Month: February 2015

Matthew 25:31-46 // Do Good, Be Generous

Lean In // 5 minutes

Leader note: This week a simple question and image has polarized people into two camps.  Click the link below and have group members answer the question.  Make sure to watch your time as the question is simply intended to be fun and create energy.  Don’t spend more than 5 minutes on the question.

Click here: White/Gold or Black/Blue?

What color is the dress?

Look Down // 10 minutes

Read Matthew 25:31-46

What separates sheep from goats?

Sample answers may include…

  • Sheep respond with:
    • Action- food for the hungry & water for the thirsty
    • Engaging the stranger
    • Compassion- visiting the prisoner
    • Care for the sick
    • Obedience- Serving others is the same as serving Jesus
    • Seeing and identifying with the “least of these”
  • Goats respond with:
    • In-action
    • Indifference
    • Complacency
    • Rationalization- “why” help is not needed
    • Self-centeredness
    • Belief that the least are unimportant

What’s the surprise in the story?

Commentary: The surprise is found in how the people responded to the poor, needy, marginalized, and broken. 

Look Out // 10 minutes

Who are the “least of these” in our world today? 

Sample answers could include…

  • Hungry/Thirsty – Physically hungry/thirsty, seeking fulfillment & life
  • Stranger – Outsider, the immigrant, marginalized,
  • Without clothes – Homeless, vulnerable, human trafficking
  • Sick – Mentally ill, shut-in, physically handicap
  • Prisoner – Addicts, broken, indebted, broken relationships, depressed

Leader note: Go through each of the categories Jesus highlights in the passage and put together a full list of who would be included in each one before moving on to the next question.  Consider the emotional, physical, spiritual, geographical, financial, and relational factors.

An experiment: Integrating Love, Truth, Justice, & Peace

Leader note: We tend to lean toward one characteristic more than the others.  So, when we see a person described as “the least of these” we tend to react with love, truth, justice, or peace. 

As a Look Out experiment, choose a category from the “least of these” question (listed above) and divide your group into four groups.  Depending on their category, group members will only give voice for either love, truth, justice, or peace.  So, group members in the love category will speak up for the “least of these” through only a perspective of love while group members in the truth category will give voice for their perspective through a lens of truth, and so on and so forth. 

*Please remind everyone that it is only an experiment!

Sample Story: Mike pulls up to a traffic light and discovers a person standing on the side of the road holding a sign.  The Love Group responds by finding a way to help the person by rolling down the window and giving them something.  The Truth Group responds by thinking, “They made decisions that have led to this circumstance and I know that helping can only further the hurt.”  The Justice Group responds by advocating for the poor and needy and how they never received the same opportunities as others.  And, the Peace Group responds by trying to harmonize the different ways to help the person in need.

Look In // 15 minutes

Leader note: With the definitions of the “least of these” listed above and in mind, lead group members through these questions.  Don’t let the group settle for just the usual talking points like homelessness or immigration.  Rather, encourage group members to go deeper.

Where have you recently seen someone in need?  How did you respond?

What could it look like to integrate love, truth, justice, & peace for those in need?

Leader note: As the leader, pay attention to group member’s stories and themes so that you can possibly respond to helping those in need as a group.

How could your group respond to the needs in your community?

Live It Out // 5 minutes

What would happen in our community and world if we unleashed good deeds and generosity?

Leader Note: This weekend is our Be Fearless campaign where we are unleashing good deeds and generosity.  If you are looking for opportunities to serve, please click this link: Be Fearless.  There are five events to serve with one goal in mind: To fearlessly change the world for Jesus Christ.  Here are the events:

Saturday, March 7-

  • Boys and Girls Club Work Project Irvine – 8:30a-12n
  • Kids Around The World – 10:30a-1p

Saturday, March 14-

  • Boys and Girls Club Work Project Costa Mesa – 8:30a-12n

Saturday, March 21-

  • Lighthouse Community Centers Work Project – 8:30a- 12:30p
  • Medical Clinic at Christian Arabic Church – 8a- 3p

Key Verse(s): For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:21

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. – 1 Timothy 6:18

Key Thought: Do good for those who can’t and won’t do anything for you.

