Often, in our lives, we feel disconnected and far away from God, yet Scripture tells us that God is near and that God sees us deep within. When He sees us, He really sees His destiny, His purpose, His hope, which is probably not what we think He would notice. We would perhaps think He sees our failures and our struggles and not those other things. In this message you will be inspired to understand this and look forward to a brighter future and to deeper intimacy with your loving God. SUGGESTED QUESTIONS: 1. Do you know God’s plans and purposes over your life? Spend time reflecting and encouraging one another. 2. Do you feel shame, rather than acceptance, to know that God sees deep inside you? 3. Look at Hagar’s story and discuss how her encounter with the Angel of the Lord would change her outlook on life. 4. Share some testimonies of God’s goodness and provision. 5. How is your self-talk?

Ever since Jesus ascended to heaven, Christians have looked up in hope for the day of His glorious return. Throughout every generation, us included, we have a hope that this temporal life will one day be replaced by our forever home. But how close is that moment? Will we be the generation that sees the return of Jesus? In today’s message you will be encouraged about the ever-present possibility of Jesus’ glorious return and how we need to be prepared and live ready. SUGGESTED QUESTIONS AND CONVERSATION POINTS: 1. Do you believe there is an acceleration in the end-times prophecies being fulfilled? If so, what are you noticing and how do these signs point to Jesus’ return? If not, what do you believe needs to happen for you to see Jesus’ return as imminent? 2. Without dividing over end-times opinions, we can all agree that Jesus will be coming back to take His people home. What state of heart do we need to have so that we will be ready? 3. How can you approach each day with a readiness of faith that Jesus’ return could be at any moment? 4. What does Paul mean in Philippians 2:12 when he writes, “...work out your salvation with fear and trembling”? 5. How can today’s Christians embrace an urgency in deepening our devotion to Jesus and reaching the lost before it’s too late? 6. How can we balance wisdom with a healthy end-times understanding without seeing it as an escape clause or align ourselves to strange conspiracy theories? 7. Is there anyone in your group that is doubtful of their readiness? Spend time praying together as Holy Spirit leads you.

The glory of the Christian faith is that our lives exist to point people to Jesus, not to ourselves. But the truth is, sometimes we get in the way and our witness can become a blockage. As we enter Spring, it is time for some spring-cleaning on our hearts and souls. In this message, we look at what it takes to make way for King Jesus to be seen in our lives and for the world around us to experience Him through us. SUGGESTED QUESTIONS AND CONVO POINTS: 1. Discuss the connection between what people know about Jesus and how our lived example as Christians can impact that. 2. Have you seen how the character of a Christian can either compel people to know more about Jesus or repel them from wanting anything to do with God? 3. Read Isaiah 40:3-5. What does it mean to fill in the valleys? 4. What does it mean to level the mountains and the hills? 5. What does it mean to straighten the curves and smooth out the rough places? 6. According to that Scripture, what is the result of us paying attention to and dealing with these sins in our lives? 7. Spend time praying for each other. Confess. Repent and embrace God’s grace and forgiveness. 8. Is there anything the Holy Spirit is asking you to do after hearing today’s message?

In Jesus’ day, being welcomed at a table for the purpose of eating food with another person had become a ceremony, richly symbolic of friendship, intimacy and unity. Eating a meal was a place of trust, brotherhood, forgiveness. Radical hospitality is what Jesus did during his whole ministry. He ate with ALL people. In this message, you will be inspired to capture the heart of this important aspect of love…radical hospitality. SUGGESTED QUESTIONS & CONVO STARTERS: 1. Discuss with those in your Home Church group, what difference your group has had on your life. 2. Why has the culture of our Home Churches thrived, when in our society the opposite tends to be true? 3. Are there people in your sphere of influence that you are led to connect more with? Pray for God to open up conversations and opportunities to have them over for a meal and to experience what you are enjoying in your Home Church. 4. How can you provide a space in your home for radical hospitality to take place? Identify the barriers and obstacles that can get in the way. What can you do to overcome these? 5. Bravely ask the Holy Spirit to reveal if there is any offensive emotion or critical spirit within you toward those that we often label as too sinful, too unreachable and too hostile. How would Jesus want you to respond?

