Ray R. Harris Senior Pastor The Pointe Church
Unpacking the Timeless Stories Jesus Told
Season 2
Ray R. Harris
Copyright © 2019 by Ray Harris, The Pointe Church ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Published by Lifetogether Ministries Copyright and use of the curriculum template is retained by Brett Eastman. Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 and 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
ISBN: 978-1-950007-34-9 Printed in the United States of America
Contents Introduction by Ray R. Harris Using This Workbook (Read This First)
05 06
Session One: The Sower Session Two: The Foundation Session Three: The Friend at Midnight Session Four: Salt and Light Session Five: The Wheat and the Weeds
08 18 28 38 48
Appendices Frequently Asked Questions Small Group Agreement Small Group Calendar Spiritual Partners Memory Verse Cards (Clip and Review) Prayer and Praise Report Small Group Roster
62 64 66 67 68 71 72
Small Group Leaders Hosting an Open House 76 Leading for the First Time 79 Leadership Training 80 Notes 82
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Introduction Stories are powerful—engaging, memorable, penetrating, and even life-changing. Jesus knew that. In fact, 35% of his teaching was done in story form. We call those stories parables, and in this five-week study we will look at a handful of them. You will come together in your small group, open with prayer, and then get started. You’ll watch a teaching video and then spend some time discussing the given parable. You will find eight questions in each “Let’s Talk” section and five questions in every “Let’s Go Deeper” section. Think of the questions like a menu of options for your group. Then, choose the questions that are most relevant and beneficial. These daily devotions will provide an opportunity for you to think about, learn from, and be transformed by God’s alive and active Word! After all, transformation is what Bible study is about. May each of us become more like Jesus as we invest our time studying his timeless stories. Blessings, my friend!
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Using this Workbook 1. Familiarize yourself with the three sections of this study guide: (1) Sessions; (2) Appendices; and (3) Small Group Leaders. 2. If you are leading or facilitating the group study, read the Small Group Leaders sections to get great tips on an effective group time. 3. This is a study guide not a straitjacket. If the group responds to the lesson in an unexpected but honest way, go with that. If you think of a better question than the one in the guide, ask it. 4. Pray before each session that God would touch the lives of each person in your group. 5. To get a feel for how the sessions flow, review the outline for each session.
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Season 2 • Episode 1
The Sower Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23 Weekly Memory Verse “Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” Matthew 13:16
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Welcome
(5 minutes)
Welcome to Parables: Unpacking the Timeless Stories Jesus Told! The fact that you are here in this group at this time in history is no accident. God, in his sovereignty, arranged for you and each person here to be together for this study. Let’s open with prayer and then we’ll introduce ourselves. Please share your name and describe the greatest success—or failure—you’ve ever experienced growing something.
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Let’s Get Started
(10 minutes)
Jesus loved to tell stories. He knew—as C. S. Lewis put it—that stories can “steal past those watchful dragons” of reason and religiosity and, in doing so, touch and even transform the heart. Think about your favorite stories. Maybe from your childhood. Maybe a family member’s often-told tale. Maybe a much-loved book or movie. What’s your favorite story? [Based on the size of the group, have everyone share or ask people to share with the person next to them … ideally having participants speak to someone other than their spouses.] Stories do have an amazing power. Consider, for instance, how clearly we remember stories we heard long ago. Using stories to teach a lesson truly does help hearers remember. Usually, Jesus simply told the story and let his listeners—and us today— figure it out. But the parable we’re going to look at now is one of the only three parables Jesus actually explained. Recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this story is called the Parable of the Sower, and it’s about the simple act of hearing.
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Let’s Learn
(15 minutes)
Let’s watch Episode 1. Use the space below for notes, questions, and comments you want to bring up during the discussion. Please jot down the four types of hearing illustrated in Jesus’ story.
Notes:
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Let’s Talk
(20 minutes)
1. Why did Jesus tell the story? More specifically, what important question was he answering? 2. In Romans 10:17 the apostle Paul wrote, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” What does this statement mean? 3. Compare and contrast the impact—both immediate and long-term—of the kingdom of God coming to our hearts like a boulder and like a seed. 4. We enter the kingdom of God by hearing Scripture and recognizing it as the truth about our holy God, our sinful selves, and Jesus’ role in bridging that gap. But sometimes the seed falls on hard ground; sometimes the truth is spoken to deaf ears. • What causes people to have hard hearts and miss hearing God’s life changing truth? • What happens to the seeds of truth when they fall on a hard heart? • Why do some people hear—or choose to hear—only with their minds? 5. Some of us are more at risk of listening with our heart, our emotions, and not our brains. What reasons does Ray give for why this happens? Asked differently, what are the expectations or desires of these people who are led by their hearts rather than their minds when they think they are entering God’s kingdom? 6. We know the first two groups Jesus talked about are not real Christians; we know the last soil represents the heart of a real Christian. But the trouble with this third group is … it’s hard to tell. They are listening to gospel truth with a divided heart. • What about their lives reveals their divided hearts? • What challenges do you face when you are trying to serve two masters?
