firsthand faith DISCOVERING A FAITH OF YOUR OWN

Transcription

1 A BIBLE STUDY FOR STUDENTS LEADER GUIDE firsthand faith DISCOVERING A FAITH OF YOUR OWN Ryan & Josh Shook LifeWay Press Nashville, Tennessee

2 firsthand faith Leader Guide Published by LifeWay Press 2013 Ryan & Josh Shook All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copying and recording, without express written permission of the publisher. Request for permission should be addressed to LifeWay Press, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN ISBN: Item: Dewey Decimal Classification: Subject Headings: FAITH \ CHRISTIAN LIFE \ DISCIPLESHIP All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. To order additional copies of this resource, order online at Printed in the United States of America Student Ministry Publishing LifeWay Church Resources One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN

3 CONTENTS A Firsthand Account of God s Story...p. 4 Meet the Authors...p. 5 How to Use This Study...p. 6 Firsthand Prayer...p. 8 Introduction...p. 9 SESSION 1 A Faith that Fills the Emptiness...p. 10 SESSION 2 A Faith that Frees...p. 18 SESSION 3 A Faith that Transforms...p. 26 SESSION 4 A Faith Focused on Relationship...p. 34 SESSION 5 A Faith Unafraid of Doubt...p. 42 SESSION 6 A Faith Outside Your Comfort Zone...p. 50 Notes...p. 58 Prayer...p. 60 Group Directory...p. 62 References...p. 64

4 A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF GOD S STORY In the beginning, the all-powerful, personal God created the universe. This God created human beings in His image to live joyfully in His presence in humble submission to His gracious authority. But all of us have rebelled against God and, in consequence, must suffer the punishment of our rebellion: physical death and the wrath of God. Thankfully, God initiated a rescue plan, which began with His choosing the nation of Israel to display His glory in a fallen world. The Bible describes how God acted mightily on Israel s behalf, rescuing His people from slavery and then giving them His holy law. But God s people like all of us failed to rightly reflect the glory of God. Then, in the fullness of time, in the Person of Jesus Christ, God Himself came to renew the world and to restore His people. Jesus perfectly obeyed the law given to Israel. Though innocent, He suffered the consequences of human rebellion by His death on a cross. But three days later, God raised Him from the dead. Now the church of Jesus Christ has been commissioned by God to take the news of Christ s work to the world. Empowered by God s Spirit, the church calls all people everywhere to repent of sin and to trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness. Repentance and faith restores our relationship with God and results in a life of ongoing transformation. The Bible promises that Jesus Christ will return to this earth as the conquering King. Only those who live in repentant faith in Christ will escape God s judgment and live joyfully in God s presence for all eternity. God s message is the same to all of us: repent and believe, before it s too late. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved. 4 FIRSTHAND FAITH»

5 MEET THE AUTHORS RYAN SHOOK is a filmmaker and blogger whose short films are broadcast internationally and used at churches nationwide. A graduate of Baylor University, Ryan currently lives with his wife, Sarah, in Los Angeles. JOSH SHOOK is a musician and recent graduate of Belmont University. Josh writes and produces music and currently resides in Nashville. Ryan and Josh are the sons of best-selling authors Kerry and Chris Shook, founders of Woodlands Church, near Houston.» FIRSTHAND FAITH 5

