Sermon Study Guides

Print Preview

CSC’s Centre For The City strives to lead with compassion and at the same time make allowance for divine interruptions. What CSC does in The Centre locally, we also do globally by partnering with many churches and agencies. This partnership leads to many transformative stories.

Hope City Church in Barrie, Ontario, is one of CSC’s partner churches. Hope City concentrates on mission in the margins, activating the potential of God’s Kingdom in community. Kevin Mast, pastor of Hope City Church, tells the story of their Emergency Warming Centre, where church members get to know homeless people while keeping them warm and providing meals for them.

The town drunk had passed out in the melting snow. When he came—soaked, shaking, wet, dirty, smelly, drunk and in despair—to the warming centre, he was hugged by a staff member. Kevin put a hand on the drunk’s shoulder and prayed for him. That prayer was answered in real time. He felt peace and calmness come over him. Another person called that centre his personal sanctuary.

Principles of Kingdom Activation:

1. Intentional Incarnation: Jesus came to earth and God became a man.

The Kingdom is already in our midst (Luke 17:21). Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to yeast in a lump of dough. As the yeast consumes sugar and starch, it produces carbon dioxide, which causes the dough to rise. The Kingdom of God, like yeast in the dough, is already in our midst. As we read the Bible, pray, and worship, we mix the Kingdom of God principle into our relationships and growth occurs.

Nazareth of Galilee was a melting pot of migrants, refugees and people in widespread poverty. Galileans were despised as exiles and were widely considered to be unredeemable sinners. They were despised by both Romans and Jews. But Jesus came to bring good news to the poor. Jesus intentionally spent time with people in Galilee.

Mission happens most effectively in our daily rhythms. We need to be intentional like Jesus. In the same way Jesus entered Galilee, we need to shift from “mission to” to “mission among,” and adopt a new posture, dwelling with, dwelling among the marginalized.

2. Sacrificial Solidarity: Jesus lived in sacrificial solidarity with the poor; He had no place to lay His head. Share life together. Stand in the cold and shiver with others. Build relationships.

3. Generative Generosity: “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” (Acts 2:44-45). Jesus gave Himself away. Give more of yourself to Jesus’ gospel mission.

The way of Jesus. We aren’t’ all going to be in full time mission, but we need to see people the way Jesus sees them. When Jesus saw the crowds, he saw them as sheep without a shepherd and He was filled with compassion.

In Acts 3 and 4, Peter and John’s daily rhythm was to take part in the mid-afternoon prayer service at the Temple. While doing that, they encountered a lame man who asked for alms. Peter responded, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

The lame man’s reaction—walking, leaping, and praising God—drew a crowd, which gave Peter the opportunity to preach to the crowd. Many people believed the message and about 5,000 were saved.

"A disciple of Jesus learns to do the things Jesus does for the same reasons Jesus does them.” (Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost)

Study Questions

IN - PURSUE RELATIONSHIP

1. Where have you experienced God showing up when you were in need? Explain.

2. When have you seen a need, stepped in, and saw God show up? Tell us.

3. When someone says ‘mission’, what comes to mind? Prior to this message, what did being ‘on mission’ look like to you?

UP - PURSUE GOD

1. Read Luke 4:18-19; 10:1-9; Acts 2:44-47 and 3:1-10. How did the disciples live out the same mission and purpose of their Rabbi Jesus? How is their mission our mission today?

2. Read Luke 13:20-21 and 17:20-21. Discuss the comparison of the Kingdom of God to yeast. How is the Kingdom of God in our midst and how can we make it grow?

OUT - PURSUE MISSION

1. Share if you experienced God orchestrate a ‘divine interruption’ that changed your life. Have you felt God interrupting you through this study or from the message? In what way?

2. Discuss how you can be a better person of peace to those around you, to be at ‘mission among’ them in generous sacrificial solidarity. How can the group support you?

Personal Reflection

What hinders you from being on mission? Journal your thoughts and where you sense God speaking to you. Ask Him for you to be strong and courageous. Commit to talking to a leader this week about where God may be leading you.

The Word (NIV)

Luke 4:18–19

¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

Luke 10:1–9

¹⁰ After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. ² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

⁸ “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

Luke 13:20–21

²⁰ Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? ²¹It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Luke 17:20–21

²⁰ Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, ²¹nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Acts 2:44–3:10

⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

This Week's Writers: Elsa Henderson, David McMillin, Jorel Quemuel, Gene and Karen Gibbs