Welcome to Sunday Fuel! This series of questions is designed to assist your personal reflection and fellowship with others about the sermon from this past Sunday.
Go to This Sunday’s Sermon (start at 22:24).
- What are some false teachings that are creeping into your thinking? Work through the X-ray Questions worksheet (below) to help you identify some of them.
- After you have completed the worksheet, ask yourself the two questions suggested in the message:
- What are the “minor” beliefs that tempt you away from Christ?
- How have those “minor” beliefs crept into your life?
- Spend some time considering these false beliefs in light of the gospel: In what ways have half-truths confused you? How do you need to be reoriented? How would the gospel give you a more complete story?
- Challenge: Invite a friend to work through the above questions with you.
- a. If you don’t have such a friend yet, consider someone in your circles of connection (e.g. a small group member, ministry partner, or someone you are willing to share your heart with). If you cannot think of someone at church, enlarge your circle to consider friends outside of church. If that is the case, you may wish to share a little of what you are learning or even the worksheet to give them some context.
- b. Pray for courage to share honestly as well as an open heart to hear from your friend. Choose to trust that the Lord can use their words to help you grow in faith.
- If an opportunity arises this week to share a word of warning or exhortation, pause to pray before speaking. Ask God to help you identify or recognize the harshness in your heart and replace it with a heart of gentleness, patience, and humility, that you would display God’s kindness and grace, even if the words may be received poorly. What words of hope and encouragement can you speak to frame your warnings so your friend might keep running the race faithfully? Pray that their hearts may be receptive to your words.
- Have you ever been on the receiving end of another believer’s hard words spoken in love? In what ways was that conversation a grace from God? Even if it was painful at the moment, how did it help you better understand your own heart and realign you back to the gospel? Are you able to thank God for this gift of grace—and perhaps honor them by letting them know how God used it in your life? How might revisiting this past experience help you to better receive future similar conversations?
