Guest pastor Ravon Johnson teaches from Deuteronomy 31:6,8 and 2 Corinthians 5:17-20. He teaches how these passages show that every believer in Christ is meant to fulfill the work of God’s kingdom here on earth. Despite powers and principalities of this world, and our own sin that can war against God’s kingdom, we have been given ‘courageous faith’ to advance His kingdom and live as holy in an unrighteous world.
- Every born-again believer in Jesus Christ has been given a unique and critical role to fulfill in His righteous kingdom expansion on earth. However, powers and principalities of this world are constantly at work to thwart their progress.
- The traumatic effects of sin enslave many believers to unrighteous fleshly behaviors that destroy their Godly witness and inhibit the advancement of Truth, the Word of Life.
- God provides His children “Courageous Faith” to advance His righteous Kingdom and live Holy in an unrighteous world.
- Definition of “Courageous Faith”: Moving forward into the darkness with uncompromising trust in God who has both purposed and empowered His children to fulfill His vision for their lives.
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
- Deuteronomy 1:19-33
- Romans 12:2
COMMUNITY GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- Have someone read Deuteronomy 31:6-8, and someone else immediately read 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 afterward.
- What connections do we notice about these two passages, both from our reading and from Pastor Ravon’s sermon?
- Scripture confronts us at every turn, so how do these two passages confront or challenge us in our attitude toward God?
- Ravon mentioned that the ‘god of this world’ (2 Cor. 4:4) is always trying to thwart the advancement of God’s kingdom. How do we specifically see this in our lives and our context?
- How do the sermon passages we just read address this reality?
- In the sermon, Ravon established five steps to fulfill God’s vision for your life:
- Be certain of God.
- Know your identity in Christ.
- Know your purpose/mission.
- Know your core values.
- Be diligent in your walk.
- As you think through this list, which ones do you sense are uncertain to you or feel the Spirit nudging you to reevaluate?
- In what ways could our lives look different if we eagerly embraced Christ’s gift of ‘courageous faith’, both individually and as a church?
- Take time to consider and answer the main questions from the sermon:
- Do you believe that God is absolutely sovereign over all creation?
- If so, what difference does should it make as an ‘ambassador for Christ’?