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RED LETTER SUMMER
(Taking Action)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:
Sharing our testimonies, the impact of Christ in our lives, and what happens when we put our faith into action is important because it encourages others and brings God glory. We spent the past 9 weeks focused on Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of God. This week is an opportunity to share with each other the impact and results experienced in your life as a result of the “Red Letter Summer”. How has God altered your thinking? How has He challenged you? How has God encouraged you? How has He changed your life? To facilitate this exercise, let’s review some of the “Taking Action” segments from our Red Letter Summer series and give God the glory for all He has done. 

Taking Action: (Discuss how these exercises changed your life)

The Beatitudes = happiness that lasts forever: As you meditated daily  on the Beatitudes, what practical action did God reveal for you to take in order to grow in one or more of the Beatitude characteristics? How did you go for it and become Beatitude happy? 

Pray like this: Share how your prayer life has been changed by intentionally putting Jesus’ pattern of prayer into action by making a conscience decision to spend time adoring God, confessing your sins, thanking Him for His blessings, and lastly, asking Him for help.

The Present Reign of Christ: Discuss the results of asking God to reveal any areas in your life that are not subjected to His Lordship. Share some victories you experienced by repenting, submitting those things to God, and asking God for His grace to walk in newness of life, free from compromise and treason.

The Promise of the Spirit: You were asked to question whether you have restricted the Holy Spirit’s access in your life or discounted Him in any way, to ask for forgiveness, and to repent. How did the Holy Spirit respond as you invited Him to have His way in your life and fill you with His overflowing presence?

The Power of Dynamic Dependence: We encouraged you to ask God to highlight any area of your life that needed to be pruned. Discuss how you were able to abide in Him and cooperate with His will and His powerful work as this area was cut off? What good, Kingdom fruit did you see as a result?

Compassionate Living: How did you simplify your lifestyle in order to give more of your resources of time and money to others? What plans did your LifeGroup make to engage in an outreach project or activity? 

Grace-Filled Living: What did God reveal to you as you examined your life and your heart, questioning whether you are rebellious like the prodigal son, comfortable with the world and sin, or a religious Christian who follows the rule book instead of the Ruler? Share testimonies of repenting, turning back, and enjoying living solely for Him again.

Go Missional: What areas of your life and relationships did you identify that you have treated as non-spiritual? What plans have you made to treat these areas and relationships as sacred? What results did you see as you went missional and represented Christ everywhere you went, in all you did, and to all you met this week?

Ministry Time

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RED LETTER SUMMER
(Go Missional)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:
Jesus is the sovereign Lord of all things, and in God’s economy there is no difference between sacred and secular. This means that all things belong to God, and we are called to honor Him in everything, whether we are working, playing, or worshipping.  

Summary:
Many Christ-followers separate the sacred from the secular. They no longer believe that all of life is spiritual, so they compartmentalize their faith by separating the spiritual aspects from the “less spiritual” aspects of life. In this philosophy, the spiritual stuff belongs at the church and the rest of life is inherently secular. They function as though God doesn’t care about our hopes, dreams, ambitions, and achievements; all He cares about are the spiritual disciplines of prayer, worship, bible study and tithing. The tragedy is that this “compartmentalization” separates God from 90% of their lives.

Compartmentalizing our lives also affects our mission in the world; it prevents us from living out our faith in practical and meaningful ways. It limits ministry to what we do on Sunday, and it leaves the rest of the week and the remainder of the world to the forces which seek to shape it. It restricts us to only ministering in spiritual ways through worship, prayer, and ministry rather than reaching out naturally by feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, standing for justice, caring for the planet, and defending the helpless. Jesus took radical steps toward the re-integration of things spiritual and material—at least for those who perceive it and believe it. The uniting of the sacred and the secular goes to the very heart of the mission of Jesus in our world.

So, how do we live an integrated life? (1) By acknowledging Jesus Christ as Sovereign over all. (2) By seeing ourselves as stewards of all Jesus Christ has placed in our lives. (3) By looking for God’s presence in all places at all times. (4) By committing to the advancement of His Kingdom in every sphere of life.

