Great Expectations: Questions for Expecting a Great Savior
Read Matthew 1:21. Why is this such a great promise?
How would you define sin?
Have different people quote or read any Bible verses they can think of that talk about sin.
How does sin negatively impact our lives? How does our sin negatively impact those around us?
Talk about a time you've been negatively impacted by someone else's sin.
What does it mean to be saved from sin?
Does the salvation Jesus brings mean that we will never sin again? Why or why not?
Does the salvation Jesus brings mean that we will never be negatively impacted by sin again? Why or why not?
In what way is our salvation from sin a future event? In what way is it a past event? In what way is it a present event?
Think about the sins you need to be saved from today. Spend some time in prayer thanking Jesus for paying the price for those sins, and commit yourself to having victory over them.
Great Expectations: LIFEgroup Questions for December 13
How do you (and your family) prepare for Christmas each year? Have your preparations been different this year than in the past? Why or why not?
If you could describe the "perfect" Christmas moment, what would it look like? What kinds of things do you do in order to try to make a moment like this happen?
Read Luke 3:1-6. What was John preparing for? What do you think it means to "prepare the way?"
Christmas is a time when we celebrate the coming of Christ into the world. Share with the group about when Christ first came into your personal world. How were you first introduced to Jesus?
Look at verses 5-6. According to John, a lot of work needed to be done on the "roads" to make them ready for the Messiah. What kind of work often needs to be done in people's lives to make them ready for Jesus? What kind of work needed to be done in your life to make you ready for Jesus?
Look at verse 3. "Repentance" was at the heart of John's message. What does it mean to repent? How does repenting of our sins help us prepare our lives for Christ?
Verse 8 says to produce fruit that is consistent with repentance. What kind of fruit in someone's life shows that they have repented? Is repentance a one time thing or must it be repeated? Why and how?
What part of your life's path needs to be prepared for Jesus? How can you accomplish this? How can this group help and/or pray for you?
Great Expectations: Questions for Expecting a Great Person
Talk about a time in your life when you met someone unexpectedly. Was it awkward? exciting? disappointing? fun?
Read Luke 2:25-35. Have several people talk about one or two verses that stick in their mind when reading this passage.
WORD STUDY: The word "righteous" could also be translated "equitable". It is really a reference to Simeon's treatment of other people. The word "devout" could also be translated "pious". It is a reference to Simeon's relationship to God.
How does our relationship with other people impact our relationship with God? How does our relationship with God impact our relationship with other people?
Read verse 29. Once Simeon met Jesus, he was ready to die. What are 2-3 things you want to accomplish or see happen before you die? Do you have plans to make those things happen?
What do you think God wants to do through you before you die?
Simeon said to Joseph and Mary that "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel". What do you think he meant be this? (1 Peter 2:4-8 may provide some helpful insight)
Simeon said that Jesus would be a sign. What do you think this sign was pointing to? Why do you think Simeon said that some would "speak against" this sign?
What are the different responses that people have to Jesus? Is it possible for Christians to ever "reject" or "speak against" Jesus (think about Peter)? Why or why not?
Simeon may not have expected to see the Messiah come as a baby, but he was still able to recognize him when He came. Can you recognize how Jesus is coming into your life right now? What is he asking you to do or be? How will you respond?
The Search to Belong: Myths of Connection
Over the next several weeks, I'm going to be posting 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 one of Joe Myer's book Search to Belong.
Connections are important. Particularly, connections among believers are crucial for living out the life and mission Jesus designed for us.
Pastor Randy Frazee wrote in his book, The Connecting Church, "The development of meaningful relationships where every member carries a significant sense of belonging is central to what it means to be the church."
The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, "Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future."
More importantly, Jesus said, "Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
The heart of Joe Myer's book, The Search to Belong, is that many churches have misunderstood what connection is, and as a result they have mistakenly attempted to create connection among their people using inappropriate methods. In the first chapter, Myer's points to six myths that many churches believe about belonging and connectedness (Myers uses the word "belonging", I'm using the word "connectedness").
More Time = More ConnectednessMore Commitment = More ConnectednessMore Purpose = More ConnectednessMore Personality = More ConnectednessMore Proximity = More ConnectednessMore Small Groups = More Connectedness
Buying into some or all of these myths, churches have attempted many of the following activities/ministries to build a more connected congregations:
- They add things to the schedule to get people together more. If the calendar isn't full, they schedule something new.
- They ask people to commit to more things. They want to see people committed to Sunday services, midweek meetings, weekend community service projects and some kind of ministry in the church. Those who aren't committed are viewed as less pious; and it is assumed that those who are well-committed are well-connected.
- They develop clever purpose statements and powerful vision statements so that people can feel they are connected to a greater purpose.
- They seek out and promote those who are charismatic and those who have leadership potential. People are encouraged to connect to the leaders instead of each other.
- Neighborhood groups are started.
- More and more groups are launched. The goal is to get 100% of people into small groups so that 100% of people will be connected.
Myers uses some of his own experience as well as a few stories to demonstrate that these myths can often keep a church from realizing that despite their best efforts, they are not connecting people.
I should clarify that Myers is not ANTI-small group. He writes in this chapter:
For the record, I am not against small groups. I am actually very much in favor of them. But I am against small groups being used and marketed as the "end-all" solution for answering the individual's search to belong.
I agree with Myers here. I think small groups are a wonderful tool for spiritual formation, but I think we really short-change ourselves if we buy into the myth that they are the ONLY tool for spiritual formation.
Myers is far more concerned about how to cultivate relationships and connectedness than he is about perpetuating any programs or ministries in the church. He suggests we begin to try thinking differently about connectedness. Instead of thinking of some people being "more" connected than other people, he tries to create a system which will enable us to understand that some people are simply "differently" connected than others (of course, it is true that some people are, by their own choice, not connected at all. That however, is a different discussion).
Myers identifies four types of connection that we all experience at different stages of life. The rest of the book is designed to unpack those four types of connections and examine what they mean for the church.
As you think about this issue, consider the following questions:
- Make a list of ten people to whom you are connected. Is your connection with each person the same? How would you categorize the different kinds of connections you have?
- Do any of the "connection myths" resonate with you? Do you disagree with any of them? Why or why not?
- If you had to describe the "ideal" connections for someone in a church, what would it look like?