March 24-30, 2019

Connecting: What did it look like to be an insider in high school and college?  What does it look like to be an insider now as an adult? Are there areas in your life now where you could be considered an insider within a positive sense? What are some ways you see yourself and others striving to be insiders?

Application: [Christians are to embrace the outsider identity]. C. S Lewis stated, “until you conquer the fear of being an outsider, an outsider you will remain.” What is this fear of being an outsider he is talking about? As Christians in the United States, what are some of the consequences we might face for our faith/ how are we outsiders? In what ways are we tempted to compromise in order to be an insider? Wes said, “If you have never been persecuted for Jesus there isn’t enough Jesus in your life to persecute.” What are some of your thoughts on this statement?

Application: [Jesus died for the outsider]. What did Jesus’ ministry on earth look like in who he ministered to and how we related to them?  How is this encouraging in understanding his heart towards us now? In what ways was Christ persecuted? In what ways should we expect something similar in our own lives and why is that encouraging to us now? What role does Christian community play in sustaining us while we take on the role of outsiders?