For  some practice in spiritual formation personally, with your Group or Triad this week, use the following Renew Group Study questions based upon today’s message “We Are” by Ron Lewis at Spring Road Christian Church:

1)    Have you ever experienced another culture (either in another country or perhaps in an international community locally) where “the way they did things” was really different?   Tell about your experience and explain why it was so different.

2)    What kind of “cultural differences” can you see between life in the Kingdom of God vs. life in the Kingdom of the world?  (For more interesting info, go www.michaelplank.org and check the blog called “NaCl”)

3)    In one sentence, what’s the BIG IDEA of this week’s sermon entitled “We Are” based on Matthew 5:13-16?  If you missed it, you can listen online at http://www.springroad.org/#/sermons-studies.

4)    Why have so many in American culture had such problem with the 10 Commandments  (Exodus 20:1-17) being posted in public places?

5)    What do you think the public’s reaction would be if The Beatitudes were posted in public places instead?  (Matthew 5:3-12)

6)    Why didn’t Jesus just restate the 10 Commandments here (in the above text)?  In what way(s) is/are The Beatitudes related to the 10 Commandments?

7)    The Discovery channel aired a show recently entitled Aftermath: Population Zero to show how our natural environment would reclaim the earth if all people were suddenly gone from the planet.  If all Believers were suddenly gone from our immediate area (The Valley), would it make a difference?  What do you believe would happen?

8)    Sometimes I catch myself looking at the world around me & focusing upon how bad things are…should we ever look around & think how much worse they would be if we were not present?

9)    When someone does a kind act toward you, to what degree are your antennae up about authenticity?  In other words, WHY would motivations for kind actions matter?

10)   In Falling Upwards, author Richard Rohr writes how every person radiates either “Thanatos” (death) or “Eros” (passion/life).   Can you think of people in your life who are these?  (No names please!)  Rohr goes on to say that most of us frequently find ourselves somewhere in between.  If these were on a continuum, where to you think you are? Where do you want to be?

Thanatos—————————————————————————————————Eros

APPLY IT:

Under correct conditions, the human eye can see a single lit candle for 3.5 miles!  You may think you need to be an airport beacon; but making big Kingdom impacts begin in small ways & close to home.  Write next to each category below (that apples to you) 1 practical way that you could be salt/light this week:

Spouse or Roomate

In the Office

Children

While Driving

In a Restaurant

Checkout Line

Classmate

Email/Online

Physical Home Environment

In my Subdivision or Community