Taking Responsibility For Your Life- Week 4

This month we're learning from an outstanding teaching series from Northpoint Church called Taking Responsibility For Your Life.

We're taking in this teaching via DVD and won't be recording it for our podcast like we usually do. However, if you miss a teaching, you can grab the audio or video online directly from Northpoint. Here's how:

Follow this link: http://www.northpoint.org/messages.

Scroll to the right through the message series icons until you come to "Taking Responsibility For Your Life" (about the 10th series).

Double click on that and you'll be shown the 4 diff messages and be given the option to either listen to the audio or watch them on video.

We will be creating and posting our 2nd Helpings Info as we usually do. You can find them as a pdf on our PODCAST SITE or as text below.

Scriptures From Sunday: Matthew 25:14-30

REFLECT/DISCUSS:

What’s one of your hidden or unusual talents?

Which is easier for you to see- all that others have going for them or all that you have going for you? Why do you think that is?

When was the last time you said/felt “Life isn’t fair”?

Parables were given to make one point in a big, clear way. What idea did Jesus want to convey in the parable of the talents in Mt. 25:13-40?

How would you summarize God’s perspective on the unevenness of life? How does this compare to our view?

If you had to honestly place yourself in the story Jesus told based on the opportunities you’ve been given and all that you’ve got going for you- would you say that you are a 1, 2 or 5 bag person? What would others say about you?

Giving an account to the master for how they used what He gave them was exciting for the 2 & 5 bag people in the story and dreadful for the 1 bag person. Which would you feel about giving an account to God for how you’ve used what He’s given you so far?

What do you feel about/think of this statement: “Your self is too small for you to waste your entire life on”?

What could a shift away from lamenting the unevenness of life and toward embracing and maximizing the opportunities God has given you mean for you? Those you are connected to? The world?

Which of these temptations are you most prone to when it comes to your “talents”: Taking them for granted? Being irresponsible with your excess? Lamenting what others have that you don’t? Using them only for yourself?

Assignment:

• Make a list of all the opportunities and advantages that God has given you to leverage for His Kingdom/something greater than yourself.

• Which are you currently taking responsibility for? Where do you need to step it up?

This Is Not The Time To Pray - 6.27.10

Last week we continued with our Taking Responsibility For Your Life series with a powerful message called This Is Not The Time To Pray. If you missed it, you can watch or listen to it HERE.

SCRIPTURE: Joshua 7

REFLECT & DISCUSS:

1. Andy’s message doesn’t undermine the importance of prayer, but rather that prayer should lead to action, not serve as an excuse to be inactive. Do you agree with that?

2. Can you remember a time when your prayers led you to action? What happened? How did that experience encourage you in your relationship with Christ?

3. Are there areas of your life where you’re using prayer as an excuse not to do what God has already made clear? Has God been saying, “Stand up!” to you lately? If so, how can you begin taking steps of action today?

4. “Our irresponsibility eventually becomes someone else’s responsibility” has become a reoccurring theme in this series. In Joshua 7:1, how does Achan’s actions support Andy’s statement?

5. Like Achan, are there areas of your life where you have enriched yourself with the “devoted things” that God told you not to? If so, how can you begin putting verse 13 into practice by removing those things?

6. Are there irresponsible people you are connected to that you are afraid to confront? Why? Read Matthew 18:15-20 and ask God to give you the strength to act (in love).

ASSIGNMENT:

1. Identify areas of your life where you need to stop (only) praying about and start acting on. Uses these ideas as a filter:

Has God already covered in it Scripture? If so, stop praying and act.

Have you behaved your way into a situation? Don’t try to pray your way out of it - get up and act. Prayer must lead to action.

Would people in your life say to you, “Great, I’m glad you’re praying about this, but I don’t see you making any effect to change”?

Taking Responsibility For Your Life- Week 2

This month we're learning from an outstanding teaching series from Northpoint Church called Taking Responsibility For Your Life.

We're taking in this teaching via DVD and won't be recording it for our podcast like we usually do. However, if you miss a teaching, you can grab the audio or video online directly from Northpoint. Here's how:

Follow this link: http://www.northpoint.org/messages.

Scroll to the right through the message series icons until you come to "Taking Responsibility For Your Life" (about the 10th series).

Double click on that and you'll be shown the 4 diff messages and be given the option to either listen to the audio or watch them on video.

We will be creating and posting our 2nd Helpings Info as we usually do. You can find them as a pdf on our PODCAST SITE or as text below.

Scriptures From Sunday: Galatians 6:3-9

REFLECT/DISCUSS:

When have you seen someone step up and take responsibility for a mistake or failure? What happened afterward?

One of the things we’re prone to do instead of taking responsibility is to compare ourselves to others. Read Gal 6:3-5. Why does God discourage us from doing this? How can comparisons lead us to fooling or deceiving ourselves?

Do you agree or disagree w/ this statement? “As long as I compare myself to other people, I’ll make excuses. When I compare myself to myself, I’ll make progress.”

