Ice Breaker

One of the things we value within community is fun. In the midst of all the pressures life throws at us, it is our ability to laugh, play and celebrate together that reminds us we serve a good, loving, and resurrected Lord who stands above it all. So, we want to take the first few minutes of our time together to play, have fun, and celebrate the fact that we belong to Jesus.

Today’s Ice Breaker: Movin’ On Up

Each player starts with a stack of 25 red cups with one blue cup at the top of the stack. Start by moving the top blue cup to the bottom of the stack, and continue moving cups from the top to the bottom until the blue cup is back at the bottom of the stack again.  2-3 people per round of competition works well.

What You Will Need:

• Plastic Cups

Today’s Discussion

This week we begin our summer focus by taking a look at one of the most intriguing and controversial books in the whole canon of Scripture…The book of Revelation. No, we will not be trying to calculate when Jesus will return. And, no, we will not be trying to decipher what the mark of the beast really means. What we will be doing is looking at who Jesus reveals Himself to be and what Jesus reveals our future holds in the hopes that we can find the hope, encouragement, and faith that Christians have found in this book for nearly 2,000 years. In Revelation we encounter Jesus as the Alpha and the Omega, a fierce warrior, a slaughtered lamb, and we encounter ourselves as those very much in need of Him and His promises. So, buckle up and let’s get started with Revelation and trust God to give us a hope for the future…for today.

Discussion Questions

In you opinion, what do you think makes a church great?

Revelation 3:7-22

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Why do you think Jesus applauds the church in Philadelphia for holding fast to His Word?

What makes it difficult for Christians today to do the same?

Yet, what is at stake if we do not hold firm the Bible as God’s authoritative Word and Jesus as The Way, The Truth, and The Life?

How does that exclusivity, God’s Word as the Authority in our lives, then move us to be an inclusive people who are willing to love and accept others?

How does Jesus as Messiah move us to serve the world and even love those who wish to do us harm?

What obstacles does our culture and worldview in the West make it difficult for us to have that kind of passion for Jesus and others?

How does the sacrificial love of Christ free us from that kind of “lukewarm-ness?”