Click here for Life Group Serve Opportunities

Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 // Giving Is Living

Lean In // 5 minutes
 
What something you’ve bought that was a total waste of money?
 
Leader Note: Keep this question light and encourage everyone to play. In couples group it’s probably not a great idea to have them talk about what they think their partner wastes money on! Think of informercial products, silly trinkets, things that end up in the trash or in storage in a few weeks.
 
Transition your group by saying something like… “when it comes to our finances there’s one thing that we can all generally agree on, there never seems to quite enough of it do to all things we want to do. We want to spend time in this discussion looking at how the scriptures shape our view wealth and generosity.”
 
You may also want to quickly review week 8 of Rooted where we discussed how although we don’t see our think of ourselves as being “rich” that living in Orange County automatically puts us within the top of the worlds richest economies. We are rich in opportunities, resources and possessions, especially when you consider the baseline for much of the world’s population. We are “those who are rich in this present world.”
 
Look Down // 10 minutes
 
 
What does this passage say about wealth?
 
Sample answers…
  • Wealth can lead to arrogance – creates a false sense of security
  • You can’t put your hope in it
  • Wealth isn’t something you can count on, put your hope in
  • God alone gives us wealth, trust in his provision
  • God gives us wealth so we can be generous, share with others
  • Generosity produces a richness in us that we can’t get anywhere else
  • God wants us to be rich, experience wealth, in doing good deeds
  • Wealthy people are the ones who understand it’s all from God
  • Wealthily people use what God has given them to bless and serve others
  • Giving leads to true life/treasure that extends beyond this world
 
Look Out // 10 minutes
 
What are the traps people fall into because of wealth?
 
Sample answers…
  • No one can tell me what to do you.. I have money so I know everything
  • Creates a false sense of power and entitlement
  • Thinking it makes me secure
  • I own what I have, I earned it and can do whatever I want with it
  • My worth is equal to my bank account
  • Wealth buys happiness
  • Wealth is the answer to all of lives questions
  • Selfishness and greed, can’t get enough of it
  • Debt, chase after it, live outside of my means
  • Creates worry, anxiety, always concerned “how my money is doing”
  • Disconnect you from the needs of others, out of touch with other’s needs
  • I’m smarter, I work harder
Leader Note: Invite stories here for where people have seen others fall into traps because of their thinking and actions concerning wealth. For example, it someone answers… “it creates a false sense of security” ask them where they have seen that.
 
Look In // 15 minutes
 
What traps have you fallen into regarding wealth and money?
 
Sample answers…
  • Thinking what I have is mine, I earned it and I can do whatever I want with it
  • That it will solve all my problems, if I only had a little more then I would be happy
  • Wealth will improve the ways people see me, give me prestige
  • Worry that I won’t have enough, can’t trust that God will really meet my needs
  • Money gives me ability control others, makes me a person of authority and influence
  • People who don’t have significant wealth are a waste of time, thinking less of them
  • Uncertain… now that I have it, I can’t live without
  • If I had more I could give more, I’ll give have enough, when I’m taking care of
  • That giving doesn’t really bring me peace, I do it out of obligation
  • Ownership
 
What do you need to believe about God to get out of that trap?
 
Sample answers…
  • That everything I have comes from him, he owns it all
  • My identity comes from how God sees me, not in my wealth
  • That God knows my needs and he will take care of me
  • That giving is a command that is for my benefit, not my punishment
Leader Note: There are two main things we want our groups to see in this passage. Firstly, that we can’t place our hope and trust in our wealth. Secondly, that God calls us to be “rich in good deeds” through the ways we use what he has given us to bless and serve others. The first understanding is a matter of changing our perspective and the second is one of practice. Shift your group with the next question to focus on what it could look like to practice generosity for the sake of others.
 
What could we as a group and as individuals do to be “rich in good needs”
 
Leader Note: Encourage your group to dream about what it could look like to commit to giving regular with their time, talents and treasures. What are the needs in your community that you could rally around together? We believe that God has unquietly placed our groups together for a reason that goes way beyond us simply meeting together for our own encouragement! He wants to use your group serve and bless others. 
 
