When In Rome: Those People R Us

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When In Rome: Those People R Us

September 24, 2023 • Garry Firth • Romans 1:26–31, Matthew 7:1–5, Romans 2:1–4

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Here are some questions to help you process this message and apply it to your life:

1. On Sunday we heard some short, pithy sayings that are full of practical wisdom, like “slow and steady wins the race”. What are some similar sayings that you’ve heard or used?

2. Garry shared how it’s far easier to point out other people’s behaviours, faults or sins. Why do you think that is? Why do we do it?

3. You [referring to Christians] therefore have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Romans 2:1 (NIV)

Those verses speak to hypocrisy - saying one thing but doing another. In this case, calling someone out for doing something when we’re doing the same thing. To quote a phrase, it’s “the pot calling the kettle black”. Share a time when you have judged someone else for something you do yourself.

4. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)

What does taking the plank out of our own eye look like in a practical sense? How do we actually remove the plank? How do we know we have a plank to remove?

5. What other questions, thoughts or observations came up for you in this week’s message?

6. Commit to talking with God this week about what part you could play in sharing the good news of Jesus to those in your circle of influence who may not have heard it.

When In Rome: Better Together

December 17, 2023 • Garry Firth • Romans 15:20–22, Romans 16:1–20, Matthew 16:18, Hebrews 11:35–38, 2 Corinthians 4:14–16

1. When do you open Christmas gifts? On Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? What other Christmas traditions do you have? 2. What was your biggest take away from today’s message? 3. Greet Priscilla and Aquila my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me…Romans 16:3 In what ways is it ‘risky’ to be a Jesus follower in Nanaimo or Canada today? 4. Who is someone that is ‘working hard’ that you could ‘greet’ and say thank you to? 5. What was your biggest take away from this series and why? (Good News/Bad News, Deal #1/Deal #2, Defining the Relationship, Oops I Did it Again, Graceville/Shouldsville, Sharing in God’s Glory, Build & Bear)

When In Rome: Build & Bear

December 10, 2023 • Russ Smith • Romans 14, Romans 15:1–3, Galatians 6:2–3, Colossians 3:13, James 1:19

Here are some questions to help you process this message and apply it to your life: 1. Maybe you have a story about encountering a bear. What happened? 2. There’s that saying Unity in the essentials, liberty in the non-essentials, and in everything love. What do you think are some of the essentials about what Christians believe? What are some of the non-essentials? 3. Is there a way in which you feel “strong” in your faith in God that you need to be careful about when you’re around someone that’s “weak” in their faith? 4. How about the opposite - what way do you feel “weak” in your faith that’s sometimes difficult when you’re around people that are “strong” in their faith? 5. To build & bear this week, the big challenge for us is to listen to someone (be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry). What’s another way you can build & bear people this week?

When In Rome: I'm Supposed To Do What?

December 3, 2023 • Garry Firth • Romans 12:1–2, John 13:34–35, Romans 5:8, Romans 12:9–16, Romans 13:1–10

1. When do you put up your Christmas decorations? When do you take them down? 2.In Romans 12:9 Paul writes: Love must be sincere. We heard how it literally means to love without hypocrisy. Our love for others is to be genuine (without wax, remember?) In what ways is your love for others ‘genuine/without hypocrisy’ and in what ways could you improve in your love for others? 3. Paul says that we are to Bless those who persecute you. (Romans 12:14) What is your initial gut reaction to that? Do you find it difficult to do that? What would help you actually put this into practice? (Think about God’s grace and mercy.) 4. ‘Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. (Romans 13:1-2) God created government for our good because it brings order. What are your thoughts about standing against the government? When is that appropriate? 5. There’s a lost world looking for answers, looking for an alternative from what culture and the world is offering and we have the answer (the gospel message–the good news about Jesus) The best way to get the gospel message out is to live our lives in a way that stands out from the everyday in the everyday. So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Romans 12:1-2 (MSG) What is one thing in your everyday life that you could give to God that would help get the message of Jesus out to those who need to hear it?