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7. Finally, we learn about the good seed that bears a remarkable amount of kingdom fruit. • As a believer, you can’t fall off the boat of salvation, but you can fall while you’re on the boat, break all your bones, and spend the whole trip in the ER. What can cause believers to fall? • What can we believers do to keep from falling? 8. The message of the Parable of the Sower is this: each one of us is responsible for trying to understand what God is saying. What are you doing to gain a greater understanding of God’s Word—and what could you be doing?
Let’s Go Deeper (Optional 15 minutes in group or individually at home) 1. Why do you think Jesus usually didn’t explain his stories? 2. What is the meaning of Jesus’ statement in Matthew 13:9: “He who has ears, let him hear”? 3. What experience with the Bible helped you come to understand what it means that God’s Word is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12) What did God show you about yourself? Why do you think that was a moment when you realized God was talking about and/or to you? 4. What does this parable teach about the role of the Gardener in the lives of believers and of potential believers? In other words, what can God do to ensure more seeds take root? 5. You may not be trying to serve another master at the same time that you serve Jesus, but the only way you are ever going to be holy and happy is to submit to Jesus in every area of your life. Spend a few quiet moments with the Sower and ask him to show you the aspect(s) of your life that you have not yet fully submitted to him. And then yield those to him.
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Let’s Pray
(10 minutes)
If you have rocks or thorns in your soil, or birds diving at the seeds that have been sown, remember that you are just the soil. Soil can’t do anything about rocks, thorns, and birds—but the Gardener can. Your job is to receive the seed, to put yourself in position to hear the Word consistently (as in daily!). Let’s pray. God, our great Gardener, we ask you to remove our thorns, rake out our rocks, and wave off those birds. We want to hear from you without any distractions or interference, so we confess our sins. We are grateful that when we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Thank you for that blessing and so many. Finally, Lord, we want to hear your voice and understand. We want to listen to your teaching and reflect. We want the seed of your kingdom to take deep root in us and grow us so our lives will produce kingdom crops that are one hundred times what you have sown. Hear these kinds of requests and others as well. Amen.
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Daily Devotions Let’s Walk with God Throughout the Week
Day 1
Day 2
“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
“He who has ears, let him hear.”
Romans 10:17
Reflect: Jesus ended his parable of the sower with “He who has ears, let him hear.” Why was or wasn’t that a good note to end on? What do you think Jesus wanted his audience—and wants you specifically—to hear?
Reflect: In what ways are hearing and listening different? (There’s no single right answer!) In light of those thoughts, what does “hearing … the word of Christ” mean to you?
Matthew 13:9
Day 3 “The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 Reflect: What tasks—some stated metaphorically and others, more straightforwardly— is the Word of God able to accomplish? Describe one or two tasks that God’s Word has accomplished in your life.
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Day 4
Day 5
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
Psalm 19:7
Reflect: In the psalmist’s day, the oil lamps were small and handheld, casting some light but not shining light too far ahead. Why would God not want us to see significantly down the path? When has God’s Word shined some light of guidance on your path? Be specific.
Reflect: Why does it matter to you that God’s laws are perfect and trustworthy? What kind of refreshment do you find in Scripture? Also, tell of a time when you found in the Bible the wisdom you needed.
Psalm 119:105
Day 6
Day 7
“[My word] will not return to me empty,but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Isaiah 55:11 Reflect: What are some of the purposes for which God sends out his Word? Briefly, what has God’s Word accomplished in your life?
2 Timothy 3:16-17 Reflect: What does it mean to you that “all Scripture is Godbreathed”? Note a time when God used his Word in your life to teach, rebuke, correct, and/or train you in righteousness. According to verse 17, why does God use his Word in these ways? For what good work(s) do you personally feel prepared because of the work of God’s Word in your life, mind, and heart?
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Season 2 • Episode 2
The Foundation Luke 6:46-49 Weekly Memory Verse “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46
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Welcome
(5 minutes)
Welcome back! I hope you had some time last week to think about the amazing gift God’s Word is to us and how important it is that we hear what God is saying to us through Scripture. Let’s open with prayer.
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Let’s Get Started
(10 minutes)
Before we begin, it would be great to have some of you tell us about a time this past week when you noticed that your hearing was sharper. When, for instance, were you aware of God using his Word to teach you, guide you, or bless you? As you may have noticed, this week’s memory verse is Luke 6:46—“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Early in the video Ray will address that verse, focusing on the term lord, a term somewhat foreign to those of us on this side of the Pond. Let’s watch the video.
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Let’s Learn
(15 minutes)
As we watch Episode 2, use the space below for notes, questions, and comments you want to bring up during the discussion.
Notes:
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Let’s Talk
(20 minutes)
1. What evidence do we see that the crowd is close to fully recognizing who Jesus is? What does Jesus want from people who follow him? (Feel free to use terms from the parable.) 2. What foundations for life does our American culture offer us? Brainstorm a handful. 3. According to Jesus’ parable, foundations for life fall into two categories. What are the two that you and I can choose from? What are the advantages of both? The disadvantages? 4. In this parable, Jesus taught that the solid foundation for life is putting into practice the truths and commandments of God’s Word. Why is our putting beliefs into practice vital when we profess our faith in Jesus? 5. Jesus doesn’t want people calling him “Lord”—or any other title of respect—if they don’t actually believe what they’re saying or living it out. What does Ray mean by Jesus not wanting a Judas kiss (Matthew 26:47-49)? In what ways can you and I—on occasion—be guilty of offering Jesus a Judas kiss? Be specific. 6. Think about Episode 1’s discussion of hearing. Which kind of hearing do you see in Luke 6:47? Which kind in verse 49? Comment on the consequences. • Why is that a reasonable expectation? 7. Storms hit everyone. • Why does remembering that storms don’t pick and choose their victims help us accept life’s tough times? • Perhaps more important, what can followers of Jesus do today to prepare for life’s storms tomorrow? Together, let’s come up with several options. 8. Jesus teaches that the foundation for Christians is practicing His Word. What is the most difficult part of practicing for you? Getting started? Staying focused? Finishing well?
