Before We Get Started

For our discussion today we will be using the sermon series discussion guides. If you would like to follow along you can access this discussion guide on the website at mosaicchurchaustin.com and then select “community group resources” in the menu options.

Prayer

Because the main goal of our time together is to establish relationships and learn how to walk with one another in all that God has called us to be and do, we’d like to begin by praying for one another. So, does anyone have anything you’d like us to pray for, or  anything to share regarding how you’ve seen God moving in your life that we can celebrate together.

This Week’s Topic

This week we continue our new sermon series that will focus on what discipleship looks like through the lens of the life of the Apostle Peter. The series is titled How to Follow Jesus Christ. Over the the course of this series we will be discussing who it is that God has called us to be as Christians, the motivation behind that calling, and what that calling looks like when lived out in our every day lives.

Today’s Topic

On The Rock

Discussion Questions

What would you say is the difference between religion and following Jesus?

Matthew 16:15-18

“He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Throughout Scripture we see God giving people new names and new identities. Why do you think He did that?

What is significant about Jesus giving Simon this name, “Peter” (Rock)?

Had Simon earned this name, or given Jesus any reason to think this name would be a good descriptor of his life?

If you are a Christian, how is who Jesus is calling you to be today different from who you were prior to coming into a relationship with Him? 

How does that new identity in Christ enable you to live a steadier, more stable, more humble, and more loving life when it comes to your relationships?

N.T. Wright

“The call of the gospel is for the church to implement the victory of God in the world through suffering love.”

How might a community of people who see themselves that way, and see Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” who has called them to be His people, be able to impact the world around them?

What does it take to walk with one another in that way?

Closing Thought

What is God calling you to do to pursue others with that kind of grace-filled, sacrificial-loving, heart?