11.17.08
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by Bob
“At The City: Following God’s Vision”
In God We (Sometimes) Trust
Small Group Plan
November 19, 2008
Dear Small Group Leader,
In his book, Making Things Right When Things Go Wrong, Paul Faulkner includes a chapter that would have helped Jonah. It’s entitled, “Act Better Than You Feel.” Faulkner gives credit to the idea with a quote from psychologist O. H. Mowrer, “It is easier to act yourself into a better way of feeling than to feel yourself into a better way of acting.”
This seems to be the strategy God uses when he changes Jonah’s travel plans, puts him at the gates of Nineveh and basically says, “Say exactly what I tell you to say, even though you really don’t want to be here.”
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· What is the most overwhelming city you have ever visited? What made it feel so massive? Did you feel small and tentative or motivated to action?
· Do you think it’s a healthy personal strategy to “act yourself into a better way of feeling”? Explain.
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
Turning Jonah To Nineveh
Jonah 3:1-3
1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city — a visit required three days.
· Why did God give Jonah a second chance?
· Why did He give Nineveh any kind of chance?
· Thus far in the story, what have you learned about God’s character?
· In view of (4:1) “Jonah … became angry” why does God keep trying to work through him?
· Why does Jonah finally follow God’s orders?
Turning Nineveh To God
Jonah 3:4-8
4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
· What other “40 day” Bible stories can you recall?
· Why did God say “40 days” instead of “the day after tomorrow?”
· How would you describe Nineveh’s response to Jonah?
· What is our equivalent to Nineveh’s “sackcloth and ashes?”
Turning Destruction To Deliverance
Jonah 3:9-10
9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
· Does it bother you that God says, “I do not change” (Malachi 3:6; 1 Samuel 15:29), and yet He does not destroy Nineveh? Explain.
· What was God’s will — to destroy Nineveh or to save it? Explain.
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· Can God love a person through you, even when you don’t share that love? How does Jonah illustrate this question?
· Why do we often give up on people when God has not given up?
· Have you ever tried to break an old habit or form a new one? Describe the experience. How long did it take.
· When have you felt like God gave you a second chance?
· What helps you to turn to God (prayer, relationships, failure, etc.)?
· What action do you want to take and what attitude do you want to have that this group can lift to God in prayer?
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11.10.08
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by Bob
“In The Fish: Struggling With God’s Vision”
In God We (Sometimes) Trust
Small Group Plan
November 12, 2008
Dear Small Group Leader,
A prayer by Henri Nouwen,
Dear Lord, today I thought of the words of Vincent van Gogh: “It is true there is an ebb and flow, but the sea remains the sea.” You are the sea. Although I experience many ups and downs in my emotions and often feel great shifts and changes in my inner life, you remain the same … O Lord, sea of love and goodness, let me not fear too much the storms and winds of my daily life, and let me know that there is ebb and flow but that the sea remains the sea.
“Ebb and Flow”
HarperCollins Book of Prayers, pg. 274
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· What are your earliest memories of prayer?
· What do the very young teach us about prayer?
· What do the very old teach us about prayer?
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
God Rescues Us In Spite Of Our Failure
Jonah 2:2
He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
· Pick out the words that describe Jonah’s plight. What images, definitions and emotions do these words bring to mind?
· Describe Jonah’s hard heart and how did his “distress” soften it?
· How does admission open the door to God?
God Rescues Us In Spite Of His Judgment
Jonah 2:3-4
3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’
· Identify the phrases that describe what God is doing in Vs. 3-4.
· How do you understand what some writers call “God’s harsh grace?”
· How do some people misunderstand God’s severity?
· Why is God’s discipline a necessary part of spiritual growth?
God Rescues Us At Just The Right Time
Jonah 2:5-7
5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. 7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.
· Find these words “threatened” “surrounded” “wrapped” “barred.” How are they used, and what do they tell you about Jonah’s state of mind?
· He is driven to prayer by his situation. How do desperate prayers differ from planned, formal or scheduled prayers?
· Jonah says, “I remembered.” Why does a threatened life remind us of the One who created our life?
God Rescues Us To Put Us Back On Course
Jonah 2:8-10
8 “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.” 10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
· What does Jonah say he will do?
· Do you sense a difference in his tone? Explain.
· How is he feeling about Nineveh?
· Is he ready to go? Does this experience put him back on course? Explain.
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· What is a “fox-hole prayer?”
· Do you feel prayer is more genuine when it is planned and formal or spontaneous and unstructured? Explain.
· What is the difference between being “instructed” on how to pray (Matthew 6:9 – The Lord’s Prayer), and being “driven” to pray (Luke 22:44 – The Garden Prayer)?
· When have you felt driven to pray? What drove you there?
· How can this group support you in prayer this week?
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11.04.08
Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by Bob
“On The Boat: Rejecting God’s Vision”
In God We (Sometimes) Trust
Small Group Plan
November 5, 2008
Dear Small Group Leader,
Big fish stories are tales that have been exaggerated. In fact, many of them never occurred, or they have been told and retold so many times that they have grown into pure fiction. There are even websites dedicated to searching out the truth of some of the “big fish stories” - www.snopes.com www.bighoaxes.com www.urbanlegends.com to name a few.
Of course the “big fish” language goes back to the modern fisherman who comes home with the story about “the one that got away.” It got away, it never really happened, it has no real meaning.
But even though our modern fish stories have come to represent all brag and no fact, there is a much older big fish story. It is amazing, true and tells the story of someone who didn’t get away even though he tried. The story of Jonah tells of our determined God who won’t let us get away.
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· Have you ever wanted to just give up and quit? What led to that feeling?
· How did the big fish become the most remembered character in this story?
· How would you feel if you were a Jew and shortly after the holocaust God asked you to go to Germany as a missionary?
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
When You Disagree With God
Jonah 1:1-3
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
· Why did Jonah disagree with God?
· Do you identify with Jonah’s desire to let the evil Ninevites suffer the consequences of their own lifestyle?
· Why do we often chart a person’s future failure by their past mistakes?
· Why did Jonah change his travel plans?
· What happens when a person lives in disagreement with God? What happens to their heart and their conscience?
When You Lose Your Spiritual Center
Jonah 1:4-10
4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish.” 7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” 10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)
· Why did God send the storm?
· Why didn’t Jonah notice the storm?
· Why didn’t Jonah pray?
· How did Jonah’s personal disobedience endanger many others?
When You Trip On Your Own Agenda
Jonah 1:11-17
11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” 12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried to the LORD, “O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. 17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
· Why did the sailors search for another alternative to throwing Jonah overboard?
· What is the message in a story where the pagans have the compassion that the prophet of God lacks?
· How does God use the boat to confront Jonah with the city of Nineveh?
· What evidence demonstrates that, in spite of his weaknesses, Jonah is used by God to teach these pagan sailors?
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· Who are the Ninevites in your life? Tastefully, carefully and generally share who you find it difficult to be around (no names please).
· What is your Tarshish, your place of false security, your distraction from God’s will?
· What is the drawing power of our modern Tarshish?
· How can our own personal decisions affect the lives of other people?
· Who are you influencing (children, grandchildren, co-workers, friends, etc)?
· How does God use our own personal storms to bring us back to His will?
· How have the storms of life shaped your character?
· How can this group support you in prayer in the coming week?
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