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Let’s Go Deeper (Optional 15 minutes in group or individually at home) 1. What role does God the Holy Spirit have in helping you practice God’s word? 2. Think about one of the worst storms you’ve ever experienced. In what specific ways was Jesus your Rock? Or, if you weren’t yet walking with him, how would the relationship you have with him now have helped you weather that storm? 3. What do you do—or what can you do—to remember to do foundation maintenance and upkeep when you don’t see any storm clouds on the horizon? 4. Ray imagines Jesus saying, “Calling me ‘Lord’ is close, but it’s not close enough.” • Close enough to what? • And—as we touched on above—what does Jesus require from those who genuinely and sincerely call him “Lord”? 5. Who in your life have you seen weather a storm in a way that glorified God? What did you respect about that person’s response to the darkness? What did you learn? If appropriate and possible, write that person a note or send him/her a text saying how much you appreciated the encouraging example.
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Let’s Pray
(10 minutes)
The world offers many building materials for our lives, but only one foundation will weather every storm. That foundation is obedience to Jesus’ commands and commitment to his values. When we build our lives on following Jesus’ commands, we can rest assured that he can calm both the external storms and the internal ones, always for his glory and our good. Almighty God, we thank you for calling us to know your Son and enabling us to build our lives on the foundation of your truth and on the salvation from sins that we have in Jesus. Hear our praises! Forgive us for those times we neglect the biblical foundation of our lives and instead look to building materials the world offers. May we never merely listen to your Word without acting and may we never offer you a Judas kiss of hypocrisy or betrayal. And may we always find in you and your truth the ability to withstand both the external and internal storms of life. Amen.
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Daily Devotions Let’s Walk with God Throughout the Week
Day 1
Day 2
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.
Encourage one another and build up one another.
Psalm 127:1
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Reflect: In what ways is God building the house of your life? Put differently, in what ways are you partnering with him in laying and/or maintaining the strong foundation of your life?
Reflect: Few buildings, if any, have been raised by a foreman and a single worker. Who has been on your construction team? Who has built you up? Who has helped strengthen the foundation of your life? And who are you helping?
Day 3 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 Reflect: What kind of self-deception can result from just listening to God’s Word? When, if ever, have you fallen into that trap? What aspect of God’s Word do you find the most challenging to obey? Spend a few minutes in prayer, talking with the Lord about your struggle and asking for his help.
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Day 4
Day 5
Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.”
1 Samuel 15:22 Reflect: Why can we find it easier to offer sacrifices rather than our obedience? Why does God prefer obedience?
Matthew 23:27
Day 6
Day 7
[Jesus] got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’”
Mark 4:39
Reflect: WIn another of Jesus’ parables, the two words “Well done!” are the rich commendation of a master to his servant. In what ways does building our lives on the strong foundation of obedience to Jesus improve the odds that we will hear this same commendation from him, our gracious Lord and Master, at the end of our lives? Close this week’s study by asking God to help you stay grounded in his truth, obeying his commands to love, and living for his glory.
Reflect: What words of truth— what God-breathed words from Scripture—have calmed internal storms for you? List the “addresses” of some of them on the front or back cover of your Bible so you know where to find those lifelines when the next storm hits.
Reflect: We can easily see hypocrisy in other people. Spend a few minutes with the Lord, asking him to reveal to you the hypocrisy in your life and to help you change that behavior and heart attitude.
Matthew 25:21
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Season 2 • Episode 3
The Friend at Midnight Luke 11:5-13 Weekly Memory Verse “He will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.” Luke 11:8
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Welcome
(5 minutes)
Whatever storms you’ve faced this past week or even in your efforts to get to this meeting, I’m glad you’re here! Let’s open with prayer.
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Let’s Get Started
(10 minutes)
When we get to our parable, you’ll know why I’m asking this question: What is the most annoying thing one of your neighbors—current or past— has ever done? (No names please!) You may be surprised to hear from Jesus’ story that sometimes being annoying is just fine and, on occasion, even quite effective!
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Let’s Learn
(15 minutes)
Let’s watch Episode 3. Use the space below for notes, questions, or anything you want to bring up during the discussion.
