Emmanuel

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Chapel - Gossip Day 2 (September 29th)

John Essig

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Galatians 2:20

Part 1 – LABELING AND NEGATING (7 minutes)

Part 2 – Discussion: (25 minutes)

  • “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Do you agree with this or not?

  • We live in a world of labels. Why do we label people? What are examples of good and bad labels?

  • After reading Galatians 2:20 (see top of the page), what do you suppose is the label that the Apostle Paul is assigning followers of Jesus?

  • What is the difference between “gossip” and “slander”?

  • Provide examples for each gossip litmus test question.

    • Would I want the person I am talking about to overhear this conversation?

      • Example?

    • Have I said what I am about to say to that person?

      • Example?

    • What is my motivation for saying what I am saying?

      • Example?

    • Each person is to tell a story about how a label impacted how you saw yourself and how you acted. Did you try to live up to your label or reject it?

Part 3 – Comment: (8 minutes)

  • Send an email to Pastor John with the answer to the below question(s) (jessig@ecaoh.com). Engage this section as a group or on your own. If you are in a group, designate someone to send the answer on behalf of your group.

  • Labels can be helpful when expressing who we are, but ultimately, they are not our whole identity or anyone else’s. The only label that truly matters is that we are Christ’s, or we are not. Consequently, these are the two labels that are helpful and true in this world when describing people: “sinners saved by grace” and “sinners in need of grace.” Yet, we do not label people as believers and unbelievers to shun those who do not believe, but to be more intentional about sharing the Gospel and love of Christ with them.

    • What role do labels used at Emmanuel discourage or encourage loving others?

    • What is the best way to “label” those who know Christ and those who don’t know Christ?

Part 4 – Prayer: (10 minutes)

  • Use this time to pray for each other. You can do that by keeping a prayer request journal or by asking for personal prayer requests or prayers that relate to the day’s topic.

    • Ask each person to share one prayer request.

    • Spend your remaining time praying for each other.

Thank you!

Pastor John