So, how does this work?

So what does the 8-week Grace Matters series look like? Our groups will start meeting the week of September 27. The first session is designed to be an ice breaker, social event. It is a time for food and light conversation. It’s an opportunity to get to know the people in your group better, to become more comfortable with them. There will be a guide to help you, if you need it. Face it. Some of us are more social creatures while others tend to be “cautious.” This first meeting is intended to help us all relax with one another. There will be time for sharing about who we are. Not, “Hi, I’m John. I’m married to Rebecca. I’m an accountant.” More like, “When I was a kid, I always thought I’d be an astronaut. The thought of going someplace no one has ever been before thrilled me. I didn’t become an astronaut though. I’m running our family’s chicken farm, but I sense God still wants me to do something crazy, like fly to the moon.” You get the idea. Something about you that you couldn’t know from a driver’s license or resume. This will help your subsequent times together flow more naturally. We’re all fascinating creatures with amazing stories!

The remaining sessions will focus on mining into a couple aspects of the passage that Pastor Scott has preached on that week. Actually, Pastor Tim will start our series on October 4. Then our groups will meet on the day they have selected to discuss aspects of that message. Haven’t you ever sat in a service and heard something from the pastor and wanted to either ask for clarification or about the implications? Has there ever been a time where you just wanted to “talk it over” with someone, even if just to help you process your thoughts? That is what you will get with the Grace Matters study guide. We will give you the opportunity to engage in discussion of key components of the weekend message. Our team has been intentional about the areas of the passage on which we will be focusing our discussion. They were chosen because they help us to come to a fuller understanding of the key message that Paul is trying to convey. Are there other diamonds to be mined in the passage? Of course, but we would like for you to stay with the guide through the series. While it is incredibly valuable to study and discuss eternal security, that is a rabbit trail which will pull your attention away from the point of the letter. If you want to mine into those other areas, jot notes in your guide and come back to them once the Grace Matters series is completed. Next, after your study, you will be challenged to make a commitment. When we engage the Word of God, we should be compelled to respond. so we have given you an appropriate commitment opportunity at the end of each session. Some are personal commitments, while others are corporate. Finally, each week we have provided you with something to do through the week until your next meeting.

Are you overwhelmed or confused yet? Don’t be. Here’s an example of the commitment (Engage) and homework (This week…) sections from the first study:

• Engage: You will be asked to commit in group to follow thru with your commitment to the 8-week (by this time you will only have 6 left) study.


• This week…: You will be asked to take time during the week to read through the entire letter which Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians. It should take about 20 minutes. Maybe you could do it more than once. Once each day would be awesome!

Obviously, the study starts simple but it builds in commitment as Paul’s message unfolds. Ephesians is an amazing letter and our hope is that you would come away from this series with a firm understanding of what God is up to in the your life, at Grace Church, and through history. The message contained in Ephesians was sufficient to lift Paul beyond the reality of his Roman imprisonment and potential execution. Can you praise God for who He is and what He is doing despite your immediate circumstances? If the answer is “No” (and if we were to be honest, that is the answer for all of us at times), then we don’t fully appreciate the message of the Bible. Come join our church family on this incredible journey through God’s story. You’re in it. Don’t you want to know your part?

Tomorrow I’ll discuss what happens after the Grace Matters series…