Leader Guide 8-31-08 / Outreach

Small Group Leaders Guide
August 31, 2008

Outreach
Guest Speaker
Nick Bradshaw

Getting Started:
1. Have you ever used one of New Life’s “invite cards” to invite someone to church? What happened?


Going Deeper:
2. Read Matthew 28:19-20. What is a disciple? Which activity do you feel more drawn to: making disciples, baptizing, teaching to obey?


3. Isaiah 53 is said to point forward to Jesus. As you read this passage, what stands out to you the most?

4. Read Acts 5:42. Why is it good news that Jesus is the Christ?

5. In John 3:16-18, why did God give His son? What are the consequences of not believing specifically in Jesus?

6. Some have said that living a Christian life is the best type of evangelism. Do you think this is true?

• Atheists can live lives of morality, love, care, service to others, etc. By all outward appearances they may appear to be Christians. How is this helpful?
• The Bible calls us to believe in a person, not a lifestyle. While living a Christian life can add force to our words, the unbelieving need the words!

7. Does God want all believers to evangelize or only the ones with the gift of evangelism? Is it wrong if you don’t bring up Jesus in every conversation you have with an unbeliever?

8. Read Acts 17:19-31. How would you describe Paul’s evangelistic method in this passage?

9. In 1Corinthians 9:19-27, what evangelistic principles are being taught?


Putting it into practice:
10. How would you explain the good news to someone who needs to hear it? Discuss and practice this in your groups.

Quote Of The Week:
The church that does not evangelize will fossilize.
--Oswald J. Smith

Small Group Leaders Guide
August 24, 2008
What Is Love?
1John 5:11-12

Getting Started:
1) How does your spouse/pet/significant other, "know" that you love him/her?

Going Deeper:
2) Read 1John 5:1-5. What does it mean to overcome the world?


3) Read 1John 5:11-12. This statement seems pretty straight-forward. Do you think God has made Christ the one and only condition on which He gives eternal life or are there other ways to get it?

• If there are other ways to get it, this verse must be wrong. There seems to be no room for anything but having the Son to have life. This should not be surprising at all since the life is in the Son.

4) According to 1John 5:13, these things are written so that you may know that you have eternal life. Is there any question in your mind about whether you have eternal life? What are some of the things John has told us we can "know" and how?

• 1John 2:3
• 1John 3:5
• 1John 3:14
• 1John 3:24
• 1John 4:13
• 1John 5:1
• 1John 5:5
• 1John 5:12
• 1John 5:18
• 1John 5:20

5) In the book of 1John, the word, know is used 33 times. The word, believe is used 4 times. Do you think knowing and believing are different? How so? How are they related/similar?

• Belief can exist in the absence of knowledge.
• Knowledge entails belief. For example, you wouldn’t say that you know something but don’t believe it.

6) In 1John 5:9-11, John refers to the testimony from God about Jesus. Where else in the Bible could you find "testimony" from God about Jesus?

• Matthew 17:5
• Matthew 3:17

7) As we complete our study in the book of 1John, what stands out to you the most? How has John helped you to know more about your faith and the assurance of your salvation?

8) In what way does knowing you have eternal life in Christ, free you up to obey what Christ commands? Is there a direct connection between being convinced of your faith and your ability to live it out?

9) In 1John 5:21, John closes his letter by saying to keep yourselves from idols. What is the connection between this statement and the rest of the letter?
False belief about God is no better than idol worship.


Putting it into practice:
10) How has studying 1John impacted your desire to show love to others in real life ways?

11) How has showing this type of love been most difficult for you? Pray about this in your groups.

Quote Of The Week:
"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
--A man whose son was healed by Jesus in Mark 9:24

Leader Guide week of 8-17-08 / 1John 4:7-18

Small Group Leaders Guide
August 17, 2008
What Is Love?
1John 4:7-18

Getting Started:
1. What is your favorite love song of all time? Romantic movie?

Going Deeper:
2. In 1John 4:7, it says that if you love people you know God. What does this mean for Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, etc who love people? Can only Christians truly love people?

• Scroll down on the blog to find some thoughts on this question.

3. Verses 9 and 10 explain how God showed His love. Why are these verses critical in understanding everything else John is saying about love?

• This represents John’s model. It’s the thing that he points to as he continues his discussion about how we should love.

4. In John 3:16 and 1John 4:11, we see the phrase, “so loved.” What is it about love that John is communicating in these two passages by using that phrase? Do you think he is referring to quantity or quality?

• Scroll down on the blog for thoughts on this question.

5. In 1John 4:10, John uses the phrase, “atoning sacrifice for our sins” for the second time in his letter. (the first time in 2:2) If you haven’t done so yet, discuss what it means for a sacrifice to be atoning and why John is mentioning it.

• Two weeks ago, a similar question appeared on the leader guide and I shared some thoughts. Just scroll down on the blog if you want to refresh your memory or cover this question for the first time in your group.

6. Read 1John 4:13. In this verse, it says that we have been given of His Spirit. Why is it important to know that God has given you of His Spirit? What Bible passages describe the importance of the Spirit in connection with what John is saying about how we know we live in Him and He in us?