Gal. 6:5 urges us to “carry our own load”. What does that look like for you right now? What are you responsible for?

Another “out” for us when it comes to taking responsibility is to try and dodge the consequences of our irresponsibility. Is this really and fully possible? Why do you think Gal. 6:7 describes this as “mocking God”?

Were you ever able to “put one over” on your parents, teachers or bosses and get away with being irresponsible? Is it possible do the same thing w/God? Do you ever find yourself looking for a loophole or treating God like He’s not very bright?

Where have you experienced the principle of reaping and sowing in your life? Was it positive or negative?

What do you think of Andy’s assessment that we reap “later and greater”? Have you seen this play out before?

What are some parts of your life where you are sowing responsibly right now? Where might you be sowing irresponsibly?

Do you think life’s predictable principles (ex. gravity, buoyancy, sowing/reaping) are gifts from God? Why/Not?

Assignment: If there is an area of your life where you aren’t where you want to be:

1. Honestly assess- where have I sowed irresponsibly? What’s my piece of the pie? What’s my load to carry?

2. Identify and start doing the things you should have been doing all along.

Taking Responsibility For Your Life Week 1

Over the next month we'll be learning from an outstanding teaching series from Northpoint Church called Taking Responsibility For Your Life.

In a culture that seems to encourage and at times even reward irresponsibility, it's easy for us to notice others who aren't pulling their weight.

But what about us? Are we taking responsibility for the things we are on the hook for?

We'll be taking in this teaching via DVD and won't be recording it for our podcast like we usually do. However, if you miss a teaching, you can grab the audio or video online directly from Northpoint. Here's how:

Follow this link: http://www.northpoint.org/messages.

Scroll to the right through the message series icons until you come to "Taking Responsibility For Your Life" (about the 9th series).

Double click on that and you'll be shown the 4 diff messages and be given the option to either listen to the audio or watch them on video.

We will be creating and posting our 2nd Helpings Info as we usually do. You can find them as a pdf on our PODCAST SITE or as text below.

2ND HELPINGS:

Scriptures From Sunday: Genesis 1:27-29, 3:8-13

REFLECT/DISCUSS:

Who is the most responsible person you know & why? The least responsible?

Agree/Disagree & Explain: “Our culture is becoming less and less responsible and in some ways rewards & celebrates irresponsibility.”

“Irresponsibility is much easier to see through the window than in the mirror.” Is this true? If so, why do you think this is?

Can you think of a time when someone else’s irresponsibility impacted you? When your failure to live up to your responsibilities affected others?

Do you agree that when we fail to “pick our towels up off of the floor” (i.e. taking care of our responsibilities) we are by default asking someone else to come clean up our mess?

How would things change in your life/family/workplace/church/etc. if each time we saw each other shirking our responsibilities we followed Andy’s lead w/his kids and said, “I want you to ASK me to take care of what you aren’t willing to care of instead of just leaving it for me to do”?

Respond to/discuss this statement: “Christians should be the most responsible people on the planet.”

In the beginning, humans are given huge amounts of responsibility (Gen 1). How do you feel when you shoulder your responsibilities well? When you don’t?

Do you ever find yourself admiring people who are great at blaming others? Why/Not?

Blame and the conflict and shame it produces are deeply rooted in our story (Gen 3). Do you think we can we get past it? How?

Assignments:

1. Listen to the blame conversations in your life- both the ones you have out loud and in your own head. What parts of your life are trying to shift responsibility to others?

2. As you experience relational conflict, ask yourself, “What is in my slice of the pie?”

U+ I = WE Week 6: Exponential Impact

Miss this week's teaching conversation? You can listen in and download the message slides and a pdf of the info below on our POD CAST SITE.

Scriptures From Sunday: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Isaiah 9:6-7; John 13:34-35; Philippians 2:3-5, 12-16a; Acts 1:6-8, 8:1, 3-4; Matthew 28:18-20

REFLECT/DISCUSS:

How have you experienced synergy- where people combined their efforts and got more done faster than they would have on their own? With family? Friends? At work? In your neighborhood? In a faith community?

Agree/Disagree & Explain: Jesus wants to have an exponential, ever expanding impact in this world and He plans to use us to accomplish it.

What do you know how to authenticate? What hallmarks do you look for?

According to John 13:35, what did Jesus think would mark His followers and His message for the world to see? In your opinion, do we take these words seriously enough? Do we equate them with our chance to show the truth and beauty of Jesus’ message to the people around us?

Think/talk about a time where your mental picture of someone/thing was quite different from the actual person/thing.

How do you think our pictures of “church” and “mission” might differ from what Jesus has in mind for us?

In your mind, where and when does the ministry of Connections Church (or your church community) happen?

Where/to whom does God send you on a daily basis? Do you think of that as your “mission field”? If not, why not? If so, how do you stay focused on what God might do through you while you do your job, sip your coffee, chat with neighbors, etc.?

PRAY: Pray that God will work in and through us as a faith community to make the impact He desires on the Triangle and beyond.