How have you responded to receiving a gift that just blew you away, that you really valued or appreciated? Did it inspire you to repay the giver in some way, or pay it forward? Why or why not?
It was suggested in the sermon that the greatest gift we have received is God’s grace. Do you agree or disagree? Why? What does grace mean? In what ways has God been gracious to us? You might like to look at some of: Eph. 2:8; 3:7; 4:7; 2 Tim 1:9-10; Tit. 3:4-7; Rom 12:6; Phil 1:7; 2 Thess. 2:16f.
Mark suggested that commitment to Jesus is an appropriate response to grace. What do you think about this idea? Is there another (more?) appropriate response?
The following five ‘activities’ were presented as being demonstrations of what it means to be committed. Discuss each one and consider what place and priority it has in your life:
Giving (Consider 2 Cor. 8:1-15; also consider that ‘giving’ involves more than money!)
Righteousness (Consider 1 Pet 1:13-16; Heb. 12:14-15; Mt. 5:6; 6:33; Rom. 6:17-23; 1 Tim. 6:11; 1 Jn. 3:6-7; Think about what righteousness looks like for us in our context.)
Attendance (Consider 1 Cor. 12:1-31; Think about how we can encourage people who are simply ‘present’ to become engaged.)
Christ-Centredness (Consider Col 1:15-23; Heb. 1:1-3; Rom 12:1-2; How useful are texts on the wall, WWJD bracelets, ‘The cross in my pocket’ in helping us to keep our focus on Jesus. What might be more effective?)
Evangelism (Consider Mt. 28:18-20; Ps. 96:3; 105:1; Mt. 10:5-8; Acts 1:8; Mt. 18:14; Acts 17:30; Consider: We may not all be able to go on the mission field but we all have a mission field. What does it look like for you?)