Our Prayer

Our Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against You and that my sins separate me from You. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to You for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of You. My greatest purpose in life is to follow Your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Class Lesson November 26, 2023




We are approaching the end of our series introducing the next two-year initiative. However, this is just the beginning of what God is going to do over the next two years as we seek to grow deeper: deeper in our connection to Christ, deeper in our commitment to Christ, deeper in our Christian community, and finally, deeper in our individual commission to the world as Christ’ disciples. The ultimate proof that we’ve started to grow deeper with Jesus is that you want to take Jesus to the world around you.


Opening Questions:

  • When is the last time you personally shared the gospel with someone?
  • Do you believe that sharing the gospel is the responsibility of every person or just some?


The Point

Christians living on mission is a natural occurrence for those who are connected and committed to Christ.



Matthew 28:18-20

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”


Discussion: 

 What does it mean that Christ now has all authority in heaven and on earth? 

How has He proven this reality? What does it mean for my everyday life that He has all authority? 

Have you ever considered that Christ has promised to be with you always? How would your everyday life change if you considered that in every moment Christ is with you? 

The mission is to “go, baptize, and teach.” What does that look like for us in our daily lives? 

How can you intentionally start pursuing the Great Commission right now? 

How can we use the group to hold one another accountable for living on mission? 


Teacher Notes:




The mission is to “go, baptize, and teach.”

What does that look like for us in our daily lives?

We are to go – whether it is next door or to another country – and make disciples. It is not an option, but a command to all who call Jesus “Lord.” We are not all evangelists in the formal sense, but we have all received gifts that we can use to help fulfill the Great Commission. As we obey, we have comfort in the knowledge that Jesus is always with us.

 

Why don’t we share the message more?

Four Obstacles to Evangelism

1. Lack of Gospel Knowledge: How many times have you heard the gospel in a sermon, book, or conversation? If you’ve been a Christian, even for a short time, you have likely heard the gospel hundreds of times. Yet, many of us still struggle to articulate the truths of the gospel in a simple, and intelligible way. Could you share the essential message of the gospel in sixty seconds, right now?

 

2. Apathy: Some of us just don’t care that much about lost people. We wouldn’t ever say it, but our priorities and lives reveal it. We make no time to interact and engage with those who don’t know Christ. We have long stopped praying for lost people in our neighborhoods and workplaces. We have no non-Christian friends, and barely any ties. Lost people are a low priority. When was the last time you invited someone into your home who did not know Christ?

 

3. Fear: What will others think of me? What if they don’t like me or my family? Some are paralyzed by the thought of being disliked, marginalized, laughed at, or openly mocked. We’re afraid we’ll lose business or get passed up for that promotion. What if talking about Christ makes seeing my neighbors awkward? What if they lump me together with that Westboro Baptist Church-cult?

 

4. Lack of Compassion: We lack compassion for the lost. We have long forgotten what it was like to live without hope, lost and apart from Christ. We just don’t care that much. (Remember Jonah – Ninevah) We might say we care, but we rarely cry out to God for the salvation of our lost neighbors, and coworkers. Paul’s compassion in Romans 9:3 is utterly foreign to us – he said: “I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers.”

 

 

Four Steps to Sharing More

1. Pray Together for the Lost

As Christians are gathered in small groups, we ought to make it a priority to pray for the lost in addition to our normal prayer concerns. In Acts 4:23–31, after Peter and John are released from prison, the disciples gather to pray for God to give them boldness to speak His word. If the early church needed to pray for greater evangelistic zeal and boldness, how much more do we need to pray in our gatherings?

One way to do this in our small group setting is to conclude our study with this question: What truths did we learn about God and who can we share this with in our spheres of influence this week?

 

2. Recall the Gospel Together

In 2 Timothy 2:8–13, Paul reminds Timothy of the truth of the gospel to encourage him to press on and be faithful to the message that has been entrusted to him. We need this reminder too!

Much of this happens as we recall His truths — week to week in small groups — we remind one another that God’s mission is to save sinners through the work of His Son Jesus.

 

3. Apply the Gospel Together

In Galatians 2:11–14, Paul tells Peter that his conduct and behavior is not in accord with the gospel. We need this too - we need fellow Christians who will tell us that it’s not okay to not care about the lost. This attitude is not in accord with the gospel.

Evangelism is a measure of our spiritual maturity. For many, knowledge does not translate to fruits of the Spirit — into love for fellow believers, or serving others, or sacrificial giving, or evangelism. Together in small groups we help one another become more like Christ by being faithful disciple-making disciples.

 

4. Prove the Power of the Gospel Together

This is all about believing in the sufficiency of the gospel. If we don’t believe we will never share it boldly and simply. But, if we do truly believe that God’s word does the work of conversion through the power of His Holy Spirit, we will share the simple truth of the gospel.

With fellow believers, we must remind each other of the sufficiency of God’s word to do His work for His purposes.

 

We Overcome Obstacles Together, Not Alone

 

 

 

What’s the Point

Christians living on mission is a natural occurrence for those who are connected and committed to Christ.

 

 

How can we intentionally start pursuing the Great Commission right now?

      

Who in your life needs to know Jesus?

 

 

Conclusion

It is God’s power and grace that saves people, not our efforts.

 

We should pray for them, witness to them, and live the Christian life in front of them.

 

It is God who gives the increase.

(1 Corinthians 3:6)





 

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