Discussion Questions: (read the scriptures & discuss)

1 Peter 4:10-11
In which areas of our lives should we bring God praise? What areas of life do we typically consider secular? Why? Discuss how we can make all areas of life sacred and bring God praise and glory.  

Matthew 28:16-20
Discuss who Jesus is calling us to reach when He calls us to go to all nations.  How should this affect our daily lives? Why should we not be afraid to live out the great commission and go missional?

Colossians 3:23-24
How does this change the way you look at your job and daily responsibilities?

Taking Action: Identify areas of your life and relationships that you have treated as non-spiritual. Intentionally plan how you can treat these areas and relationships as sacred. Go missional and represent Christ everywhere you go, in all you do, and to all you meet.

Ministry Time

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RED LETTER SUMMER
(Grace-Filled Living)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:
Grace-filled living is being able to experience all that our heavenly Father has for us - His goodness, kindness, forgiveness, mercy, and ultimately, His presence. Grace-filled living also empowers us to live for God in a new manner, choosing His ways over our ways.

Summary:
Jesus told a story about a father and his two sons that paints a vivid picture of God’s grace. This “Prodigal Son” story shows a younger brother who was missing out on an intimate relationship with his father and the grace-filled life because he chased after the trappings of the world. The story also depicts an older brother who was missing out on the full impact of his father’s grace, not because of rebellion, but because he chose to base his relationship with his father primarily on performance rather than intimacy. The younger son represents the person who is looking for love in all the wrong places, but finally finds what he is looking for in the Father. The older son represents those who have already found what they are looking for, but can’t fully receive it because they can’t accept the fact that the Father’s love is unconditional and free. They focus on ways to earn the Father’s love and decline an invitation to the party. Christians too often fall into this trap by becoming ultra-religious and following the rules instead of the Ruler. Honoring and loving God through a life of obedience is critical, but it must flow out of a close, personal relationship with God, not simply a commitment to the rules.

Ultimately, the “Prodigal Son” is a story about us - a story about a Father in heaven who sees humanity bound by sin or bound by religion. God wants us to experience grace-filled living by being free from sin and free from religion. Allowing our hearts to wander away from God’s provision by the enticements of sin or the deception of religion are both destructive. 

Discussion Questions: (read the scriptures & discuss)

Luke 15:11-24
What was the result of the younger son’s rebellion? How did the Prodigal Son finally experience grace-filled living? Discuss how living for ourselves and the world separate us from God and His grace. 

Luke 15:25-32
How was the older son’s relationship with his father based on performance? (v. 29) How can “mature” Christians intentionally and unintentionally act like the older son toward new believers? How has religion impeded your relationship with God?

Titus 2:11-14
Discuss how this passage expands our definition and understanding of God’s grace. Share examples of how God’s grace has empowered you to live for Him, to love others, and to experience grace-filled living?

Taking Action: Examine your life and your heart. Are you rebellious like the prodigal son? Are you comfortable with the world and sin? Or, have you become a religious Christian who follows the rule book instead of the Ruler? If so, repent and turn back to Him, accept His grace, surrender yourself, and enjoy living solely for Him again.

Ministry Time

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RED LETTER SUMMER
(Compassionate Living)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:
God is calling us to be a part of a compassionate revolution in which we engage the world around us with kindness, truth, compassion, justice, forgiveness, and restoration.

Summary:
In reading the “red letters” of the gospels, it is clear that Jesus had a mission – to be the Savior of the world and the perfect sacrifice for our sins. The ministry of Jesus was primarily one of preaching the good news, the Kingdom of God, and repentance; however, much of the gospels are filled with examples of Christ’s acts of compassion. Jesus had compassion. For example, His ministry was to teach the 5,000, yet He also had compassion on their physical need to eat, so He fed them. His ministry was to preach repentance, yet He healed the sick and raised the dead. His ministry was to share the good news, yet He freed people from demons. He was sent to the Jews, yet He also delivered the Gentiles. His primary concern was the spiritual health of the people, yet he also ministered to their physical needs. We are commissioned by Jesus to go and make disciples; however, if you want to be like Jesus, you had better be displaying real compassion by meeting both the spiritual and physical needs of people.

