Verses Used:

• Matthew 28:16-30
• Hebrews 10:4
• Ephesians 5:2
• Luke 9:23
• John 13:35
• Luke 10:5-11
• Acts 1:8

Takeaways:

• Missio’s mission statement is Love Jesus, Live Sent which is a combination of The Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

The Motivation

• Jesus’ coming to Earth had a motivation behind it; that motivation is love.
• The great commission is rooted in love for others.

The People

• Every follower of Jesus is a missionary.
• We make disciples of people of peace. People that are in our lives and are leaning into relationship.
• There are people of peace in all our lives. We just have to pay attention and be aware of what God is doing around us.

The Plan

• The kingdom expands at the speed of relationships. The gospel moves along the lines of trust.

Discussion Questions:

• Why is it hard to love certain people? How do you think Jesus was able to love the unlovable?
• Where are some of the places we might meet people of peace?

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Verses Used:

• John 3:1-10
• John 19:38-42
• John 3:16
• Matthew 28:1-10

Takeaways:

Questions for Jesus

• Jesus knew what Nicodemus wanted [which was] access to the kingdom.
• Jesus’ invitation to Nicodemus to be born again is the invitation to every person who wants access to the kingdom, who wants a relationship with God.
• It doesn’t matter how good a person tries to be, without Jesus we are spiritually dead.
• A lot of religion is aimed at getting us to God

The Turning Point

• Nicodemus’ faith shows up in the story, and he is not hiding it.
• Jesus isn’t looking for secret admirers. He is calling us to be his followers, his friends.

The Resurrection

• This is the single most important event in all of history.
• Jesus is in the business of redeeming and restoring people.
• Jesus sees you, Jesus knows you, and Jesus loves you.
• “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

Discussion Questions:

• Nicodemus came to Jesus with questions. What are some of the questions you would ask Jesus if you had the chance?
• Nicodemus struggled to understand being born again. How does our need to fully understand things sometimes get in the way of belief?
• How does the resurrection of Jesus make a difference in your daily life?
• Why do you think so many people know the story of Jesus, but do not believe?

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Verses Used:

• James 1:17
• Zechariah 9:9
• 1 Corinthians 6:19
• Ephesians 1:13-14
• Matthew 6:25-33
• 1 Timothy 6:10
• Proverbs 11:24-25
• Luke 21:1-4

Takeaways:

God’s Heart

• Throughout scripture, it is God’s generosity that we see over and over again. God made us, he loves us, and takes care of us.
• Jesus is the greatest gift God has ever given. It cost God everything and the value of that gift changed everything for eternity.

The Human Heart

• If we know God is generous, and we tend to like people that are generous to us, why do we gravitate back to being stingy?
• We are likely not going to be generous if we don’t think there will be enough to meet our own needs.
• The human heart needs to be redeemed by Jesus.

A Generous Heart

• People can be stingy with time just like money. We can use time to serve others, or to serve ourselves.
• Being generous with our talents is similar to our time. Again, we can use them to serve us, or we can be generous with our talents and serve others.
• Generous with treasure: we want to be generous with the money that God gives to us.
• Being generous isn’t just about how much we give, but the heart posture we give with. God sees our hearts and what he is concerned with most.

Discussion Questions:

• Do you think it is more common for God to be thought of as generous or stingy? Why?
• Describe some of the ways you have seen or experienced others being generous to you.
• Which is the easiest for you to be generous with: time, talent, or treasure? Why?
• Why do you think loving money is not good for us?

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Verses Used:

• Psalm 100:5
• Colossians 1:22
• Psalm 23

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Verses Used:

• Matthew 11:28-30
• Mark 10:45
• Luke 19:10
• Luke 7:34
• Luke 5:30-32
• Genesis 12:3
• 2 Corinthians 9:11
• Exodus 20:8-11
• Mark 2:23-28
• Matthew 11:28-30 (NTFE)

Takeaways:

• Recap of the Rhythms of last week: Story-formed, Listen, Celebrate. The other three include Eat, Bless, and ReCreate.

Eat

• What if eating could be an active way to engage in discipleship?
• Meals are more than food. They’re social occasions. They represent friendship, community, and welcome.
• “Son of Man came to…”
• “...to serve”
• “...to seek and to save the lost.”
• “...has come eating and drinking.”
• Living in Rhythm: Regularly eat meals with others as a way of inviting them into the family of God.
• Eating meals with others not only shows care and inclusiveness, but lets them experience love in community.
• The Pharisees and scribes were focused on personal holiness above all else.

