Week 3 of 8      
End Statement #3: Crosswalk will be relevant in living out the ways of Jesus in our place and time.

INTRODUCTION
The following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add or subtract or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.

OPEN
Have you ever had the opportunity to volunteer at a local non-profit, or take a mission trip, or serve as a missionary?  If so, share a story about what you found meaningful about the experience.

HEAD
Read Acts 1:8, Revelation 7:9-10, Matthew 4:18-20, I Corinthians 13:1, and Acts 17:22-31
together and share any wisdom, insights, or questions in response to the reading.

According to I Corinthians 13:1-3 and 13, what is the most important quality to have?  Why do you think this is the case?

In Acts 1:8, Jerusalem was like home for the Jew, then Judea and Samaria were your known circle of influence, and the ends of the earth probably meant something different for each person.  What are your Judea and Samaria’ (work, social group, etc…)?  What ways do you take the love of Christ to the “ends of the earth?”

One would guess that the people in Revelation had all sorts of different beliefs and perspectives.  So what united the people from “every nation and tribe and people and language”?

Acts 17 is one of the quintessential chapters for an example of being relevant in our time and place, so there is a lot to take note of in this passage.  What did Paul have to do before speaking, to connect the people of Athens with the gospel?  How important is it to learn more about the people you are trying to reach before trying to reach them? Explain your answer.

HEART
Recognizing that love is always relevant if it is truly love, what are the ways in which we can seek to be more relevant to the world around us?

Why do you think the 2,000 year old words of Jesus, especially how He treated the disenfranchised, the lonely, and the people on the fringe in their society, continues to connect with people today?

What can we learn about the “transcendence” of time and place that the teachings of Jesus possess that we can carry into our ministry towards others?

Some people mistake relevance with being trendy or faddish because it gives the illusion of being accepted, until the trend or the fad changes.  How can we at Crosswalk escape being swayed by that which is trendy and stick to that which transcends?

HANDS
As the song says, “What the world needs now; is love, sweet love.  No not just for some, but for everyone.”  You need love, I need love, we all need love, spoken to us in ways we can understand and connect with.  Consider this week a way to get to know enough about a coworker or neighbor that you can share a message of love in their lives this week that will connect with them on a personal level.

LIVING WORDS for YOUR WEEK
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
I Corinthians 13: 4-7