Flow Questions for Sep. 29 & 30, 2012

Date:  September 29-30, 2012
Series:  Uncontrollable
Message:  Uncontrollable Grace
Passages:  John 6:50-58  1 Corinthians 11:23-30

 

INTRODUCTION – 10 MINUTES

What are some of your favorite memories?

Leader note:  Spend just a few minutes on this question and then move through the other intro questions.

Leader note:  Everyone should be able to think of one or two – usually they will think of the big events in their lives, that’s okay, let them reminisce a bit.

Commentary:  Some examples of answers you may get from your group –

Wedding – theirs or one they attended
Watching sunset in Maui on honeymoon
Proposing to wife, or being proposed to
Backpacking, rafting, fishing, skiing with family, or other vacations
Kids being born, adoptions being finalized
Being accepted to college, getting a new job

 

Talk about your memories – why are they so important for us to remember?

Commentary – Some of the reasons memories are important –

They mark milestones
Define a point in our life/define our life
Keep us grounded
Give us identity
Remind us who we are

 

What are things you did, things you remember, you wish you could forget?  

Leader note:  These are those embarrassing times in your life – where things played out in your mind better than they did in real life.  Have your group think of a couple of those memories – they don’t have to share if they don’t want to, move to the next question.

Follow up with this last thought:  “What do you learn about memories?”

Commentary:

Emotions come back with the memory
Change the details sometimes – make it worse than it was or better than it was
They grow
We let memories define us
We internalize them
In a way, memories define who we are

 

OBSERVATION – 20 MINUTES 

Read John 6:50-58 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-30.  What should we remember?

Leader tip:  Make sure you respond to each answer, either have them expand on their answer or rephrase it if they just read from the text.  For instance, if they just say, remember the bread, ask them what the bread represented, really get them to consider the meaning behind the directive to remember – why it would be important.

Commentary:  Some of the answers your group should get –

Bread – remember his body – Emmanuel, he came to be with us, flesh and bone, from heaven, brings eternal life
Cup – remember the blood shed for us, His death, once and for all, forgiven, new covenant/agreement,
Remember what He did
Remember why He died
Remember the seriousness of it – don’t take it lightly
Remember regularly, often
Those who eat His flesh and drink His blood remains in Jesus, and He in them

 

UNDERSTANDING – 20 MINUTES

Jesus tells us to “remember” what is Jesus afraid we’ll forget?

Leader note:  Spend 10-15 minutes on this question.  There are things we need to remember and things we need to forget.  A good way to ask this question is to make two columns on a piece of paper, ask, “What are we to remember?” then before moving on, say, “What happens if we forget that?”  Look at both sides of the answer before moving on.  It will help you as you move into the application question.

Commentary:  Some examples of what your group may come up with-

Need to Remember  …                               if we forget….

He came to be with us                                 we feel alone/abandoned
His death/burial/resurrection                        We fall back into the “have to do’s”
His forgiveness                                            We’re not able to forgive others
His body/flesh and blood                             We can’t have real relationship – it is just spooky ghost-like thing
Honor the body of Christ                              We get a lot of “should” in our life
His blood shed                                             Minimize His capacity to cover ALL sins – limit Jesus
T
he New Covenant/arrangement                 Go back to everything is conditioned to my work
He broke the power of sin                             Sin dominates and controls me – I have to do it
List of things I’ve done was cancelled           Create my own list or others do and it becomes powerful
He came to be part of community                  Lose value of community, of the family of faith
Blood/curtain ripped – access                       I am not fit to come to him/dirty
Fulfilled promise                                              Won’t believe the rest of the promises

 

APPLICATION – 20 MINUTES

What do you need to remember?  What do you need to forget? What does God choose to remember?  What does God choose to forget?

Leader note:  Spend 10-15 minutes on these questions.  Ask all of them of each person who answers, one at a time.  First ask, what do you need to remember?  What do you need to forget?  Once they have answered that, ask them, “What does God choose to remember?” And, “What does God choose to forget?”

Commentary: Some sample answers-

I wasn’t part of a family when I was a child, I need to forget that I was an orphan, feeling like I’m not worthy of a family, didn’t deserve a family.  I need to remember I am loved, I am part of a family.  God chooses to remember I am His loved child, I am adopted into His family and have all the advantages of being part of that family – feeling loved, part of something, worthy, a sense of belonging.

I need to remember Jesus conquered the power sin has over me and need to forget old ways, forget hopelessness.  God chooses to see me as a new creation in Christ.

I need to remember Christ died for me and I am forgiven once and for all.  I need to forget the shame and guilt and brokenness of my past, I need to forget feeling worthless because of those things I did, less than, unworthy, ugly.  God chooses to forget all of my past, he remembers and sees me through the blood of Christ – I am clean, forgiven, righteous through Christ.

When I choose to remember it defines certain things in my life.  If I choose to remember Jesus died for me and love me I can’t hold onto self-hate, feelings of failure, feelings of not being enough, not being worthy, not forgiving.  God chooses to see me as a new creation in Christ, He sees me as worthy, forgiven, righteous, he forgets my old self

 

 

Pray:  You may choose to take Communion/Lord’s Supper in your life group.  If you do, pause to remember what it means that Christ came, in the flesh to be with you, what does that mean to you personally?  Pray silently and then say out loud, “this is my body, take this in remembrance of me”, then take the cup of wine or juice, remember what it means to you personally that Jesus died for you, once and for all, covering your sins so that God chooses to see only the blood of His beloved Son when He looks at you, what does that mean to you?  Pray silently.  Then say out loud, “this is my blood, drink it in remembrance of me”.  End your time together praising Jesus for coming in the flesh to identify with you, to be with you, to understand everything about you, and for taking your sin upon the cross, dying for you so that you can be in right relationship with the Father.  Spend time quietly asking for forgiveness in any areas you require it, and then asking that God will help you to remember His incarnation, His sacrifice and His love for you in a whole new way.  Help you to remember those things you need to remember and to forget those things you need to let go of forever.

 

LIVE IT OUT

Who can each of us tell our story to this week?  What will that look like in our community/world?

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