DON'T MISS THIS. This November, join us for GIVING TABLES as we support families in West Michigan through our partnerships with local mission organizations. This is the final weekend of Fill the Pantry, as we collect food items for our Hand2Hand pantries to help eliminate weekend hunger for kids in our community. To learn more, click HERE.

GROUP VALUES. We continue our focus on the value of CARE. As Pastor Aaron reminds us, caring for people in need has been part of the church’s mission from the very beginning. The care we show one another in our groups can also overflow to the people around us. This week, consider asking your group: Who in our neighborhoods, workplaces, or community could we care for together this season?

GROW AS A LEADER. As leaders, we can’t pour out until we’ve first been poured into. Join us for a PRAYER AND WORSHIP NIGHT on Thursday, November 19, from 7 PM to 8 PM at our Cascade and East Paris campuses. Step away from the busyness of leading, worship alongside other leaders, and let God refresh your heart before you pour into your group again. To register, click HERE.

ICEBREAKER

Think of your favorite movie, book, or game. What was the hero’s mission? How did it impact you?

THIS WEEK'S TEXT

Have someone read Colossians 1:15–20 and Matthew 28:18–20 aloud.

According to Colossians 1:15–17, how is Jesus connected to all of creation?

What does Colossians 1:19–20 say God accomplishes through Jesus? How does he do it?

In Matthew 28:18–20, what does Jesus instruct his disciples to do? What promise does he give them?

What connection do you notice between what Jesus accomplishes in Colossians 1 and what he sends his disciples to do in Matthew 28?

THIS WEEK'S SERMON

Pastor Aaron Buer concludes our sermon series THE DISCIPLESHIP JOURNEY by exploring God’s invitation to join his mission in the world. As a group, share the sermon’s main points or key ideas.

Most people long for their lives to matter, yet we all go through seasons that feel aimless. What do you think causes those seasons?

Paul writes that all things were created through Jesus and for him (Colossians 1:16). What happens, in our world or in our own lives, when we put something other than Jesus at the center?

Colossians 1:20 says God makes peace through Jesus’s blood, shed on the cross. How does knowing that Jesus took the penalty for our rebellion change the way you see God?

God’s mission includes forgiving our sin, but it is even bigger—through Jesus, he is restoring all of creation and giving Christ his rightful place over all things. How does this bigger picture change the way you think about the gospel?

We can sum up God’s mission in a simple phrase: Jesus as Savior and Lord. What area of your life is hardest to let Jesus lead as Lord? Why?

Ada Bible’s mission—to lead people into a relationship with Jesus and his church that transforms them into Christlikeness—flows directly from Jesus’s command to make disciples. Where have you seen God use our church to carry out this mission, close to home or around the world?

God has given each of us unique gifts and passions, and he invites us to use them in his mission in the world. Where might your gifts and passions intersect with God’s mission?

Every disciple can take part in God’s mission by serving, sharing their faith, and giving generously. Which of these is God inviting you to take a next step in? Why?

WRAP UP

Throughout THE DISCIPLESHIP JOURNEY, we have talked about following Jesus, growing together, and pursuing God’s mission. Which part of the discipleship journey is God inviting you to take a next step in this week?

Close your time by praying for one another, asking God to help each person take the step they shared. Then pray for our church, that we would stay aligned with Jesus and faithful to his mission.