For the message, Moving Out Of Our Comfort Zone given by Pastor John Ferguson at New City Church

of Calgary on February 23, 2014 These discussion questions are designed to help you reflect upon and apply the message from the Scriptures. You can use these by yourself for reflection, or with your family or small group for discussion.

Discussion Questions: Luke 9:1-9

Introduction:

! Recount a time when you have been forced out of your comfort zone. (Maybe it was a situation at work, or a
difficult conversation you had to have, or a time when you took a step of faith to do something the Lord was calling you to do.)

! !

! Read Luke 9:1-9. ! Questions: ! 1. Jesus own ministry revolved around the theme of the kingdom of God. Pastor John defined this as the ! ! ! 2. ! ! 3. ! 4. ! ! 5. ! ! 6. ! ! 7.
Describe what your sense of anticipation would be as you awaited this day when the Lord God would come in a new and a fresh way to establish the kind of world you longed?

kind rule of God that the people of Jesus time were looking forward to coming one day. Read some of these texts from the prophet Isaiah to get a feel for what they longed for: Isaiah 2:4; 11:6-9; 25:6-8; 61:1-3; 65:17-25.

Now imagine the young prophet from Nazareth named Jesus who came announcing that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. Read Luke 4:42-44 about Jesus popularity, and how he described his own mission. In Luke 9, Jesus is about to set his face towards Jerusalem to journey there and to ultimately give his life there in the brutal act of crucifixion. But before he does that, he wants to give his disciples some hands on ministry experience. How do verses 1-2 describe the deputization of the disciples as well as the commissioning of the disciples. Place yourself in their position. Jesus essentially says, I want you to go and do and say what Ive been doing and saying. And Im not going to be at your side. What would have been going through your mind? Read verse 3. What do you think Jesus is trying to teach his disciples by sending them out without any provisions? Jesus tells them in verses 4-5 that they would encounter both acceptance to their message as well as rejection. The same is true today. How does that knowledge affect you? Inspire you? Intimidate you? Reflect on these verses: John 15:18-20; Acts 17:32-34; Philippians 1:29. What did the visual aid that Jesus gave his disciples in Luke 9:5 communicate? Pastor John summarized the main idea of the message like this: To be a follower of Jesus is to move out of our comfort zones and participate in the mission of Jesus. What do you like and dislike about this summary? Jesus instructs us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all our needs will be taken care of (Matthew 6:33). Do you think that, generally speaking, Christians in North America believe this? Why or why not? What is the connection between seeking first Gods Kingdom (rather than our own) and moving out of our comfort zones? Pastor John concluded his message by encouraging us to grow in desperately dependent prayer. What is the connection between moving out of our comfort zones and desperately dependent prayer?

Conclusion:

! Renewing your mind: !Matthew 6:33, But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things [noted in
6:25-32] will be added to you.

What is the one thing you want to take away from this study to remember or to make a change in your life? How does this text help you understand your need for Jesus? How does this text challenge you to follow him?