Don't be Scared

INTRO

Our Timeless Questions & Condition

Be Wise, Be Bold - Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

BE WISE, BE BOLD...FOR WE DO NOT KNOW (1-2)

• The Motions of Our Hands:  Charity & Industry
  
  
  
• The Motives of Our Hearts:  Security
  
             
  
  • The Box and The Black Swan
    
    
    
  •  When we don't know, we act like we do know.
    
    
    

BE WISE, BE BOLD...FOR WE DO  KNOW (3-4)

• Addicted to All-Knowing
  
  
  
• Stuck in Neutral
  
  
  
  • When we do know, we act like we don't know.            
  
   
• Boom and Bust Under the Sun
  
  
  
  •  Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14-30, Luke 19:12-28)

BE WISE, BE BOLD...FOR GOD KNOWS (5-6)

• Bookends for a Risk-Taking Identity
  
  
  
• Redefining Risk-Taking:  Gospel-Centered Certainty
  
  
  
  • John 18:4-8, 19:10-11
    
     
  • Relational - Don’t coexist.   Challenge, confront & confess together.
  • Vocational - Don’t consume and be lazy.  Produce & pursue excellence. 
  • Missional - Don’t be a spectator.  Lead & multiply MC's.
  • Ultimate - Don’t live in a box and stare at the skies.  Trust & follow Jesus today. 
    

Community Meditation Questions

• In verses 1-2, the Preacher exhorts us to be generous and industrious.  How do we respond to this call in our missional communities?
• How does “living in a box” leave us and others vulnerable to the unexpected (black swans)? How do we pursue the security of our treasures (“bread’) with wisdom and boldness?
• In The Parable of the Talents, Jesus defines “talents” as something to be multiplied by diligence and faith. Read the parable (Matt 25:14-30, Luke 19:12-28) and identify which servant best describes us.  Remember, our answer may reveal what we truly believe about the character, nature, and purposes of God. 
• A Gospel-centered people must acknowledge how the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit enable God’s people to build a culture of risk-taking. Start by naming an area in which we probably have enough information to act in faith. Deepen life in community by confronting one another in grace and truth. Lead others by starting and multiplying missional communities. Thoughtfully engage people and culture with the Gospel in a way that’s messier than we prefer.  Pick something, trust God, and walk together in wisdom and boldness.