04.29.07
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by collodi
“It’s All About God”
Small Group Plan
April 29, 2007
Dear Group Leader…
The following headlines actually appeared in newspapers:
“Study Finds Sex, Pregnancy Link” Cornell Daily Sun
“Subways Dirtier After Cleaning Jobs Cut” New York Times
“Larger Kangaroos Leap Farther” Los Angeles Times
“Alcohol Ads Promote Drinking” Hartford Courant
“Only Rain Will Cure Drought” Westpost Herald-News
“Teen-Age Girls Often Have Babies Fathered By Men” Sunday Oregonian
“Fish Lurk In Streams” Democrat & Chronicle
“Tomatoes Come In Big, Little, Medium Sizes” Charlottesville Daily Progress
We laugh at such an amazing grasp of the obvious. But it’s not so funny when the obvious fact of God’s control meets the celebrated fact of human independence. I can see the headlines now: “Humanity Is Surprised To Discover That God Is In Charge” Heaven Eternal Times.
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· What are the strengths of our independent American spirit?
· What are the weaknesses?
· How can wealth and privilege sometimes lead to pride and arrogance?
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
It’s not your plan - Romans 9
14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
· When someone says, “God is not fair” what do they usually mean?
· How would you define the “sovereignty of God?”
· Why must God rather than humanity be in charge of mercy?
· How do you answer someone who asks why God doesn’t simply forgive everyone?
it’s not what you think – Romans 10
1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes … 8 “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
· Explain the difference between being in love with religion and being in love with God?
· How can a person be passionate (zealous vs. 2) for God and yet not know Him?
· How is Jesus “the end of the law” (vs. 4)?
· Paul mentions the “heart” four times (Vs. 6,8,9,10). What is the connection between our heart and our salvation?
You’ll never guess how - Romans 11
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
· To visualize the “depth” of God’s “wisdom and knowledge” share how your understanding of God has changed and grown through the years.
· If God’s paths are “beyond tracing out” (vs. 33), what’s the point of study, meditation, or discussion?
· What happens to the pride of human knowledge when it stands next to the wisdom of God?
· Describe the character and personality of the person who would presume to be God’s “counselor” (vs. 34).
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· What is involved in submitting our plans to God’s plans?
· Does this mean we are not supposed to have dreams and pursue goals? Explain.
· How can we be both bold and humble?
· How would you advise a couple wanting to teach their child the balance of spiritual initiative and submission to God?
Close by pledging together in prayer your desire to submit and follow God.
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04.22.07
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by collodi
“God’s Unstoppable Spirit”
Small Group Plan
April 22, 2007
Dear Group Leader…
In his classic book, The Will of God, Leslie Weatherhead presents God’s will as having three dimensions:
God’s Intentional Will is what He originally wanted. He “intended” for Adam and Eve to follow His wishes. He wanted humanity to obey His will. But we didn’t.
God’s Circumstantial Will is what He did because of what we did. The “circumstances” produced by humanity’s failure created a need for rescue. And Jesus came to our rescue.
God’s Ultimate Will is what will occur in the end. “Ultimately” God will win. No matter what we do, no matter what Satan does, God will win. He is unstoppable! And we have the opportunity to be in His unstoppable family.
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· How do you explain why bad things happen to good people?
· On the “optimist-pessimist” scale where do you place yourself? Explain.
· As a group, list all of God’s blessings you can think of.
· How does hearing this list of blessings affect your position on the “optimist-pessimist” scale?
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
Unshakeable Convictions - Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
· How does God work for our good?
· How does He work in “all things” – both good and bad?
What cooperation is needed from us, for God to accomplish His purpose?
Undeniable Affirmations - Romans 8:29-30
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
· What must happen for Jesus to be the “firstborn among many brothers?”
· How would you explain verse 30 to a child?
· What does it mean to be “called” by God?
· How does it feel as you anticipate being “glorified” by God in heaven?
Unanswerable questions - Romans 8:31-39
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
· How would you answer Paul’s questions in verses 31-32?
· Verses 33-34 picture a courtroom with God as the judge and Jesus as our defense attorney. How would they reply to any “charges” brought against us?
· How can the difficulties of verses 35-36 cause us to question God’s love?
· On the other hand, how could they deepen our faith instead?
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· Have you been through the “school of hard knocks?” What did you learn?
· Which of the enemies in verses 38-39 are most real to you?
· The “Holy Spirit” is mentioned 22 times in Romans 8. What about God’s Unstoppable Spirit means the most to you? Explain.
Close by thanking God for His presence in our lives.
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04.15.07
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by collodi
“Afraid To Tell You Who I Am”
Small Group Plan
April 15, 2007
Dear Group Leader…
Begin your group by reading these mood-setting quotes:
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
– Paul, Romans
I can help you to accept and open yourself mostly by accepting and revealing myself to you … To live life fully, we must learn to use things and love people … not love things and use people … To reveal myself openly and honestly takes the rawest kind of courage … To tell you about my feelings is to tell you about me.
– John Powell, Why Am I Afraid To Tell You Who I Am?
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· How would you describe the power of self-image?
· How would you define the power of a habit?
· Which habits do you think are the most difficult to break?
· Why are they so difficult to overcome?