Live It Out // 5 minutes
 
What if we made generosity a normal expression of our group? What would change around us?
 
Leader Note: Outreach Weekend is next weekend! Set your group up this week by telling them that you’ll have an opportunity to give and serve together, to put this week’s discussion into practice.

Key Verse: Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God. 1 Timothy 6:17a

Key Thought: God owns everything

Click here for Life Group Serve Opportunities

Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.

2 Corinthians 9:6-15 // I Like Giving

Lean In // 5 minutes

What do people worry about today when it comes to money?

Sample answers…

  • Cost of sending kids to school
  • Having enough for retirement
  • Living “pay check to pay check”
  • Never benign able to get of debt
  • Never having enough
  • Having more than the “next guy”
  • Loosing it all – how to protect and invest it safely

Leader Note: Pay attention to the answers as your group may answer in the third person but it may actually be what they are worried about and it will come up again later in this discussion.

Look Down // 10 minutes

Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

What does the passage say about generosity?

Leader Note: Remember to keep your group engaged with the passage. Encourage them to put it into their own words while not straying from the meaning of the passage. Ask them to point to the verse when they give their observations.

Sample answers may include…

  • You will have enough
  • There’s a connection between what you plant and harvest (give and receive)
  • It’s a decision, a choice… a free non-forced choice
  • When we choose to give it should be an all in choice, because we want to
  • God loves when people give with joy
  • God is in control of the return
  • God promises to take of you, give you all you need
  • God wants to give to you so that you will have more to give to others, not just keep it for yourself
  • God want’s to enrich us in every way to bless others – not limited to just money
  • When we give others get to experience the heart of God
  • When we give God gets the glory
  • Giving is a sign of an obedient follower

Look Out // 10 minutes

What happens when we live with financial fear and worry?

Sample answers may include…

  • We hold on to what we have, less likely to give anything
  • Our relationships take on stress, they suffer
  • We make decisions based of desperation
  • We feel less free to take risks in life
  • We can see past our current troubles, no vision for the future

Look In // 20 minutes

Where do you worry about your finances?

How can this passage address your worries?

Leader note: Have your group choose one or two verses or truths from the passage that directly address their worries. Have them put into a sentence, I worry about ____________ but I choose to believe that _____________________. Have them claim the promises from this passage as a way to move from worry to trust.

For example…
I worry that I won’t have enough money for retirement but I choose to believe that God is able to bless me abundantly, and give me all I need

Live It Out // 5 minutes

What would change in your heart and relationships if you help onto the God’s promises about generosity?

Key Verse(s):  And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. – 2 Corinthians 9:8

Key Thought: God will meet our needs

Click here for Life Group Serve Opportunities

Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.

Matthew 6:1-4 // Journey to Generosity

Lean In // 5 minutes

Would you rather receive an Oscar or a Grammy?  Why?

Leader note: We love awards so much that we even like to watch people receive awards.  Use this question to transition into the Look Down section and highlight how people think the only thing better than receiving an award is receiving a public reward!

Look Down // 10 minutes

What do you learn about the generosity of the Scribes and Pharisees?

Read Matthew 6:1-4

Sample answers may include…

  • It was for show
  • Desired honor from others
  • Wanted the immediate reward
  • Gave them prestige
  • Looked to be celebrated
  • Tooted their own horn
  • It was hypocritical

What does Jesus say about practicing generosity?

Sample answers may include…

  • God’s reward is now and in the future
  • The Pharisees and Scribes’ reward was simply the praise of the people
  • The Disciple’s generosity received God’s reward
  • Giving is for the audience of God—Give in secret (v. 4)
  • Generosity is a when and not an if—When you give…(vv. 2-3)
  • Generosity is a practice from a changed heart (v. 1)

Commentary: The challenge with the Scribes and Pharisee’s giving was that it was to be seen by others rather than focusing their giving for God to be seen.  As a result, Jesus refers to them as hypocrites (v. 2).  The image of a hypocrite is an actor with a script that is playing to an audience.  Jesus highlighted the hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees because they were giving to be seen as generous rather than giving as a response from a changed and generous heart.

