Welcome to the Mariners Church Life Group Leader podcast. This week the conversation is designed to equip and resource youth to build a healthy life group community that studies God's word, practice the spiritual rhythms and changes the world together. Welcome, my leaders, to our Life Group Leader podcast. We are here looking at our series overview for our next sermon series.
What would Jesus say? There would be a great series here coming out of Easter here with Eric in his office. We're overlooking the campus, man. You might hear some noise in the background.
It is the noise of progress with all the great things happening as a result of the multiple campaign. Thankful, man. I love seeing dirt being spread and stuff being built. That's it, man.
I'm particularly excited looking outside of the new outdoor worship center. That is going to be incredible. It's going to be an awesome every week, man. Like seeing God move and do great things and how that expanded permanent space for people to experience Jesus on the weekend.
And then like group space. Man, a ton of new group rooms. Yeah, it's exciting. Yeah.
I was doing great stuff. Well, why don't we jump in? First, let's start with the title of the sermon series. What would Jesus say?
For those that may have been around church for a little while, that might sound slightly familiar, right? Where does that come from? What do we do here? Well, it more.
It initially wasn't. It really, the teaching series wasn't initially tied to the old saying what would Jesus do, but now it kind of is, which is, I'll explain. So for years, what would Jesus do was a popular tagline and a great question to ask. Hey, how do I live my life today?
Well, what would Jesus do? It initially came from a pastor named Charles Sheldon. He wrote this book in the late 1800s called In His Steps, Colen, What Would Jesus Do? And it was about, it was a fictional book about a pastor who asked his congregation to ask themselves that question every day for a year and it completely changed everybody.
So it's a great question to ask. However, some said, you know, it's really not the core of the Christian faith. The core of the Christian faith isn't what would Jesus do as if we have to wonder what he would do. The core of the faith is what has he actually already done?
And the message of the Christian faith is here's what Jesus did. And of course, when your heart is melted by the reality of his grace, here's what he did for you, you then will want to ask the question, well, what would you do in the situation? How would he treat someone? How would he respond?
What would he say? What would his reactions be? But if you're not careful, if you only go to what would Jesus do, you will live a more list approach to, I'm going to get God to love me by doing the right things as opposed to, no, no, he's already loved me because of what he did for me across. Therefore, I now do.
I now live differently because of what he's done. So how's that tie into what would Jesus say? People often ask, how would Jesus would say to this kind of person? You know, what would Jesus say to the prostitute who's working on the side of the street?
What would you say to a greedy business leader who stole money from somebody? What would you say to a burning made-off? What would Jesus say to a sex worker? What would Jesus say to the person at work who looks down on others and thinks there's nothing wrong with his or her life?
What would Jesus say to someone who's just in deep pain and suffering? I wonder what Jesus would say. And sadly, sometimes Jesus has things said that he would say that is not what he would say and we know it's not what he would say because it's not what he said. We don't have to wonder what would Jesus say.
We can actually look at what he said to all of those people because we have conversations of Jesus speaking with a prostitute, speaking with a shady, greedy business leader, speaking with someone suffering, speaking with a moral up and he thinks he's better than everyone else. We have recorded conversations of Jesus with all of these people. So what would Jesus say? You don't have to wonder.
We're going to look at what he actually said. And that's the teaching series coming out of Easter. Just approach it. If you think what Jesus would say is the same thing that you would say in every situation.
It's probably incorrect. Probably incorrect. If you think that what Jesus would say is different than what he already has said, for sure, incorrect. So, hey, I think it's a great question.
What would Jesus say? Actually, we're asking the question. But to answer it, we're going to look at what he's already said. Not our own subjectivity, not our own experience, but looking at the direct words of Jesus from the gospel.
And so that's what we're doing through these eight weeks. We're going straight into the gospels. I think we're in awe. We're in awe.
We're in awe. We're in awe. We're in awe. We're in awe.
We're in awe. John, Matthew, and Luke, throughout. Some stories that you may heard from now. Some well-known stories.
Jesus say to a person's suffering. Yes. And Jesus interacts with lots of people who suffer. We're going to look at one incredible story.
It's not a story. It's an actual account in John chapter 5. We're going to have extended prayer at all of our services that week. And one thing I've learned and watched my father suffer and now passes the number of people who've reached out to me in our church who are currently going through suffering.
And when you're going through suffering, you reach out to other people who are suffering because you feel a connection to them. So people reaching out to me who are going through pain because they're going through pain. And what I talked to someone else is going through pain. It's just been a reminder to me that there's deep pain at every one of our worship services, all throughout Southern California.
