Leadership Packet. This week s Leadership Packet includes. Leader s Notes Leadership Article Small Group Announcements. Week of March 2, 2014

Transcription

1 Leadership Packet Week of March 2, 2014 This week s Leadership Packet includes Leader s Notes Leadership Article Small Group Announcements

2 through some very big obstacles between Jesus and himself. Sometimes we won t do that too because we feel insignificant. Some of us are just blind; we feel invisible too. It can feel like no one cares enough to stop (like Jesus did) and pay out attention. Bartimaeus militant attitude about his own condition was inspiring to me. It was like he thought, I don t care how hard this is, who I irritate or how much resistance I get, I m calling out to the only one who can help me see again. Blind Bartamaeus Mark 10:46-52 March 2, 2014 Dr. David Jeremiah Sermon Notes I. The Desperation of a Lost Man - Mark 10:46-48 A. His Predicament - Mark 10:46 B. His Plea - Mark 10:47 Bringing it Home 1. Spiritually speaking, we are born blind and we need corrective surgery from the great physician, Jesus. When did you ask Jesus to heal your spiritual blindness? When did you yield to His care and allow Him to direct your life? Are the people in your group really followers of Jesus? It s important to ask this question from time to time. C. His Persistence - Mark 10:48 II. The Deliverance of a Lost Man - Mark 10:49-52a A. The Compassion of Jesus - Mark 10:49a B. The Call of Jesus - Mark 10:49b; Isaiah 35:4-5 C. The Coming to Jesus - Mark 10:50 D. The Conversation with Jesus - Mark 10:51 2. Imagine you had surgery to restore your vision; you literally went from total blindness to clear vision. Wouldn t that be the kind of good news you would share over and over again, especially with blind people you knew? How does your spiritual version of that restoration story go? What are the details of your story when Jesus brought you out of spiritual blindness to clear spiritual sight? Who needs to hear that story now? How has Jesus spiritual surgery changed everything for you? How can you put your spiritual-birth story in everyday, common language? Who are your friends who need to hear your story? I ran across a phrase a few weeks ago- Gospel fluency. How Gospel fluent are you? The way you respond to this question can increase your Gospel fluency greatly. E. The Command of Jesus - Mark 10:52a III. The Dedication of a Saved Man - Mark 10:52b Small Group Questions Getting Started 1. If you had to give up one of your five senses, which would you surrender? Give this question a shot in your group if you need to help them connect with Bartimaeus situation. This is also a really good get to know you question. Copyright 2014 by Shadow Mountain Ministries 2100 Greenfield Drive, El Cajon, CA What are some of the things you would miss most if you lost your vision? You might ask your group members what they would miss if they were instantly in Bartimaeus shoes. See what I did there? I used this question to get them connected to the key player of this scripture passage. I would miss the faces of my family and friends.

3 Digging Deeper 1. This week we heard that, The entire biblical revelation seems to have Christ saying, I am the only one who can heal blind eyes. How are people trying to restore their vision these days, aside from Jesus? What are people turning to these days in an attempt to acquire some sense of spiritual sight? This is all about substitution. What do people try to use for spiritual sight instead of following Jesus? Lots of things. Generally speaking, some simply turn to good living; being good more than they are bad. Some to spiritual balancing like karma. Some turn to alternate spiritual sources like astrology, ancestor worship (seriously), and spiritual mysticism (psychics). 2. Compensating for physical blindness is nearly essential, but compensating for spiritual blindness is very dangerous. Read the verses below and talk about what can happen when people settle for spiritual blindness. Romans 1:20-25, Heart breaking the harshest passage on the darkening we experience when we turn away from God. Two big words stand out in this passage: futile and foolish. You can ask group members to describe those two adjectives; or ask how they show up in people today. Verses describe that life of futility and foolishness. Ephesians 4:17-19 For me, this is the second most harsh passage on the darkening people get when they turn away from Jesus. Notice that darkness leads to more darkness; it s compounded. That results in reduced spiritual sensitivity and ultimately to a surrender to one s sensuality, literally pleasure through one s sensory input. Matthew 6:19-25 Do you see the structure in this passage: instruction, metaphor, instruction. What is the metaphor? It is vision ( good eyes ). What do the before and after instructions reveal about having good vision (good eyes)? Being about earthly treasure leads to darkened vision (instruction #1). You only get to serve one master; one leads to clear vision and the other leads to darkness (instruction #2). Acts 26:16-18 We go from being under the power of God to being under the power of Satan (one master or the other). We will be under someone s power; it just depends on what we choose to see and respond to. 1 John 2:9-11 Well, first the darkness is caused by lovelessness; hatred specifically. Darkened vision leads to aimless wandering. I believe this describes the lack of purpose most feel apart from following Jesus. 3. How do people try to compensate for spiritual blindness these days? What have you seen people rely on instead of spiritual clarity from the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and God s people? You might not realize it immediately, but many of the passages above mention what we turn to in order to compensate for our spiritual blindness. Think of it like this though, what becomes the cane in our hand when we re spiritually blind? What do we use to stumble through life with? Again, all kinds of answers may come up. My dad turned to alcohol in order to ignore his blindness. For 25+ years I turned to success and achievement to get by. Some might turn to wealth. Ecclesiastes is filled with many of the things we use to rely on. 4. How do you think spiritual vision gets restored? When you look at Bartimaeus process in Mark 10, what are some of the actions and attitudes necessary for spiritual vision restoration? I can t take the space to break it all down here, but consider going back through Pastor s sermon and simply talk about each of the things Bartimaeus did and the spiritual application of his physical actions. For example, he left his cloak; what does that mean spiritually? This is actually a very big question; big answer really. 5. Pastor Jeremiah said that, No one is too insignificant to Jesus to command His attention. No one is beyond His desire and ability to restore spiritual sight. Has there ever been a time that you felt beyond His healing reach? How does this true story change that for you? Somehow Bartimaeus was willing to push

