Invests Relationally
Relationships are central to the Christian Faith. The two greatest commandments in all of scripture are rooted in relationship – love God, love others. Jesus said that all of the words and laws of the Bible could be reduced to our need to love God and others. Indeed, everything He did was an act of love for His Father and love for people. Jesus invested well in relationships. When we follow Him, so can we.
Discussion Questions
How are your relationships? Healthy? Hurting? Are you investing the way you would like in your relationships? Why or why not?
Think of three people who have invested in you in different areas or at different times in your life. What did they see in you? What influence did they make for you? What do they mean to you?
The thread of relationships is woven throughout the tapestry of scripture. Remove this thread and the whole thing falls apart. Think of some of the major relationships that we see throughout the scripture. What different kinds do you see?
Read Mark 12:29-31 and Matthew 28:18-20. What do these two passages have to do with relationships and how are they connected?
In New Testament we can see three different kinds of relationships: Investing Down – Paul to Timothy; Investing Across – Paul and Barnabas; and Investing Up – Timothy to Paul. What role to each of these kinds of relationships have in our lives? Who is your Timothy? Your Barnabas? Your Paul?
The Honor of Influence
With our eyes set on Jesus we’re changing to become Christ-like influencers. But what is the purpose of that change? Certainly, we bring God glory when our lives more closely resemble His Son. But living like Jesus also means we’re able to influence others by the way...
Engages with God Daily
One way to gauge your progress as a person who wants to follow Jesus is to ask whether or not you engage with God every day. Do you instinctively turn to God as a habit and include Him as a normal part of your life? When we understand God makes movement toward us...
Gives Generously
Giving generously means recognizing that God has given us gifts, talents, possessions, time, and influence to use for His purposes. We are merely stewards of what we have—it all belongs to God. Giving well means giving with open hands and hearts, trusting God to meet...
How We Love
Our early life experiences, for better or worse, teach us how to love. Stumbling over the same irksome “dance steps” in their relationships, people usually have no clue there’s another way – a better way. Using attachment theory, experts Milan and Kay Yerkovich have...
Freedom Weekend
This weekend, churches all across the globe are partnering with International Justice Mission (IJM) in Freedom Sunday. LifePoint is thrilled and honored to participate again this year and to host a very special guest speaker. Sean Litton serves as President of IJM,...
Loves Extravagantly
Loving others means taking action for someone else. We love others because God has loved us first, with extravagant, unconditional love. Love is meant to be given away in overflowing measure. God demonstrates His own love for us by sending Jesus to die for us. We...
Surrenders Continually
Saying, “I give up,” sounds like defeat unless we are surrendering to God. Victory and purpose in life are found when we live like Jesus lived. When we surrender continually to God we admit our absolute dependence on Him. And we acknowledge that our lives are really...