Notes:
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Let’s Talk
(20 minutes)
1. Jesus told this story in response to a request from his disciples. What did the disciples want to learn? 2. Let’s go back into Jesus’ time as best we can. • Describe the sleeping arrangements of a typical family. • Rather than swinging on hinges, how did the door of the house work? • Why is it significant that this story takes place in a pre-electricity era? 3. Why did the neighbor knock on the door of this sleeping family’s house? Why was the neighbor’s request outrageous? 4. According to Jesus, why did the awakened neighbor get out of bed— undoubtedly waking his children in the process? 5. The neighbor requesting bread received the loaves he needed for his guest. What does his way of making his request teach us about how to pray? Put differently, with this story, what was Jesus saying about how to approach God when we pray? 6. Why are God’s people able to approach God so boldly? 7. What are the differences between a relationship with God as Boss and a relationship with God as Father? Consider, for instance, the tone of prayer, the role of works, the kind of requests we make, and our thinking when we don’t get what we asked for. 8. Why is it good that prayer is not like Aladdin’s lamp?
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Let’s Go Deeper (Optional 15 minutes in group or individually at home) 1. What would be Miss Manners’ reaction to the knocking neighbor’s approach? What are your thoughts about approaching God the way the needy host approached his sleeping neighbor? 2. What point was Ray making when he imagined a younger Barron Trump approaching his dad, the president, for a glass of water in the middle of the night? In what ways is your typical approach to God similar to the way children approach a parent with a request? Why aren’t you approaching God, your heavenly Father, boldly, confidently, and with big asks? 3. We want to acknowledge that thinking of God as Father is not a positive for everyone. Too many fathers have not been able to give their children a taste of the heavenly Father’s goodness and love. Why does thinking of God as Father work—or not work—for you? If it works, you are blessed. If it doesn’t work, it may—by God’s healing and transformative grace—work one day. 4. Ray said, “God gives you what you would have asked for if you knew what he knew.” What commentary and even comfort does this statement give you regarding a time when God didn’t do what you asked?
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Let’s Pray
(10 minutes)
Today we’ve been encouraged to bother God! But only when we see God like a child sees a beloved parent will we be able to pray the way Jesus calls us to pray. May this story change how you approach God in prayer. Let’s spend some time bothering God together in prayer as we wrap up today! We praise you for adopting us as your children and for giving us the privilege of prayer. We praise you for teaching us that we can be bold and specific and persistent. Forgive us when we doubt the power of prayer and when we are lazy in prayer. Thank you that you do forgive our sins. And thank you that you hear all of our prayers and that, like the good and perfect Father you are, you answer them with wisdom, grace, kindness, and generosity. Please teach each of us to pray with a child’s faith and to trust, as children implicitly do, that you have good reasons for your responses. Amen.
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Daily Devotions Let’s Walk with God Throughout the Week
Day 1
Day 2
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
“Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice.” Luke 18:4-5
Luke 11:9 Reflect: What encouragement to pray do you find in these words of Jesus? What would you say to a nonbeliever who says this sounds like an offer Santa Claus would make?
Reflect: Compare and contrast this judge’s response to widow’s persistent request for justice to God’s way of responding to your prayers. Why does God answer your prayers?
Day 3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 Reflect: Why was approaching God as Father a radical idea when Jesus introduced it and his disciples carried it on? Why—even now—is approaching God as your Father actually quite remarkable?
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Day 4
Day 5
“When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.’”
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?”
Luke 11:2 Luke 11:11-12 Reflect: In what ways do the titles Father and King offset and balance each other? In other words, how would you approach God if he were only your Father? And how would you approach God if he were only your King?
Reflect: Spend some time thanking God for your earthly father and/ or the father figures he blessed you with. If that list is small or nonexistent, thank God for what you learned about good parenting by not having a loving, supportive father.
Day 6
Day 7
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.
“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear … Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
James 1:17 Reflect: When can a “no” answer from God be a good and even perfect gift to his children? Give a real-life example of a time when you saw that God actually gave you a very good gift when he didn’t respond to your prayer the way you wanted him to.
Matthew 6:25-26 Reflect: What do you tend to worry about the most? Why? What encouragement to trust do you find in what Jesus says here? Why—if you do—do you still worry?
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Season 2 • Episode 4
Salt & Light Matthew 5:13-16 Weekly Memory Verse “You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:13-14
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Welcome
(5 minutes)
I hope you found yourself praying with more boldness and confidence, and with childlike faith and trust, this past week. God our heavenly Father loves to answer our prayers with things that are good for us. Let’s open with prayer.
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Let’s Get Started
(10 minutes)
So far in Season 2, Jesus has taught us life-giving truth through stories about sowing seeds, laying a solid foundation for our life, and a needy neighbor knocking on your door in the middle of the night. Now we’re going to learn from everyday salt and everywhere light. Before we start, what is salt used for? And what are some ways we benefit from light? Let’s now see what Ray has to say in Episode 4.
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Let’s Learn
(15 minutes)
Use the space below for notes, questions, and comments you want to bring up during the discussion.
Notes:
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Let’s Talk
(20 minutes)
1. Who was Jesus talking to? Why does this detail make Jesus’ pronouncements about salt and light more remarkable and even puzzling? 2. Salt is a preservative and light is a guide. • What are Christians called to preserve—and able to preserve—in this rotting world? • And why is a guiding light important even in the technologically advanced twenty-first century? 3. God has entrusted his people with the task of stopping the decay and darkness in this world. With what has he equipped us? And how do we access that power? 4. Ray said this: “If you do not understand what Jesus is teaching, you will live life on an emotional roller coaster, being jerked back and forth between optimism and pessimism for the rest of your life.” Do you agree? Why or why not? If you do agree, why can Jesus’ teachings keep us off that emotional roller coaster? 5. To do what they are able to do, salt must get into the crevices of decay, and light must enter the sordidness of darkness. In what ways did Jesus, the Light of the world, enter into the ugly sordidness of darkness when he came to earth? When he hung on the cross? 6. Why is it not surprising that, this side of heaven, we can’t count on getting rewards or thank you notes for being salt and light?
