Gateway Church Austin

What do you perceive as valuable—God, your family, your friends? The people around us, including our children, spouse, co-workers, friends, and other loved ones all often have a front row seat to see what we truly prioritize and what we’re willing to do in order to keep the things we value. Are God and His will among what you treasure most?

Prayer can be a powerful tool—for healing, for guarding against darkness, and for strengthening our relationships with God. But can just anyone be capable of powerful prayer? How can we experience the advantages of God’s authority by drawing closer to Him through prayer?

Prayer can be a great source of comfort and peace, but for many people—even dedicated Christ-followers—prayer can feel awkward and uncomfortable or become a task we simply look to check off our to-do list. How can we begin to pray in different ways that may reveal varied facets of God’s love for us and His will for our lives? Work through the following questions and Scriptures on your own, and get together with your running partner, life group, or friends and family to talk through what you are learning.

Many people talk about prayer—this idea of talking to God, but for some it can be an elusive practice. What is prayer truly meant to look like? What is its purpose? If we begin to seek answers concerning what prayer is all about and what it can lead to in our lives, what might we find?

The Church isn’t a building or a program; it’s people. And surprisingly enough, it’s primarily run by volunteers. God gives us gifts, and we can use them in great ways, especially to serve others both inside and outside the church. As we serve others with others, we discover how the church is meant to work and how our service reveals deep and meaningful friendships forming as we make a difference in the world around us. How will you get involved?

n a time filled with celebrities and many negative voices affecting the world through their money, opinions, and inventions, it can seem like our sphere of influence is extremely small. But mothers and those that fill mother-like roles are raising the next generation that could have important effects on issues like racism, poverty, education, and the like. Whatever your sphere of influence, are you being intentional in the way you impact the people in your life?

Leadership resources abound and so do leadership clichés. We’ve all been told that, whatever our role or title, we have opportunities to lead (demonstrate influence) where we are. But often our circumstances, including our bosses, co-workers, and family members, convince us that we have little or nothing to offer. What does God say about our leadership potential?

Everyone is equipped with the ability to influence others. But we don’t all use our influencing ability for good, and many of us don’t use this ability at all. How will you take responsibility for the gifts God has given you? Will you be a leader or a follower when it matters most?

The way we respond to failure in our lives often reflects how our parents taught us to relate to it. Is failure a threat to your performance, a dent to your image, a reason to give up? Or is it possible to view failure as a chance to lean into God’s loving forgiveness and learn to rely more on His strength and wisdom?

We’ve all experienced unmet expectations in our lives that have led us to a deep sense of disappointment. Jesus’ early followers, the disciples, experienced this too, when Jesus was crucified on the cross. But God tells us that our hope is found in Him. How can we surrender our expectations to help free us from the pain of our disappointments?

What would it be like to have a life-changing encounter with Jesus? This sort of brush with greatness led to great things for people like Simon Peter of the Bible. And for each of us, although possibly challenging, having Jesus step into our ordinary lives could be the best experience we’ve ever had.

Are you a doubter? Do you struggle with believing things that seem too good to be true? Thomas, a follower of Jesus, struggled in the same way. But in the end, Thomas became a powerful messenger for Jesus, sharing His teachings wherever he went. How can we welcome doubt in a way that leads us to a deeper sense of faith?

When you consider the vastness of the universe – not to mention the seven billion people currently living on our planet – it’s easy to believe that our individual lives lack meaning, purpose and significance. Yet each of us seems hard-wired with a deep sense of hope in something more. Is there anything truly worthy of our hope?

In times of crisis, those of us who believe in God turn to Him for rescue, asking Him to save us from our suffering. Sometimes, Jesus swoops in and changes everything, delivering us and displaying His great power. Other times, He makes us wait, or even tells us no. Can we trust in a Savior who doesn’t always save us from our circumstances? Can we live our lives by faith instead of by sight?

Backstage pass access can often reveal the inner workings of a production, team, or organization. It becomes evident in many cases that there are a great number of people you may never actually see who are crucial to the success of all that goes on. The same is true both in the Bible and at Gateway. There are “hidden figures” or unsung heroes that are invaluable. But such roles come at a cost, as they require sincere commitment. What would it look like to re-order your priorities and be on mission with God?

Having a backstage pass can offer an amazing opportunity to get a glimpse of things we deem as great —bands, actors, organizations, and the like. But God shows us that true “greatness” comes from knowing Jesus and working towards strong character. What would it look like to pull back the curtain and snag a backstage pass to the creation of followers of Christ who seek great character through Him?

God doesn’t owe us anything. Our God is immeasurably superior to us, yet He so loves us, He doesn’t give us what we deserve when we rebel or do wrong; He offers us grace and mercy. This message of grace is woven throughout the Bible, but sometimes it’s hard for us to believe it applies to us. How do we connect with this God that loves so powerfully and radically?

When most people think about following Jesus, they think about all the “rules” and perhaps about a God who only wants us if we’re good enough. Whether it’s preachers on the streets, people yelling with signs, or even the whisper in our own minds that God isn’t interested in us or the messes we’ve made, we’re sometimes afraid to trust in a God who may reject us. Are we going to believe what people, our pasts, and our emotions tell us about God, or will we believe what God tells us about Himself in His Word (the Bible)?

Often times the picture we have of God is one that has Him condemning us for any mistakes and temptations in our lives. We fear such condemnation, which may lead us to try to hide from God. But the true nature of God is one of compassion and mercy. He loves and understands us, but He also wants what’s best for us. How can embracing the graciousness of God rid us from the heaviness of shame and turn us toward a better version of ourselves?

To fire God is not to kick the one true God out of your life; it’s to eliminate the false image of God we all have in our heads. You know the one we mean. Maybe it’s God as a traffic cop, aiming the radar gun at everything you do. Or maybe it’s God as a standoffish stranger, satisfied to leave you alone as long as you just don’t bother Him. How we perceive God determines how we perceive ourselves and how we live our lives. How can we know God’s true character?