ALIGNMENT
Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
January 7, 2024
#realspringcreekchurch #alignment #priorities #synch #purpose #life
https://www.springcreekchurch.org/
We’ve all had the experience of driving a car with tires out of alignment. The vehicle invariably pulls to one side or the other negatively impacting both handling and safety. Just like our vehicles, our lives are also susceptible to misalignment. When our lives are misaligned, it’s because our priorities have become disordered and are no longer in synch with God’s purposes. You don’t want to miss this message that shows us not only how to get the most out of the new year but also the most out of life.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. The church in Ephesus lived in a particularly challenging time. As you read Revelation 2.1-7, you notice that Jesus commends the church for several things. As you look over the commendations, why do those things matter? How well do Christians do the same thing today? In what areas are you strong? In what areas do you still need to grow as it relates to the things Jesus says He loves about this church?
2. As Pastor Keith shared, Jesus’ complaint is not that they don't love him. His complaint is they don't love him first. What does it mean to love Christ first? In the Christian life, what other things crowd Jesus out of first place? Is that the first thing people notice about our faith – our distinctive love for Christ? And if not, what would people say about us and what we loved most?
3. The very things Christ commended this church also became their stumbling block. Satan is so clever. He loves to take virtues and corrupt them. He loves it because we never think to look for Satan in the good stuff. We don’t think of him as primarily twisting good things into bad things. So being doctrinally correct began to eclipse loving people as they are and where they are. They were in danger of losing their witness (their lampstand). Take some time to discuss our tendency to want to be right more than we want to be loving.
4. Why is it important to stay in touch with our own brokenness and need of grace?
5. What we ultimately love will determine how the rest of our life is lived. It’s why it is so important to love Christ supremely above all things and all others. As Juan Carlos Ortiz shared in his book, Disciple, about the young man who did not have time to do much of anything in church He said he was so busy. But once he met a girl and fell in love, somehow he found the time to be with her three times a week. Ortiz’s conclusion? Love did it. And Love will do the same thing with us and to us. Whatever we love the most will determine the rest. What practical things can you do that cultivate your love relationship with Christ?