Trent Heaton // Rockford Campus // October 20, 2024

SMALL GROUP
DISCUSSION GUIDE

REMINDERS

LEADER DEVELOPMENT CLASS (Sun. Oct 20, 6–7pm – Rockford Campus Room 300)

LDC has begun! Come join fellow group leaders from various ministries to both get sharper and help sharpen others in faith. Whether you’ve led a group for 20 years or you’re just getting started, this class is open to all leaders young and old. No RSVP necessary.

Leaders: Please plan to attend 4 of these classes between Oct. 2024 through April 2025.

 

TOGETHER IN LIFE

What are some non-religious symbols you see around your house most days? What might they reveal about you? (Example: the Dunkin Donuts logo, because my mornings run on Dunkin.)

 

TOGETHER IN THE WORD

THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Luke 9:23-27

Note: If you are meeting as a group, we encourage you to read the entire text together out loud.

 

The Cross as a Symbol

Jesus says each of us should take up our cross daily, and it’s clear He doesn’t mean an actual, physical cross. The cross was a symbol of rejection, punishment, shame, scorn, and condemnation. The call to take up our cross is a call to live for Christ every day—facing the world’s rejection, shame, and condemnation that comes with it.

QUESTIONS

• How do we tend to view the cross as a culture these days? Where do you see it in the world and what do you think people think about it (if they think about it at all)?
• Sometimes Christians post or wear things that provoke a negative reaction from unbelievers. Not all negative reactions are persecution. Can you think of sayings or images that bring the world’s contempt but don’t really represent Christ well?
• Are there times that following Jesus has caused you to say or do something that was unpopular? What was it like to stick your neck out like that? What was the end result?

 

Tempted by the Throne

Jesus warned us to fight the temptation to try and save our own lives or gain the world for ourselves. Trent symbolized this temptation as the desire to take up the Throne instead. While embracing power and control apart from God may look like salvation, it’s ultimately a prison. In our culture, this often looks like my “right” to do what I want.

QUESTIONS

• What does trying to save your own life apart from Christ look like to you? What does it mean to gain the world from your perspective?
• Has there ever been a time in your life where you had to let go of something for Jesus?
• Is there anything in your life right now where you are clinging to the throne or tempted to take it up? What would it look like to take up your cross instead?
• What dangers do we face when we don’t give these things up to God?

 

Gain and Loss

The Cross exposes what is true about ourselves. It’s painful to take up our cross, and this reveals what matters most to us and strips away what is fake. But because of what Jesus eventually did on the real cross, our willingness to lose our life and give up the world for His sake is exactly what will save us and usher us into an eternity in glory with Him.

QUESTIONS

• What things does Jesus promise to the one who is willing to take up his/her cross daily? Can you think of other promises that await those who are faithful?
• Who is someone you know personally that does a good job of taking up their cross daily?
• Is there anything stopping you from trusting Christ more fully right now? What is one fear you have about applying this message?

 

TOGETHER IN ACTION

Our next steps as a church this week are to examine our lives to see what we need to give up for Christ, identify what desires or habits need to be killed, and to choose an attribute of Christ to pursue in prayer this month. Share with one another your answers to these questions or your plan to discern them.

 

TOGETHER IN PRAYER

Pray for one another keeping in mind the A.C.T.S. model:

• Adoration (praise for who God is)
• Confession (admitting and apologizing for sin)
• Thanksgiving (praise for what God has done), and
• Supplication (requests)

Remember that Jesus paid it all on the cross. He is big enough and good enough to take whatever you’re struggling with, forgive you your debts, and raise you up. This is the gift of God. Those who hope in Him will not be disappointed.