SERIES OVERVIEW:
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions. Inn FAQ we are looking at some of the frequently asked questions about God, faith, the Bible, and life as submitted and asked by Live Oakers. The goal is this series is to normalize asking questions. Questions are ok, allowed and encouraged. The other goal is to help Live Oakers define what they believe and why, as well as to think about what difference their beliefs make in their everyday life.
TODAY’S OVERVIEW:
FAQ: “Who is Jesus really? Is Jesus the only way?”- Today we continued in FAQ by looking at questions pertaining the identity of Jesus and the claim that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. The identity of Jesus is the most important question for the Christian faith, so deciding who Jesus is really matters and if He isn’t who He say he is then none of it matters,
LIVE OAK CONNECTION POINT:
- 2 AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE!!!
~help us bring a Sports Camp to some deserving kid in Lbk this June 7,8 and 9th
~Serve in Kids Ministry once or twice this summer to give our usual weekly leaders a much deserved break.
ACCESS THE SPORTS CAMP AND SUMMER SERVE SIGNS UPS ON OUR APP AND WEBSITE UNDER “SIGN UP AND EVENTS”
DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- What does your name mean? Why were you named that?
- If could choose a different name to go by, what would you chose? Why?
- How have you heard others define who Jesus was and is?
- How has your understanding of the identity of Jesus changed throughout your life?
- READ: Matthew 16:13-17. What observations do you have about these verses? What does this tell us about Jesus?
- Doug cited several people (CS Lewis, Josh McDowell, Bono) who have argued that claims of and about Jesus do not allow simply to define Jesus as a good teacher or moral leader, etc. They state that Jesus is either “a LIAR, a LUNTATIC, or the LORD”. Said another way, Jesus is either “a RABBI, a REBEL, a MYTH, or THE MESSIAH”. Talk about this framework of validating the identity of Jesus.
- READ: The following passages describe claims from Jesus and others about who He is? Read them one at a time and briefly discuss what those claims are by identifying a few key takeaways:
John 1:1-5, 9-15
Romans 10:9-13
Philippians 2:6-11
Colossians 1:15-20
1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 12-19
- Some people want Jesus to play a role in their life but not be in charge of their life. Dallas Willard connects this to the reason some of us struggle hearing God’s voice. Dallas Willard states, “Perhaps we do not hear the voice of God because we do not expect to hear it. Then again, perhaps we do not expect it because we fully intend to run our lives on our own and have never seriously considered anything else.” What stands out to you from that quote
- Doug has pushed us in this series to define “what you believe”, “why you believe it” and “what difference does it make”. Let’s these questions one at a time in thinking about Jesus:
What do YOU believe about Jesus?
Why do YOU believe that?
With what YOU believe about Jesus, what difference does it make, could it make, or should it make in YOUR LIFE?
- What else stood out from this week’s message?
NEXT STEPS:
- Everyone has a next step to apply what we have learned. What is your next step? Be specific.
- Challenge your people to do this: Consider starting a journal with the 4 questions:
What do I believe?
Why do I believe that?
What difference does it make?
What questions do I have?
Start and keep working through those questions to define your beliefs.
MEMORY VERSE: *Challenge yourself or your group to commit this verse to memory:
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
PRAYER:
Spend some time praying for each other.
Scripture References:
Mark 4:41; Matthew 16:13-17; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5; John 14:6; Hebrews 9:27-28; John 1:12; 1 John 1:1-2; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 12-19; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-20; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Next Week’s FAQ Question:
What is God’s plan for missions? What does it look like at Live Oak? What is MY role?