Weekly Discussion Guide

Pastor Matt reminded us that Jesus' simple command with which he began his ministry ("Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand") contains the entire framework over which we grow as followers of Christ The King.

MY STORY

What are the primary roles you play at work? in your family? at Crossroads?

WHAT DOES GOD WANT US TO HEAR?

Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — the people dwelling in darkness

have seen a great light,

and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,

on them a light has dawned.”

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

(Matthew 4:12-17)

According to Isaiah, what impact would the appearance of the Messiah/King have on the world?

What did Jesus command people to do? What was the reason why he offered this mandate?

What does God want us to hear? Based on the passages above, what are the factual “takeaways” that are meaningful to you?

WHAT DOES GOD WANT US TO DO?

Pastor Matt said, "Right there is the summary of everything Jesus said and did. You don’t have to come up with a sentence; Matthew already did the hard work … Repent, which means stop. Everybody stop. Something is happening that is going to force you to make a decision. It will force you to reevaluate what you thought you knew about the world. Everything that you knew about yourself. Everything you thought you knew about God. It is going to be this radical reorganization of your priorities and values."

If you are a believer, how did priorities and values experience a reorganization after coming to Christ?

How does seeing yourself as having a role in an advancing Kingdom impact the way you make life decisions?

What does God want us to do? Flowing out of our reading and interpretation, what action does this passage or the Spirit’s leading, nudging us toward?

WHAT DOES GOD WANT ME TO DO?

Pastor Matt said, So maybe the question today is not simply: Do you believe in Jesus? Maybe the better question is: Have you aligned your life with His Kingdom?” Because it’s totally possible to admire Jesus without following Him. It’s possible to believe facts about Jesus while resisting His leadership. But the invitation of Jesus was always bigger. “Follow me.” And wherever Jesus leads: relationships change; priorities change; generosity changes; ambition changes; forgivenesschanges; identity changes. Because when the King moves in, everything changes.

Pick one of these areas (in bold text above) to put under the microscope of your life, and think about how you can bring the decisions you make in this area of life into closer alignment with God's kingdom objectives.

What does God want ME to do? What is the personal application and action step that the Holy Spirit is calling you toward?