Vision + Provision | Message 2

Vision + Provision | Message Two

This new series is called “Vision and Provision.”

By ‘vision’ we mean the big spiritual questions of life:

❔ Why are we here?

❔ What is our dream for our life, and what is God’s dream for our life?

By ‘provision’ we mean the practical resources God provides to make dreams a reality: time, money, effort, energy, etc.

Scriptures | Mark 12:30-31 | Perhaps the greatest vision ever given by Jesus was the Great Commandment, a vision of the love of God.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” - Mark 12:30-31

Question 1 | You don’t have to have heard the sermon from Sunday, but if you were in church, watched online, or listened to the podcast, what stuck with you?

Question 2 | In many ways, this commandment is clear: That we are to love God with everything we have. These are deep waters. And it’s hard! Something in us wants to hold back.

❔ What causes you to hold back or pull back from this?

❔ The risk?

❔ The fear?

❔ The uncertainity?

❔ The loss of control?

❔ What helps you move toward loving God with everything you have?

Question 3 | Many people cannot love their neighbors as they love themselves for one simple reason: they do not love themselves. Many people are unkind or contemptuous or hateful toward themselves. After the sermon on Sunday, several people came to Jeremy and said directly that they struggled with self-hatred. Some of these people were longtime members, some were first-time visitors. What is your response to this?

The basic message of the Gospel is that God loves us.  

❔ What helps you to believe this and internalize this and take this to heart?

❔ And how can you help others take this to heart?

Question 4 | Jesus loved his neighbors in many ways, here is just one: Jesus “set tables.” It’s not that Jesus polished silverware or folded napkins. It’s that Jesus met with people, often in small groups, often in homes, sitting around a table and talking about things that mattered. Through the ministry of hospitality, Jesus created an environment where different people could come together and learn more about his gospel. In this way Jesus showed us how to love our neighbors by “setting the table.”

❔ How might God be calling you to “set the table” for others?

❔ Is harder to put into practice in a divisive election year?  

❔ Is this also perhaps more important and more powerful to put into practice in a divisive election year?