Kingdom Calculus - The Math Has Changed

Main Thought

In Acts 6, the early church was growing rapidly. This growth was exciting, but it also created new needs. A complaint arose because widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. This could have slowed the church down; instead, it became an opportunity for shared responsibility. The apostles empowered new people to serve and step into Spirit-inspired structure. As a result, the mission did not stall - it accelerated.

God is calling us to move from maintenance to multiplication. We can build spiritual velocity with an attitude of excellence and a commitment to steward that which God has given us. (This can include our relationships, discipleship opportunities, the employment of spiritual gifts through serving, and more.) We can embrace roles that accelerate mission. These things can change our trajectory as we seek to honor God and make disciples.

Main Passages

“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’ And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”
- Acts 6:1–7, ESV

“Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.”

- Daniel 6:3-4, ESV

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”

- Matthew 25:21

Main Passages

1. Why is protecting priorities essential for sustained purpose? What happens when we lose focus?

2. As Believers, we should aspire to hear God address us with the words of Matthew 25:21: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” What would it take to receive such high commendation from the Lord?

3. Acts 6 ends with multiplication and gospel impact. Take a moment to dream in faith. Where do you believe God could take us in this season - as individuals, families, Life Groups, ministries, or as a church?

Still One House

Main Thought

Throughout Scripture, God describes His Church as something He is personally building. The church is not a human project sustained by effort alone. It is God’s house. It is His family. Jesus Himself is the foundation; therefore, growth and expansion do not threaten our unity. Instead, they reveal the strength of what God has already formed among us.

The mission of God means that change is necessary. Yet we remain one. We are being built by the same Lord, on the same foundation, for the same purpose. Expansion and multiplication are not a loss of closeness. It is an invitation to trust God and connect to each other more deeply as His family grows.

Main Passages

'For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. '

- 1 Corinthians 3:9-11 

'Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. '

- Psalm 127:1-2

‘So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.’

- Ephesians 2:19-22

Discussion Questions

1. Expansion can sometimes feel uncertain or emotional. What fears or concerns can arise during seasons of transition? How do these passages reassure us of God’s faithfulness?

2. Psalm 127 reminds us that effort without God’s presence is empty. What does it look like to trust the Lord as the true builder and protector of our spiritual family?

3. How can we preserve unity, love, and connection during seasons of change and transition?

Carry the Vision

Main Thought

From the beginning, God has invited His people to participate in what He is building. In Exodus, God called Israel to contribute toward the tabernacle. The tabernacle was meant to show God’s glory, share God’s purpose, and create space for people to worship. Giving toward this eternal cause was about more than resources. It was about responding to God’s presence and carrying God’s vision.

God still calls His people to carry His vision by contributing to His Kingdom. We are called to build, recognizing that each of us has a part to play. We are compelled to bring our gifts to God with hearts stirred by gratitude and faith. Finally, we commit to finish - following through in obedience so that what God begins among us is brought to completion. When we give our time, talent, and treasure to God’s purposes, we gain a share in something timeless.

Main Passages

4 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 5 Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats' hair, 7 tanned rams' skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, 8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 9 and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breast piece. 10 “Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded… 

- Exodus 35:4-10, ESV

“And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord’s contribution…”

- Exodus 35:21, ESV

“So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.”

- 2 Corinthians 8:11, ESV

Discussion Questions

1. How do you think generosity changes a person? How can giving help us grow as followers of Jesus? 

2. What fears or hesitations can keep us from giving freely? How might the character of God speak to those concerns?

3. Where do you see opportunities to be part of something meaningful or life-giving in your community right now? How might generosity play a role in that?

Joined and Held Together

Main Thought

Scripture describes the church - the people of God - as a body with Christ as its Head. He alone holds the place of highest honor and authority. Everything we need for spiritual life flows from Him. We’re also united by Him. The Christian life was never meant to be lived independently. We are joined together and sustained by our shared connection to Christ.

In this body, every believer is essential. God has intentionally placed each member where they belong so the whole church can grow in health and strength. Every role is significant. Every person is valuable and necessary. As each part functions in unity, the body is built up toward a single goal: love. We’re made to experience God’s love individually and in community. If we experience His love, then we will also be enabled to extend it.

Main Passages

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

- Ephesians 4:16

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
- John 15:1,4-5

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” '

- John 13:34-35

Discussion Questions

1. God calls us to experience His love and extend it to others, both within the church and outside it. Which of these things comes most naturally to you?

2. How does knowing that God placed each person in the body shape the way we see our own role and the roles of others?

3. Things like hyper-individualism, pride, comparison, and more can make it hard to love others. What’s one thing that makes it hard for you to love the people around you at times? How can God help you move beyond that limiting factor, so that you can learn to live and love a little more like Christ?

New Wine

Main Thought

In Mark 2, people confronted Jesus because His disciples didn’t follow the same religious rhythms as the Pharisees or the disciples of John. They were clinging to “old wine” - perspectives, practices, and ways of relating to God that had served a purpose but were never meant to last forever. Jesus revealed that it was time for “new wine.” New wine represents the New Covenant: the eternal agreement through which we relate to God based on the finished work of Jesus, not our performance. This new wine brings new life in God and a new way of living with God.

If we want to receive the new wine God has for us, then we must allow Him to transform us and teach us. The ongoing process of transformation that we experience as Christians over time - our “progressive sanctification” - can take different forms. Sometimes, God even redeems seasons that feel crushing to produce something new and life-giving in us, just as grapes are crushed to produce wine. When we partner with God through dependence, repentance, and intentional spiritual growth, we position ourselves to move with Him.

Main Passages

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

- Mark 2:22, ESV

'Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.'

- Psalm 51:10

“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home. And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

- Mark 2:12

Discussion Questions

1. The New Covenant allows people to relate to God based on Jesus’ finished work instead of personal performance. How should we respond to this truth appropriately internally (attitudes) and/or externally (actions)?

2. The Pharisees missed what God was doing because they were focused on preserving what was familiar. What distractions or comforts might cause us to miss what God is doing in our lives?

3. Psalm 51:10 shows David asking God to transform him. How can we partner with God practically for our own spiritual transformation and growth?