Therefore
There are many therefore statements in the Bible, and they are usually some of the most convicting lines being delivered. This one is no exception and comes with a pretty sweet job title as well! Paul, towards the end of his second letter to the Corinthians, reminds the people that they aren’t just members of God’s Kingdom or subjects to King Jesus, they are official representatives for the Kingdom itself to the rest of the world, the people that are to send out the official invitations, and that its all because of Christ’s love that we are pressing forward even through hardship.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
• Is Christ’s love compelling you in your day to day life? If it is, what does that look like, if not how do you think it would look?
• Where is our primary focus? Is it on ourselves and what our needs are each day, or are we reflecting on the sacrifice of Christ, therefore dying to ourselves?
• How did you feel when the size of the church was discussed on Sunday? Can you relate to the feeling of wanting to go somewhere where your needs are met, or where the church is smaller and you feel more seen? Use this time to be honest about where you are in your thoughts towards Sunday and the idea of needs being met.
Jesus wasn’t in the business of figuring out how his own needs could be met, in fact quite the opposite. He sacrificed himself, even to the point of death, for the needs of others. Is it enough for us to look out for the needs of those around us as well?
Read 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
• Pointedly, we are Christ’s ambassadors for his ministry of Reconciliation. How does this change your view of your ministry/outreach/faith sharing/etc?
• Is there anything that might be holding us back from reconciling before God/with God? What might that be? (beas open as you are comfortable being here).
• Political alignment was also discussed, do we let this political alignment dictate our belief and faith in Jesus? Or do we use our faith in Jesus as a mask to argue our political beliefs to others? Be really honest here, do we preach the kingdoms of Red or Blue more often or more vehemently than we preach the Kingdom of Reconciliation to a hurting world?
Spend some time in prayer
