Sermon Series “Surprise the World”

Eight week series discussing the book “Surprise the World!” by Michael Frost.

Video MessageResources
Week 1:
Evangelism for the Rest of Us
Monday Memo notes

More on “Evangelism for the Rest of Us”
1. Evangelism as “nudging” (a term coined by Leonard Sweet): Devotional: Can you become an evangelist by ‘nudging’?
2. Evangelism as a part of discipleship in the Gospels, and thus for us too (from Alan Hirsch, a partner of Michael Frost, who wrote “Surprise the World”): Why Evangelism Cannot Be Our Focus
Week 2:
Do, Repeat, Become
Monday Memo notes

Quotes to Remember
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” (Aristotle)
“Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, and your values become your destiny.” (Mahatma Gandhi)
A Prayer for the Week
From Bishop Telmor Sartison (The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada): 
Almighty God, we praise and thank you for making us children of God, not through our own power and piety but through the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ.
We turn daily to you, and in that turning we find peace, courage and purpose. Make each of us, and your whole church, a witness to the great good news of Christ’s resurrection.
God of the risen Jesus, hear our prayer, amen.
Week 3:
From Abraham to the Whole World
Monday Memo notes

Quotes to Remember
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” (Simone Weil, 20th-century French philosopher)
“The Christian message is universally good news for Christians and non-Christians alike…It brings blessing to adherents and non-adherents alike. In a pluralistic world, a religion is valued based on the benefit it brings to its non-members…If Jesus sends people into the world to love and serve their neighbors, their neighbors benefit, and so do the people sent by Jesus, since it is better to give than receive.” (Brian McLaren, in A Generous Orthodoxy)
A Prayer for the Week
From “Liturgies from Below”:
God, may we receive Your blessing and share it with others, friends and strangers alike. May we accept Your gifts and share them with others, rich and poor alike. And may we invite Your healing into our own lives so that we can share it with others, for all have wounds that only Your grace can mend, amen.
Week 4:
The Son of Man Came Eating and Drinking
Monday Memo notes

Some ideas from the SOMA network of missional churches about how to eat with others more regularly. Several of these would not be hard to do at KW, if, at book’s end, we wanted to pursue them together: 5 Practical Ideas To Use Your Meals To Be Missional
Week 5:
Listening to the Spirit
Monday Memo notes

Quotes to Remember
– From The Brief Statement of Faith (1984): “In a broken and fearful world, the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.”
– From Martin Luther: “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God, your functional savior.”
– From Voltaire (French philosopher, 1700s): “If God created us in his own image, we have more than reciprocated.”
Week 6:
Hear and Act
Monday Memo notes

Quotes to Remember
– Robert D. Lupton in Theirs Is The Kingdom: “The fundamental building blocks of the Kingdom are relationships. Not programs, systems, or productivity. But inconvenient, time-consuming, relational acts. The Kingdom is built on personal involvements that disrupt schedules and drain energy. When I enter into redemptive relationships with others, I lose much of my capacity to produce desired results with a minimum expenditure of energy, time, money, or materials. In short, relationships sabotage my efficiency…Is this perhaps what our Lord meant when He said we must lay down our lives for each other?”
– Dallas Willard: “The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the heavens into every corner of human existence.”
Week 7:
Watching God’s Bread Bake
Monday Memo notes
Week 8:
A Better Me Requires You
Monday Memo notes

– This last chapter in “Surprise the World” emphasizes that community/relationships need to be a spiritual habit, every bit as much as prayer or worship or service. So who will your “iron sharpens iron” people be? Who might they be here at KirkWood?
– If you don’t have a group or class who might do this for you, and if you’re interested in starting or joining one, let Pastor Chris know. If you’re intrigued by the smaller, more intimate groups of 3 persons described in chapter 8, and would like to explore starting one here at KW, reach out to Pastor Chris, and if there’s enough interest, we’ll work on starting some. 
– Here’s a great, short article on the vital importance of community as spiritual habit: Longing to be Known – James Bryan Smith