Guest speaker Eugene Cho challenged us by asking this question, Have we made much of Jesus and the kingdom of God?

We are invited to partner with an extraordinary God who is doing incredible things through ordinary people. The problem is that often Christians are the hardest people group to convince that Jesus is worth bringing people to.

Our theology will inform our identity as the church, so if the call to compassion and care for others isn’t a priority then our gatherings become nothing more than a good show.

To safeguard ourselves from that happening we need to ask “What is my theology? What are my convictions? How do those things inform the way I live my life?”

Grow Together

Read this from the Bible together:

Luke 5:17-20  
17 One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18 And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”

John 14:16  
16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;

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Some key statements and questions put forward that are important for us to talk about…

Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” Jesus points out what happens when people are compelled by compassion—a shared faith emerges. Why do you think Eugene said there can be no “lone rangers” in the Christian faith?

In what ways have you seen compassion increase your faith for other people’s healing? How do you think Eugene’s statement, “God is not just faithful to you, but to what he has called you to” applies to the collaborative call of human flourishing?

He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever… Jesus cares about the practical and personal aspects of our faith and gave us the Holy Spirit to encourage both. In what ways have you heard the Holy Spirit speak about giving practical help to others? Personal help for yourself?

Next Steps

To be marked as a disciple of Jesus we should be known for our vision of the whole gospel and our spirit of compassion, collaboration, and perseverance. Do you see these things in your life? If so, in what ways? If not, what do you struggle with most?

How well do you handle interruptions in your life? Jesus was known for stopping for people and looking them in the eye. How often do you notice the people who share common space with you? How often do you invite interruption to the benefit of others?