And the good news is that we have words of Jesus to us in our suffering. We too, what would Jesus say to an unbelieving skeptic? So someone who says, I don't know sure about Jesus or I'm not sure his promises are for me. We're going to look at an incredible account of Jesus and the Daniel and how does Jesus interact with an unbelieving skeptic.
I'm so passionate about that. So I believe that's in week two. And then week three will be what would Jesus say to a greedy business leader? I wonder what would Jesus say to Bernie Madoff?
What would he say to the leaders of Enron? What would he say to the person in Southern California who is so consumed with advantage to Jean himself or herself that the person is willing to disadvantage others? What would Jesus say to a greedy business leader? We have Jesus' account of his conversation with Zacchaeus.
So that's what we're going to look at. And then... He's a greedy business leader, but he's completely despised by... Oh, this guy was hated.
Like most greedy business leaders when you get to know them. The more you know them, you're like, man, this person is... I do not like this person. I'm an envious person's wealth sometimes, but I do not want to be this person.
And that's really a greedy business leader and we have an account. And then week four, what would Jesus say to a prostitute? A woman, some text say who's lived a sinful life. If you most scholars say, she's so well known as living a sinful life, this is clearly in that culture, a prostitute.
And Jesus has a conversation with her. So if you're driving in downtown LA and you see a prostitute or you thought, man, I wonder what Jesus would say to that adult film star or to someone who's just completely lived a life of quote unquote reckless, wild living. What would Jesus say to that person? We have an account of Jesus interacting in a beautiful and gracious way with this person.
This applies to every single one of us. And then we five will go into what would you say to a Christian today? This is going to be a reminder of what the mission of every one of us is. And gosh, week six is Mother's Day.
And what would Jesus say to his mom? Do his mother? We have Jesus speaking to his mom. We've got a few different things that then he's right.
So that's going to be a fun passage from Mother's Day weekend. And then week seven, what would Jesus say to those who think they had it all figured out? And surely there's people in all of our lives who think they had it all figured out. We can get frustrated with these people.
What would Jesus say? What is his message to these people? And then what would Jesus say to a doubting follower? Someone who I believe in Jesus, and I am totally wrestling with doubts.
What does Jesus say to this person? And that is week eight. And that is the end of May. Come on.
Beautiful. Like I said, we've got Mother's Day weekend in here. We've got two eye beliefs. We've got a moment for extended prayer.
We've got outreach weekend. So lots of things that are happening within the sermon series for your groups to engage and be a part and part of. And on this podcast, we've probably got some new life leaders that are listening just coming out of this last session of Rooted. And we love that you're taking this next day up to jump in and to shepherd your group really well.
And this is a resource that's for you. I mean, we're so impacted by the teachings we get in a week out. But I know it's your heart too. You want to be a church that doesn't just receive and hear these messages.
But we want to really metabolize them and do that. And how do we do that? We do that in great encouragement, challenging discussion with one another. And then we put it into action.
We don't just listen to discuss what we put into action. A lot of things to put in action in these eight weeks. I think as a life group leader, this will be a really fun eight weeks. It's really refreshing.
So if you have been leading a life group all of this calendar year, I know that as you mentioned at the new life group leaders and welcome so glad you are leading a group. Thanks for sharing people on our shirts. Very grateful for you. If you have been leading all of this calendar year, I mean, you've led a life group through some really serious topics, whether deconstruction or justice or now bringing up song of Solomon for sure, raise those questions about sex and sexuality and pursuit.
Ah, these eight weeks, you're just spending time with Jesus. So enjoy the Gospels. Enjoy spending time with Jesus looking at these incredible accounts. And I love these accounts because they remind me that Jesus is not an idea.
He is the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, who entered our world and has very real conversations with lots of different people. And likely, all of us have been snippets of each of these people. At times in our life, we've all felt like this in the woman. We've been filled with shame.
At times in our life, we've all felt like the skeptic. I'm not sure. Is this promise really true? At times in our life, we've all been the notable.
We've all thought too highly of ourselves. How does Jesus approach us at all of these moments in our life? These accounts give us answers to that. Right.
So I'm going to be deeply encouraging to see how Jesus responds and what he says. And then also challenging, I think, for many of us too, who may want Jesus to respond in a different way. Actually go down, bring down the judgment. You know, push this person out, push this person away.
He's always inviting. He's always pursuing. And he's always inviting us into transformations. This is going to be a deeply encouraging series.
We can't wait to see how God's going to work in and through your groups, not only the weekends, in your discussions, but also putting into action, serving together, expressing the goodness of God in the gospel, in and through your lives. All right, your players. Well, thanks for your time. Yes.
We'll see you on your next week. Anything else you have to say? No, I appreciate you so much. Also to you guys.
We'll see you on your next week.