INFLUENCE: Invest and Invite

What is the greatest investment another person has ever made in your life?

Read Mark 2:13-17.

Jesus' command to Matthew was, "Follow Me". If Jesus were to say those words to us today, what do you think he would mean? What would we do if we actually followed him?

Apparently Matthew had a lot of friends who were not very religious. Do you think he wondered what they would think of him if he followed Jesus? Why do you think he decided to follow?

Why do you think the Scribes and Pharisees objected to Jesus' eating a meal with the tax collectors* and sinners?

With what kind of person do you think the Scribes and Pharisees expected Jesus to spend his time? Can you think of a modern day example in which one Christian might get upset about the type of people another Christian is spending their time with? How would Jesus respond?

In this story, what do you think makes a person sick (according to Jesus)?

In this story, is it a good or bad thing to be considered "healthy" by Jesus? Why?

In today's world, do you think it is better to be considered "healthy" by Jesus? Or is it better to be considered "sick" by Jesus?

What does Jesus do for those who are sick?

How would it look if everyone in this group decided to INVEST and INVITE? In other words, what would happen if everyone here invested themselves in the life of a "spiritually sick" person and then invited them to meet Jesus?

What are some different ways you can invite someone to meet Jesus?

*Tax Collectors were so despised in this setting that they were considered to be among the bottom two groups of people. "Tax Collectors and Sinners" was like saying "theives and murderers".

Comments

Discussion Questions for Easter

Have several people ask the question, “What’s the most important thing you’ve ever done?” Ask other people, “What do you hope to accomplish in the next several years of your life?” Tell your class that today you’ll be talking about “life mission” or the one most important thing you do that drives everything else. Tell them that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the defining moment in history, so it should be the defining moment in our lives. Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. How does the resurrection impact some of the crucial beliefs of Christianity? How would Christianity be different if there was no resurrection? How would you be different without the resurrection? Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. What are some specific ways that the resurrection gives us hope? If you had been a friend of Jesus when he was on earth, how would the resurrection have impacted your life? How do you think his followers then were effected by the resurrection? Read 1 Corinthian...

10 Summer Activities To Keep Your Small Group Connected

I just sent an email to all our small group leaders (I do this 3-4 times each month). This week's focus was STAYING CONNECTED THROUGH THE SUMMER. Below is a list of 10 summer activities a small group can use to stay connected. These are specifically created for groups at The Gathering, but you can pretty easily modify the list to fit your church or your community. Go to a Dragon's Game together. You can buy tickets as a group from the church for the game on July 11. Design a Progressive Dinner. Have appetizers at one house, salad at another, the main course somewhere else and dessert at a final destination. Have a monthly barbecue party. Serve together. Pick a place (Good Neighbor House, St. Vincents, Victory Project, Pirate Packs, Caring Partners International, One Bistro) and sign up to serve as a group one afternoon or evening. Meet up at the Family Movie Night on June 15. Spend a day at King's Island. Work at the church for an afternoon. We have many proj...

20 Questions to Build Group Connections

Here is a great exercise for a new group. The instructions are pretty simple. Go around the group giving each person the opportunity to choose one question and answer it honestly. Anyone can follow-up with an opinion or clarifying question (no critiquing each other's answers, though). Once a question has been answered, no one else may answer that question. If your group is larger, you may want to alter the rule and allow each question to be answered 2 or 3 times. Ideally, each person should end up answering 3-5 questions. As the leader, pay attention to the conversation. Let the discussion run its course as this is how people in the group build their relationships with one another. You can use these questions, modify them or create your own.

Creative Community

Search This Blog