07.30.08
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by Bob
“Responding Together”
Unity
Small Group Plan
July 27, 2008
Dear Small Group Leader,
“A great door for effective work has opened to me.”
1 Corinthians 16:9
“The Lord … opened a door for me”
2 Corinthians 2:12
“Pray … that God may open a door for our message.”
Colossians 4:3
We have all encountered “door openers” — the people or the words that mark our transition from one position in life to another. They give us entrance to new opportunities and new relationships. Sometimes the door opener is a business associate who refers us to a potential client or a new account. Or there’s the friend who introduces us to one who will become our future spouse. Often, door openers are simply a good choice of words to open and set the stage for an important conversation.
At many times throughout our lives we have benefited from various “door openers.” And sometimes, we have played that role ourselves. But how would you like to have God as your “Door Opener?”
It really shouldn’t surprise us. It’s not a new role for God. He has always been opening doors. The door of life at our birth. The door of consciousness each morning. The doors of opportunity with each day. New relationships … exciting opportunities … fresh starts. That’s God … constantly opening doors.
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· When you hear the word “door” do you think of privacy or entryway? Explain.
· Are you the kind of person that likes all the doors to be open so you can see and hear everything or do you like to be closed off and secluded from everything? Explain.
· When you see a door barely open, do you usually go ahead and shut it or open it further? Explain.
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
The Open Door Directives
1 Corinthians 16:5-9
5 After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you — for I will be going through Macedonia. 6 Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.
Opportunity
“a great door for effective work has opened”
· From what you know of Paul’s ministry what made the Ephesus opportunity seem like a “great door” (Vs. 9) to him?
· What made Ephesus a strategic city for ministry to the entire region?
· From Acts 19, how would you describe Paul’s schedule while in Ephesus?
· What did Paul mean when he said the door “has opened” (Vs. 9)?
Responsibility
“to me”
· Why did Paul take this mission personally? Why did he say that the door “opened to me” (Vs. 9)?
· Why would God take an opportunity away from one person and give it to another (Matthew 25:24-29)?
· Like Paul, how could a Christian today be ready to seize the moment and walk through the door?
Opposition
“there are many who oppose me”
· Describe the evil that is also seeking entrance at the door of people’s lives?
· Where does evil get its boldness?
· How does Satan block a Christian’s attempt to walk through God’s door?
· Why are some afraid of God’s opportunities? What are they afraid of?
· Should mistakes slow down or stop a person from moving on through a door or opportunity? Explain.
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· Why can one person see an open door while another can’t?
· Describe the process that leads to ignoring “open doors”? What takes a person to that stage of life?
· On the other hand, describe the process that builds the courage we need to walk through “open doors.”
· What is most likely to stop you from walking through God’s door?
· Who has been an example to you of courageously walking through open doors?
Close by asking God to help you see, understand, and get up from your own meal to serve others.
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07.23.08
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by Bob
“Serving Together”
Unity
Small Group Plan
July 20, 2008
Dear Small Group Leader,
Serving people … is it a part of our Christian mandate or not? You might be surprised to know about the heavy line some draw between physical and spiritual ministry. Some only want to minister to the soul while others only want to do humanitarian work. But the two sides need each other, and Jesus constantly brings them together.
It all brings to mind a speech in 1970 by the late E. Stanley Jones. Describing the strictly spiritual and physical sides of ministry he said, one is “a soul without a body,” the second is “a body without a soul. One’s a ghost and the other’s a corpse; you can take your choice. I don’t want either one. I want both.”
True service is not either-or, it’s both-and.
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· Who are the heroes of our current culture? Why are they thought of as heroes?
· Are they your heroes? Why or why not?
· Who is the most humble servant you know? Explain.
· How have they impacted or changed your life?
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
John 13:3-4
“Jesus Knew … So He Got Up From The Meal”
· How did what Jesus “knew” lead to what Jesus did?
· Why does true confidence (leadership) always lead to service?
· What kind of leadership leads to selfishness?
Where in our world have you seen the two kinds of leadership?
John 13:8
“Unless I Wash You”
· Why did Peter initially refuse to be washed?
· What lessons did Jesus want the Twelve to learn from the washing?
· Do you think they learned them? Explain.
John 13:11
“You Are Not All Clean”
· Was Judas ever really committed to Jesus? Explain your answer.
· How could a person live with Jesus for 3 years and then betray him?
· How would explain a heart that first betrays and then regrets?
John 13:12
“Do You Understand?”
· Why did Jesus ask the question since he already knew the answer?
· Why is truth that “dawns” on you, better than truth simply given to you?
· Do you think they understood?
· If Jesus asked you to explain what he was doing, what would you say?
John 13:1
“The Full Extent Of His Love”
· How can simple foot washing be called the “full extent of his love?”
· How would you connect the act of washing feet with the act of dying on the cross?
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· How and when did you begin to “understand” the power of serving people?
· What are the lessons of “washing” for us today?
· What are the signals that “betrayal” could be growing in our hearts?
Close by asking God to help you see, understand, and get up from your own meal to serve others.
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07.16.08
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by Bob
“Working Together”
Unity
Small Group Plan
July 13, 2008
Dear Small Group Leader,
Coming together is a beginning.
Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success.
Henry Ford
None of us are as smart as all of us.
Ken Blanchard
The key elements in the art of working together are
how to deal with change,
how to deal with conflict,
and how to reach our potential.
Max DePree
Do you want a collection of brilliant minds
or a brilliant collection of minds?
R. Meredith Belbin
A group becomes a team
when each member is sure enough of himself
and his contribution
to praise the skills of the others.
