The N Commandments (1) – Unhitched

Welcome to CROLCC, we are so glad you are here worshiping with us. I think because I am a pastor I have a hobby or an interest that probably many of you don’t have. I like to study people who stumble out of faith or lost their faith. People that perhaps grew up in a Christian home and have been going to church all their lives until they went to college. All of a sudden they don’t go anymore. Or people that used to serve in church, and because something must have happened, they stopped attending church and they stopped praying. In fact, I recently talked to a friend of mine who used to teach me things about faith and recently gave up on God all together.

People stumble in their faith and drift away from God because they get hung up on the historical accuracy of what’s in Genesis, Exodus, or other parts of the Bible. They stumble because we as Christians do a terrible job of representing Christ. People stumble in faith because of all kinds of reasons. But are those enough reasons for people to stumble out of faith? If not, then what is? What can we do about it?

Moving Forward

The fearless and worry-free faith of the first generation of Christians, combined with their love for one another, created a movement that changed the world. That’s true even though Jesus said some things that were so extreme his followers were tempted to ignore them. But his resurrection changed everything. Suddenly, what had sounded so extreme wasn’t extreme at all.

Changing Your Mind

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:3–5

Discussion Questions

1. Do you tend to be a rule follower or a rule breaker? How does that tendency affect your day-today life?

2. Have you ever met someone with extraordinary trust in God? If so, what was that person like? How did he or she influence your faith?

3. What role do you think doubt plays in faith? What role has it played in your own faith journey?

4. Read Acts 15:5–21. What are some ways that the church today makes it difficult for people who are turning to God?

5. What are some things that stand in the way of your faith being characterized by fearlessness and lack of worry? What would it take for you to develop extraordinary trust in God?