Do you have any good "restoration stories"? (cars, houses, relationships, etc.)
What types of emotions result when a broken relationship is restored? Why is it often so difficult to restore a broken relationship?
What kinds of things cause our relationship with God to be broken? How do we restore our relationship with God?
Read Psalm 51:1-6. Which of these verses make the biggest impression on you? Why?
What character traits does David use to describe God in these verses? How does David speak of himself in these verses? Do your feelings about yourself ever seem similar to David's?
Read Psalm 51:7-12. What does David want God to do for him?
In verse 12, David talks about the "joy of salvation". Have you ever experienced the joy of salvation? How would you describe it?
Have you ever had a time when you felt that God "restored" your relationship with Him? How did you respond?
Read Psalm 51:13-19. Verses 13-15 talk about how we respond after God forgives us. Do you think most Christians spend enough time telling others what God has done for them? Why or why not?
When God forgives our sins, what should we tell others about that experience? In your own words, how would you describe God's forgiveness?
What is one key thought you have as a result of looking over this Psalm?
I'm going to use this small group discussion tonight with my group. It's a "How to Pray" exercise designed to help people think of prayer as more than just a vending machine approach to God. Click on the picture below to get the pdf file of the study.
By the way, the four steps are:
- Prepare
- Posture
- Praise
- Pursue
Currently, I'm trying to post a few times a week summaries of chapters from books I've read over the past few years. These are the books that have really informed my thinking on discipleship and small groups. Hopefully, they'll provide a good opportunity for you to think through some of these same thoughts.
Today, I'm looking at chapter two from the book Christ's Call to Discipleship by James M. Boice. This chapter is entitled "In the School of Christ".
Boice begins this chapter by suggesting that discipleship is really an activity in which we are going to the "school of Christ." This school is unique, thought, because not only is Jesus our teacher, He is also the content. Boice is building on the truths from Matthew 11:28-30 which begin with the expression, "Come to me". This chapter addresses what it means to truly come to Jesus, suggesting that the core objective of coming to Jesus is learning what it means to know him.
The difference between a religious person and a disciple of Jesus is the difference between knowing about God and knowing God. Boice tells us that this is very difficult, but it is also very easy. He says, "although following Christ is, in a certain sense, the hardest thing anyone can ever do, at the same time it is possible for everyone, because Christ provides his disciples with the will to persist in that calling. He indicates the broad scope of the offer when he says, "Come to me, ALL you who are weary and burdened."
Continuing the theme of knowing God, Boice references J.I. Packer whose book Knowing God listed four elements of knowing God:
Boice closes the chapter by talking about three lessons we can learn about discipleship by considering Jesus' use of the word "yoke" in this passage. Drawing on ancient understandings of what a yoke was, He suggests these three lessons:
Today, I'm looking at chapter two from the book Christ's Call to Discipleship by James M. Boice. This chapter is entitled "In the School of Christ".
Boice begins this chapter by suggesting that discipleship is really an activity in which we are going to the "school of Christ." This school is unique, thought, because not only is Jesus our teacher, He is also the content. Boice is building on the truths from Matthew 11:28-30 which begin with the expression, "Come to me". This chapter addresses what it means to truly come to Jesus, suggesting that the core objective of coming to Jesus is learning what it means to know him.
The difference between a religious person and a disciple of Jesus is the difference between knowing about God and knowing God. Boice tells us that this is very difficult, but it is also very easy. He says, "although following Christ is, in a certain sense, the hardest thing anyone can ever do, at the same time it is possible for everyone, because Christ provides his disciples with the will to persist in that calling. He indicates the broad scope of the offer when he says, "Come to me, ALL you who are weary and burdened."
Continuing the theme of knowing God, Boice references J.I. Packer whose book Knowing God listed four elements of knowing God:
- listening to, receiving and applying the Word of God with the aid of the Holy Spirit
- recognizing God's nature and character as He has revealed himself
- accepting God's invitations to us, and doing what He commands
- recognizing and rejoicing in the love He has shown us
Boice closes the chapter by talking about three lessons we can learn about discipleship by considering Jesus' use of the word "yoke" in this passage. Drawing on ancient understandings of what a yoke was, He suggests these three lessons:
- Discipleship is submission. Submitting to the yoke of another is yielding all control of your life over to them. Charles Spurgeon said that if someone is to be saved by Jesus, they must make Jesus their master.
