Video EBlast for the weekend of July 21, 2018

The Real Truth Found Around the Sea of Galilee

Fishing for People

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Matthew 4:12-13, 17-20 (printed below) and discuss the questions as a way to begin a conversation. 

   

Matt. 4:12    When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. ¹³ He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 

Matt. 4:17    From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” 

Matt. 4:18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. ¹⁹ Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” ²⁰ And they left their nets at once and followed him.

Questions for Consideration:

1. From this beginning text in Matthew we find that Jesus begins his ministry around the Sea of Galilee. Discuss some ideas of why Jesus may have begun and lived out most of his three year ministry in this out-of-the-way place? As we begin new ministries where do we need to spend out time and effort?
2. The main theme of this passage is the calling of Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. Do you believe it is significant that two of Jesus’ first Disciples are fishermen? Would Jesus have done a better job if he had recruited people who were more learned? 
3. Last week we looked at the idea that the call that was given to Peter and Andrew is a call to all people today, to become both followers of Jesus and makers of disciples. How has Christ called you to both follow him and to give witness to him?
4. What needs to be happening in your life to continue to grow in your discipleship and in your witnessing to your faith?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question:  Am I defeated in any part of my life? (Pages 63-66 in The Wesley Challenge)

Video EBlast for Sunday, July 15

Cast Your Nets Into The Deep Waters

Read Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:1    One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. ² He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. ³ Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

Luke 5:4    When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

Luke 5:5    “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” ⁶ And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! ⁷ A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

Luke 5:8    When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” ⁹ For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. ¹⁰  His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. 

  Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”

¹¹ And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. (New Living Translation)

1. This passage is often referred to as one of the “call Stories” of Jesus, but the call to Simon does not come until the very end of the story. As you read the passage, what do you think needed to happen before Simon was ready to respond to the call to follow Jesus?

2. As I read this story it seems to me that God had to get Simon’s attention and Simon had to be attentive to the call of Jesus. Simon realized Jesus’ call to ministry because he was attentive to Christ and he was attentive to the environment around him. How are you being attentive to Christ? How is God trying to speak into your life? Are you listening to God?

3. God speaks to all of us, the question is, are we attentive to hear His whispers. How do you think we put ourselves in a place (or posture) to hear the whispers of God?

4. When Jesus finally had the full attention of Simon, he told him that, “From now on you’ll fish for people.” What do you think fishing for people means? 

5. Read Matthew 28:16-20. How does this passage relate to the idea of fishing for people? 

6. How are you being attentive to God and attentive to the people that God puts into your life to be “fishing” for people?  

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question:  When did I last speak to someone about my faith? (Pages 123-127 in The Wesley Challenge)

Video EBlast for Sunday, July 8, 2018

Back to Basics: Christian Perfection

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on the sermon using the following Scripture and questions as a way to begin a conversation.  

Read Ephesians 4:17-24 and Romans 12:1,2

Ephesians 4:17    With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸ Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹ They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. ²¹ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²² throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. ²³ Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴ Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Romans 12:1    And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

When you read the word “Gentiles” in Ephesians Paul is referring to the world around us. We could also read this passage like this, “Live no longer like the world does, for those of the world are hopelessly confused.” In saying this we want to make sure that we realize that Paul is not condemning the people of the world, but he is calling the disciple into a life pattern that no longer reflects the world. 

1. Why do you think Paul is calling the Ephesians to no longer live like the world does?
2. How can we let the Spirit renew our thoughts?
3. How can we be holy and righteous today?
4. Romans 12:1 calls us to give our bodies as a living sacrifice. What is a “living” sacrifice and what would that mean for our lives to become one?
5. One way to know that we are growing in Christian love is to realize that we are at a new place today than where we were a year ago. When you look at your life are you walking in a deeper place today than you were a year ago? Do you see changes in your life today from where you were two months ago?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question:  Did I disobey God in anything? (Pages 41-44 in The Wesley Challenge)