Come: Part 2 - Response

December 8th, 2024

MICRO CHURCH GUIDE
December 08, 2024

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Big Regift Christmas Missions Offering
Each Christmas season we challenge our OneLifers to give their biggest gift to Jesus during the Big Regift Christmas Missions Offering. Every penny will go to support OneLife’s 2025 missions partners around the world! You can give to the offering using the Big Regift Christmas Offering envelopes or online at onelifeknox.com/give.

OneLife Students - Christmas Party, Dec 18
Cindy Lou Who once said, “No one should be alone for Christmas”, and we couldn’t agree more. That is why it is time for our annual OneLife Students Christmas Party! This year's theme is A Very Merry Grinchmas! So invite a friend and come in your best ugly sweater and crazy Whoville hair. There will be food, games, and a wrap up to our Christmas series. It all takes place tonight, December 18th at our North Campus. Doors open at 6:30pm and we will wrap up at 8:30pm.

OneLife’s Community Christmas Services
OneLife will be holding our annual community Christmas services on December 22, 23, & 24! Come experience the sights and sounds of the season during this modern, yet still traditional Christmas production. From candlelight and Christmas carols to lights, music, and more, this is an event you won’t forget! Visit onelifeknox.com/christmas to see all the service times and to reserve your free tickets today.

Baptism
If you’ve given your life to Jesus but haven’t gone public with your story through baptism then it’s time to take that step! Mark the baptism box on your Connection Card and we’ll help you get started.

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GIVE BACK
Give Jesus your best! Make a one-time tithe or offering or to set up a recurring tithe or offering: Click Here To Give Online.
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Bottom Line: My response to Jesus coming to me is to simply do the same.

Matthew 2:1-2 NIV

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalemand asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 2:7-11 NIV

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

1. Come to worship.

2. Come to give.

3. Come to sacrifice.

Matthew 2:12 NIV

And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

4. Come to obey.

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START TALKING

When have you gotten caught unprepared to give someone a gift, but you had to do it because they gave to you first...you responded to their gift by giving back to them? Or when have you been caught off guard because you weren't prepared to give a gift to someone who gave to you?

START THINKING
Read Matthew 2:1-2.

What about the question that is asked would have been threatening to King Herrod - or to any king, if we're honest?

Read Matthew 2:3-4.

How does this show that Herrod - the literal king of the Jews - was unprepared to truly lead? How is this similar to how many of us or those that we know might consider themselves Christians because of culture or tradition but don't truly know for themselves what they believe?

START SHARING

To respond to the coming of Jesus first requires an acknowledgement of who He is and what He did for you - it requires thankfulness and gratitude. How has doing this led you to times of worship? When have you experienced the richest seasons of worship because you were responding to the presence and work of Jesus in your life? What was the "trigger" for you to respond in worship?

When have you experienced the reality that true worship requires sacrifice?

How does our not wanting to sacrifice keep us from worship? How does it keep us from giving?

START DOING

The gifts that the magi brought were of incredible value - likely enough to finance Mary's and Joseph's trip to Egypt to keep their baby Jesus safe. They truly responded to the coming of Jesus by giving him their biggest and best gifts. What can you do to give your biggest and best to Jesus this Christmas? What sacrifice will be required for you to that?

Read Matthew 2:12.
The magi were in the middle - do they do what the king had told them to do or do they do what the Spirit of God told them to do. What have you sensed the Spirit telling you or leading you to do? What will be required of you to obey that? What will you do in response?

START PRAYING

Pray for each person in the microchurch to be respond to the coming of Jesus by living lives that come to worship, sacrifice, give, and obey. Pray that each of us do not simply go through the steps of tradition this Christmas, but respond to the coming of Immanuel by coming to him in response!
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Christmas Offering - Give Online Now!
Give your biggest and best gift to Jesus this Christmas! Give any time in the month of December to the Big ReGift Christmas Offering so that we can give away more than $50,000 in 2025 to our missions partners in Knoxville, the US, and literally around the world!
http://www.onelifeknox.com/give
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CONNECTION CARDS
Be sure to fill out the online Connection Card to let us know next steps, prayer requests, or other information you'd like to share, click here.
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MULTIPLICATION
Share spiritual/missional conversations you've had where you live, work, and play:
- Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
- What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
- How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
- How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
- Who in your life do you think could be disciple-able or open to spiritual/missional conversations?
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WHAT'S NEXT?
- Discuss the next step for your micro church. When will we gather again, and which purpose will it fulfill (missions, fellowship/care, growth, worship, multiplication)?/giveback/giveback
- Discuss the next step for your micro church. When will we gather again, and which purpose will it fulfill (missions, fellowship/care, growth, worship, multiplication)?

Posted in Micro Church Guides