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Let’s Go Deeper (Optional 15 minutes in group or individually at home) 1. Why is it significant that Jesus said to his listeners “You are” instead of “You might be …,” “You could become …,” or “After a while you may be …?” 2. Think of the people in your life. Who is able to see Jesus more clearly because of you? Where are you easily able to be God’s light—and in what facet of your life is God calling you to shine your light more openly, more widely? Who is benefiting from your light right now? 3. What decay in this world or, more realistically, in your circle of influence are you helping to curb? What are you doing to be sure that your salt has not been and does not get cut? 4. What does it mean that Jesus is “the ideal who became real”? Why do people—believers and not-yet-believers alike—need to understand that truth? 5. Why does our being salt and light sometimes bring pain to people around us who are rotting and/or lost in the darkness? What is the value of that pain?
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Let’s Pray
(10 minutes)
Jesus calls his followers to be salt and light in this dying and dark world, and Jesus enables us to yield to his Spirit and be used for his glory. We praise you for being a God of love, for loving us, and for inviting us to be partners with you in both saving people’s souls and preserving culture and society. Forgive us when we shy away from speaking truth that gives life and shines light. Forgive us when fear or pride or the desire to not be embarrassed or harassed keeps us quiet. Thank you that, in the moment when we have the opportunity to be salt and light, you will empower us and provide the words and the courage we need. Please help us grow more confident that you will enable us to be effective witnesses—effective salt and effective light—when we have the chance. Finally, please keep us mindful that people responded to Jesus’ light by hammering nails into his hands and feet—but he kept shining the light of truth anyway. Help us follow his example and be light and salt whatever the cost. Help us be salt and light anyway. Amen.
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Daily Devotions Let’s Walk with God Throughout the Week
Day 1
Day 2
“You are the salt of the earth.”
“You are the light of the world.”
Matthew 5:13
Matthew 5:14
Reflect: Salt is a preservative, but let’s expand the metaphor. Why is it significant that salt also flavors food and makes people thirsty. What can believers flavor? What can we make people thirsty for? Thank God for people in your life whose example made you thirsty for Jesus.
Reflect: Light does guide, but— again—let’s expand the metaphor. Light also prompts growth, offers hope, and shows us reality. Unpack each role of light in terms of a believer’s witness in this dark world.
Day 3 “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 Reflect: Why do followers of Jesus need to be told not to hide their light? Why do you sometimes hesitate to shine your light? What truths about Jesus speak to those concerns?
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Day 4
Day 5
Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
John 3:19 2 Corinthians 4:6 Reflect: Where do you see evidence in our world today that people prefer darkness to light because of their evil deeds? Ask God to show you if you are preferring darkness in any aspect of your heart or mind.
Reflect: Think about when you first recognized Jesus as the Son of God. Using terms a nonbeliever can understand, practice telling about when you named Jesus your Savior and Lord. The images of light and dark may be helpful.
Day 6
Day 7
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Colossians 4:6 John 1:5 Reflect: What would “conversation … seasoned with salt” be like? In what ways is your conversation like what you just described? What might you do to make your speech more gracious and, in the biblical sense, saltier?
Reflect: Think about the fact that a little bit of light can impact a lot of darkness. Case in point: a match in a darkened gymnasium. What encouragement do you, as a believer, find in this truth about the power of light? about the power of God’s light?
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Season 2 • Episode 5
The Wheat & the Weeds Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Weekly Memory Verse “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Matthew 7:19
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Welcome
(5 minutes)
Even though most of us are probably more city slicker than farmer, we’ll definitely be able to learn from Jesus’ story about wheat and weeds. Let’s open with prayer.
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Let’s Get Started
(10 minutes)
When—if ever—have you been confused by lookalikes? Maybe you know some identical twins. Maybe you thought riced cauliflower was mashed potatoes. (More on mashed potatoes in a minute.) Or maybe you weren’t sure if someone’s words were true or false. I want to hear from some of you, but I’ll share first. I was confused … Now the video—and the mashed potatoes.
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Let’s Learn
(15 minutes)
Let’s watch Episode 5. Use the space below for notes, questions, and comments you want to bring up during the discussion.
Notes:
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Let’s Talk
(20 minutes)
1. What has been sown in the field—and by whom? What do you remember about the plants that grow from zizania seeds? What problem do they cause for the farmer? And—most important—what does this field represent? And the wheat and the weeds? 2. What advice do the farmer’s workers offer him? (What evil have you wanted God to yank out of this world?) What is the farmer’s/God’s plan, though? And what will the farmer/God do in the end times when the plants are full grown? 3. The people listening to Jesus didn’t expect the king he was talking about to establish his kingdom on such an intimate and personal level: he would sit on the throne of their lives! • What does King Jesus change in people when they name him their Savior and Lord? • Why does the kingdom spread even though the King meets each of us individually? 4. Why does Ray say that “to be a Christian means you have to be patient”? As Christians, what kinds of things are we waiting for? 5. Many people who think they are Christians really aren’t. • Why would people wrongly think they’re Christians? • What does the parable warn people who seem to be Christians but aren’t? 6. Ray offered two tests to determine whether we are Christians. • True believers recognize that they did not become Christians under their own power or by their own design. Why is this understanding evidence of authentic faith?