- Discipleship is work. The yoke is a tool which enables animals to work more effectively. When we take on Jesus' yoke, we are effectively signing up to work for him and his kingdom for the rest of our lives.
- Discipleship is companionship. More often than not a yoke was used to join two animals together so that they could work in tandem and accomplish much more. Discipleship is being yoked to Jesus, so that we do what he does, and we go where he goes. One who is yoked to Christ cannot live a life apart from Christ.
If you were asked by a stranger to describe yourself in just three sentences, what types of things would you reveal about yourself?
What types of things do you think God has revealed about Himself? Why do you think He chose to reveal those things?
What would we know about God if He hadn’t revealed himself? What would our world be like if God had chosen to hide Himself from us?
What does Genesis 1 teach us about who God is? How does His identity as creator make God different than us?
In Genesis 2 and 3, God teaches Adam and Eve. In what ways do you think of God as teacher?
Read Psalm 19:1-6. What can we learn about God from viewing nature? What are the ways that nature gives evidence of God?
Read Psalm 19:7-11. What are some of the benefits of reading God’s Word?
What do you think it means to:
Read Psalm 19:12-14. What do you think is the end result of spending time in God’s Word?
What do you think is the difference between hidden faults and willful sins? How can God’s Word keep us from these things?
What do you think verse 14 means by “the words of my mouth”? What about “the meditation of my heart”? How can God’s Word help us make these things pleasing to God?
What are some methods or plans that people might use to read the Bible on a regular basis?
Conclude by discussing how people will read the Bible in the coming week.
What types of things do you think God has revealed about Himself? Why do you think He chose to reveal those things?
What would we know about God if He hadn’t revealed himself? What would our world be like if God had chosen to hide Himself from us?
What does Genesis 1 teach us about who God is? How does His identity as creator make God different than us?
In Genesis 2 and 3, God teaches Adam and Eve. In what ways do you think of God as teacher?
Read Psalm 19:1-6. What can we learn about God from viewing nature? What are the ways that nature gives evidence of God?
Read Psalm 19:7-11. What are some of the benefits of reading God’s Word?
What do you think it means to:
- “revive your soul?”
- "be made wise?”
- “give joy to the heart?”
- “give light to the eyes?”
Read Psalm 19:12-14. What do you think is the end result of spending time in God’s Word?
What do you think is the difference between hidden faults and willful sins? How can God’s Word keep us from these things?
What do you think verse 14 means by “the words of my mouth”? What about “the meditation of my heart”? How can God’s Word help us make these things pleasing to God?
What are some methods or plans that people might use to read the Bible on a regular basis?
Conclude by discussing how people will read the Bible in the coming week.
Here are some simple ways to build community in a small group. (this is a modified post that was borrowed from Josh Harris who borrowed it from Michael Hyatt).
Ask open-ended questions. These are questions that lead people to elaborate and give us some insight into them as a person. For example,
* What is your idea of a perfect vacation?
* If you could design your ideal job, what would it look like?
* What is the best book you have read in the last 12 months and why?
* What is the most important lesson you learned from your father?
* When is your very favorite thing about your spouse?
* If you were by yourself, and could listen to any music you want, what it be?
* If you could spend a day with anyone on the planet, who would it be?
* What it is like to be your friend? or to be married to you?
* If you were suddenly the President of the U.S., what would you do first?
* Looking back over your life, what would you describe as your proudest moment?
Ask a second question. The most interesting conversations come after the initial answer. It takes extraordinary discipline to refrain from answering your own question and, instead. answer a second question. Yet this is where the deepest conversations occur. I like to ask questions like these as follow-up questions:
* How did it feel when that happened?
* Can you elaborate on that?
* Why do you think that is important to you?
* Do you think you would have answered the same way five years ago?
* What emotion do you feel when you describe that?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)