Leader Guide Week of 12-2-07

Small Group Leaders Guide
December 2, 2007

December 2, 2007
It’s The End Of The World As We Know It And I Feel Fine
Is It Just Me, Or Is It Hot In Here?
Hell, Eternal Punishment and the Devil

Getting Started:

1. Do you think Hell is a place or a state of existence?


Going Deeper:

2. Think about these three words: Mercy, Forgiveness, Justice. Which of the three get applied to believers on the Day of Judgment? Which gets applied to those who reject Christ? What Scripture passages support your answer?


3. Read Ephesians 2:8-9. If salvation is a free gift, why doesn’t God save everyone?

• If God saved everyone, heaven would be compulsory.
• If God saved everyone, free will would have no meaning.
• If God saved everyone, repentance would not be necessary.
• If God saved everyone, faith in Jesus Christ would not be necessary.
• If faith in Christ and repentance aren’t necessary, why is the New Testament littered with calls to repent and place your faith in Jesus Christ?

4. What is the difference between mercy and forgiveness? How are they related to justice?

• When it comes to punishment, mercy is when you receive a punishment that is less than that which you deserve.
• Forgiveness is when you receive none of the punishment that you deserve.
• Justice is when you receive the exact punishment you deserve. No more and no less.
• Mercy and forgiveness cannot exist in the absence of justice. Without justice, the words “forgiveness” and “mercy” have no meaning.

5. What would you say to someone who said: “I don’t care if I go to Hell. I will see all my friends there and we will throw a big party.”

• I’m thinking there will be no parties in Hell. Unless weeping and gnashing your teeth is your idea of a party.
• Hell is a place of punishment not reward.
• Scripture teaches that Hell is a place of torment that goes on night and day, forever and ever. (Revelation 14:11) (Revelation 20:10)

6. Read 1John 4:8. If God is love, how can he send someone to hell?

• God is not just love. He is also just.

7. Does the devil have the power to throw a person in hell?

• Matthew 10:28

8. In 2Peter 2:4 it says that some angels sinned. Can angels repent?


9. What happens in Hell? As you read Scripture, what would you say it teaches about a person’s experience in Hell?


Putting it into practice:

1) Who do you know that needs to hear about the forgiveness that is available in Christ? Pray about that person in your groups.


Quote Of The Day
Am I becoming more and more in love with God as a holy God, or with the conception of an amiable being who says, “Oh, well, sin doesn’t matter much”?
--Oswald Chambers

Small Group Feedback

One of our small group members sent this email to their leader after attending for the first time. I wanted to share this encouragement with all of you!


I really wanted to stay and chat a little more the other night, but I really had to get home and finish up some homework. But, I wanted to let you know about the Bible Study and my thoughts.

First of all, thank you so much for allowing me to come--thinking that it was only a young couples group, which I can see is not the focus--it really is the only one that I can attend due to my crazy "i need to learn to say no" schedule.

Second, I really really enjoyed it. I haven't been to a Bible Study in a long time where I was forced to think about what I was going to say. I actually had to stretch my mind. I love that feeling. It was very refreshing not having to answer the same "churchy" questions in the same "churchy" way. I really enjoyed the challenge of exploring ideas that are both Biblical and different from my own understanding.

Third, I really liked splitting up into groups at the end for prayer--the "guys with guys" and "girls with girls" thing. I think that that is very important and beneficial.

That's all I really had to say, except that you need to keep your phone on in case someone gets lost...***cough cough***... just kidding.

Well, I hope your work week is going better than last weeks.

Thoughts on Question 7

Some of Jesus’ most stinging words were reserved for the Pharisees. Jesus used several terms to describe them; Sons of hell, brood of vipers and hypocrites, to name just three.

In fact, the word hypocrite (Greek Hoopacrita which means; actor under an assumed character) was used frequently. (14 times)
Apparently, Jesus thinks being a hypocrite is a bad thing.

I see the servant with the one talent as a hypocrite. He may have acted out the role of a servant of the master but he didn’t live his life according to that identity. This is evident in the way he exercised stewardship over what was entrusted to him and in his mistaken characterization of his master.

The master called the servant wicked and lazy. He then pointed out the hypocrisy of the servant’s behavior by explaining that his actions didn’t match his supposed beliefs. In other words, his actions were not those of a servant. Nor did he behave as someone who truly believed that the master was a hard man, reaping where he did not sow, etc. If he really lived out his belief of what the master was like, he would have put the money on deposit. The servant is a hypocrite and a liar. His actions betray his true identity.

Leader Guide Week of 11-25-07

Small Group Leaders Guide
November 25, 2007

November 25, 2007
It’s The End Of The World As We Know It And I Feel Fine

Getting Started:

1. What’s your investment strategy? Stock market? Bonds? Mutual funds? Large investments with lower risk? Smaller investments with higher risk?

Going Deeper:

2. If you had $8000.00 and you wanted some people to increase its value while you were away, who would you give $5000.00, 2000.00, and 1000.00 to? Why those three?

3. Read Matthew 25:14-30. In this parable, who does the master represent? The journey? The talents? The servants? What is the main point of this parable?

