Invest | Sept 2 – 8, 2018
Series Big Idea
We want to be a community of people who are on mission together so that more and more people accept Jesus’ invitation and find their way back to God.
Message Big Idea
Jesus continually invested in relationships to help people find their way back to God.
Scripture
Ice Breaker and Opening Thought
- Ice Breaker: What is your favorite meal? If you could invite anyone to share that meal with you who would it be?
- The Gospels say Jesus ate with “sinners” and tax collectors, who were the undesirables of their day, and by eating with them Jesus wasn’t just acting friendly, it was a symbol of inclusion in God’s Kingdom. What are the ways we demonstrate inclusion today?
Bible Discussion
- Read Matthew 9:9-13. What do notice about this passage?
- How do you think Matthew felt about Jesus’ invitation to have dinner with him?
- What do you think Jesus meant by “I desire mercy, not sacrifice’?
Life Application
- Jesus came to Matthew in the midst of his ordinary life; he met Matthew where he was, in a tax booth, ripping people off. What does that say about the nature of God? What does that mean for us today?
- When Jesus calls, Matthew does not hesitate, or try to clean up his act; he gets up and follows Jesus. Why do you think it is so difficult for us to do the same? What about our past keeps us from trusting Jesus invitation of friendship?
- Tax collectors represented the people their society had decided were “not respectable’. They were social outcasts, not allowed to go to the temple or provide testimony at a trial. Who would you say the world has deemed “unrespectable” today? In what ways can you engage that population?
Challenge
Share with the group the name of one person you feel God is calling you to invest in relationally. Spend some time praying over the specific names asking God to help you see them as he does, showing you both their goodness and the ways you can care for them. Make a plan this week to follow God’s prompting.