Bless

• We are blessed to be a blessing to others. When we bless others, it brings glory to God.
• Word Blessings: Speaking words of life to others. Words of appreciation, encouragement, or affirmation.
• Action Blessings: Doing something for another person for their benefit.
• Gift Blessings: Giving something material or monetary to others for their benefit.

ReCreate

• Sabbath has more to do with placing our trust back in God, reminding ourselves that he is ultimate - we are not.
• Our predisposition is to earn our worth by doing. We work hard for status, love, acceptance, and value. By resting, we can acknowledge our worth by simply being.

Discussion Questions:

• Can you list some of the ways God has blessed you in your life?
• Why do you think eating with people is such a good way to build relationships?
• Why is it easy to find our worth in doing, and harder to find it in simply being?
• What do you think about Jesus’ words… “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.”

Josh also left us with a challenge to put into practice:

• Eat - Eat 3 intentional meals this week. 1 with a Not-Yet Believer
• Bless - Bless 3 people this week. Whether it be by words, actions, or gifts.
• ReCreate - Take some time to recharge with Jesus.

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Verses Used:

• Matthew 11:28-30
• Romans 5:5
• John 10:27
• Luke 15:21-24

Takeaways:

• Jesus invites us into a new way of living, a new way of being. When we are weary and tired, he offers rest.
• What does Rhythm over Hustle mean? In short, it means living life in a way that is sustainable, following Jesus instead of following the patterns of culture.

Story Formed

• Story is the fabric of relationships, learning, and community.
• The rhythm of story-formed invites us to live in light of a different dominant story, God’s story.
• There are many sub stories in the bible, but we can think of it in four movements: Creation, fall, redemption, and Restoration.
• When we live in the story rhythm, the gospel is good news for us and for others.

Listen

• Listen is a rhythm you are already living in. It’s not a matter of if you are listening, it’s who or what are you listening to?
• We listen to God by listening backward (reading scripture) and forward (paying attention to the Holy Spirit)
• We are listening all the time, what we need most is to listen to Jesus.

Celebrate

• The story of the prodigal son gives us a picture of God’s heart. Grace, forgiveness, and a party to celebrate his lost son coming home.

Discussion Questions:

• There are many competing voices in our lives - is it easier to listen to them or Jesus? Why?
• Why do you think some people struggle to understand celebrate as something God enjoys?

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Verses Used:

• Ephesians 4:29-32
• Matthew 7:17
• 1 Thessalonians 5:11
• Romans 15:5
• Proverbs 18:21
• Acts 4:36

Takeaways:

• Encouragement over criticism is the difference of being on each other’s team instead of being on each other’s back.

The Biblical Call to Encourage

• Paul addresses his friends' language very clearly, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths. (NLT) Or in the NASB translation, “Let no unwholesome word…”
• Cleaned up language does not guarantee God honoring language.
• Our hearts are exposed by the way we talk to others.

Critical Spirit

• Criticism in love helps, criticism without heart just hurts.
• The root of a critical spirit is sinful and can come from a heart that is hurting, angry, or fearful.

Culture of Encouragement

• Words have power. They are not just words, they can bring life and death to a person.
• We get to be a people of encouragement; building up, not tearing down. Especially in the church, we get to foster a culture of encouragement.

Discussion Questions:

• Why do you think speaking words of encouragement is so important for the church?
• What does unhealthy criticism do to a person over time? How does it change them?
• Why do you think people’s words have so much power to help or hurt?
• What would you need to change in your life to be considered an encourager like Barnabas?

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Verses Used:

• Ephesians 4:11-16
• Ephesians 4:1-4
• Proverbs 4:20-23

Takeaways:

• Jesus’ way of discipleship was far more organic, and connected to relationships than most of what we are trying to do in the church today.
• It is God’s desire for us to grow and to mature in our faith - to become more like Jesus.
• Discipleship is the goal. Heart-level transformation is the goal.

Spiritual Maturity

• Yada - In the biblical context “yada” often implies a deep, personal, and relational knowledge, such as the intimate relationship between God and His people or between individuals.

Gospel Fluency and Biblical Literacy

• The goal of your discipleship is not just to read lots of scripture and know lots of facts. The goal of your discipleship is for your heart to reflect the likeness of Jesus.
• I can do biblical literacy all by myself. I need relationships to practice gospel fluency.

Tend the Heart

• Behind our sin is always an issue of unbelief. We believe a lie about God or about ourselves and it causes us to sin. Then we act out of that unbelief.

Discussion Questions:

• When practicing gospel fluency, Josh asked us, “Who is God? What has he done? Who am I? How do I get to live?”
• Why is gospel fluency sometimes difficult to put into practice?
• Do you think the process of discipleship takes longer than what most people expect? Why?

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