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9 February, 2020Pastor Mat von StankeTake Off - Vision Series

Bulletin
Living Out Loud
LifeGroup Guide

For many, the airport Check-in is the most stressful part of the journey. Making sure your bags are not overweight. Ensuring the right tag and right destination are placed on your bags before they head off on the conveyor belt. Knowing what you have to check-in and what you can carry-on. Remembering to remove any prohibited items. Having the right documentation for the destination you are journeying to. All so you can get your Boarding Pass to get on the right plane. Whether we realise it or not, most of us carry excess baggage – it’s not just physical, but emotional, relational and spiritual. Baggage that trips us up, wears us out and boxes us in and makes us anxious about the journey on which we embark. Today Jesus invites us to 'Check in' all of our baggage at the counter of his grace and receive a boarding pass that will lead to places we never imagined. We hope you’re packed and ready to go!


#2 in Series: Take Off (Vision Series)


THEME VERSE:

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:38


REMEMBER THIS WEEK

 Whatever excess baggage you are carrying around, Jesus invites you to check it through to its final destination. He has already paid for it so you are free to use both hands to receive the love, the life and the blessings he has for you. For Jesus knows that you will love fullest, travel fastest and live lightest when you drop off all your baggage to him.


FAITH TAlK

1. When you travel somewhere, who in your family packs the most and who travels the lightest?

2. What kind of baggage can Christians be accused of carrying around?

3. What excess baggage are you carrying around that you need to check in and let go of?



Bible Reading

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him:

“‘I saw the Lord always before me.

    Because he is at my right hand,

    I will not be shaken.

26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

    my body also will rest in hope,

27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

    you will not let your holy one see decay.

28 You have made known to me the paths of life;

    you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:

    “Sit at my right hand

35 until I make your enemies

    a footstool for your feet.”’

36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

More from 'Take Off - Vision Series'

Cleared for Take Off

23 February, 2020 Pastor Mark Schultz

You are sitting at the end of the runway. Your seat belt is done up tightly, your personal items secured. It’s about to happen. The engine power increases. Do you close your eyes? Grab the seat rest or the person next to you? Look out the window? Say a prayer? The plane is cleared for take-off. It’s time to go. As full take off power is applied, the aircraft on which you are seated begins hurtling down the runway, and with a small bump, you leave the ground, are airborne, and the adventure begins. Today Jesus clears us for take-off. It’s time to go, to begin this next stage of the adventure, to get airborne as a Church and fly; to go beyond the limits of what we consider possible and see how far his love takes us! The control tower has given the all clear for take-off. So go, with the full power of the Spirit and let’s leave the ground and fly!

# 4 and final in Vision Series: Take Off

THEME VERSE:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

REMEMBER THIS WEEK

Don't discard the "Go" of Jesus' commission! It's a call that requires simple obedience. We are made to be like Jesus, to do what Jesus did and participate in his mission to the world. It's time to go!

FAITH TALK

1. What do you do when the plane is about to take off down the runway and get airborne?

2. How willing are you to go and participate in God's mission to the world? What stops you from going?

3. What limits do you place on yourself that stops you being bold for Jesus?

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Finding the Right Gate

16 February, 2020 Pastor Mark Schultz

It's that moment that you take a deep breath and slowly walk through the narrow door that will lead you to another world on the airside of the airport. The security screening process. Even if you are all prepared, there is still that moment as you wonder whether you will get through without beeping, pick up your hand luggage or carry on without anything being detected or an explosive test being conducted! But get through that and the possibilities are endless. From shops, to bars, to food courts, to prayer rooms, to airline clubs, there are so many things to help you prepare and get ready to board your flight or to distract you from getting to your gate!! But gates there are…plenty of them in an international terminal or city airport…gates which lead to exciting journeys and new places. Today Jesus speaks of security screening, of safety and fullness of life on the airside of grace as he calls us to find the right gate to board the right flight he has prepared for us.

#3 in vision series: "Take Off"

THEME VERSE:

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture." John 10:9

REMEMBER THIS WEEK

Listen to the voice of Jesus. He may announce a last minute gate change that will get you moving quickly to a new gate that will send you on an journey requiring great trust and obedience in him. Don't be afraid - he will both equip you and empower you with the gifts you need for the journey.

FAITH TALK

1. Who in your family is most likely to be stopped at airport security screening. Why?

2. What are the keys to a fulfilling life?

3. What spiritual gifts has God given you and how are you using them to serve God's vision in this place?

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Planning the Itinerary

2 February, 2020 Pastor Mark Schultz

The Spirit of Adventure lies in each one of us. We may ignore it for a while, we may even suppress it but there comes a time where there is a yearning for something more, where a dreaming about new horizons fills us with a restlessness to take-off of an exciting, unusual or daring adventure. There has always been a sense of adventure in our journey as LifeWay, and God is calling us again to Take-Off on a decade long journey toward the vision he has for us. The vision hasn't changed but the journeys we take together to get there….well they are up to you and your appetite to visit new waypoints, embark on new experiences and embrace new opportunities. So as we prepare to Take-Off on the next leg of our adventure, God invites us to sit down with the best travel agent going around, who has been there, done that and has all the insider tips to guide us it getting to our destination and Planning the Itinerary on a journey that will be life-transforming and eternity shaping for ourselves and others.

#1 in Vision Series: Take Off

THEME VERSE:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

REMEMBER THIS WEEK

Jesus knows both the vision and destination he has called us to as his people. Let him plan and surprise you with a bespoke discipleship itinerary that takes into account your gifts, your interests, your personality and challenges you in living, sharing and growing in ways that will terrify, surprise, thrill and lead all of us together as one Church on a continuous adventure of grace.

FAITH TALK

1. What is the most adventurous thing you have done in your life so far?

2. What has been the greatest faith adventure God has led you on?

3. What excites you/scares you most about the vision God has called LifeWay to?

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