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Let’s Go Deeper (Optional 15 minutes in group or individually at home) 1. We may not want to admit it, but like Jesus’ audiences, we can have unrealistic expectations about God’s kingdom. When you decided to follow Jesus, what expectations did you have about how your life would unfold? Which of those expectations, if any, proved realistic? 2. Since the time Jesus sat down on the throne of your life, what have you come to appreciate about the impact of his kingdom? The reach of his kingdom? And the hope his kingdom offers? 3. Which of the following themes—from the parable and from the video—did you find most significant or relevant? Why? • • • • • •
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The two kingdoms in this world The differences between God’s kingdom and earthly kingdoms What it means to live with God as king God’s love God’s role in a person’s salvation (conversion to Christianity) Reasons for believers to be humble and grateful
One More Thing With the demands and distractions of daily life, we can too easily forget that King Jesus will return one day and fully establish his eternal kingdom. Jesus anticipated our preoccupation with the present, so he left us with a tangible way to remember. We call it communion, and, at our final meeting for Season #2, this is our opportunity to “proclaim our Lord’s death until he comes again.” The leader picks up a loaf of bread and reads from 1 Corinthians 11:23-24: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” The leader passes around part of the loaf for everyone to tear off a piece. They eat together as the leader says, “The body of Christ… broken for you.” Then the leader picks up the goblet of wine/grape juice and reads from 1 Corinthians 11:25-26: In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. The leader lifts his cup of wine/grape juice and others lift their cups as he says, “The blood of Christ… for the forgiveness of your sins.” They drink together. After a few minutes of silence, move into the closing time of prayer, starting with a time of praise for communion, its significance, Jesus’ love, and his death and resurrection. The move into praise for the teachings of Jesus’ parables (see below).
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Let’s Pray
(10 minutes)
We praise you, Jesus, for the truth, the exhortation, and—in this case—the warnings of your parables. You don’t leave us guessing about how to please and honor you. Forgive us when we disobey you and, in doing so, dishonor you, the one who saved us from the eternal consequences of our sins. We thank you for your forgiveness. We thank you for loving us, a truth made more and more remarkable as we become more and more aware of our wickedness. Finally, for those of us who want to nail down our faith now, we ask you to hear our prayer: Jesus, I accept you as my Savior. I did nothing to deserve or to earn your forgiveness of my sins or the gift of eternal life. Jesus, I also name you my King. I am moving off the throne of my life and yielding it to you. I submit myself to you and you to enable me to live a life that honors and glorifies you. Amen.
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Daily Devotions Let’s Walk with God Throughout the Week
Day 1
Day 2
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.
“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Colossians 3:23 (nasb)
Mark 10:45
Reflect: You may or may not work outside the home. You may or may not work for a paycheck. Whatever you do, in what ways does this Colossians 3:23 perspective on work give your work significance … motivate you to work … and expand your idea of what it is to serve King Jesus?
Reflect: Jesus was a very different King. What are some of the ways he served when he walked this earth? What did these various ways of serving cost him? Compare King Jesus to government leaders today.
Day 3 It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 Reflect: This sentence from Ephesians 2 may be one of the Bible’s most concise statements of the gospel of grace. Why do people sometimes balk at this offer of unearned, unmerited salvation? Did you hesitate to receive this gift? Why or why not?
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Day 4
Day 5
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
John 3:3
Psalm 103:12
Reflect: Depending on when you were born, the once overused and even clichéd phrase born again may make you cringe a bit. Let’s nevertheless unpack the term. What was Jesus saying? What point was he making? What aspects of us human beings are made new when we name Jesus our Savior and Lord?
Reflect: Maybe you’ve thought about this—but maybe you haven’t. Why did the psalmist choose east/ west instead of north/south? Think about a globe and explain why one pair of directions suggests an infinitely far distance and the other doesn’t. Then thank God for his amazing forgiveness.
Day 6 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. Romans 7:15-20 Reflect: Mature Christians often have a keener awareness of their sin after walking with Jesus for ten or twenty years than they did when they first acknowledged their sinfulness before God and received his forgiveness. Why do you think that greater awareness of sin results?
Day 7 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Romans 8:29 Reflect: Life is difficult in this fallen world populated by sinners. Yet in the fires of challenges, loss, and pain, God refines his children’s faith, hones their character, and teaches them more about himself. Think about some fiery times in your life. What impact did those times have on your faith? In what ways did your character become more like Jesus’ as a result of those flames? 59
Appendices Resources to make your Small Group experience even better!
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FAQs What do we do on the first night?
Throw a party! A “get to know you” coffee, dinner, or dessert is a great way to launch a new study. You may want to review the Group Agreement and share the names of a few friends you can invite to join you.
Pray with your group and then brainstorm a list of people from work, church, your neighborhood, your children’s school, family, the gym, and so forth. Then have each group member invite several of the people on his or her list.
Where do we find new members?