6 HOW TO USE THIS STUDY I encourage you to open each session with prayer, specifically inviting and welcoming the presence of the Holy Spirit in the time and space that you have together. Tell everyone you are glad to see him or her and dive right into the session. There is a lot to cover in each session and one of the keys is to move with expediency. Moving quickly keeps people from getting bored and makes the time fly by so, get started! Divide your available time into thirds and watch the clock appropriately. FIRST THIRD: REVIEW (15-20 MINUTES) This section will include the Warm Up questions and the Weekly Review time. Here the goal is to help students get ready to participate, as well as catch up from last week and review their midweek readings. This is where you will find out how well they are processing what is being taught. Each week builds on the previous week so making sure they are tracking along is important. It is important that you encourage students to take time to complete the devos and not wait until the end of the week and try to cram. They will benefit the most by spending some time each day encountering God and allowing Him to shape their hearts. One of the greatest values of this curriculum is establishing a rhythm that incorporates God s Word and prayer on a daily basis. It is not about right or wrong answers; it is about moving into that rhythm of relationship with God and His Word. At the end of every session is a journal page with space for students to record their time spent with God. Each week you may want to ask if they are journaling, but don t force them to read it in front of the group. These pages are for them. SECOND THIRD: WATCH AND RESPOND (15-20 MINUTES) Play the video. By now hopefully everyone knows how to play a video for a group. Sound is key. Please make sure that you can play the videos with enough volume that every student can easily hear the content. Bad sound can kill a good video. Each video is less than 10 minutes. They are packed with content, but intentionally under 10 minutes. We are expecting you to watch the video and then use the questions in the Video Feedback section to begin processing what was taught. 6 FIRSTHAND FAITH»

7 FINAL THIRD: DISCUSS (15 MINUTES) Once you feel like everyone understands what was taught in the video, it is time to move to the discussion section. Here you can divide into smaller groups or stay as you are. That decision is up to you as the leader. You know what will work best for your group. Don t forget, you re leading the discussion, not attempting to lecture. As any good discussion leader knows, you must be prepared to offer something from your own life as well, if it is needed to get the ball rolling. You also must help make sharing a safe and affirming experience for everyone in your group. WRAP UP (10 MINUTES) Your primary job as group leader is motivation and accountability. Students tend to have a hard time remembering to do things or to bring things, like their books. So lovingly remind them this is an six week commitment. They will only get out of the study what they put in. Remind them that once the group time is over, they are only half way through their lesson. There are three readings that will help them continue to grow and process what they are learning. Close each session with prayer and encouragement. Inspire the students to dive deep, to contemplate, and to allow God to speak to them so that they can begin developing a firsthand faith.» FIRSTHAND FAITH 7

8 8 FIRSTHAND FAITH» God, You know I m not perfect. I bring all that I am to You. Use my gifts, my passions, and my heart to glorify You. When there is less of me, I know there will be more of You. Challenge me to always keep a firsthand relationship with You. Strengthen the firsthand community You ve placed me in and teach us to be Your hands and feet to this broken world. Thank you for never leaving me and constantly loving me no matter what. Amen.

9 INTRODUCTION What are you going to do when the simple answers no longer solve the problems you face? There comes a time when you can no longer cling to your parents coattails and you have to choose to make it your faith. 1 Robert Griffin III CONFESSION: We are pastor s kids and we ve both come back from the brink of spiritual death. Really. Only a short time ago, we were so done with the whole Christian thing. What we thought was our faith wasn t ours at all. Not completely. Mostly, it belonged to our parents. Some of it belonged to the youth pastor or our friends. Sure, some of it was real for us too but a lot of it wasn t. If you had given our personal beliefs a close inspection, you might have noticed some flimsy plastic labels hanging on them. On them would have been scribbled: Secondhand. Or maybe, Belongs to Dad. Or, Just trying to fit in. Our faith was something we had inherited, and it felt like it was something not originally intended for us. So we tried something else. We lived as if God didn t exist. Maybe you know what we re talking about. Maybe you ve given up on church and its promise of contentment. Maybe you ve not only given up on church but given up on God as well. Or maybe you re just now starting to suspect that something is wrong, but you can t put your finger on it. It s just really, really...foggy. Our goal is writing this study is to help you replace secondhand religion with a faith and most importantly a relationship that won t quit on you. We want to help you get from a religion that you wear on the outside when it s convenient, to a faith of your own one that s authentically yours all the way through. Firsthand faith matters because anything less doesn t work and won t last. Isn t it time for you to claim a faith of your own?» FIRSTHAND FAITH 9

