Sunday, November 1, 2026
Redacted #8 - Jesus Doesn't Share Thrones

WELCOME   (15 minutes)
Ice Breaker: What's something relatively unimportant that you've gotten way too emotionally invested in?

WORSHIP (10 minutes)
Use your favorite streaming service & sing “Abide” by Aaron Williams, CAIN.

WIN   (15 minutes)
Pray for people who live around you who are facing a Christless eternity.

WORD   (25 minutes)

READ FIRST: Don't let this become a debate about political parties, candidates, or who voted correctly. The goal isn't to make everyone agree; It's to examine whether Jesus actually has authority over our beliefs, our attitudes, and our behavior. Make room for honest disagreement without allowing contempt or hostility.

1. Read Colossians 1:15–20.Paul describes Jesus as the Creator and Sustainer of everything, the One for whom everything exists, and the One who is to be preeminent in everything. What stands out to you most about Paul's description of Jesus? What's the difference between putting Jesus first on a list of priorities and allowing Him to be supreme in every area of life? Why is it possible to sincerely believe Jesus is King while functionally living as though He isn't? What are some of the most common asterisks Christians attach to His authority?
2. Read Romans 12:2 and 2 Timothy 3:16–17.Chapter 8 in the book asks, "Is Christ shaping your politics…or is politics shaping your Christianity?" Let’s confront our tendency to look for Scripture that supports what we already believe while ignoring passages that challenge us. What voices have had the greatest influence on your political convictions—family, friends, upbringing, news sources, social media, political leaders, or Scripture? How can we recognize when we're using the Bible to defend an opinion rather than allowing the Bible to form that opinion? How can two Christians who genuinely submit to Scripture still disagree about some political decisions?
3. Read Galatians 5:22–23 and James 3:9–18. Chapter 8 in the.book argues that one of the greatest dangers of political allegiance isn't simply what it teaches us to believe, but what it trains us to become. Have you noticed a difference between the attitudes encouraged by political media and the fruit of the Spirit? How can someone be correct about a political issue but wrong in the way they treat people? What might need to change about the voices we're allowing to disciple us?
4. Read Matthew 5:43–48.Jesus broke down the dividing wall and created one new people. But the chapter warns that we often rebuild walls with the bricks of anger, sarcasm, superiority, judgment, and political contempt. Why is it so easy to see people who disagree with us as enemies rather than neighbors made in God's image? How can political divisions damage relationships between Christians who belong to the same King? Is there a particular "brick" you tend to pick up when discussing politics? What would putting it down actually look like?
5. Read Philippians 3:20, Colossians 1:13, and 2 Corinthians 5:17–20. Christians don't practice their Christianity through the lens of their American citizenship; they practice their American citizenship through the lens of their Christianity. Jesus called both Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot—men with very different political associations—to follow the same King. What does it mean to represent Christ's Kingdom while living as citizens of an earthly nation? What should distinguish the way Christians talk, disagree, vote, and treat others? How can political tribalism undermine the Church's witness to the world?
6. This week isn't primarily about the other party, the media, or the people you think are ruining the country. The question is whether the Bible in your heart matches the Bible in your hands. Finish these sentence: "One area where I've been putting an asterisk after 'Jesus is King' is __________.

WORKS (25 minutes)

• Break down into 2’s or 3’s to pray.
• Share what part of this week’s message was hardest for you to hear or process?
• Then pray for each other and unsaved people you love