The more you pray for new group members, the more God will make you aware of people in your life that would benefit from the group. If you and your group stay open, you’ll be amazed at the people God sends your way. The next person just might become a friend for life! Most groups meet weekly for at least their first five weeks, but every other week can work as well. At the end of this study, each group member may decide if he or she wants to continue on for another study. Some groups launch relationships for years to come, and others are stepping-stones into another group experience.
How long will this group meet?
Sure! One of the best ways to do this study is not with a full house but with a few friends. Try gathering with another couple who would enjoy some relational time and do the study together. Jesus is with you even if there are just two of you (Matthew 18:20).
Can we do this study on our own?
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What if this group is not working for us?
You don’t typically buy the first car you look at or marry the first person you date, and the same is true of groups. Sometimes a personality conflict, life stage difference, geographical distance, or level of spiritual maturity make the group different than what you expected. But don’t worry. And don’t bail out before the five weeks are up—God might have something to teach you. After the first five weeks, if the group is still not a fit, try a different group or start one yourself. Most groups have an official leader. But ideally, the group members will rotate the leadership of meetings. Healthy groups rotate hosts/leaders and homes regularly.
How do we handle childcare?
Who is the leader?
This can be a sensitive issue so empower the group to openly brainstorm solutions. You might try one option that works for a while and then adjust later. Here’s four time-tested options:
1. Many groups have the adults meet in the living room or dining room and share the cost of a babysitter (or two) who watches the kids in a different part of the house. This way, parents don’t have to be away from their children all evening when their children are too young to be left at home. 2. Use one home for the kids and a second home (close by or a phone call away) for the adults. 3. Rotate the responsibility of providing a lesson or care for the children either in the same home or in another home nearby. This can be an incredible blessing for kids. 4. Finally, the most common solution is to decide that you need to have a night to invest in your spiritual lives individually or as a couple and to make your own arrangements for childcare.
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Small Group Agreement
Our Purpose: To provide a predictable environment where participants experience authentic community and spiritual growth.
Group Attendance To give priority to the group meeting. We will call or email if we will be late or absent. (Completing the Group Calendar will minimize this issue.)
Safe Environment
To help create a safe place where people can be heard and feel loved. (We avoid quick answers, snap judgments, and simple fixes.)
Respect Differences To be gentle and gracious to fellow group members with different spiritual maturity, personal opinions, temperaments, or “imperfections.� We are all works in progress.
Confidentiality
To keep anything that is shared strictly confidential and within the group, and to avoid sharing improper information about those outside the group.
Encouragement To be not just takers but givers of life. We want to spiritually multiply our life by serving others with our God-given gifts.
Shared Ownership To remember that every member is a minister and to ensure that each attender will share a small team role or responsibility over time.
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To encourage different people to host the group in their homes and to rotate the responsibility of facilitating each meeting. (See the Group Calendar.)
Our Expectations
Refreshments:
Childcare:
When we will meet (day of week):
Where we will meet (place):
We will begin at (time): and end at:
We will do our best to have some or all of us attend a worship service together. Our primary worship service time will be:
Date of this agreement:
Date we will review this agreement again:
Who (other than the leader) will review this agreement at the end of this study:
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Small Group Calendar
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Planning and calendaring can help ensure the greatest participation at every meeting. At the end of each meeting, review this calendar. Be sure to include a regular rotation of host homes and leaders, and don’t forget birthdays, socials, church events, holidays, and mission/ministry projects.
Briefly check in each week and write down your personal plans and progress targets for the next week (or even for the next few weeks). This could be done before or after the meeting, on the phone, through an e-mail message, or even in person from time to time.
Spiritual Partners’ Check-In
My Name: Spiritual Partner’s Name: Our Progress
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1
Our Plan
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Memory Verses Clip & Review
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Session 1 “Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” Matthew 13:16
Session 2 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46
Session 3 “He will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.” Luke 11:8
Session 4 “You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:13-14
Session 5 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Matthew 7:19
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Prayer & Praise Report
Praise Reports
Session 5
Session 4
Session 3
Session 2
Session 1
Prayer Requests
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Small Group Roster
Name
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Phone #
Name
Phone #
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Small Group Leaders Key resources to help your leadership experience be the best it can be.
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Hosting an Open House If you’re starting a new group, try planning an “open house” before your first formal group meeting. Even if you have a few core members, it’s a great way to break the ice and to consider prayerfully who else might be open to joining you over the next few weeks. You can also use this kick-off meeting to hand out study guides, spend some time getting to know each other, discuss each person’s expectations for the group and briefly pray for each other. A simple meal or good desserts always make a kick-off meeting more fun. After people introduce themselves and share how they ended up being at the meeting (you can play a game to see who has the wildest story!), have everyone respond to a few icebreaker questions: • • •
What is your favorite family vacation? What is one thing you love about your church/our community? What are three things about your life growing up that most people here don’t know?
Don’t worry about ending up with too many people; you can always have one discussion circle in the living room and another in the dining room after you watch the lesson.
