Summary

Watermark recently hosted hundreds of pastors and church leaders for a conference to encourage and remind folks how God uses His Church to bring about His great works. The truth is, we gather every single week for a pastors’ conference here at Watermark. Todd Wagner, Blake Holmes, and John McGee remind us that it is God’s plan to use us for the work of the ministry because the time is now and life is short.

Discussion Questions

1. Blake shared a story with us about how he learned to teach kids to sail at summer camp. He was taught that you can’t learn to sail while standing on the shore. You must get in the water and experience it. God intends for us to “be in the water”; fully deployed for His purposes. Are you fully deployed as God intends you to be? Who are you discipling from the shore instead of from the water? What changes can you make (if needed) to fully deploy yourself and others in ministry?
2. We often fail to get in the water because we have bought into a broken model. One that says ministry is only carried out by the guys who teach from the stage. Ephesians 4:11-12 clearly states that all saints (the body of Christ, Christians, the Church) are to be equipped for the work of the ministry. Do you ever hesitate to participate in ministry because you feel ill-equipped or unworthy? If so, what causes your hesitation?
3. God intends to use you and your gifts (1 Peter 4:10), but we don’t have to go at it alone. Who are you “sailing” with as you serve the Lord? Do you have a spiritually mature friend/mentor guiding and teaching you in ministry? Do you have someone you are personally guiding and teaching?
4. John McGee reminded us that we only have a little while here on earth to say thanks to God. Life is short and we ought to keep an eternal perspective about the days we have left (Psalm 90:12). Keeping this perspective changes your parenting, priorities, and even productivity. Do you have a consumer mentality about life? Or are you fully deploying your gifts and service with the time God has given you here on earth?
5. God doesn’t need us to work for Him, but He does want us to walk with Him as good soldiers of Christ (2 Timothy 2:1-6). Todd shared a video with us contrasting the differences between the mindset of someone looking to sail on a cruise ship verses a battleship. Have you walked with God this week carrying a battleship mentality? Or do you honestly find yourself more often carrying the cruise ship mentality? How can your community group help you make the switch from the cruise ship, if that is where you’ve been stuck?