10 Session 1 A FAITH THAT FILLS THE EMPTINESS I m trying to be a good Christian, so why do I still feel so empty? Do you ever feel frustrated with your faith? Have you ever gotten tired of doing the church thing? Don t worry. It s pretty common really. If you re anything like us, you ve probably had these feelings at one point or another. For a while we had become really good at playing church. The problem was that whatever we looked like on the outside, inside we were desperate for something more. Being a Christian had been reduced to going through the motions, following rules, and keeping up appearances. Maybe you know what we re talking about. Maybe you ve grown tired and dissatisfied with all the doing that comes with church. Maybe you re just tired of pretending. Maybe you re even beginning to question God. Or maybe you re just now starting to suspect that something is wrong, but you can t put your finger on it. Our goal this week is to begin looking at what a firsthand faith really looks like and how that kind of faith fills the emptiness we feel and pushes us beyond religion into a relationship with Christ. 10 FIRSTHAND FAITH»

11 BEFORE YOU BEGIN»» Is there enough seating for everyone you are expecting? Will everyone be able to comfortably see and hear the video from their seats?»» Is the DVD already in the player? Select the Introduction video and be ready to press play when instructed later in the study.»» Have arrangements been made to ensure everyone has or will have a Firsthand Faith student book?»» Do you have enough pens, paper, and Bibles for those who don t bring them? WARM UP Welcome everyone to the Firsthand Faith study and make sure everyone has a member book. Begin with the warm up questions. These questions are designed to get everyone in the group talking. They are subjective in nature, seeking feedback from everyone s life and experiences. Encourage multiple students to answer, but do not stall too long on these questions. The goal here is to get students to interact and perhaps laugh a little. Laughter breaks the ice like nothing else. What does it mean to be a Christian? How would you describe the life of a Christian to a friend that doesn t know Jesus? Why is it that most of our ideas about following Christ have so much to do with checklists and rules? Show the Firsthand Faith Introduction video. There s no need to have a discussion based on this video yet. This video is to introduce Ryan and Josh to the group and set the tone for this study. FIRSTHAND OR SECONDHAND FAITH? The first step on this journey is to begin examining your own faith. This is not done to get you to doubt your salvation, but to truly get you asking the right questions. It is easy to grow up around the church and know all the answers during Bible study. But that doesn t make you a follower of Christ. It is easy to stay out of trouble and get good grades, but that doesn t make you a follower of Christ. It is easy to go with your parents to church and watch them follow Christ, but that doesn t make you a follower of Christ. During the next several weeks we are going to examine what it truly means to follow Christ and own your faith. Allow the students a few minutes to answer the following questions: Have you ever felt the need to pursue a personal relationship with Christ? Why or why not? What was your response to this feeling? Why do you go to church? What are you hoping to gain during this study? Describe where you think you currently stand before Christ.» SESSION 1 11

12 VIDEO GUIDE Play the A Faith that Fills the Emptiness. Instruct your students to use the video guide to help them remember what was said during the video and to add any notes they may want to remember. Facts about emptiness: At some point, we will all feel it. It doesn t mean something is wrong with you. God designed you to feel it when you look for fulfillment outside of Him. It points you to Christ. How many times have you heard, It s about a relationship not a religion. What do you think is meant by this statement? A genuine relationship with Jesus is the only way to fill the emptiness. There are three ways people try to fill it: Rebellion living like God doesn t exist. This may fill the void temporarily, but eventually the emptiness will return and seem even darker. Religion working your way to God. This will seem to fill the void, but will eventually become a burden. You will know about God without ever knowing Him. Relationship accepting Christ s work of redemption on your behalf and submitting your life to Him. Only Christ, and a lifetime of pursuing Him, can fully fill the void. A cold glass of water satisfies thirst and one sip isn t enough. In the same way, a relationship with Christ means daily returning to have your spiritual thirst quenched. If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world. 2 C. S. Lewis Ultimately, we will always feel some sense of emptiness because we were made for another world. VIDEO FEEDBACK Before moving into the group time, use the following questions to help students process the teaching from the video and make sure everyone is on the same page. Several questions are provided, but feel free to add your own. You know your students and what issues they may need to discuss. There is one question that will encourage the students to share an idea using Twitter or Facebook. This is a good thing, so encourage students to get their phones out and share away. How would you summarize what was discussed during the video? Have you ever thought about emptiness being a good thing? How would you describe this to a friend? 12 FIRSTHAND FAITH»