4 The 40/40 Initiative By Dale Bacon Week of March 2, 2014 At last week s Leadership Community, John updated you on the 40/40 Initiative. Here is a brief reminder of what he talked about. John and I are (each) committed to adding 40 groups ( = 80 new groups) for the September Small Group Sign-up Campaign. One of the ways we are adding new leaders is through Foundations in Leadership consultations. When someone graduates from the six-week Foundations in Leadership class, John or I meet with the graduate to help them understand their optional next steps toward leadership. They may choose one of three options to continue on the leadership path with us: 1) Intentionally attend a small group with a plan to think about what it might look and feel like if they were the leader of that small group. 2) Partner with a current leader as an apprentice. Apprenticeship is a learning process - the apprentice watches and learns from the leader and then the apprentice slowly, over time, takes on different leadership responsibilities. 3) Begin leading a group. We have a number of strategies in place for this option. So, what about those people in your small group who might be willing to explore leadership? Does anyone in your group come to mind right now? If so, they can come to Foundations in Leadership training and then we (John or I) will work with them through one of the options above. Plus, we are producing a video (that you can show in your small group) inviting them to come to Foundations in Leadership. Would you think about a person in your group who would benefit from this training? Would you consider nudging them toward taking the Foundations class? Remember: No one is committing to lead when they come to Foundations. They are simply learning about leadership, and the options they have, if they choose to continue on a leadership path. If you have questions or would like more information on Foundations in Leadership, let me know. You can contact me at dalebacon@shadowmountain.org or Nudge well.

5 Week of March 2, 2014 Announcements for your Small Group: Serving Opportunity at the Ronald McDonald House The Ronald McDonald House provides short-term housing to families who have a child receiving treatment for a serious illness, and they have several ways for you and your small group to serve together... Lead a fun craft for the families during dinnertime Bake desserts in their large kitchen on-site Clean and organize rooms Make/donate kid-sized blankets For more information or to sign up to serve, contact Suzanne Nguyen their Volunteer Coordinator at x2430 or snguyen@rmhcsd.org. Homeschool Moms Relax and refresh from the constant duties of being a mom who schools at home. Invest in a support network with women of faith who can help you find the joy in your day and press on through the journey. This group of homeschool moms meet monthly; their upcoming schedule is March 14, April 11, and May 9, 6:30-8:30 pm in the Family Ministries Building Classroom. For more information, contact Linda Rosenthal at (619) Benevolent Ministry Helping to stock up our Food Pantry at SMCC is a simple yet powerful way to help those in need. Our Benevolent Ministry helps around 50 families each month by providing them two bags of groceries from the donations our church gives. Would you like to give to our Food Pantry? Just bring your canned goods and packaged dry goods to church on the first Sunday of the month - there will be a table out at the Patio or you can drop off your items at the Family Ministries Building during the week. To see the list of items accepted and needed, please visit Announcements for Leaders & Hosts: Mark Your Calendar... May 31 - Small Group Leadership Appreciation Dinner June 15 - Small Group Summer break begins August 2 - Small Group Bay Day