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Next, ask everyone to tell what he or she hopes to get out of the study. You might want to review the Small Group Agreement and talk about each person’s expectations and priorities. Finally, set an open chair (maybe two) in the center of your group and explain that it represents someone who would enjoy or benefit from this group but who isn’t here yet. Ask people to pray about inviting someone to join the group over the next few weeks. Hand out postcards and have everyone write an invitation or two. Don’t worry about ending up with too many people; you can always have one discussion circle in the living room and another in the dining room after you watch the lesson. Each group could then report prayer requests and progress at the end of the session. You can skip this kick-off meeting if your time is limited, but you’ll experience a huge benefit if you take the time to connect with each other in this way.
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Leading for the First Time •
Sweaty palms are a healthy sign. The Bible says God is gracious to the humble. Those who are soft in heart (and sweaty palmed) are those whom God is sure to speak through.
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Seek support. Ask your leader, co-leader, or close friend to pray for you and prepare with you before the session. Walking through the study will help you anticipate potentially difficult questions and discussion topics.
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Bring your uniqueness to the study. Lean into who you are and how God wants you to uniquely lead the study.
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Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Go through the session several times. If you are using the DVD, listen to the teaching segment and Leadership Lifter. Consider writing in a journal or fasting for a day to prepare yourself for what God wants to do. Don’t wait until the last minute to prepare.
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Ask for feedback so you can grow. Perhaps in an email or on cards handed out at the study, ask everyone write down three things you did well and one thing you could improve. Don’t get defensive. Instead, show an openness to learn and grow.
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Prayerfully consider launching a new group. Healthy groups reproduce more groups. And by launching more groups, more leaders are developed and more people are included.
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Share with your group what God is doing in your heart. God is searching for those whose hearts are fully his. Share your trials and victories.
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Prayerfully consider whom you would like to pass the baton to next week. God will prepare the next member of your group to go on the faith journey you just traveled. Make it fun, and expect God to do the rest.
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Leadership Training 101 Congratulations! You have responded to the call to help shepherd Jesus’ flock. As you prepare to lead, whether it is one session or the entire series, here are a few thoughts to keep in mind. 1. You are not alone. God knows everything about you, and God promises, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Whether you are leading for one sessions or for many, God will bless you as you serve by leading. 2. Don’t do it alone. Ask God to help you enlist a co-leader and to involve as many people as you can in building a healthy group. After you pray, then call and ask people to help. 3. Be you. If you won’t be you, who will? God wants you to use your unique gifts and temperament. Don’t try to do things exactly like another leader; lead the way that fits you! If you don’t have an answer, admit it. If you make a mistake, apologize. Your group will love you for it. And God will bless you. 4. Prepare. Review the session and the leader’s notes, and write down your responses to each question. Pay special attention to exercises that ask group members to do something other than engage in discussion. These exercises will help your group live what the Bible teaches, not just talk about it. Be sure you understand how an exercise works, and bring any necessary supplies (such as paper and pens) to your meeting. If the exercise employs one of the items in the appendix, be sure to look over that item so you’ll know how it works. Finally, review “Outline for Each Session” so you’ll remember the purpose of each section in the study. 5. Pray for your group by name. Ask God to use your time together to touch the heart of every person uniquely. Expect God to lead you to whomever He wants you to encourage or challenge in a special way. 6. When you ask a question, allow for silence. Good questions cause people to think. So, once you ask the question, pause and allow people time to answer. If silence doesn’t bother you, it won’t bother anyone else. 7. Give lots of affirmation when your group responds. When someone responds, say “thanks” or “good job.” Then say, “How about somebody else?” or “Would someone who hasn’t shared like to add anything?” Be sensitive to new people or reluctant members who aren’t ready to say, pray or do anything.
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8. Provide transitions between questions. When guiding the discussion, always read aloud the transitional paragraphs and the questions. Ask the group if anyone would like to read the paragraph or Bible passage. Don’t call on anyone, but ask for a volunteer, and then be patient until someone begins. 9. Break up into smaller groups each week or they won’t stay. If your group has more than seven people, we strongly encourage you to have the group gather sometimes in discussion circles of three or four people during the Let’s Talk or Let’s Go Deeper sections of the study. With a greater opportunity to talk in a small circle, people will connect more with the study, apply more quickly what they’re learning and ultimately get more out of it. A small circle also encourages a quiet person to participate and tends to minimize the effects of a more vocal or dominant member. It can also help people feel more loved in your group. When you gather again at the end of the section, you can have one person summarize the highlights from each circle. Small circles are also helpful during prayer time. People who are unaccustomed to praying aloud will feel more comfortable trying it with just two or three others. Also, prayer requests won’t take as much time, so circles will have more time to actually pray. When you gather back with the whole group, you can have one person from each circle briefly update everyone on the prayer requests. People are more willing to pray in small circles if they know that the whole group will hear all the prayer requests. 10. Rotate facilitators weekly. At the end of each meeting, ask the group who should lead the following week. Let the group help select your weekly facilitator. You may be perfectly capable of leading each time, but you will help others grow in their faith and gifts if you give them opportunities to lead. You can use the Small Group Calendar to fill in the names of all meeting leaders at once if you prefer. 11. One final challenge (for new or first time leaders): Before your first opportunity to lead, look up each of the five passages listed below. Read each one as a devotional exercise to help yourself develop a shepherd’s heart. Trust us on this one. If you do this, you will be more than ready for your first meeting. Matthew 9:36, 1 Peter 5:2-4, Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34:11-16, 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8, 11-12
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