Commissioned, part 4 — “Competing Kingdoms”
Welcome to our series Commissioned, where we will examine the practical nature of our beliefs, finding encouragement to put the Gospel message of Jesus to work in our lives.
In the Primer Podcast Rich Stearns talks about his decision to leave a lucrative business position in order to enter the mission field as leader of World Vision, and the resistance he initially felt to this opportunity.
1. Talk about a time in your life where you were presented with a big choice and also thought: “Yes, I want to be open to God’s will for my life, but this is not it.”
2. What did you end up choosing to do? What blessings, or regrets, did you experience as a result of your decision?
3. Which of the following would make such a decision most difficult for you: taking a pay cut, sacrificing a career you’ve been building, moving to a new area, or is it something else?
In the podcast, Rich said “God is always trying to give us something better than what we are clutching in our hands, but before he can put his blessing into our hands, we have to let go of the things we’re clinging to.”
4. Have you experienced this truth in your life? If so, share your story with your group.
5. How can prayer and service help us to live with a posture that is more open-handed to the blessings God wants to give us? Discuss what else helps you become more open to God’s blessings.
Read about Jesus and the “rich young ruler” in Mark 10:17-22.
6. In both the podcast and sermon, Pete points out the line in verse 21 that says, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” Discuss Jesus’s compassion for us when our “competing kingdoms” cause us to miss out on the plans and blessings God seeks to give us.
7. What does it say about God that although He invites us into his bigger story and desperately wants us to join in, He still gives us the option to turn down the invitation?
Read Mark 10:23-27.
8. When Jesus says in verses 23 and 25 that it’s “hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God”, he not condemning the wealthy but pointing out the truth that the more we have, the harder it is to let go.
9. To close, discuss this kind of surrender. How does verse 27 (“With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”) encourage you?
Find Rich Stearns’ book Unfinished here on Amazon, or purchase it at the Mission Cafe.
(*Video available after Sunday services)
