The Life Challenge

Personal and Small Group Guide
for the week of July 1st, 2007

the PASSAGE
Romans 1:8-15
the LIFE lab
Does your passion in life have anything to do with sharing God’s love with others?
If not, your challenge is pray about this. Ask God to give you His “heart” and that you will begin to see this world the way He sees it. Share with someone or your small group and have them pray for you as well.
Do you truly feel you understand ALL that God has done for you? Are you driven completely by your own goals or out of gratitude for His grace in your life?
If you struggle with perfection and trying to measure up, your challenge is to be honest before the Lord. Spend time with the Lord being completely honest about your shortcomings. Allow God’s grace to “be enough.” Share with a trusted friend or your small group areas where you struggle. Allow them to pray for you and minister God’s grace into your life. It is hard to share God’s love and grace until you have experienced it for yourself.
Do you hold prejudices that hinder your ability to share God’s love? Is there a person you have “written off?” Are there groups of people you don’t like to associate with?
If so, prayerfully take a step out of your comfort zone. Take time to set aside pre-conceived notions and seek to get to know someone who is “different” and frankly makes you a bit uncomfortable. Try to focus on what you have in common rather than on differences.

As you accept these challenges, keep track of what happens! You will be given opportunities to report.

Flip the SCRIPT ¯
The STUDY
Read the parable of the Good Samaritan as found in Luke 10:25-37 and then reflect on or discuss the following:

1. What was motivating the Samaritan man to act the way he did?

2. Why does Jesus use a Samaritan as the example in the story?

3. From reading the text, is it possible to “love God” and yet carry a dislike or bias against certain groups of people?

4. Again from the text, what do you think God values more, right beliefs or right actions, or both? Why do you think this?

5. At the end of the passage Jesus gives a command, “go and do likewise”. What does he mean? How can you keep this command?

The CONNECTION (Into Next Week)
1. Where does faith come from?

2. Do you ever feel like you have to do good things so that God can be happy with you? What is the problem with trying to earn God’s favor?

3. Would you say that your faith is evident to others by the way you live?

We encourage you to “blog-back” your responses at www.kevinrobertson.blogspot.com OR email to pastorkevin@marinachristian.org.

Monday small roup

Life Lab

The Monday night small group (which is now meeting for the summer at 1:00 PM on Sundays in Room 1) had a very good follow-up discussion on “the Life Lab” questions. No one seemed to be struggling with belief. Most people struggle with “calling.” A lot of the discussion centered around, “What is a calling?” and “What obstacles keep us from following our call?” We pretty much came to the conclusion that our general “calling” as Christians is pretty clear; Be disciples who go and make disciples. A couple of brave souls took up the challenge. One person shared that she used to have a calling when she was younger to help people. She shared that her friends in need always sought her out for support and prayer. However, she felt that as she got older she walked away from her calling and God eventually “lost her number.” Two or three people in the group encouraged her to take one simple step to go back and find that calling again. Another person in the group said that his one step toward walking more in his calling was to find local “non-Christian” open mic nights where he could get involved and get to know people. The group promised to hold him accountable for taking that step.

Called Out

the LIFE lab

Do I believe the gospel? (In other words do you believe that Jesus is God’s Son, He came in the flesh, died and rose again, and that only through Him can we receive grace and reconciliation)
If you struggle with belief, your challenge is to discuss it this week with a pastor or in your small group.

What is my calling? Am I doing it? How does my calling relate to my faith in Jesus Christ?
If you are not in step with your calling, your challenge is to share with someone or your small group one thing you will do this week to bring yourself more in line with what God has called you to do. Ask that person or your group to hold you accountable.

Do I see myself as “set-apart” for God’s “big picture?” Am I serving His purposes or my own?
If you feel like you are more interested in serving your own purposes, the challenge is to repent. That means to ask God to forgive you for being “out of step” and to turn around and go God’s way. What specifically do you need to stop doing? What specifically do you need to start doing?
As you accept these challenges, keep track of what happens! You will be given opportunities to report

The CONNECTION (Into Next Week)

1. What percentage of your time do you spend with people who would identify themselves as church going Christians? What percentage of your time do you spend with people who do not attend church regularly and who would not identify themselves as Christian?

2. How does that balance of time fit with our calling as believers?

3. Would you say that “the gospel” is evident in your life to those who would not identify themselves as Christian? Would they see it as attractive or as a “turn off.”

We encourage you to “blog-back” your responses at www.kevinrobertson.blogspot.com OR email to pastorkevin@marinachristian.org.

In November I stepped on the scale, took a deep breath, looked down, and the numbers shocked me “214.” You have to be kidding! I have been wanting to weigh less than 200 for three years and it’s not happening. Why? I’m not fully committed. I eat less once in a while, I’ll walk periodically, but I'm not fully committed. In January, I decided "what ever it takes." As of today, I weigh 186. I became FULLY committed and the results showed. As a pastor I put a lot of prayer and energy into putting the messages together. I have 30 to 40 minutes each Sunday to share with you what I believe the Lord has put on my heart. But the question I have to ask myself is “Is the church fully committed in becoming Christ-like?” Do we have the attitude of “what ever it takes” when it comes to our walk with the Lord?

That is why today we started a our summer series called "The LIFE challenge." My goal is for the series to be more participatory. That we as individuals will take the responsibility of our spiritual lives and take the steps towards where God wants us to be. This summer I want to challenge you to participate in the services, interact in the small groups, and to encourage you to “blog back” your honest thoughts. My prayer is that all of us will continue to grow in our walk with the Lord and that we can lift one another in prayer.

Sam Thomas

Sam Thomas and his family are requesting prayer for his younger
brother, Mitch, who has just been diagnosed with acute leukemia.
Mitch has been helping out at Pasadena Corridors and hasn't been feeling well recently. When he went to the doctor last week to find out what was wrong he received the diagnosis of leukemia. He has been admitted to LA County/USC Hospital and he started chemotherapy yesterday.
Many people have asked how they can help, and what they really need right now is a car for Marlene (Sam & Mitch's mother) to use while she is in town. Her plan is to stay in town for at least a month while Mitch is in the hospital. She is staying with Sam and Christy in Pasadena, but they only have one car between them, so getting to
the hospital is a challenge. Does anyone in your congregation have
an extra car that they could lend to Marlene for the next month or
so? Please let us know and we will put you in touch with her. (FYI
- Matt & Marlene Thomas are from the Columbia River Conference where Matt is a Senior Pastor and Superintendent