02.18.07
Small Group Plan - February 18, 2007
“Called or Driven”
Involvement
Small Group Plan
February 18, 2007
Dear Small Group Leader,
Dr. Herbert J. Freudenberger calls it, the “Super-Achiever Sickness” and the “Occupational Hazard For High Achievers” (Burnout: How To Beat The High Cost Of High Achievement). Dr. Joel Elkes, of the University of Louisville, says, “Our mode of life itself, the way we live, is emerging as today’s principle cause of illness.”
These are modern terms, but the condition is as old as Biblical history. One simple contrast will make this very clear – Saul in the Old Testament and John in the New Testament. Two high-profile men, two very clear leaders, but two very different styles of life. One was driven. The other was called.
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· Describe the characteristics of a “driven” person.
· Describe the typical relationships in the life of a “driven” person.
· Just how “driven” would you say you are? Explain.
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
Saul - The Driven man …
1 Samuel 8:4-7
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” 6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.
· Why did Israel want a king?
· When and how have we wanted something because someone else had one?
1 Samuel 8:9
Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.
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Vs. 11 He will take … |
Vs. 18 You will cry out |
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Vs. 13 He will take … |
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Vs. 14 He will take … |
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Vs. 15 He will take … |
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Vs. 17 He will take … |
· Why did the Israel ignore the warning about a king?
· Why did God even allow them to have a king?1 Samuel 9:2
He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites — a head taller than any of the others.
· What were Saul’s “unearned” characteristics?
· How could they become either strengths or weaknesses?
· Why are “Driven” people often very impatient and self-absorbed?
1 Samuel 14:24
I have avenged myself on my enemies.
1 Samuel 15:12
There he has set a monument in his own honor.
1 Samuel 15:30
Saul replied, “I have sinned.
But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel.”
· Several things are “out of control” in Saul’s life – What are they?
· Before his “fall” what was Saul primarily focused on?
· What are all his energies now given to?
John - The called man …
John 3:26-30
26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan — the one you testified about — well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” 27 To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.
· Vs. 26 - How would you describe someone with a “territorial” way of thinking? Why doesn’t John have such an attitude?
· Vs. 28 – How would you describe John’s sense of “identity”? How did it help him to know who he WAS by first knowing who he WASN”T?
· Vs. 29 – John knew his “purpose.” What was it?
· Vs. 30 – Could a “Driven” person ever say, “I must become less”? Explain. How could John step aside so easily?
· Vs. 29 – As John faces a dangerous, uncertain future, how can he joyful?
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· Does the “Driven” life help or hurt our health and our relationships? Explain.
· How can the “driven” way of life be replaced by the “called” way of life?
· What in Dallas promotes the “driven” mindset?
· How can we open our hearts to a “called” way of thinking?
· What did you grow up thinking “called of God” meant?
· Even though it’s Biblical, why are some even afraid of this language?
Close by asking God for the faith to listen for His “Call” rather than given in to the “Driven” push of our culture.