Norman Shidle
If you can’t pass, you can’t play.
Coach Dean Smith
to Michael Jordan
his freshman year at UNC
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· What is your favorite team sport?
· Describe the value of individual accomplishment for that sport?
· Now describe the value of teamwork for that sport?
· Why are both essential?
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
Seven By Seven
Ephesians 4:1-6
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
· First, identify the seven graces or attitudes in verses 2-3.
· Give a brief definition of each.
· Of the seven, is there one that is central to all the others? How?
· Which attitude is most urgent for churches today? Explain.
· Which attitude is most difficult for you to accept or live by? Explain.
· Give a brief definition of each of the seven essentials listed in verses 4-6.
· What is the significance of Paul giving a highly detailed list of unity essentials to a church needing unity?
· What happens to our unity when we pick and choose our own doctrines and attitudes?
Two By Two
Ephesians 4:7-16
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” 9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
· After focusing on our unity Paul turns to our uniqueness. What is the difference between the two?
· What is the purpose of spiritual gifts (Vs. 11-12)?
· How and why have spiritual gifts been abused?
· What is mark of a mature church (Vs. 13, 15)? Explain.
· How would you explain the balance of “truth” and “love” (Vs. 15)?
· How does the “whole body” depend upon “each part” (Vs. 16)?
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· How have you observed someone “speak the truth in love” (Vs. 15)?
· What is needed for “each part” to do “it’s work” (Vs. 16)?
· What will help Prestoncrest to “keep the unity of Spirit through the bond of peace” (Vs. 3)?
· What would help you to “grow up into Him (Jesus)” (Vs. 15)?
Close with prayer for our unity through this time of transition?
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07.09.08
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by Bob
“Better Together”
Unity
Small Group Plan
July 6, 2008
Dear Small Group Leader,
In his classic, Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote,
Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. Let him who is not in community beware of being alone.
God Himself concluded that it is not good for one of us to be alone. He created us social. He wants us to be together and deep down we want to be together. Why? We are better together.
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· If you could design and build your own home, what would it look like?
· What might be the difficulties of building your own home?
· How could a partner make the task easier and more enjoyable?
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
A Pile Of Rocks?
1 Peter 2:1-8
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him — 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,” 8 and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message — which is also what they were destined for.
· What is the source of a Christian’s nourishment (Vs. 2)?
· List all the phrases that describe Jesus.
· What does Jesus actually do as “the living stone” (Vs. 4)?
· What does it mean that we too are “living stones” (Vs. 5)?
· How can Jesus be a “capstone” (Vs. 7) for some and a “stumbling” stone (Vs. 
for others?
· How is Jesus still being rejected today?
· What attitude and spirit is required for human individuality to be “built into a spiritual house” (Vs. 5)?
A Holy House
1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
· How does being chosen by God for a special task make you feel?
· How would you describe the “darkness” that God called you out of?
· How does it feel to live and walk around in the “light”?
· What “praises of Him” can we share with others?
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· What is the challenge of being “holy”?
· Why is living “holy” the best style of life?
· What must “individuality” give up for “partnership” to grow?
· Why do we think we (Prestoncrest) are better together?
Close with prayer for our unity over the next two months?
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07.01.08
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by Bob
“We’re in This Together”
Unity
Small Group Plan
June 29, 2008
Dear Small Group Leader,
At the end of his life, Moses last act was to call a new generation of God’s people to renew the covenant their parents made at Mount Sinai. He said, “choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Since that time Israel has crossed the Jordan and taken the land. Many have died and their children have grown up. Like Moses, Joshua now stands before a new generation and calls them to renew their covenant. He says, “Choose for yourselves this day, whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:5.)
Throughout the book of Joshua, God’s faithfulness has been clear. Every promise God made was fulfilled. Every battle God fought was won. And now, He asks Israel, and us, to make a decision. Who will guide our lives? Who will steer our ship? Whose core values will we follow? “Choose for yourselves this day, whom you will serve.”
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· What have been the “turning point” decisions in your life?
· Why is a refusal to quit so important to leadership in ministry?
· People today don’t usually think of being tempted by “other gods” but if we were to personify the things that do tempt us, who are the “gods” that our faith must resist?
· Why do people forget the lessons of the past so easily?
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
Joshua 24:2-8, 13
2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5 “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. 6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. 7 But they cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time. 8 “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands … You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’
· What is the theme of the first 13 verses?
· Why did God want Joshua to recount Israel’s history?
· Explain the joy, the pleasure, and the power of getting together and telling old family stories.
Joshua 24:14-15
14 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
· Why is the word “serve” mentioned 13 times in Vs. 14-27?
· In this story, what does serving include and exclude?
· Today, what does it mean to serve the Lord?
· Why might serving God seem “undesirable” to Israel?
· Honestly, when is serving God “undesirable” in today’s world?
· What makes serving God worthwhile?
Joshua 24:19-24
19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” 21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the LORD.” 22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied. 23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.”
· Why did Joshua not simply accept the words of the people at face value? Why did he make the whole process a longer, more drawn out experience?
· When did you make the decision to serve God? What changes did this decision make in your life?
· Explain the wisdom of both Joshua here, and Jesus later, in saying that no one can serve two gods.
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· Why is it important for us to remember where we came from?
· For those who are willing – What is a faith decision that you need and want to make?
· What kind of help do you need in order to take that decisive step?
· Write down, for no one else to see, the name of the “god” that you want to “throw away.” Symbolically wad the paper up and throw it away.
Close with prayer for our unity over the next two months?
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