March 8, 2020

Matthew 5:1-12

Today we heard from one of our elders, Laurie Stuck, & he began by referencing Jesus’ radical call from Matthew 4.

1. It was said that this call is the place where being a follower of Christ begins. Have you shared your testimony with those in your community group? How does your testimony of faith in Jesus compare to your current living…are you living a life consistent with the radical call of Jesus?

2. We also referenced Galatians 3 where we see in Galatians 3:26-27 that those who are in Christ are sons & daughters of God. This means a follower of Jesus is not simply about behavior modification, but putting on Christ & enjoying life with a new heart. What’s the difference between focusing solely on behavior modification versus focusing on WHO we are & letting that then inform WHAT we do?

Then we went through the various Beatitudes from Matthew 5. Laurie said that what’s shared in this passage should be the characteristics of God’s grace at work in our lives.

3. First, look at all of these characteristics given…how are each of these only produced by the grace of God as the Spirit works in the life of the believer?

4. Which of these beatitudes is most challenging for you to see evidence of in your life? How can we encourage one another as we seek to pursue these characteristics as we follow Christ?

5. One of the great words from Sunday’s message was that “Our ambition, desire, & goal is to be like Christ, and the more we look like Christ…the less we look like the world.” What are ways you see others at MBC looking more like Christ? Take time to praise God for those evidences of God’s grace.

6. Finally, Laurie talked about how the term, “blessed” in each beatitude could be understood as God’s looking at us & being pleased. How does each of the results seen in these beatitudes reflect God’s pleasure & kindness?

7. Finally, we heard a challenging question: As God is looking at us today, is His face pleased as He’s looking at us?

We ended the service by hearing the news that Bryan Elliott would be stepping down from his position as Associate Pastor of Children as of April 19. So take time to pray for Bryan & his family as he makes this transition. Finally, if anyone has questions concerning this announcement…please make sure to ask Bryan directly! Thanks everyone.