Reconciliation | Finding Our Way Back Together Again | Drew Moore
Why does it feel easy to blame people instead of problems? Staying together paints the picture of who God is to those around us. This sort of life requires that we remember why we are together and who we are becoming. Reconciliation is a mindset and a commitment. What step do you need to take to find your way back together again?
Key Verses
2 Corinthians 6:11-13 NLT: Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you.There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us.I am asking you to respond as if you were my own children. Open your hearts to us!
2 Corinthians 7:2-4 NLT: Please open your hearts to us. We have not done wrong to anyone, nor led anyone astray, nor taken advantage of anyone.I’m not saying this to condemn you. I said before that you are in our hearts, and we live or die together with you.I have the highest confidence in you, and I take great pride in you. You have greatly encouraged me and made me happy despite all our troubles.
2 Corinthians 7:5-7 NLT: When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside.But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.His presence was a joy, but so was the news he brought of the encouragement he received from you. When he told us how much you long to see me, and how sorry you are for what happened, and how loyal you are to me, I was filled with joy!
2 Corinthians 7:8-9 NLT: I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while.Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way.
2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT: For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.
2 Corinthians 7:11 NLT: Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.
One of the best ways to hear what God is saying right now is to look at what He has said in the Bible with a few friends. Discovery Bible Study is an easy-to-use way to hear from God, make good changes in our lives, and share with others what God is up to. Grab some friends, pick a verse or story from above, and dive deeper into this week’s message.
Recap
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To begin the study, each person answers these questions:
What are you thankful for?
What is causing stress for our neighbors and people around us?
What can we as individuals or as a group do to help?
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Have someone retell the story from your previous meeting.
Did you live out your response from last week?
Did you tell anyone else about the story from last week?
DISCOVERING WHAT GOD IS SAYING
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One person reads the story out loud to the group.
Someone else in the group retells the story in their own words as they remember it, and others fill in what’s missing.
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Read the passage again (different version if possible)
What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan?
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Have 1-2 more people retell the story as if they were telling a neighbor outside their home.
What does this passage say about people in general?
DISCOVER WHAT GOD IS SAYING
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What in me needs to change to better DO what God is showing me today?
How will you respond to/obey this passage in a tangible, perhaps even costly ways in the next 47 hours?
Have someone record these for prayer time, and for the beginning of the next meeting.
SHARING WHAT GOD IS SAYING
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Take prayer requests
Pray together
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Who in your life needs to hear this story?
Who could you invite to study the Bible like this?
Practice Generosity Here
Every time you give in Jesus’ name, you make a difference in others AND you make a difference in your own life! Partnering together in generosity helps accomplish things together that could never be accomplished alone! You can partner together in giving today with a single gift, or schedule recurring giving using your checking account, debit, or credit card.