Core Behaviors Inventory
December 19th, 2021-January 2nd, 2022
TO START
As many of our groups move in and out of the rhythm of gathering for a few weeks during the holiday season, we want to offer groups that are meeting an opportunity to take stock of the ways that the life of this church, the life of your small group and how you individually have been shaped by RRCOC’s 7 core behaviors the core behaviors this past year. We will return to sermon-based discussion guides on Sunday, January 9th!
TO READ/EXAMINE
Check out each behavior and read it out the short description of each to refresh everyone in the group
Be Changed and Changing: For each of us, Christ’s vision is one of transformation. In giving our lives to Christ, we are changed—forgiven, made alive, endowed with the gift of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling—and every day we walk with Christ he continues to change us if we let him, refining our rough edges and making us more like him.
Be Genuine: In this church, we’re committed to being genuine with one another. When we’re struggling, we strive to be brave enough and humble enough to admit it. When God is enabling victory and growth in our lives, we don’t hesitate to share our joy and give Him the glory. When we interact with one another, we strive for honesty and vulnerability. We refuse to pose.
Be Together: We value and pursue time together, cooperation, and unity. We strive to connect in ways that lead us into more “We” language than “They” language. We believe life was not meant to be lived in solitude, and we’re aware of the pull to develop tiny family kingdoms—high-walled enclaves of privacy and self-sufficiency. So we fight against it, embracing the blessings and difficulties of Life Together.
Be Brave: Fear seems to have a hold of so many of us. It whispers to us from the news, it calls to us from our bank accounts, it creeps into our marriages, it beckons us away from spiritual adventure. Unsurprisingly then, if there’s one thing God wants his children to have, it’s courage. Given the life-giving, enemy-defeating power and presence of God, we have every reason to be brave.
Be Open-Handed: God, who gives to us so generously, wants us to reflect his generosity with an open-handed lifestyle of our own. Because we’re often tempted to close our fingers around what we have, operating from a posture of greed and fear rather than contentment and courage, we strive to open our hands on purpose—loosening our grip on our money and possessions.
Always Be Celebrating: God commands his people to intentionally and consistently pursue joy by celebrating his presence and activity. For this reason, we strive to be Feast People who gather regularly to celebrate the incredible blessing and work of God. We do this by saying out loud and on purpose, “Look what God’s done! Thank you, God! We love it!!”
Be A Reason For Someone To Come Home: None of us can save anyone (let alone everyone). But every one of us can be a reason for someone to come home to their Heavenly Father. With this in mind, we strive to maintain an intentional posture of hospitality toward outsiders and the unchurched. Each lost person is in the midst of a story of Invitation—and in their story, we want to emulate the father of the prodigal.
TO DISCUSS
Now we want to invite y’all to reflect on a few questions related to these behaviors:
Where have you seen one of our core behaviors come through you or someone in this group?
What core behavior is the most challenging for you? Or one of the practices that you feel most distant from?
Which core behavior do you think our church is best at living out communally?
Which core behavior would you like for our church to embody more fully? And what would be one way you could see that happen?
TO CLOSE
As a group, pray for the Holy Spirit to enliven us in a way that enables the core behaviors to transform the way we live love in the world both communally and individually using the prayer below titled: In The Name of Love by Dennis Yount
In the Name of Love, we have come
In the Name of Love, we are here
And, in the Name of Love we will go.
Knowing in our Hearts and in our Souls
That what we have experienced is truly Divine
Amen.