13 In the video, an empty building was brought back to life. It was given a new purpose. What do you think might be preventing God from doing a similar work in your life? In what ways have you tried to fill the emptiness in the past? How did things turn out? How can seemingly good activities like reading your Bible or going to church actually lead to emptiness? How can those same activities have the opposite effect? What is one thought from the video you would like to share with your friends? Take a moment to write it down, then post or tweet it using the hashtag #firsthandfaith. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Once you feel like your students have processed the video and have a clear understanding of what was taught, you re ready to move into the next part of the session. Here you can break your group into smaller groups of 5-6 students if you have a larger group or you can all stay together. The goal here is to allow as many students as possible to share. Some of these questions will require certain passages of Scripture to be read so make sure someone in each group has a Bible. Don t worry about answering all the questions if you are getting short on time. You can select the ones you want your students to focus on since you know them and which questions would be better suited for them. What are the differences between religion and relationship? Why does religion always leave us feeling empty? Read the account in Luke 7:36-50 about the woman washing Jesus feet. Using the characters from that story, describe how the religious leaders treated Jesus vs. how she treated Jesus. Which character do you think truly encountered the love of Christ? In his book, Saint Augustine explains that you must be emptied of that which you are full, so that you may be filled with that which you are empty. 3 Spend a few moments thinking about this statement and then apply it to your life. What are some things filling your life right now that may be preventing Christ from fully filling and satisfying you? Post It: #firsthandfaith Take a quick break and have everyone pose for a group picture. Each week try to have the group take at least one picture and have everyone post it to Instagram or Facebook. This is a great way for your students to share this study with their friends. Don t be afraid of this. Help students share this study in their own way. Encourage them to use the hashtag #firsthandfaith.» SESSION 1 13

14 WRAP UP In this session, we began the firsthand faith journey. We examined how all pursuits outside of Christ will lead to emptiness, even the seemingly good religious activities. Apart from a firsthand relationship with Jesus, that emptiness can t be filled. Christ is the living water that fully satisfies. What is one thought you want to remember from this session? PRAY In this section we want to change things up a bit. Rather than having a group prayer and ending the group time, encourage students to take the last five minutes and write a prayer. This is sadly a discipline many of us neglect. There is power in writing your prayers and being able to go back later and read what God was doing in your heart during those moments. Each of these sections will offer instructions on what to pray for and then provide space for students to record their prayer. This will be different for many students, but encourage them to participate. You may want to take part in this process also. There has been space left for you to write also. Pray specifically that God would open your eyes to the areas in your life that are spent in vain pursuits. Thank God for the satisfaction and purpose that is found in a personal relationship with Jesus. Write in the space below your prayer of thanksgiving for this truth. REMINDER Before wrapping up the session, please encourage your students to complete the readings in their books sometime in the coming week. There are three of them for each week and they will serve as part of next week s group time. The three readings and questions have been provided for you as well. Lead by example and make sure you are well prepared for next week by spending some time with each of the readings. 14 FIRSTHAND FAITH»

15 DEVO THE HUMAN CONSTITUTION It is interesting to think on the reality that we, as humans, were created with the capacity to long for or desire things like joy, meaning, and purpose in our lives. It is one component of many that is part of the package of being human, like our mental and relational components. In fact, it could easily be said that this is one of the big traits that distinguishes us from the rest of creation. When was the last time you overheard a dog question the meaning of his existence or saw a cat sit and contemplate how to quench her soul thirst with a superior joy in God? While it is true that we have been created and designed with this capacity within us and we are capable of tremendous feats of love and purpose in our lives, it isn t long before we also realize that sometimes this capacity points to a longing within our souls. This longing suggests that something may be missing or in fact even broken inside of us. And while perhaps viewed negatively, this longing within can be a good thing. In the first place, it reminds us, as C. S. Lewis says, that we were created for another world. If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world. Secondly, it points us to the source of joy, meaning, purpose, and love, namely God, and how the thirst of our souls is ultimately quenched by a relationship with Him. THINK Out of the many different ways God could have created us, why do you think He chose to create us with the capacity for longing? Do you think the human heart s longing for purpose and meaning in life is a good thing? Why or why not? For those who do not believe in Jesus and the Bible, where do they receive meaning and purpose for their lives? PRAY Begin by praising and thanking God that He created you in His image and that He created you with a deep emotional capacity for both His glory and your good. Give thanks for the fact that the soul s longing for ultimate joy, meaning, and purpose is designed by God to point our attention upward to Him. And ask for grace to have a heart whose delight is in Him.» SESSION 1 15