• We have access to God by His Spirit. Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
• The Spirit is God’s seal of ownership and His guarantee of what is to come. 2Corinthians 1:21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
• This deposit is given when you believe. Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
• You can know and show evidence of the Spirit in your life. Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

7. In verse 17, John refers to having confidence on the day of judgment. How confident would you be if you knew the day of judgment was tomorrow? Do you have any evidence for your confidence? Should you have?

• Leaders, if you take a look back at question 6, you will see that this question and that one have some strong connections.
• Anyone who has been to Accelerate may remember a night when this subject was all we talked about.
• Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
• Ephesians 3:12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

8. In 1John 4:18 he says that perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. In what ways have you seen the perfect love of Christ drive out fear in your life?

Putting it into practice:
10. Do you need Christ’s perfect love to drive out a fear that you have? Pray about that in your groups.

11. How can you help someone overcome a fear by showing him/her Christ’s love? Pray about that in your groups.

Quote Of The Week:
The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.
--Oswald Chambers

God so loved

Question #4 on the leader guide says:
In John 3:16 and 1John 4:11, we see the phrase, “so loved.” What is it about love that John is communicating in these two passages by using that phrase? Do you think he is referring to quantity or quality?

I think my daughter has much love. In other words, she has a large quantity of love and she's very cute in the way she shows it. Because of her love, she sometimes gives me gifts that come from her toy box. I enjoy getting gifts from her toy box. (sometimes she will wrap them in writing paper) Regardless of the type of gift, I know that her love is true, and that there is a lot of it. She gets an “A” for quantity.

While she has much love, I would have to say that there is a certain quality of her love that has room to grow. It is seen in this: shortly after she gives me the gift from her toy box, she wants it back so she can play with it. When I ask her if the toy is really mine, she says yes. However, she still wants it back and expects me to give it to her. Since she is my daughter, I give her an “A” for quality also. But only because the quality seems appropriate for her age (6 years).

It seems that there is a relationship between quality and quantity in the category of love. Large quantities of love can be expressed in shallow or deep ways. What determines whether it is shallow or deep is the quality.

When John 3:16 tells me that God “so” loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, I see quality. In this case, the word, “so” could better be understood as saying, “thusly,” “like so,” or "in this way."
In other words, God loved the world and showed it like so: He gave His one and only Son. Likewise, 1John 4:11 says, since God “so” loved us. Notice once again, in verses 9 and 10 we are told that God “showed” the quality of His love by doing something in particular. He sent His Son to die for us. Once again, quality seems to be the focus. The word, “so” used here is ootos in Greek. This word is an adverb and describes degree. The Strong’s Concordance translates the word, “in this way.”

I’m not saying that quantity is unimportant. I am just saying that I think the focus in these two passages is not on quantity. It is on love’s manifestation; its cost; its quality.

John seems to be saying; “If God’s love looks like the offering of His one and only Son unto death on a cross for our sakes, what should our love look like?”

Do you have to know God to show true love?

Question #2 on the leader's guide says:
In 1John 4:7, it says that if you love people you know God. What does this mean for Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, etc. who love people? Can only Christians truly love people?

In one sense, it seems like this question doesn't really apply because this letter appears to be meant for a group of Christians.

But, let’s say it did…..
There are many ways that any person can know God.

You can know God through His creation. Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

You can know God through morality. Romans 2:14 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.

Here’s the problem. Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

You don’t have to be a Christian to love people. But, you do need the sacrifice of Christ on your behalf to gain the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, the more important question is; how can Christ’s sacrifice apply to me?

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Leader Guide Week of 8-10-08 / 1John 3:11-20

Small Group Leaders Guide
August 10, 2008

What Is Love
1John 3:11-20

Getting Started:
1. What does John mean by love one another? I mean, I love my family, I love Butter Pecan ice cream and I love the San Diego Chargers. I also love sitting in the Jacuzzi, spaghetti and meatballs, and Dancing With The Stars. How do I know what kind of love John is talking about?

Going Deeper:
2. In 1John 3:12, Cain and Abel are mentioned. Was Abel killed because he did something wrong? Read Genesis 4:1-15. What was Cain’s motivation for killing his brother? What did he stand to gain from this action?

3. In 1John 3:14, what does it mean to “remain in death?”

• John 3:17-18 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 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.

4. According to this passage, how can a person know if he has “passed from death to life?” Is this the only sign? What other signs would indicate passing from death to life?

• Spiritual Gifts
• Fruits of the Spirit
  

5. In 1John 3:16-18, is the goal to have pity on people in need? Or, is the pity supposed to produce some type of behavior? What if you are a good Christian but have little or no material possessions?

6. Does verse 17 require us to help everyone in need? How do you know when to say when? How many needs can you address before you become the one in need? How do you know which needs to attend to and which ones not to? What about giving money to someone who might use the money to buy beer instead of food?

7. In 1John 3:15, why is hating your brother equated to murder? Is that a fair comparison? Is the comparison in Matthew 5:28 a fair one?

