This week’s Main Idea

What turns dreams into reality? People with the means applying them passionately and consistently toward that same end, until it fully forms. What keeps dreams from taking shape? A lack of passion, capacity, or sense of personal responsibility to make the dream come alive. When it comes to the mission of God, our calling is clear, and our capacity to do our part is guaranteed by Jesus Himself. Where many dreams fall off the rails, and many churches drift off into irrelevance is where the individuals who make up the church family fail to see their own personal responsibility to do their part. When God’s people unite to pursue God’s dream in God’s way for God’s glory, nothing can stop them from accomplishing God’s will.

Scripture

Ephesians 4:11-12, 16, Exodus 18:13-18, Matthew 28:19-20, Galatians 6:9-10, Hebrews 10:23-25

Connect

At school or work, do you love or hate group projects? Why? What role do you usually find yourself taking on in the group? 

Explore

1. Read Ephesians 4:11-12, 16. No one can do everything, even if we had the time. God gives different abilities to different people and it takes all of us working together to achieve the big goal. Do you believe that there is a “special work” that God has prepared you to do for the church? Why or why not? Do you have an idea what your “special work” is? Is there something that you can do, that you enjoy and feel that you’re good at, that could help the church family? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, ask what the other people in the group think.

2. How could this special work that you can do help the whole church body grow and be healthy? What do you feel God is calling you to do to help the church right now, at this place in your life? What should we do if it seems that we just don’t have any time to serve the church? 

3. Read Matthew 28:19-20. How do you think the 12 disciples felt when Jesus told them to go to all nations? How did this small group of people tackle this enormous task? How did the work continue and spread beyond those first 12 people? What do you see as Brookside’s role in this world-wide mission? How far can or should our impact or influence extend? How do we make sure that our impact keeps expanding?

4. Read Galatians 6:7-10. Helping each other is good for the community as well as for us personally. What do we harvest for ourselves when we do good? How does doing good to each other help the church family achieve our dream of developing fully engaged followers of Jesus? Is this why it says we should do good “especially to those in the family of faith”? 

5. Read Hebrews 10:23-25. How important is it to motivate and encourage each other to love and do good works? Does it really make a difference to how well we collectively develop fully engaged followers of Jesus, and to how well we individually live as fully engaged followers of Jesus? Why or why not?

6. Are you a person who needs and loves encouragement, or is it not that important to you? Why do you think that is? When do you find that you especially need encouragement? How do you feel when someone encourages you to love and do good works? Can you think of a time when someone did this for you? What did you do as a result of the encouragement?

7. How can we motivate and encourage each other more, to live as fully engaged followers of Jesus and to work together to help others become fully engaged followers of Jesus?

Stretch

What is God saying to you from His Word right now?  What are you going to do about it?

Pray