ReAlignment: Setting Our Priorities to Match the Priorities of God

Matthew 21:12-22

Pastor Cameron Dahl

Characteristics of the Temple and of the Kingdom of God

·      P_____ not P_____ (v. 12-13)

·      H______ not H_____ (v.14)

·      P_____ not P______ (v.15-16)

·      F_______ P______ not F____ P________ (18-19)

·      F____ and F_____ (v. 20-22)

FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION

1. How can we, even with good intentions, make the church more about our own preferences, priorities, and agendas than about God’s will? What might it look like to genuinely seek God’s agenda instead?

2. Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” What does that mean for the church—not simply as a place where we pray, but as a people who are fundamentally dependent upon God? How can a church gradually drift away from being a house of prayer?

3. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. If Jesus were to walk into the “temple” of your life today, what tables might He want to overturn? What might need to be cleared out to make more room for prayer, worship, and His presence?

4. Jesus demonstrated a particular concern for those who were being excluded from the temple. In what ways should the church be a place of healing, welcome, and restoration for people who are hurting, marginalized, or far from God? Conversely, how can churches become insular and unintentionally shut themselves off from the very people Jesus came to reach?

5. What is the balance between praise and complaining in your own life? When you face difficult circumstances, what keeps you from allowing your circumstances to determine your view of God?

6. We sang, “My praise is a weapon; oh, it’s more than a sound. My praise is the shout that brings Jericho down.” How can praise become an expression of trust in God even when we don't yet see the outcome we are praying for? What would it look like to praise God in the midst of one of your current challenges?

7. Jesus expects His people to bear fruit. What kind of spiritual fruit is God producing in your life right now? Where do you see evidence of growth in Christlikeness?

8. The fig tree had leaves but no fruit. What are some ways we can give the appearance of spiritual health without actually bearing spiritual fruit? How can we guard against becoming more concerned with religious activity and appearance than with genuine transformation?

9. If Jesus were to examine our church and each of our lives today, what would He celebrate, what would He overturn, and what would He call us to become?

Come worship at Faith Community Church located at 1306 Riedel Rd, Gambrills, MD, for our Sunday Services at 9am and 10:45am to learn about and worship our Lord Jesus Christ.