4. What can a person do to discover what God wants him/her to do for His kingdom? What Bible passages help provide an answer?

• Romans chapters 12, 13, 14, up to 15:7 contain a very lengthy list of specific ways God calls us to live out our faith.

5. What, specifically, do you think God has given you that He wants you to invest in His kingdom? How’s it going so far? Which servant in this parable do you resonate with the most?

6. Read Matthew 25:28-30. Do you think the master’s reaction is appropriate? Why or why not? Is the servant being punished for something he did or something he didn’t do? Read James 4:17 and Romans 7:13. How do these verses provide insight to this question?

7. In one word, what is the servant being punished for?

• Unbelief
• Disobedience
• Hypocrisy
• See the blog for more thoughts on this question.

8. What is the message for us, from this parable?

Putting it into practice:

1) Are you satisfied with the return on your investment? Are you satisfied with the investment itself? Pray about this in your groups.

Quote Of The Day

The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become.
--Ben Herbster

Is Eternal Punishment Fair?

One of our small group leaders sent me an email with the following question regarding last week's small group questions. Here it is with my response:

Question #7 talks about whether everlasting punishment in hell is unfair. I may be asking the question a little different, but what do you say to someone who thinks that the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Meaning, our finite sin here on earth is receiving everlasting punishment in hell. It seems unbalanced or unfair. I looked to the blog for your answer, but I think you were answering something a little different.

Here are a few bullet point thoughts about this question:

• The criminal never gets to choose his punishment. Even in this world.
• We may think the punishment is disproportionate to the crime because we do not realize the severity and utter sinfulness of our deeds. (See Romans 7:13)
  
• In calling the punishment unfair, we appeal to our own sense of fairness as sinful, fallen, imperfect human beings instead of a holy, just, perfect God.
• The duration of punishment never has anything to do with the duration of the crime. It has to do with the severity of the crime. Compare committing fraud or embezzlement for years and years to a single moment of murder.
• If a person sinned once per waking hour from age 18 to age 70, that person would have committed 227,760 sins. Not that the quantity is important. I just thought the math was interesting.
• We under-estimate our sin.
• We under-estimate the impact, severity and magnitude of our sin.
• We under-estimate the holiness and justice of God.
• We over-estimate our own goodness.
• The ultimate and unfortunate irony for many people is that they had every opportunity to gain complete forgiveness and declined.

What’s even more of a mystery than the question of fairness in punishment, is the mystery of the quality and quantity of forgiveness offered to the un-deserving. But I guess no one is complaining about how unfair that is. :)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

The more I think about Thanksgiving, the more sacred the holiday becomes in my mind.
Christmas and Easter are usually the holidays that get the most religious attention, and for good reason. The birth of Jesus marks the presentation of the complete, universal, and final sacrifice, pictured repeatedly for generations, in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, for the sins of mankind. It represents the ultimate and most extravagant gift ever given to such undeserving recipients.
The Resurrection represents the final word and ultimate guarantee of eternal life to all those who believe. It is the validation of God’s acceptance of the sacrifice. On this historical fact the whole of Christian belief hinges.
What would those celebrations amount to in the absence of thanksgiving?

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
--Psalm 30:11-12

Leader Guide Week of 11-18-07

Small Group Leaders Guide
November 18, 2007

It’s The End Of The World As We Know It And I Feel Fine
Making The Final Cut: The Judgment

Getting Started:

1. What’s your favorite “crime” show? (ie: CSI, Perry Mason, Quincy, Law & Order, etc.)

Going Deeper:

2. On the “Day of Judgment”, who gets judged?

• Believers
• Unbelievers
• Angels
• Satan
• The dead
• The living

3. If it’s true that Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of believers, why is it that believers also get judged with unbelievers on the “Day of Judgment”?

• See BLOG post below
  

4. Read Matthew 11:20-24. Why will the judgment be more “unbearable” for Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum?

• The answer is in verse 20. They did not repent.

5. The word, “judgment” can be a legal term. What is the “legal” status of believers before the Day of Judgment? What is the “legal” status of unbelievers before the Day of Judgment?

• John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
• Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

6. Will the punishment of the devil be different than the punishment for unbelievers?

• Matthew 25:41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

7. What would you say to someone who says: “It seems unfair to punish someone eternally in hell just because that person didn’t believe in Jesus.”?

• See BLOG post below
  

8. Read 1Corinthians 3:11-15. This passage refers several times to something a person “builds” or “has built.” What is being referred to by those figures of speech? Practically speaking, what would you suggest to someone who wants to build something that “survives” (verse 14)?

• What Bible passages or parables might help to answer this question?
  

Putting it into practice:

1) What are you building right now that you think is going to survive? Pray about any changes that would need to occur in your life to focus more on building what lasts.

Quote Of The Day

I shall tell you a great secret, my friend. Do not wait for the Last Judgment. It takes place every day.
--Albert Camus

Antidote

Have you ever heard a statement like this one:
“I can’t believe you worship a god that would send someone to hell just because he doesn’t believe in Jesus.”

I think that statement totally misses the point.

