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

Today, we continue our series titled, Reversal. We will be taking some time to walk through the Gospel account of Luke. Luke was an historian who set out to document the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the impact it had on the world of his day. What we see in Luke’s account is that when Jesus gets involved in the life of a person, things get turned upside-down and inside-out. Jesus brings about a reversal of everything we thought we knew.

Today’s Topic

Back to School: Loving

Discussion Questions

Have you ever heard of, or been a part of, a “good Samaritan” moment that you can share with us?

Luke 10:25-27

“And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Why do you think this “Expert in the Law” was asking this question of Jesus?

What would you say is the difference between pursuing being right, versus pursuing the righteousness of God?

In what ways have you experienced, or maybe event contributed to, Christians wanting to be “right” at the expense of being “righteous?”

Luke 10:29-33

“But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.”

What is the significance of Jesus’ response to this man’s question?

Rather than asking the question, “How do our beliefs/convictions differ?” what is a better question to ask when relating to someone? Why do you say that?

Luke 10:34-37

“He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

What are some ways we can “love our neighbors” better?

What would it take to do that? 

Why might that be challenging to do? 

How does the Gospel empower us to push past those challenges?

Closing Thought

Is there a “neighbor” God might be calling you to love with the love of the Samaritan today? If so, who? And, what might that need to look like?