Community
Leaning Into The Lamb
March 10, 2024 • Jordan Hansen • Revelation 7:9–17
My kids LEAN into their stuffies (yes...those plush stuffed animals) when they’re happy, sad, confused, or happy. Turns out we’re not so different as adults. But most of us have given our stuffies to our kids or grandkids…or they got lost along the way. But we still need to be stabilized in a world that is jolting, comforted in a world that is scary, or express deep joy in a world that is stuck in depression. God desires to be that close to us and to meet our deepest emotional and spiritual needs. And…it just so happens He describes Himself as a Lamb. TALK ABOUT IT - Questions to GROW through with family, friends, & myself. 1. Did I have a “stuffie” or a comfort blanket when i was small? How has that evolved in my life? 2. What are the reasons we LEAN IN to the Lamb according to the message? Which resonated with me the most? 3. Do I believe Jesus has provided salvation? I have accepted His salvation? Why or why not? 4. What is my definition of worship? Would we worship the Lamb? Why or why not? 5. PRAYER: “Father, help US to LEAN IN to the Lamb though worship so our hearts can be stabilized.”
Leaning Into Prayer
March 3, 2024 • Keith Robinson
Even though I am introverted, I have learned that I need people in my life. And even though people, at least people like me, are messy, I must be willing to enter into the risk of relationship. How do I do that? I must be willing to give up what is my most valuable resource. That resource is not money because we can always make more money. That resource is TIME. Once spent, we will never recover it. And without time, there is NO RELATIONSHIP. TALK ABOUT IT - Questions to GROW through with family, friends, & myself. 1. Describe a time when i felt most connected to a spiritual community? What were the contorting factors? 2. How does Luke’s description of community in Acts 2 challenge my understanding of relationship within the church? 3. Why is hanging out and eating together beneficial both scientifically and spiritually to my life? 4. How can I prioritize meaningful connections and relationships in my already “full” life? 5. PRAYER: “Father, help me to be devoted to the kind of relationships that will build genuine community.”
Leaning Into Relationship
February 25, 2024 • Jordan Hansen • Proverbs 17:17, Acts 2:42–47
Even though I am introverted, I have learned that I need people in my life. And even though people, at least people like me, are messy, I must be willing to enter into the risk of relationship. How do I do that? I must be willing to give up what is my most valuable resource. That resource is not money because we can always make more money. That resource is TIME. Once spent, we will never recover it. And without time, there is NO RELATIONSHIP. TALK ABOUT IT - Questions to GROW through with family, friends, & myself. 1. Describe a time when i felt most connected to a spiritual community? What were the contorting factors? 2. How does Luke’s description of community in Acts 2 challenge my understanding of relationship within the church? 3. Why is hanging out and eating together beneficial both scientifically and spiritually to my life? 4. How can I prioritize meaningful connections and relationships in my already “full” life? 5. PRAYER: “Father, help me to be devoted to the kind of relationships that will build genuine community.”
Leaning Into Mission
February 18, 2024 • Jordan Hansen • Matthew 28:16–20
What are we here for? We are here to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus! In his last words on Earth, he CO-missioned us, doubts and all, and promised He would always be with us. Why was Jesus so clear? Without a clear mission, He knew we would drift away from what matters most in life. At Mesa Church, our name is a practical way to understand our mission. And when we set the Table for others, we get to make the ULTIMATE difference in their lives. TALK ABOUT IT - Questions to GROW through with family, friends, & myself. 1. Do I understand the importance of focusing on what matters in my life with God, marriage, raising kids, & career? 2. What is the mission of Jesus as he relates it to His disciples in Matthew 28:16-20? How am I involved? 3. Why is it significant that Jesus' promises to always be with us as we fulfill His mission? For me personally? 4. What is Mesa Church’s mission? How will this prevent mission drift in the days ahead? How can I be involved? 5. PRAYER: “Father, help me to be intentional about my involvement in the MISSION of Jesus through Mesa Church!”
Leaning Into Comfort
February 11, 2024 • Jordan Hansen • 2 Corinthians 1:3–11
We all have moments in our lives, where we feel crushed. And it is where we turn in those moments that determine how those moments will shape the rest of our lives. We can rely on ourselves and “pull ourselves up by the bootstraps,” as they say. Or, we can lean in. Lean into what? We can lean into the church, by God design, to build our confidence in the only One who can TRULY rescue us from whatever it is that is crushing us. Most often, he uses the comfort we’ve received from Him to be generously extended to those around us. TALK ABOUT IT - Questions to GROW through with family, friends, & myself. 1. Reflecting on the sermon introduction story of the man who stopped attending church. What does it mean? 2. Have you ever experienced a moment when you felt completely crushed or overwhelmed? How did you respond? 3. How can the church be a community of comfort for those walking though painful circumstances? 4. How can I LEAN INTO community by comforting others during this time of pastoral transition? 5. PRAYER: “Father, help me to be comforted by you and to comfort others as I LEAN IN to community.”