A genuine relationship with Jesus will result in a life that is characterized by compassion, generosity, and service to others. Since helping others is not optional, we cannot allow any of the following excuses to derail us: (1) this is the worst possible timing, (2) maybe these people deserve their fate, (3) I’ll probably get “burned” if I get involved, (4) I’m uncomfortable around these kinds of people, (5) I just know it’s going to cost me, (6) how can I make a real difference if I don’t have my act together? Jesus could have used every one of these objections to avoid serving us. But He chose compassion, and if we truly follow Him, we too will choose compassionate living.

Discussion Questions: (read the scriptures & discuss)

Matthew 25:31-46
Have you ever experienced this kind of compassion? How have you displayed it? Discuss how we can live this out today. What does Jesus say is the result of not showing compassion?

Luke 10:25-37
How did the Samaritan display compassion? What are some reasons we have used, or might use, to avoid taking action and showing compassion? How is compassion related to love?

Deuteronomy 15:7-11
Who has God commanded us to help? What should our attitude be regarding generosity and compassion? What is the outcome of showing compassion versus not showing compassion?

Taking Action: Simplify your lifestyle in order to give your resources of time and money to others. As a LifeGroup, engage in an outreach project or activity sometime within the next 2 months. Contact the City of Grace Outreach Department for ideas.

Ministry Time

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RED LETTER SUMMER
(The Power of Dynamic Dependence )

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:
We all depend on something or someone. Some people depend on bank accounts, investments, or careers; while others depend on people or simply themselves. As Christ followers we are called to place our total dependence on Him. We are called to abide and remain in Christ alone.

Summary:
When we place our total dependence in Christ alone and “abide” in Him, our lives reflect the fact that God’s Spirit truly lives in us. The word “abide” simply means: to wait for, to accept without objection, to remain, and to continue. This definition helps us understand that abiding in Christ means four things: (1) believing on Him; (2) trusting in Him; (3) listening to Him; and (4) following after Him. These four dynamics are the core competencies of the Christian life that we have been called to live. The results of truly abiding in Christ are incredible, both for this life and the life to come. We learn to be more selective as God helps us say no to things that do not matter and remove things that distract us from our Kingdom calling and purpose. Our lives become more productive because we live out of His strength and bear much good fruit. And our prayers are more effective because our desires become God’s desires. 

When we enter this dynamic state of dependence, we experience deep change from within, and our wants are completely overhauled, beginning with our motives. So, when we pray for material things, we pray out of need, not out greed, and we can therefore pray with confidence. Our desire to be blessed goes from self-serving to an awareness that God wants to bless us so that we can be a blessing to the world around us. Finally, we must remember that while abiding in Christ produces peace, joy, victory, and favor; the result of not abiding in Christ is painful and ultimately results in spiritual malnutrition and death. The choice is simple – abide in Him and experience the power of dynamic dependence.

Discussion Questions: (read the scripture & discuss)

John 15:1-8
What is the result of remaining and abiding in Christ? What is the result of not abiding in Christ? Discuss how God has pruned you over the years. What fruit has come of this?

John 15:9-17
How does Christ say we practically abide and remain in Him? How does abiding in Christ affect and change your relationship with Him? What is one of the amazing results of abiding in Christ? (v.16)

1 John 2:28-29
Why is it important for us to live every day in Christ and for Christ? Discuss what can happen when we don’t.  Give examples of how you are intentionally continuing and abiding in Christ.

Taking Action: Ask God to highlight any area of your life that needs to be pruned. While abiding in Him, cooperate with His will and His powerful work as it is cut off. This process of pruning can be somewhat painful, but it will result in much good fruit for His Kingdom.

Ministry Time