Christ Church Spitalfields

The Apostle Paul calls us, as disciples, to keep in step with the Spirit. (Gal 5:16) That is not something we can do alone. He goes on to encourage the Galatians to bear one another burdens. (Gal 6:2) That is why we ask everyone in the church to belong to some form of discipleship, nurture and accountability group which collectively we call Root Groups.

If you don’t yet belong to a Root Group, find one or two others and form one yourself, or else register your interest with your branch community leader who will help you connect with the right people. If you do belong to a Root Group, simply let us know.

Roots Groups meet as often as their members feel appropriate. Some meet every week, others fortnightly or monthly. They can meet at any time of the day at any point of the week at any location. They should involve the bible, prayer and copious amounts of coffee or tea.

We want each Root Group to be shaped by its members, but we do want to offer some suggestions and resources.

Getting Started

Here are two questions that might be helpful as you start meeting together:

1. What is God saying to you at the moment?
2. How are you responding to what God is saying?

Digging Deeper

Each week, we hope to post some questions raised by the sermon preached the previous Sunday. Here are some questions related to this week's Sunday sermon.

The Sower: Are you listening to Jesus? - (8 Aug 2010)

1. Are you good at listening? What are the marks of a good listener according to v23? (cf )
2. A disciple of Jesus is a lifelong learner growing in understanding. In what ways are you learning? Do you understand the following:
   a) The Gospel
   b) The storyline of the Bible
   c) What Christians believe?
   If not, how can you invest in your learning?

3. What are the things that make it difficult to listen to Jesus?
   a) Are you listening in a vacuum? (the seed on the path) – you’ve lost your love of the Word
   b) Are you listening underwater? (the seed on rocky ground) – you’re sinking under the pressure of trials and troubles
   c) Are you listening through white noise? (the seed among the thorns) – you value other things more highly than the Word and they drown out Jesus words.

The Growing Seed: Seeing the Kingdom in the Ordinary - Matthew 4:26-29 (1 Aug 2010)

1. The Pharisees confused the Kingdom with the nation. The Sadducees confused the Kingdom with the Temple. The Essenes confused the Kingdom with heaven. How did Jesus understand the Kingdom of God?
2. What is the seed sown by the farmer? How are you sowing the seeds of the Kingdom?
3. You can't make the seed grow and you can't see it grow. How does that make you feel? Do you feel frustrated? Do you feel released? Or something else?
4. What signs of the Kingdom have you seen in the ordinary moments of this week?

Fear or Faith: Our Moment of Truth - Numbers 13:1-3, 17-33 (11 July 2010)

1. In Numbers 13, Israel faces a moment of truth. Share a moment of truth you have faced in your life. Did you choose fear or faith? Why did you choose that particular path?
2. In what ways do you magnify the problems you face and minimise the resources God makes available to you?
3. Caleb chose faith and that choice stayed with him for the rest of his life (Joshua 14:6-14). He cultivated his faith by recalling God’s promises, remembering God’s faithfulness and by receiving his generosity.
   a) What promises has God made to you as a Christian? Encourage one another from the Scriptures
   b) In what ways has God been faithful to you in the past? How do these memories help you trust God in the future?
   c) How has God surprised you with his generosity?

4. As we launch the Six, will you respond with fear or faith. Which service will you commit to? Will you commit to attend Christ Church 3 Sundays a month for 6 months?

"We lost because we didn't win" (Ronaldo) - 1 Corinthians 9:23-10:6 (11 July 2010)

1. Ronaldo was overwhelmed with a fear of failure in the 1998 World Cup Final, and his team lost. The people of Israel had the opposite problem – a reckless overconfidence. In which situations do you fear failure? When are you more likely to feel overconfident? How might you develop the balance of a “confident humility”?
2. Paul was motivated to run his race well because he sought after “a crown that will last forever” (1 Thess 2:19). What is this crown? See . How can we all work as a team at Christ Church to build more of a Gospel Community?
3. Paul’s race required both setting his heart on the right desire and keeping his life disciplined. Do you want to grow more in desire or in discipline? How are they related?
4. Ronaldo’s quote can be changed to the Gospel message of “We won because of what Christ lost.” What did Christ lose for us when he went to the cross? What does this mean for us ultimately? What does it mean on a daily basis? See (Hebrews 12:1-3) .

"Football is not a matter of life and death, it's more important than that" (Bill Shankly) - Isaiah 44:6-23 (4 July 2010)

1. The idols of Isaiah’s day were made of wood and worshipped in shrines. (v12-20) Idolatry in the 21st century West looks a bit different. What are the idols our culture worships today?
2. Football might not be one of your idols, but do you know what idols you do have? (Remember, they can be good things, but they have become ultimate things for you). Ask yourself four questions to find out:
   a) What occupies your imagination?
   b) What gets you out of bed in the morning?
   c) What do you spend your money on?
   d) What arousing intense emotions in you?

3. In v23 Isaiah describes a passionate love for God that expresses itself in singing and shouting. How would you describe your love for Jesus? Is it a crazy love, or a little tepid and indifferent? How might you nurture the love you feel?