Gateway South & Gateway Central

2/21 WHAT’S THE MATTER?

In our current series This Matters, we want to focus on what’s most important to live a life with purpose and intentionality. Inspired by the book of Colossians, this series is designed to help you realize that you matter way more than you think! Spiritual growth comes from applying God’s Word to our lives. The Next Steps are designed to help us maximize the impact of the message from the inspire service by discussing these questions with your roommates, your family over dinner, your running partners, or in a Life Group.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. If you grew up going to church services, what are some of the funniest or most awkward moments you experienced? If attending church services was not part of your experience, what was your impression of those who did?
2. Why do you think most Americans attend a church on Sundays? What are some of the good motivations and not so good motivations?
3. When someone says: “I am spiritual but not religious” what do you think they mean?
4. In Colossians 2, Paul points towards a relationship with God as far superior to religion or superstition. Read Colossians 2:8-10,16-17, 20-23. What is challenging about the idea of developing a relationship with God as opposed to being religious? What are the advantages of religious rituals and the pitfalls of religious rituals?
5. According to Colossians 2:13-15, what has God done through Jesus for us? What happens when we surrender our lives to God and trust what Jesus did on the cross as something we need for our lives?
6. Read Ephesians 2:8-10 and Colossians 2:6-7. God’s grace means He shows His love for us by offering forgiveness and a relationship with Him through Jesus even though we don’t deserve it. Our response is faith. What does it mean to respond “by faith”? Since we began a relationship with God “by grace through faith,” how do we also live “by grace through faith”? According to Colossians 2:6-7, how do we grow in our faith?
7. Read Romans 10:9-10. How do we begin a relationship with God?
8. What are your next steps to beginning a relationship with God, restarting a relationship with God, or growing in your relationship with God?

KEY SCRIPTURES

Colossians 2:8-10, 16-17, 20-23
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority…. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ…. Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Colossians 2:13-15
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Colossians 2:6-7
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Romans 10:9-10
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

DIGGING DEEPER

Did you know you can now track your progress working through the outcomes we include in Next Steps right on Gateway’s website?! Go to Spiritual Growth Path and create an account. You’ll get access to Spiritual Fitness Checks and training with the spiritual outcomes.

Spiritual Outcomes – Trust Christ & Relate to God

• If you’re wondering how you can know God personally, the Trust Christ spiritual outcome will provide you some helpful resources to learn about the big ideas of the Christian faith and explore how to make a commitment to follow Christ.
• If you’re in a place where you’re wanting to kick-start your relationship with God again, the Relate to God spiritual outcome will walk you the practices of daily walking and talking with Him.