Has anyone ever stood up for you? Whether it was a friend in the school playground backing you up in a sandpit fight, or a boss who valued your potential, fact is, we all need someone who believes in us and is willing to stand up for us in the things that matter. In this message, you will be inspired to be that person who stands in the gap for those around you and pray for them in ways that will have a lasting impact. SUGGESTED QUESTIONS and CONVO STARTERS: 1. Share with your group what this series of messages (“Own Where You Live”, “Power Walking”, “My People – My Purpose” and “Standing in the Gap”) has done to enrich your purpose for living where you live. 2. Has God given you any insight into what He specifically wants you to pray about where you live? 3. Have you received any ideas that have come from God on how you are to partner with Him in your town? 4. Describe how you see your neighbours, your block, your street and your community. Does it line up with God’s heart for them? 5. What will you do with what you have heard in these messages? Can you and your group discern a strategy from God and agree on ways that you will live this out beyond this message? 6. Please spend time seeking God on what He has to say about your town and how He wants you to pray and be a part of the solution.

It seems the more humanity grows the more internally focused we are becoming. Social media is anything but social. Phones that are designed to connect us have made us more isolated. We’ve become so inwardly focussed that we are missing out on what is happening right in front of our eyes. In this message, we will once again capture what God is saying to us as He lift’s our gaze upward and outward. This is a follow-up message to “Own Where You Live” and “Power Walking”. SUGGESTED QUESTIONS & CONVERSATION STARTERS: 1. It is easy to enjoy the benefits and blessings of the Christian life. But what are some dangers of the blessed life and how can they shift our focus from our purpose? 2. Do you find it easy to judge people based on what you see? How can you capture the true nature of a person and see what God sees? 3. Read Romans 9:1-4 and 10:1. Paul called his fellow Jews, “MY PEOPLE”. What caused Paul to see others this way? What will it take for the people of God to see those in their community as “my people”? 4. What stops us, The Church, from making a bigger difference where we live? 5. Do you have a dream for your town that you need to revisit? 6. Spend time praying with others and seek God for creative ideas and a divine strategy that will reach the people that God has surrounded you with. What will it take to see this message extend beyond this moment?

We live in a world that is loud and fast. Yet, in the midst of it all we have a Shepherd guiding us to the peace that is only found in His presence. In this message you will find great encouragement as we embrace the truth of Psalm 23. QUESTIONS and CONVERSATION POINTS: 1. How do you define the phrase “God’s Presence”? What does it mean to you? 2. Compare the world’s definition of ‘peace’ with how God defines it. How different are they? 3. Read Philippians 4:6-7. Have you experienced the peace that “surpasses all understanding”. Share that testimony with your group. 4. Read through Psalm 23 (once from the NIV or NKJV and then from The Passion Translation). What are some standout statements in that Psalm that help you dwell in God’s presence? Explain why. 5. What parts of Psalm 23 speak of the beauty of God’s presence? 6. Go around your group and have each person share how they experience God’s presence and peace. What do you do to get there? Your example may inspire others to try something new.

The Old Testament kings made some significant decisions that would have a deep impact on their rule and reign, on the people of their nation and the way of life for the generations that would follow. But none would be more impactful than to not remove the high places of compromise, sin and idolatry that plagued God’s people and divided their hearts. In today’s message we are going to look at what these high places were and how they still have the capacity to trip us up today. Let’s not fool ourselves, idolatry is alive and active today. SUGGESTED QUESTIONS and CONVERSATION POINTS: 1. High Places in the Old Testament were epicentres of evil idol worship and sin. How could the people of God allow such perversion and fall into such evil so willingly? 2. What comparisons can you make with the High Places of old and today’s high places? Do we still have a problem with them? 3. Is idol worship active today? If so, how and where? 4. After hearing today’s message, have you noticed any signs of your heart turning to a false saviour (an idol)? Explain why our hearts can easily turn to other things or other people apart from God. 5. What steps can be taken to remove the high places and put to death the influence of idolatry in our lives. 6. How can you protect your heart from decreasing in your devotion and worship of Jesus?