GO & MAKE DISCIPLES WHO MAKE DISCIPLES.
***Updated every Monday!***
For the Newsletter Growing Deeper email click here.https://mailchi.mp/a8610c44103b/weekly-connection
Growing-Deeper-John-_-The-Explicit-Gospe-58.pdf

Sermon study guide for next-level growth.

Watch Sermon Series Here

Sermon Overview

This past Sunday, we explored the reality of persecution that comes with abiding in Christ. Jesus didn't promise us health, wealth, and happiness. Instead, He warned us that the world would hate us because it first hated Him. When we truly abide in the vine and live boldly for Christ, we enter into an eternal conflict between man and God. While we are in Auburn, Indian, we have been largely insulated from severe persecution; 380 million Christians worldwide face daily persecution for their faith - one in seven believers globally. This isn't about seeking conflict, but understanding that evil seeks to destroy truth. If we're living authentically for Christ, persecution will find us. The question we must wrestle with is: Are we Christian in name only, or are we truly abiding in the vine?
Takeaways:

Sermon Series: 
John: The Explicit Gospel
The Cost of Discipleship
Key Passage:  John 15:18-25

Key Takeaways

  1. Persecution is normal, not abnormal, for Christians. Jesus promised it would come.
  2. American Christianity has been insulated from persecution by God's grace, but that may be changing.
  3. Real persecution is happening daily to millions of believers worldwide while we worry about comfort and preferences.
  4. Persecution serves Kingdom purposes: it confirms discipleship, spreads the gospel, builds faith, and sets believers apart from the world.
  5. Our response must be to rely on the Holy Spirit, stand firm on the truth, and remember that Jesus warned us.
  6. We cannot love both the world and God. Trying to have both leads to compromised faith.

Discussion Questions

  1. What stood out most to you from the sermon? What made you uncomfortable? Why?
  2. How would you define persecution? What's the difference between persecution and simply experiencing consequences for being unkind or unwise?
  3. Pastor Josh stated that 380 million Christians face daily persecution worldwide. How does this reality challenge your perspective on what it means to follow Christ?
  4. Read John 15:18-21. Why does the world hate Jesus? Why does it hate His followers? How does understanding this change how we view opposition?
  5. "If you are living boldly for Christ and standing on truth, you will be a magnet for persecution." Is this true in your life? Why or why not?
  6. Pastor Josh asked: "Are you Christian in name or are you abiding in the vine?" How would you honestly answer this question? What's the evidence in your life?
  7. "Christians who think they can live openly, faithfully, fruitfully for Jesus, yet enjoy all the favor of the world are deceiving themselves." Do you agree or disagree? Where might you be trying to have both?
  8. Have you ever compromised biblical truth to maintain respectability or avoid conflict? Share if you're comfortable. What was at stake?
  9. "We're notorious about forgetting what we should remember and remembering what we should forget." What sins or failures do you need to forget (leave at the cross)? What truths about persecution do you need to remember?
  10. The story of the Indian family who died rather than deny Christ was powerful. What does their example teach us? Could you imagine having that kind of faith?

Further Study

  1. Voice of the Martyrs (persecution.com) - Stories and prayer guides for persecuted Christians
  2. Open Doors USA (opendoorsusa.org) - World Watch List of countries where persecution is worst
  3. Book recommendation: Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand
  4. Book recommendation: The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer