Month: March 2014

Luke 4:14-30 // Freedom: How To Start A Revolution Wk 4

Lean In // 5 minutes

Who’s your favorite revolutionary figure?

Leader Note: Invite both fictional and historical answers. As a follow up ask… “What did they see”, or “what was the circumstance they set out to change?”

 

Look Down // 10 minutes

Read Luke 4:14-30

What do you learn about Jesus’ revolutionary message?

Sample answers may include

  • It’s fueled by God’s spirit (v.18)
  • It is good news to the poor (v.18)
  • Releases the captives (v.18)
  • Brings sight to the blind (v.18)
  • Freedom for the oppressed (v.18)
  • It’s in partnership with the time of the Lord’s favor (v.18)
  • It’s holistic, brings physical, emotional an spiritual healing/restoration (v.18-19)
  • The message of the revolution is expressed the through person of Jesus (v.21)
  • People liked the sound of it but were skeptical about Jesus (v.22)
  • Jesus was not surprised or deterred by those who rejected (v.22-23)
  • The revolution is not just for “insiders.” It’s open to all (v.25-27)
  • It caused the “insiders” to be angry to the point they wanted to kill Jesus (v.28-29)

 

Look Out // 10 minutes

What causes people to miss the message of Jesus’ revolution?

Sample answers may include

  • Greed, have much to loose for the poor to receive good news
  • Unwilling to release their own power for the sake of others’ freedom
  • They don’t see a need for it in the world or in their own lives – spiritual blindness
  • Don’t consider Jesus to be God, he’s just a “great teacher”
  • Wounds from a negative experience with the church
  • No understanding of grace, people get what they deserve in life

Where do you see people joining in Jesus’s revolution?

Leader Note: This question should lend itself to stories. Prompt your group to share a store where they’ve seen the mission of Jesus at work in and through a person… what did that look like?

 

Look In // 20 minutes

What part of Jesus revolution are you most in need of?

Leader Note: You may also frame this question by asking, emotionally, physically or spiritually… 

  • Where are you poor?
  • What holds you captive?
  • Where have you become blind?
  • Where do you wrestle with oppression?

 

Live It Out // 5 minutes

Where is Jesus calling you to live out his revolution? What could that look like?

Pray: Spend time praying for God’s spirit to illuminate the places in our heart that are in need of Jesus revolutionary message to bring life and healing. Pray that we become people who choose to live out with grace and truth the freedom that Jesus has offered to us.

Luke 4:1-13 // Allure Of The Lure: How To Start A Revolution Wk 3

Lean In // 5 minutes

What are all the voluntary “instruments of death” used to catch animals and insects?

Sample answers may include

  • Fishhooks
  • Bear trap
  • Mouse trap
  • Fly paper
  • Bug zapper

Leader Note: Transition your group to the text by saying something like… “Temptation is the biblically equivalent to these types of traps.”

 

Look Down // 10 minutes

Read Luke 4:1-13

What do you learn about temptation?

Sample answers may include

  • It can come when we’re full of the Holy Spirit (v.1)
  • The spirit can lead us to wilderness places (v.1)
  • While the spirit may lead us there it’s the devil that does the tempting (v.2)
  • It can come in moments of weakness (v.2) and moments of strength (v.1)
  • The devil offers us something we want and often think we need (v.3)
  • The devil wants to steal our identity through temptation (v.3)
  • We can combat temptation by using God’s word (v.4,8,12)
  • Temptation is alluring but comes at a cost (v.5-7)
  • Temptation is a question of what will we worship (v.7-8)
  • The devil will also tempt us to misuse gifts that we have. It may not be a sin to use them but the manner or reason in which we use can lead to sin (v.3, 9-10)
  • The devil knows how to use and misuse scripture against us (v.10-11)
  • The devil is very persistent and patient with how he tempts up  (v.13)

 

Look Out // 10 minutes

Where have you seen people give in to temptation? What was the allure of the temptation and what were the costs in giving in to it?

Where have you seen people not give in to temptation? What were the costs and what were the benefits?

Commentary: There’s a price to pay when you give in to temptation and there’s also a temporary cost we pay when we resist. As with Jesus, Satan brings about temptation that is aimed at robbing us from our identity. We can easily loose ourselves and put others in harms way by continually giving in to temptation.

 

Look In // 20 minutes

What are the traps of temptation that the Devil sets for you?

Commentary: Satan knows how to tempt you. He will come at you with things you desire or feel entitled to have. The more we become personal aware of those areas in our lives where we are susceptible to temptation the better we can be prepared to resist.

What do you think he wants to steal from you in setting those traps?

How can you prepare yourself to resist temptation?

Sample answers may include

  • By remaining honest about the areas of weakness and sharing it with others
  • By staying in God’s word
  • By staying in a trusting community, my Life Group!
  • Avoiding situations where we open ourselves up to temptation
  • Through walking in step with the power of the Holy Spirit
  • By cultivating thankfulness
  • Through remembrance in our identity in Christ, who He says we are

 

Live It Out // 5 minutes

Who could you impact by resisting temptation?

Pray: Pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to give courage and strength to avoid giving in to temptation. Pray for eyes to be open to see temptation for what it is… a trap by the enemy to rob us of our identity and purpose.

Luke 3:3-14 // Be Fearless: How To Start A Revolution Wk 2

Introduction // 5 minutes

What’s a person or event in history you’d like to meet or visit and why?

Sample answers may include…

  • William Wilberforce
  • Gettysburg address
  • Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech

What would you tell the people living in that context?

Leader Note: When living in a historical moment most people tend the miss the weight and significance of what they are faced with. For others they are so blind by the current state of culture and society (example; the abolishment of slavery movement) that they can’t imagine that things can or even should change.

With the gift of historical hindsight what would you tell the people, what would you encourage them not to miss?

 

Observation // 15 minutes

Read Luke 3:3-9

What does John the Baptist say about preparing for the Lord’s coming?

Sample answers may include…

  • That the people should be baptized and repent of their sins (v.3)
  • To let their lives show that they have repented, turned their ways (v.8)
  • To not rely on their heritage but to live lives that show repentance (v.8)
  • To produce “good fruit” (v.9)

Read Luke 3:9-14

What does “good fruit” look like in the passage?

Sample answers may include…

  • Giving your shirt to the poor, generous living (v.11)
  • Sharing your good with the hungry, sacrificial living (v.11)
  • Collect no more money than you’re owed, just living (v.13)
  • To not use your power for corruption (v.14)
  • Living without greed (v.14)

Leader Note: Raise the point to your group that John does not say… go to the temple or read the words of the prophets. John basically says to live generously and justly. To provide for those who need provision and protect those that need protection. To be mindful of the poor and powerless. This is what “good fruit” looks like… a repented heart in action spending themselves on others who are incapability or paying them back.

 

Understanding // 10 minutes 

What causes people to miss Jesus today?

Sample answers may include…

  • Greed
  • Pride
  • Self-centeredness
  • Religious living without care for others

Leader Note: The crowds asked John “What should we do?” They wanted to know how to get ready for Jesus, how to not miss him. John clearly says that the best way to see Jesus is to live a generous and just life. Anything that falls outside of those categories can potential cause us to miss seeing Jesus.

 

Application // 10 minutes

How will you experience Jesus?

Leader Note: You may also ask the question this way… “If experiencing Jesus is clearly done in the context of generous and just living, then what would it look like for you to live that way and what holds you back?”

 

Live It Out // 5 minutes

What if we lived out generosity and justice? Who would see Jesus and what could the impact be?

Prayer: Pray for compassion to see what Jesus sees. Pray for boldness to enter into places that we may not want to go. Pray for any form of pride or selfishness to be uprooted in our hearts so that we may fully display, with our actions the power of repentance and the power of the Gospel within us.

Luke 3:1-4 // How To Start A Revolution Wk 1

Introduction // 5 minutes

What’s the longest you’ve gone without sleep?

Leader Note: Be sure to get the story behind the answer here.

 

Observation // 10 minutes

Read Luke 3:1-4

What do you learn about the power of God’s word?

Sample answers may include

  • God’s word came to one person at a specific time (v.2)
  • God’s word meet John in the wilderness, in an unexpected place (v.2)
  • It prompted action from John, calling people to be baptized (v.3)
  • It compelled others to action, to repent and to be baptized (v.3)
  • It’s prophetic, speaks of things to come (v.4)

Commentary: God’s message to John came during the “intertesatmental period”, which was a 400-year span of time between the Old and New Testament writings.  This period of time has been also called the “400 years of silence” where God revealed nothing to his people through the prophets.

John emerges as the first person since the prophet Malachi with a word from God to his people.  Luke highlights the physical location where John received God’s word (the wildness) and would undoubtedly want his audience to make the connection to the spiritual wilderness that the people of Israel had been in for 400 years.

 

Understanding // 10 minutes

What’s the longest you’ve been apart from a loved one?

What were the circumstances and how did you feel during that time?

Leader Note: They say, “Absences makes the heart grow fonder.”  While that may be true prolonged absence can also make the heart grow cold and lonely.  Spend time focusing on the emotions of the “in between time.”

 

Application // 15 minutes

Describe a time in your life where God seemed/seems silent?

What would it look like for you to trust God in a “wilderness” season?

Leader Note: As with all questions you set the tone by your response.  Be honest and vulnerable and make it safe for others to answer with the same level of honesty.

Commentary: Just because God seems silent it doesn’t mean He’s not listening.  Nor does it mean that He’s absent.  Just as with John the Baptist, God often uses “wilderness” moments to shape and grow us into people who trust and depend on God’s spirit.  Avoid rushing into advice giving or rescuing too quickly during this question.  Allow space for honest lament and questioning while inviting the Holy Spirit to bring comfort and clarity in your closing group prayer. 

 

Live It Out // 5 minutes

Who could you impact by persevering through a “wilderness season” of life?

Prayer: Pray boldly for God’s spirit to comfort and guide in times of silence and in times of suffering.  Pray for perseverance to hold on to God’s word and truth and for supernatural strength to trust Him in those times.

Matthew 18:21-35 // Two Qualities To Build Beauty In The Mess: Beautiful Mess Wk 8

Introduction // 5 minutes

What are some close calls in your life?

Leader Note: Have your group think about a time when they should have been in trouble but got out of it somehow. 

 

Observation // 10 minutes

Read Matthew 18:21-35

What do you learn about the master? 

Commentary: There are a few key terms in the story.  “Seventy-seven times” denotes a limitless number or a lifestyle of forgiveness.  The word “talent” literally means millions of dollars so the servant’s debt could have been in the billions of dollars.  The word “denarii” is used to mean a few dollars or one day’s wage.   The idea is the contrast between the extreme amount of debt that was forgiven by the master and the small amount that was not forgiven by the servant.

Sample answers may include

  • His servant owed him a huge debt (v. 24) and was not able to pay it  (vv. 25-26)
  • The master took pity on the servant, canceled the debt, and let him go (v. 27)
  • There was an expectation for the servant to show mercy to others (v. 32)

What do you learn about the servant? 

  • He was not able to pay the debt (v. 25)
  • After being shown mercy, he demanded the few dollars owed him from a fellow servant (v. 28)
  • He did not forgive the small debt (v. 30) and it cost him (v. 34)

 

Understanding // 10 minutes

What does it mean to forgive and where have you seen it practiced?

Leader Note: When Peter asked Jesus how often he should forgive his brother, Jesus replied, “Seventy-seven times,” which means there is no limit.  However, there is a difference between forgiveness and reconciliation.  Forgiveness takes one person but reconciliation takes two.  With that in mind, help your group to understand the response of forgiveness to wrong doing and how it is different than reconciliation.

 

What is the cost of forgiveness?  What is the cost of not forgiving?

Leader Note: In Jesus’ story, it cost the master millions of dollars to cancel the debt.  It is important to understand there is always a cost associated with forgiveness.  There is also a cost of not extending forgiveness which can include bitterness, isolation, blame, denial, and un-healed wounds.  Help your group understand the cost of both sides.   

 

Application // 15 minutes

Where are you not extending forgiveness?  What is it costing you?

What are some steps you could take to move closer toward letting it go?

Leader Note: When we extend forgiveness, it can be an emotional experience.  As a leader, be ready to lean in, listen, and allow the Holy Spirit to work.     

 

Live It Out // 5 minutes

Imagine the impact on our world if we were the people that extended forgiveness to others when we have been wronged?  It could set us free and show the world forgiveness is available for them too!

Prayer: Spend time thanking God for the forgiveness we find in placing our trust in His Son, Jesus.  Pray that you would be mindful of the areas where you are harboring un-forgiveness.  Pray that God would fill you with the Holy Spirit so that you might continually extend forgiveness and in the process be transformed into the likeness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.