Next Steps with Tag:
Eric Bryant

The Encounter :: The Voice

Sunday, September 25th

Do you believe God speaks? Although we may not hear an auditory voice from God, we can know His voice. The Bible is a record of His words. His words were the genesis of all that we see. He is the word. We have nothing else but His words and faith that He is who He claims to be. So how then can we hear His voice?

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Mind Blown :: Evil

Sunday, September 11th

As we commemorate the 15th anniversary of 9/11, our question about whether the tragedy made us stronger as a country raises an even more important question. How does God turn evil that affects our own lives into something good? How do we experience “eucastrophe” (Tolkein’s word for joy breaking forth from tragedy)?

In this week’s Next Steps, you’ll do a review of some of the key Scriptures “Already / Not Yet.” The idea that evil has already been defeated by Jesus, but we live in an in-between time when that reality is not fully manifested in our lives and in the world. Work through the following Scriptures and questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Mind Blown :: Assurance

Sunday, August 28th

Do you sense the tension between faith and works? We don’t have to prove our worth to God — He proved our worth through Christ. What He wants is our faith, our trust in Him, but as God draws us close and assures us of His acceptance and love, we follow Him doing the good works He created us to do. This tension of assurance is what you’re invited to wrestle with this week.

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Mind Blown :: Destiny

Sunday, August 21st

For what am I destined? Does God have a plan for my life? If so, am I on the right track, or did I screw it up with bad choices? Though if God knows the future and has a plan laid out for me, then what difference do my choices make anyway? If God knows, does that mean all is predestined even evil acts? But if I can choose good or evil, how can God be in control and give me confidence my future is secure?

Is your mind blown yet? This week we’re looking at the challenging question: Do we really have free will or is everything predetermined? Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Relational Landmines :: Unforgiveness

Sunday, August 14th

Forgiveness is central to the message of Jesus. It’s a simple concept to understand, but it’s quite possibly the most difficult thing to live out consistently in our lives. Without it, there is no way to experience the abundant life and relationships that God wants for all of us so how do we navigate through our unforgiveness?

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Next Steps

Managing Your Moods :: Peace in Uncertainty

Sunday, July 3rd – Peace in Uncertainty

Ah, the good old days, when life was simpler, more fun and less stressful. Turning on the nightly news or browsing your Twitter feed may increase your anxiety levels, leave you feeling nostalgic for another time or another place. God wants us to live in peace, but not the fleeting peace we often find in life. How is that possible? Let’s continue our journey through Philippians to find peace in uncertainty!

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Next Steps

Managing Your Moods :: Confidence in What Matters

Sunday, June 26th – Confidence in What Matters

As we get older, many of us look at our goals that have gone unaccomplished and careers that might have gotten off track and wonder if we’ve truly lived a meaningful life. Should we measure success in terms of accomplishment or something else? These questions and regrets can rob us of joy. But in Philippians 3, Paul describes where real meaning comes from.

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Love Where You Live :: A Love Greater Than Religion

5/29 – Gateway North, Branson & Online
6/5 – at Gateway South & Central

Jesus didn’t come to add another religion to the many that were already present. He came to bring something different, a relationship with a loving God. Throughout history, people have tried to earn their way to God, but Jesus was coming to rescue us because He knew we couldn’t make it to Him. With this in mind, how can we engage with our neighbors of different religions and demonstrate Jesus’ love for them?

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Love Where You Live :: A Love Greater Than Ethnicity

5/15 – at Gateway North, Branson & Online
5/22 – at Gateway South & Central

In our broken world, we are raised with prejudices that result in biases. Our views of others may be the result of our family of origin or where we grew up. The true message of the Bible, however, is all people are made in God’s image and should be treated with the dignity that status affords them. So how might we learn to love each other the way He loves all of us?

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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Why We Do What We Do :: Why We Struggle with Purpose

Gateway South

4/10 – Why We Struggle with Purpose

If you’ve spent any time around Gateway, you know that two key aspects of our Spiritual Growth Path are to “Love God” and to “Love People.” One of the ways that we express both is through acts of service. Service helps us find purpose but serving others requires that we sacrifice something of our own. So fear often holds us back — fear of loss, fear of the unknown or fear of failure.

Work through the following questions on your own, and get together with your running partner, Life Group, or friends and family around the dinner table to talk through what you’re learning!

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