Finding Common Ground

God hasn’t blessed our church with potential for success. God has blessed our church with potential. Our assignment is to be faithful stewards of the potential the Lord has entrusted to us. and we must be faithful stewards to what God has entrusted to us.

Luke 19:1-10 (NASB)

1He entered Jericho and was passing through.2And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.3Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.4So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.5When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”6And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.7When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”8Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.”9And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.10“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Discussion:

  1. What stands out to you in the story of Zaccheus?

  2. What do you learn about Jesus from this story?

  3. What do you learn about humankind?

  4. What example is set by Jesus for us as we think about being "For The Lowcountry"?

  5. What was Jesus' "Why"? What is our church's "Why"?

  6. Who are "The Lost"? Why are they Lost?

Application:

  1. What are unchurched and de-churched people saying about not going to church? What do they say about why they don't go to church?

  2. What are people in our community who are critical of our church saying about our church?

  3. If you don't hear these conversations then ask yourself, "Why you are not around them?"

  4. Who do you know that might be looking for an invitation to a healthy community of people?

  5. Is there someone even if its just one person that you could invited to church next Sunday?

  6. Who is your one? How will you be praying for your one? What steps can you take this week to invite your one?

Prayer:

Pray that the Holy Spirit will place a name of someone on your heart that you need to invite to church. Pray that the Holy Spirit will give you ears to hear what people in your community are saying about church. Pray that the Holy Spirit will lead you to those conversations and that you would listen first and then respond in grace

Stephen Palacinofor the lowcountry