Kingdom Longings
Exploring how God as met us in our own stories
Discussion
▸ What do you think are differences between the way God sees you and how you see yourself?
Big Idea: Repentance
We often view repentance in the same way that we view sin, as a behavior. However, as we discussed earlier, sin is finding life where there is no life. Sin taints the way we understand our identity, receive God’s love, and how we interact with others. Repentance therefore, must provide a solution that addresses more than just the behavior.
Some approaches to repentance can create a cycle of shame and guilt which increases the sense of longing and leads to needing even more sin behavior. Over time the never-ending sense of shame and guilt leads to self hatred and resentment towards the Christian faith.
Alan Hirsch translates the Greek word for repentance, “metanoia,” to mean “Mind Blown” or “Paradigm Shift.” Repentance is the solution to clearing up our view of reality. Repentance is the process of identifying lies that we believe and choosing to trust in God’s idea of what reality is (the Kingdom of God). Max Lucado’s video called “You are Special” is a great depiction of repentance:
▸ Watch the You are Special Video by Max Lucado
▸ In the video, how does Punchinello’s view of reality change?
▸ How does this definition change how you think about repentance?
Micro-testimonies often come in the form of sharing how an experience of repentance met you in your longings and what difference it made.
Activity
▸ Share micro-testimonies. (Reminder to keep it to 5 minutes each).
If the person who shared is comfortable and willing:
▸ As a group, walk through what you can see as their LONGING, LIES, COPING MECHANISM, KINGDOM SOLUTION, and what difference it makes in their life.
It’s important to make sure the kingdom solution matches the longing and lie. If the longing/lie is about value, the solution should be about value.
▸ Ask questions for clarification and to produce more understanding if needed.
Next Week
▸ What is a world event that is resonating in your mind?
▸ As a group, choose one to discuss next week.