SERIES:  IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!

Week 1: REUNION

Icebreaker You are allowed to grab twelve items to put inside a bag to help you survive; what do you get?
Recap During this first week of It’s The End Of The World As We Know It, we talked about the next major biblical event in human history.  This being the return of Christ.

Pastor Josh talked about 3 things that should spur hope in us from this upcoming event, the return, the rapture, and the reunion.

Early Christians found such hope from this future event that they greeted one another with the greeting “maranatha”, which means “O Lord Come”.  How have we lost sight of this point of hope in Christ followers?  How does/could it bring you hope for today?
Scripture Reference 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Focus Questions
  1. What is your reaction to, impression of, or perspective of “the End Times?” Is this something you fear or get confused by? Is this even a thing? Are you worried the world is ending?
  2. Is there anything you’re experiencing personally, or is going on in the world where you would just like it to stop or end completely? Are there things you would want to pause but then pick back up later? Are there things you wish you never had to deal with again ever? 
  3. Have you waited for someone’s return that you were really looking forward to seeing again? What was it like to eagerly await seeing them again? What was your reunion like? Did you hug, cry, or just start talking like you were never away from each other again? 
  4. Have you ever been told you were going to see someone you did not necessarily want to deal with again? What were the days or hours leading up to that reunion like? How do our relationships affect the amount of eagerness or dread we feel leading up to being reunited (or simply running into unexpectedly) someone?
  5. How would you prepare for a reunion with a friend or relative? What things would you do to prepare yourself? What are some things you should be doing to ready yourself for a reunion with Christ? How should we invest our days in what truly matters (God and others) while we wait?
  6. How would you answer someone who pointed out that Jesus hasn’t come back in two thousand years; He would have done so already or He isn’t coming. 
  7. How can we grow in the hope of Christ’s coming so that it affects our daily lives?
Digging Deeper (A Personal Study) Think about a relative or friend whom you have not seen for many years. Is the relationship in disrepair? Take time to contact that person and restore the relationship if possible. If there is unrepentant sin, take time to pray for a new heart, whether for yourself or someone else. Remember that as God sent His Son into the world to restore His relationship with us, so too must we be ministers of reconciliation (Matt. 5:21–26).
Send Out Question We may not know the day or the hour, but it would still be helpful to know how we as Christians should live until Jesus returns. This week, list ways you should live until Jesus returns. What will you focus on first?