Crucial Moments – Week 1 - What is God saying?
Does God still speak? We read accounts in the Old Testament of God speaking directly to people, or through
prophets. In the New Testament, we read a few accounts of God speaking audibly and we have the words
Jesus spoke. What about now?
What comes to mind when you hear someone say something like “And then I heard God saying…” or “God
told me…” or “The Lord spoke to me…”? Can you relate to their claim of “hearing God”? Or do you find
yourself wondering what that must be like or whether the person is delusional? Be honest!
This two-week series at Kensington will be an introduction to one of the most important things we can
explore in our faith journey. That is, to learn how to hear from God, and to do what he says. Disciple literally
means “learner.” As followers of Jesus, we must learn how to listen for the voice of God in our lives and
respond to it. This week’s message specifically focused on listening to what God is saying.
Mark 1:14-15: After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The
time has come” he said, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
For some of us, this is a familiar sounding verse, for others it is new. But what is Jesus actually saying here? In
Greek, “Chronos” refers to literal time, but “Kairos” refers to a single moment. When Jesus says “The time has
come” he is using the word “Kairos.” He is talking about a moment.
Picture Chronos as a road you are traveling on, moving forward in time. Now, picture Kairos as a speed bump
in the road, or even a gigantic pothole! Kairos is a moment that breaks through and gets your attention. It can
be big or small.
When you encounter a Kairos moment in your life, as Jesus refers to it, you are encountering the Kingdom of
God breaking through and being near. It is a moment that allows and encourages you to stop and reflect.
Remember, a Kairos moment can be big or small. But, it is a time where you experience a moment that gets
your attention and makes you aware of something bigger, something beyond yourself. It causes you to stop
in the moment and reflect. Some examples include the birth of a child, or a brush with danger or death, or
the loss of something/someone significant. Other examples could include watching a sunset, breathing in a
familiar scent, or just having a very clear thought or conviction.
Every time we experience a Kairos moment, we have the opportunity to take action. What is the action
Jesus suggests in Mark 1:15?
Think of any Kairos moment you have experienced in your life, big or small. Can you share it?
THE LEARNING CIRCLE: Once you have identified a Kairos moment, we offer a visual tool called “the
learning circle” to assist you in taking the action Jesus suggests. Repent and believe.
What do you think of when you hear the word “repent”? How would you define the word “repent” (in your
own words, no smartphones!)?
“Repent” is from the Greek metanoia, meaning to change one’s mind. In churches we often encounter
strong resistance when we say “repent” because of its unfortunate association with negative messages
of condemnation without grace. Metanoia simply means a change of heart that shows up in a lifestyle or
behavior change.
The first half of the circle leads us through the act of repenting and assists us in answering the question
“What is God saying?” Hey! Here’s the good stuff! We are going to explore how to hear from God! Are you
ready?
Print out this study guide, or find a piece of paper to draw your own learning circle. The line running along
the top of the circle represents chronos, the road you are traveling along on. The X represents your kairos
moment. – your speed bump, pothole, or even road closure.
Take some time right now to do this on your own, and then share with others if you are comfortable doing
so. Identify a kairos moment you are currently experiencing, or one that you have experienced in the past.
Use the learning circle to identify where you are in the action step “REPENT.” There are three steps: 1)
Observe (What is God saying to me) 2)Reflect (Why is this coming to my attention) 3) Discuss (who can I
talk to about this?)
That’s it! That is what it looks like to repent and to listen. Repentance is necessary if we are to grow as
disciples, but is in not always easy! Sometimes we can go through the steps of this circle quickly, and other
times it will be a long process. It is not necessary to feel rushed. But, you should hope to be moving forward
around the circle.
This is the first half of the learning circle. Repent.
But, recall that Jesus said “repent and believe.” The second part to this series will move into the second half
of the learning circle and we will look at what Jesus meant when he said we should believe. Whereas this
week we looked at the question “What is God saying?” next week we will look at the question “What am I
going to do about it?”