8. Why is it essential for followers of Christ to love each other? What does it do for us? What does it say to a watching world?

9. Read 1John 3:18. What can you do to love others in action and in truth at home? At work? With friends? What is the hardest part about doing this? What keeps us from loving others in action and in truth?

10. What does it mean to have your heart condemn you? When you feel condemned in that way, how can you put your heart at rest?

Putting it into practice:
11. In what way does love need to become a bigger part of your behavior toward others? Pray about this in your groups.

12. What’s one practical way you can show love to someone in need?

Quote Of The Week:
God does not require that each individual shall have capacity for everything.
--Richard Rothe

Leader Guide week of 8-3-08 / 1John 2:1-11

Small Group Leaders Guide
August 3, 2008

Walking In Light
1John 2:1-11

Getting Started:
1. Read 1Corinthians 13:4-7, choose your favorite definition of love from the list, and tell why you chose it.

Going Deeper:
2. Read 1John 2:2. Define the word, “atonement.” In this passage, Jesus is referred to as the “atoning sacrifice.” In what way does Jesus provide atonement? Why is the concept of atonement important?

• Scroll down on the blog for thoughts on this question.

3. In 1John 2:2, it says that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the “whole world.” Does this mean everyone in the whole world has been forgiven of sin? Why or why not? How did you arrive at your conclusion? What other Bible passages give more information about this question?

• The view that Jesus has died for the sins of the whole world and that all people are saved regardless of their beliefs is called, Christian Universalism. Adherents to this view would agree that Jesus is the only way to salvation but they claim that faith/belief in Him is not necessary to be saved.
• The following are verses that clearly indicate specificity of belief and/or person:
• Romans 3:26
• 1John 2:23, 3:23
  
• Hebrews 2:2-4
• Luke 12:8-9, 11:23, 10:16
• John 3:36, 8:24, 3:14-16
  
• John 16:8-9, 17:3, 6:28-29, 5:23, 5:37-38, 12:48-50, 15:23, 3:18
• Acts 16:30-31, 17:30-31
• Galatians 1:8-9

4. What is the difference between knowing Jesus and knowing of Jesus? Read 1John 2:3-5 and describe which of these John is referring to.

5. In 1John 2:7-8 John says he is not writing a new command but an old one. Then he says that he is writing a new command. Which is it? Read John 13:34. What is it about this command that makes it new?

• Before Christ, if someone wanted to know how to live a life pleasing to God, you would probably point that person to the commandments. After Christ, you would point the person to Jesus. This is significant because people often think that pleasing God means following rules. But now, it means following a person.

6. Based on these first two chapters of 1John, what do you think John means when he uses the phrase, “God’s love is truly made complete in him?” In other words, what does it look like when God’s love is made complete in a person?

• If we just follow along with the context, it would appear that when God’s love is made complete in the life of a believer, he walks (lives life) in the light and truth of God.

7. Read verses 9 -11. In this passage you have two extremes - love and hate, light and darkness. Let’s say someone has hurt you, and you are not happy with that person. How do you know when your attitude borders on hate? Is anything less than a full on loving attitude hate, or can you have a “not so great feeling” toward someone, but still be walking fully in light? What do you think?

8. In 1John 2:8, it says the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. As a Christian, how have you seen this play out in your life? In other words, in what ways do you see darkness passing in your life and likewise, in what ways do you see the true light shining in your life? Based on what John is trying to communicate in this passage, how does this make you feel? Encouraged? Worried? Uncertain? Discouraged? Something else?

9. Of all the ways John could have described the darkness and light, he chose the words, “passing” and “shining.” If he changed the tense of those verbs to past tense or future tense, (has passed, will pass, has shone, will shine) how would that change the meaning of the passage? Why is his use of the present tense for those verbs important?

• It’s encouraging to know that the true light is shining in my life as a present and ongoing reality. If I found out that it should have already happened, (has shone) then I would be discouraged because my light sometimes doesn’t shine very bright. This passage seems to point to a process that has already begun, is happening now, and goes on into the future. It doesn’t happen all at once but is in progress even now.
• I guess I would feel the opposite way with regards to the darkness. If the passage said that darkness has passed, I would be discouraged because I missed it! My darkness has not passed, but hopefully, is passing. This passage seems to point to a present and ongoing reality which encourages me because I can know that it, too, is a process and doesn’t happen all at once. I don’t have to fear for my eternity for the sole reason that I make mistakes or show “darkness” at times in my life.

Putting it into practice:
10. On Sunday we talked about putting love into practice, how (or with whom) are you going to put love into practice this week?

11. Verse 3 says if we know Christ, we’ll obey His commands. Is there a command of Jesus you need to put into practice? What is it?

Quote Of The Week:
When we preach atonement, it is atonement planned by love, provided by love, given by love, finished by love, necessitated because of love. When we preach the resurrection of Christ, we are preaching the miracle of love. When we preach the return of Christ, we are preaching the fulfillment of love.
--Billy Graham