Is it true that God sends people to hell for not believing in Jesus?
My answer is yes and no. Here is what I mean:

Usually, the reason people raise this question is because they have heard Christians explain it that way. We often haven’t been careful to communicate exactly what's going on here and why belief in Jesus is so important.

It's because belief in Jesus solves a problem.
The problem itself is what condemns people to hell, and if Jesus doesn't solve the problem then the problem doesn't get solved.
He's the only one capable of dealing with it.

The problem is sin.

Sin is like a disease that infects every single person on the planet.
And it has a 100% mortality rate.

One way of looking at this is to see mankind as desperately, deathly ill. What is the antidote? The antidote is forgiveness. It's available to everyone from the very One whom we have offended--God Himself. He offers forgiveness to the great and the small, to those who are the greatest sinners and the least sinners. Now you have a choice. Take the medicine or don't.

That's the answer to the question. The offer of forgiveness goes out to everyone. The antidote to the deadly disease is available to each and every person. It's up to us to accept it or not. If we don't, we perish, not because we don’t believe in Jesus but because we have refused the forgiveness of God.

Judgment=Condemnation?

When someone hears the word, “judgment”, they sometimes understand it as the word, “condemnation.” In other words, the definition of the word, “condemnation” is applied to the word, “judgment” in the mind of some.

The Day of Judgment is when the deeds, attitudes, thoughts, and words of all people will be judged (evaluated) and exposed for what they are.

In a court of law, there are several stages to a trial. There is the presentation of the case, at which time, the evidence is reviewed and witnesses are brought forward to testify. The judge hears the case and makes a judgment. His judgment leads to a verdict. After judgment and verdict come sentencing or punishment.

So, in this case, judgment is the process by which a verdict is reached. For believers, the verdict is one of “no condemnation” for Jesus had the penalty for sin poured out on Him. (Romans 8:1) For unbelievers the verdict comes back “condemned”. (John 3:17-18)

So, we see that judgment is not another word for condemnation but could result in condemnation.
When someone is on trial, the Day of Judgment can be a good thing if that day produces a “not guilty” verdict!

Tips

One of our small group values is "One Another Prayer"

Here are some tips for living out this value in your small group and ways to change it up a little:

• Break up men and women into separate prayer groups.
• No more than six in a group with an optimal number being three.
• Establish groups within the group. The same group of three pray together every week.
• Encourage members to write their prayer requests on the connecting cards on Sunday mornings so that even more people can be praying for them!
• Hand out connecting cards in your group to record the prayer requests.
  
• Try joining hands, kneeling, standing, laying on hands etc.
• Include silent prayer times.
• Read a Psalm as a prayer. (such as Psalm 66, 93, 98, 100, 105, 111)
• Choose church members to pray for that you would like to invite to your group. Pray for them for a few weeks and then invite them.
• Play music during silent prayer times.
• Fast

Small group meetings should provide an opportunity for members to receive personal prayer and ministry. I suggest setting aside at least 20 minutes at the end of each meeting for sharing and prayer.

What ideas do you have for prayer in small groups?
Share them with the rest of the leaders! Click comments below and leave your suggestions!

Leader Guide week of 11-4-07

Small Group Leaders Guide
November 4, 2007

Small Group Announcements (please announce these to your group).

Harvest Festival was lots of fun. Thanks to all who helped!!

Small Group Study Questions:

November 4, 2007
It’s The End Of The World As We Know It And I Feel Fine
It All Starts With An Earthquake

Getting Started:

1. What’s your favorite end of the world movie?


Going Deeper:

2. Does knowing that Christ could return at any time encourage you or discourage you? Why?

3. Is there something about the way you are living that you would change if you knew for sure that you were living in the “end times”? What would you change?

4. The Bible describes the end times as times of trial. Mark 13:19-20 describes them as days of distress unequalled to anything the world has ever seen. Matthew 24:10 talks about people turning away from the faith, and being deceived. We want to be people who “stand firm to the end” (Matthew 24:13). How does that happen? What promises, truths or commands do we have that help us as we think about standing strong to the end.

5. Read John 1:29. What is the significance of John’s use of the word, “lamb” in this passage?

• Acts 8:32-35
• 1Corinthians 5:7
• 1Peter 1:18
• The lamb reference from John the Baptist refers to the Passover lamb. For that story, read Exodus 12:1-14

6. In the book of Revelation, when we get a snapshot of heaven, Jesus is pictured many times as the Lamb, particularly, the lamb who was slain. Why is it, in heaven, among the heavenly beings, He is remembered as a lamb? What is the significance that the last book of the Bible puts so much emphasis on Christ as the lamb who was slain?

• 5:6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
• 5:12 In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!"
• 7:17 For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

7. According to Rev 17:14 Jesus is “Lord of lords and Kings of kings” The book of Revelation also describes Jesus as a mighty warrior. Read Revelations 19:11-16. What images of Christ do you see in this passage?

Putting it into practice:
1) What do you think Jesus most wants us to know about the end times based on what you have read in the Bible? Pray about that in your groups.

Quote Of The Day
One does not surrender a life in an instant. That which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime.
--Jim Elliot