Great Commission? Do you consider these things in your everyday life? 4. As part of the local church, how can you help and be helped by your fellow brothers and sisters to actively participate in the Great Commission?
03. God's Heart for Us to Send
January 20, 2019
The great commission doesn't just require some of us to go to spread the gospel in new places. It also requires the rest of us to send those who go in a manner worthy of God and his gospel. Instead of seeing missionaries as“having missions covered” , we are to understand ourselves as fellow workers with them by the way we support them before they go, while they are gone, and when they return. Application Questions 1. Why do you think it's necessary for the church to send missionaries? How have you thought about that need personally in the past? 2. Do you resonate with the idea of being a fellow worker with missionaries by sending them? 3. What are some ways you can participate in sending missionaries at Cornerstone?
04. God's Heart for Us to Stay
January 27, 2019
Should I stay or should I go? When talking about living out the Great Commission, that seems to be the choice that is put before us. But what if “staying” is more about remaining faithful to the person and purpose of Jesus than it is about a location? What if the choice we think of between staying and going isn't a choice at all? Staying is what we do when we go, whether we go out into West LA or West Africa, because it's about staying with Jesus on His mission by prioritizing disciple-making in our lives. Application Questions 1. In what ways have you been thinking of staying and going as opposing options? How have you been challenged to rethink what it means to stay and go? 2. What is the place/priority of disciple-making in your life? What changes do you need to make to place disciple-making in a higher priority than it currently is? 3. How can you engage with your community group to help each other think about where God wants you to stay?