16 DEVO THE HUMAN CONDITION We are hard wired with certain passions longings to be happy, to have purpose, meaning, and life value, etc. It is also true that each of us has turned to different things in this world in an attempt to satisfy these desires. Whether in seeking material possessions, relationships, social status, the praise of man, power and influence, etc., Scripture says, we all have turned to our own way (Isa. 53:6). We are far too easily pleased with earthly things. While this may be the case, I think it is equally true that in our more quiet moments those moments when the music is turned down and the television is off and those moments that often come to us when we are by ourselves, alone with only our conscience we realize that the earthly things we often use to quench those desires are never really satisfying in the long run. It is in those moments that we are honest with ourselves and admit that something within us is still missing, and that these earthly substitutes are not delivering on their promise to fill these hunger pains of the soul. However infrequent those moments may be, it is during those brief times that we affirm with Augustine that God has made us for Himself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Him. 4 THINK Can you think of the first example in the Bible when someone chose to delight more in God s creation (the created) than in God (the Creator)? How are you tempted in similar ways today? Do you try to silence the Holy Spirit when God convicts you in those quiet moments? Do you intentionally create regular times in your life where you block out all distractions so you can consider the more important things that are going on in your heart? PRAY Spend some time in prayer thanking God that He alone is the answer to the deepest longings of your heart. Also spend some time in personal confession to God by acknowledging those created things that you often turn to instead of turning to God. Confess those sins, ask for forgiveness, repent, and ask for the grace to find ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. 16 FIRSTHAND FAITH»

17 THE HUMAN SOLUTION Now that we are aware of how we are designed and the sinful condition we are in when we often choose the created over the Creator, what are we to do when we feel empty inside? What is the biblical solution? The biblical solution is in both recognizing and experiencing that only in Christ does ultimate satisfaction come. We are to taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8) and that at His right hand are eternal pleasures (Ps. 16:11). We are to know from firsthand experience that whoever drinks the water Jesus gives shall never thirst (John 4:4-42). And in those moments when we recognize with the psalmist that our soul is for some reason downcast, like him we respond by telling our soul to hope in God (Ps. 43:5). In other words, we need to remind ourselves constantly to live out a life of faith that hopes in God, trusts in God, rests in God, and finds joy in God. Now this doesn t mean that there won t be moments in the Christian life that are less than fully satisfying. We still live in a fallen world, broken by the effects of sin, and are often restrained by the weakness of the flesh (Matt. 26:41). However, even in light of that, Christians are also aware of the fact that the ultimate satisfaction that Christ offers now isn t given all at one time. It is something that continues to grow and mature until it is fully realized in heaven with Christ. It is something that we not only enjoy in the present, but we look forward to as Christ changes us from the imperfect to the perfect. THINK If God created joy, happiness, pleasure, etc., does it make sense then that ultimate joy, happiness, and pleasure can only be found in Him? DEVO How do you think someone comes to realize that Jesus is more precious than any person or thing this world has to offer? Summarize some reasons why longing and dissatisfaction might be a good part of your Christian experience. PRAY Begin by reflecting on where you have been seeking your ultimate fulfillment. If you have been seeking more fulfillment in people or things rather than in Christ, confess that to Him, ask for forgiveness, and believe in His promise that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Ask for eyes to see the worth of His beauty and the superior joy found in Him that triumphs over all other joys.» SESSION 1 17