Missio Dei: WK 4 - GROUP GUIDE

MISSIO DEI | WEEK 4 - The church as the sent community

INTRODUCTION: The following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.

OPEN:  Think of something in your life that was a big deal to you, something that you know you couldn’t have done on your own. Who did you partner with and what lessons did you learn from that experience?

SCRIPTURE READING
Read together: Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:42, 44-47, Ephesians 4:11-13, 
I Peter 2:9-10

Jesus gave birth to the church, His body, a new race of humans filled with His Holy Spirit, called and equipped to bring more of heaven to earth. This is done as a great partnership between us and our Creator.

HEAD: Explore the Text

1. Share any wisdom, insights, or thoughts you received just from listening to the text, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead.
2. Notice how in Matthew 28:17, they worshiped the risen Lord, and some doubted. However, what does Jesus say to them about their doubts in verses 18-20? What is significant about this?
3. The disciples were told to wait to move until they received power from the Holy Spirit. So why wait? Why is that waiting hard for us today and have you found anything that makes it easier? And what were we to be witnesses of, and who were we to witness to, as described in Acts 1:8?
4. In Acts 2, what actions did the community do together that not only strengthened them, but made them better witnesses for Jesus?
5. The gifts Christ gave to the church in Ephesians seem to be all the public ones. What other gifts are given to Christ’s church that are not so public, but are deeply critical?
6. What are the dark spaces Jesus calls us out of in order to walk with him in his light?

HEART: Personal Reflection

1. How do you and I remember to partner with God regularly, so that we aren’t just doing things for him, but with him?
2. Throughout the call of God to partner with us, the idea of being of one heart, united, continues to come up. How is this accomplished in a world so deeply divided?
3. What is your view on the Holy Spirit’s indwelling in us, today? Does it still happen? What does it look like? How do we receive the Spirit?

HANDS: Practice This Week
Spiritual Practice: Waiting and Sending

• Spend the next seven days praying over what God is ready to partner with you on to bless others and his church.
• As part of that prayer, ask for even more of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you into all truth (i.e. the full presence of Jesus), and equip you for his call
• At the end of the seven days, write out any areas you feel more convicted where God wants to use you to serve and bless others and his church.

Invite the group to check in next week about their experience.

FINISH WELL: Bring It Home

1. Knowing we are all called to participate in mission of God, what are some of the ways you feel gifted to help be His witness and build up His church?
2. What are two ways this week that you can show others “the goodness of God”?

CLOSING PRAYER (Leader or Participant Reads)
Abba, Father,
You chose to partner with us,
Help us to partner with you,
To build up each other,
To serve your church,
And to help bring more light into the darkness.
With your Spirit within us,
And your Word to guide us,
May we, your church, represent you to the world you died to save.
Amen