A concept is an idea conceived in the mind. Conception comes from the root word concept.
Luke 1:31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ESV
Luke 2:11-19 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ESV
The angel of the Lord appears to Mary saying, “You will conceive.” The concept of Christ is about to come to life. The shepherds understood the concept of Christ and went searching to find him.
After they found him they shared the concept, the idea, the deity made flesh with others. Mary treasured up all these things, pondering (the concept of Christ) in her heart.
Jesus didn’t come to start a religion. Jesus came to redeem us and awaken us to a life-giving conversation that has the power to transform the world.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word...
This word, “Word” comes from the Greek word, “Logos” which is the same origin for, “Logic”.
John goes on to write in verse 14 that this Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus embodied the logic of God as God’s plan to come save the world and solve our problems.
Wrong thinking is obviously at the root of our problems. We perish for lack of knowledge according to Hosea 4:6. If the root of our problems were political God would have sent a political leader. If the root of our problems were military problems God would have sent a military leader.
God sent what the world needed, the conversational logic of God embodied in Christ. God addressed the world’s problems by initiating an intimate conversational relationship with humanity.
If you have ever lost perspective, you know it was only a matter of time before you lost your way. Jesus came to introduce us to the perspective of God as our way of life.
You have a brain and you have a mind and there is a difference. Science tells us your brain has 400 billion actions per second. Those actions make up the mind leading to “a made up mind”.
Nothing can help you when your thinking is wrong. Nothing can stop you when your thinking is right. Without the concept of Christ alive within us we are confined to our own human conclusions and ultimately self-destruction.
The world’s ideas get deeply embedded in our lives. The fallen nature naturally defaults to these perspectives. We are inclined to identify with dysfunction but we are designed to identify with destiny.
Something powerful is awakened within us when we enter into a conversational relationship with God through Jesus Christ!
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Be very intentional about how celebrate Christ this week. Pray for people by name before they arrive.
CREATED FOR CONVERSATION: CONCEPT OF CHRIST
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
UNDERSTANDING THE SEASON: Words are powerful! God created everything and sustains it all by his word. God sent his WORD to redeem us and awaken life-giving conversation that transforms us and everyone around us. In this season will grow in more effective conversation with God and with others.
God’s plan is for us to hear his voice together as a family. This is why we start each group with the first question:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God? Share your New Year’s Revelation for 2022 if you have one.
Ask each person in your group to answer the discussion questions below after reading the verses. Don’t move on to the next question until everybody who is willing to share has had the opportunity to give their perspective.
LUKE 1:31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ESV
LUKE 2:11-19 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ESV
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Have each person give a 60 second summary of what these verses are saying, in their own words.
What do these verses teach us about God?
What do these verses teach us about people?
What should you do this week in response to what we are reading and what God is revealing?
Who comes to mind when considering a person you might share this with this week?
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Be very intentional about how you celebrate Christ this week. Pray for people by name before they arrive.