Application Guide: “Not to us… but to your name give glory,”          (Ps. 115:1)

 

            Jan. 30th, 2005: Kimber Kauffman, Senior Pastor of College Park, gave a stirring message pointing to the glory and goodness and mercy of Jesus Christ. In celebration of College Park’s 20 year history at the Convention Center downtown, Kimber interwove his own life story (and struggles) and several quotations from Charles Spurgeon with a message that challenged us all to make much of Jesus and remind ourselves how weak we are on our own strength.

 

  1. Take a moment as a Flock Group to share with each other some of the ways your time at College Park has help you grow in your knowledge and appreciation for Jesus Christ. What part of the weekend’s events was most powerful for you in becoming more aware of God’s goodness?

 

  1. Kimber said, “We are following the Man of Sorrows, so shouldn’t we expect sorrow? We cannot have God’s blessing by exalting ourselves.” (cf. Ps. 115:1; Isa. 53:3)
    1. As followers of Jesus Christ, how are we supposed to respond to suffering, pain, trial, or hardship? What encouragement from Christ can we have amidst these troubles?
    2. We live in a culture that is constantly trying to exalt man and is telling us to think much of ourselves. How can we cultivate an attitude of humility about ourselves and reverence to God?

 

  1. “My greatest fear is that people find out that I am the fraud that I know myself to be.” – Dr. James Grier (Kimber’s college professor at Cedarville)
    1. Take a moment to praise God that he graciously uses sinners like us to represent Him to the world!
    2. In what ways is it easy for you to put up a façade to people at church? How do you respond when people ask, “How are you?” Why is it so much easier to put up a fake front that life is peachy than to be honest about our struggles – which is

      the only way of obtaining freedom?

 

  1. “For me, to live is Christ…” (Phil. 1:21). As Kimber stated, “What are we about at College Park? Do we talk more about doctrine than Jesus?... Let’s get a big gulp of Jesus each day.”
    1. What minor theological or church life issues do you often find yourself making a big deal about that prevent you from staying focused on keeping the Main One the main thing? Why is it so easy to get stuck on the peripheral things?
    2. Are you living every aspect of your life for the glory and worship of Christ – not just Sunday mornings, but work from 9-5, home, relationships, etc? How can we do a better job of staying focused on Christ in even the most mundane of tasks (1 Cor. 10:31).

 

  1. Kimber said, “Jesus if only for the bad, the losers of the world, only for those who can’t do it by themselves.”
    1. If this is true, why do we spend so much time talking about and trying to emulate the famous, successful, and self-absorbed lifestyles of our culture? What values have you exalted above the people Christ has called you to serve?