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
The Prison of secrecy
· How does secrecy give more power to a bad habit?
· If something is hurting us, why do we keep it a secret?
· Satan is called “the father of lies” (Jn. 8:44). What lies are we believing when we hide our faults and failures?
The sunlight of confession
· Why does God tell us to confess to each other?
· How does it feel to “open up” to a Christian friend and experience their love and acceptance?
· Contrast a relationship of secrecy with a relationship of openness?
The transparent life - Romans 7
· Why would it be wrong to blame the law for Paul’s spiritual struggles (Vs. 7, 12-14)?
· Who does Paul blame (Vs. 14-17)?
· Why is he being so honest with a church he has never visited?
· Who is his self-disclosure helping? How is it helping?
· How can a person’s anguish and frustration over personal failure be beneficial (Vs. 24-25)?
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· Is it difficult for you to be open and honest about your failure? Explain.
· What experiences have made it more difficult for you to be open?
· What kind of person would make it easier for you to confess?
· How can gossip and slander shut down confession?
· How can confession attack the power of gossip and slander?
Close in prayer by praising and thanking God for His grace.
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04.08.07
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by collodi
“A New Life in a New Land”
Small Group Plan
April 8, 2007
Dear Group Leader…
It appeared on a Yahoo blog and it represents thousands who want to start over:
I want to leave New York, but I have no idea where or what I would like to do. I want to start over, but how do I start? Do I move and then look for a job, or do I look for a job and move there if I get it? I know this sounds strange, but I have lived in New York my whole life and worked at my job for over 10 years. I have NEVER done anything different. So the idea of leaving seems so foreign, but I need a change or I may lose my mind.
The feeling can be emotional, physical, spiritual, or all three. The desire to change can come from the disappointment with the old country or the promise of the new country. But sometimes the frustration of the old country runs into the fear of the new country and the change is never even attempted.
People are tired of who they are. And they want to start over.
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· What have you heard people say they want to change in their lives?
· What motivates a person to make a significant change?
· What keeps them from trying?
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
The Old Country …
Romans 6
· Vs. 1 – How would you describe the attitude that says, “If I give in, I can always be forgiven”? Where does this attitude come from?
· How does it trivialize and cheapen God’s grace?
· Vs. 6 – The “old self” – the old country is where we lived as non-Christians. What does the old country look like?
· What is the ugliest part of the old country?
The New Country …
Romans 6
· Vs. 4 – In what sense was our baptism both a funeral and a resurrection?
· Find the repeated phrase “with him” or “with Christ.”
· What “cross-words” or crucifixion words are connected to this phrase? Take each one and describe how it makes you feel to be “with Him.”
· Vs. 11 – What does it mean to “count yourselves dead to sin” ?
· Vs. 16-18 – How does slavery to God differ from slavery to sin?
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· When you became a Christian, was the change in your life dramatic, gradual or unnoticeable? Explain.
· How do you respond to the following quote from C.S. Lewis’ devil character, Screwtape?
“The enemy (God) may have his heart,
but we still have his habits”
· How does God help a person to get rid of an old sinful habit?
· When a person crosses the border into God’s “New Country” major changes occur …
How does their routine and schedule change?
How do their relationships change?
How does their attitude change?
How do their goals and ambitions change?
Close in prayer by praising and thanking God for His grace.
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04.01.07
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by collodi
“The Shock of Grace”
Small Group Plan
April 1, 2007
Dear Group Leader…
A few thoughts on Grace:
The word grace emphasizes at one and the same time, the helpless poverty of man and the limitless kindness of God.
– William Barclay
There will always be the seeming contradiction … that while God’s saving grace is always and forever free, it is never, never cheap.
– Herman W. Gockel
Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve
– Unknown
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· Who is the peacemaker in your family?
· How do they accomplish it?
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
The Good … The Bad … the difference …
Romans 5
· As a group list the words in Romans 5 that describe the Good News. Quickly define them and identify which ones give you the most positive feeling.
· As a group list the words that describe the Bad News. Define them and identify which ones give you the most ominous feeling.
· As a group find all the statements similar to (Vs. 1) “through our love Jesus Christ.” Key words to look for are “through” and “by.” Why does Paul repeat the same thought over and over?
The Rock of Grace …
Romans 5:1-5
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but` we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
· How is “peace with God” different from peace of mind (Vs. 1)?
· How can we have peace when life isn’t peaceful (Vs. 1)?
· Theology — What does it mean to “stand” on grace (Vs. 2)?
· Experience — How does it feel to “stand” in grace (Vs. 2)?
· Does suffering always produce endurance (Vs. 3-4)? Explain.
The shock of Grace …
Romans 5:6-11
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
· What does a “powerless” life look like (Vs. 6)?
· Why does Paul call our powerlessness “the right time” for Jesus to die (Vs. 6)?
· Why do we doubt God’s love for us (Vs. 8 )?
· How were we God’s enemies (Vs. 10)?
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· Why does Paul want them to remember a “powerless” life? Why is it important that we remember it?
· What happens to our view of “good news” if we forget the “bad news” ?
· What can we daily do to remember where we’ve come from and how Jesus is changing us?
Begin your closing prayer with a time of silence for all to remember their personal rescue from “powerlessness.”
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