Look Out // 10 minutes

What does a life of generosity look like? What does a life not lived generously look like?

Leader Note: This question is designed to get your group thinking about how the biblical principal of generosity works in our world today. Invite your group to share stories where they’ve seen generosity displayed through someone they know and likewise where they may have seen the effects of greed. Let your group know that their examples don’t just have to be about money… i.e time, gifts ect.

Look In // 15 minutes

What holds you back from giving generously?

Sample answers may include…

  • Fear that I won’t have enough
  • The desire to keep more of my money
  • I want recognition for my giving
  • My small amount doesn’t matter
  • The Church doesn’t need my money
  • I want to control how my giving is used

What steps do you need to take to move at generosity?

Sample answers may include…

  • Believe that God is good and trustworthy
  • Realize that my money really belongs to God
  • Take a step of faith:
    • Give for the first time
    • Give regularly rather than randomly
    • Give generously and sacrificially

Where have you experienced God’s rewards through your giving?

Leader Note: There are people in your group that have experienced God’s goodness through their giving.  This is a good opportunity to share stories and hear how God has moved in their lives.  It’s not so they can be seen but rather to inspire the faith of others.

Live It Out // 5 minutes

What would change in our community and relationships if we became more generous?

Key Verse(s): Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  – Matthew 6:4

Key Thought: Take the journey to generosity.

Click here for Life Group Serve Opportunities

Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.

Matthew 5:27-30 // A Fatal Distraction

Lean In // 5 minutes

What is your favorite Super Bowl commercial?

Leader Note: Transitional statement could be… much of advertising has to do with selling us stuff we crave but don’t need. Advertisers play on what we want, when we want it and how we want it. This is the essence of lust and lies at the heart of what Jesus is getting at in this passage.

Look Down // 10 minutes

Matthew 5:27-30

What do you learn about adultery and divorce?

Sample answers may include…

  • Adultery doesn’t just apply to a married couple.
  • Adultery starts in the heart.
  • Jesus re-frames adultery.
  • There is a cost and severity to adultery.
  • The grounds for divorce are limited.

Commentary: As with anger in the previous passage, Jesus is not simply drawing an new “line in the sand”. Rather he is drawing a circle around all of us. We all find ourselves unable to stand on our own righteousness as Jesus is defining it. We need Him and His grace. With regard to divorce, the Pharisees had manipulated the law to the point where people -mostly men- could divorce their spouse for any reason. Jesus is not only limiting how divorce is to be applied, he is also attending to an issue of social justice.

Look Out // 10 minutes

Where do you see lust woven into the fabric of society?

Sample answers may include…

  • Fashion
  • Marketing (Madison Avenue)
  • Sex industry (pornography, literature, movies)
  • Consumerism

How does lust unravel the fabric of society?

Sample answers may include..

  • Broken marriages
  • Addiction
  • Sex trade
  • Violence
  • Financial hardship (overspending)
  • Misuse of others

Leader Note:

Look In // 20 minutes

Leader Note: Due to the subject matter and the nature of the questions below this may be an opportunity to break out into same gender groups.

Where have you let lust creep into your heart?

Sample answers:

  • My struggle with sex.
  • Pornography and masturbation.
  • For the way I’ve used others.
  • My divorce.
  • Fantasies I get stuck in.
  • Forgiving my spouse for divorcing me.

What steps can you can take to set boundaries around these places?

Where do you need to receive God’s grace?

Leader Note: These questions lead to a natural time of confession. We know that confession is not only freeing it is healing (James 5). This is a time to receive, hold and release one another. If group members express a desire to set a boundary by walking out healing in a care or recovery environment, you can point them to http://www.marinerschurch.org/irvine/ministries/care-and-recovery/about-care-recovery/

Live it Out // 5 minutes

What if we extended grace to others where you need it most?

Key Verse(s):  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:17-18

Click here for Life Group Serve Opportunities

Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.