Week 4: November 14/15. Discussion Guide

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1 Contents Week 4: November 14/15 Quick- Connect Discussion Guide Message Recap Use the questions in the Quick- Connect section if your group is already studying something else, and won t be using the full discussion guide. Use the Discussion Guide for a full small- group experience. This section includes an opening prayer, questions, next steps, and a closing prayer. This section includes a written recap of the weekend s message to help your group remember key points. Quick- Connect Guide Use the questions in this section if your group is already studying something else and won t be using the full discussion guide. Share a time in your life in which you felt filled with faith what was happening during that time? What news programs, television shows, or social media have a positive impact on what and how you think and the way you act? Which ones have a negative impact?

2 Discussion Guide 1 Opening Prayer Father in heaven, thank You for the ability to gather together. Open our hearts to hear what You have to say to us. Guide our time and our words. Amen. Discussion Questions Use some or all of the discussion questions below, in whatever manner you find helpful based on your group s needs. The Message Recap might help your group to prepare or to remember key points of the message at various points during the discussion. Message Recap Host Resources Getting Started What experience or personal interaction from this last week stands out to you most as you look back? What was life- giving about that experience or interaction? What was difficult about it? Why? Is there anything you want to share about the Next Step you committed to last week? The Basics Which of the passages from Ephesians 3 and 4 that Bill taught about captured your attention most? Why? Read Ephesians 3:14-21 aloud as a group. Share a time in your life in which you felt filled with faith what was happening during that time? To what do you attribute feeling so filled with faith? In what area of your life your marriage, work, relationships, finances are you having a hard time mustering the faith to believe something good could happen, change is possible, or God will act? What kinds of things catalyze your faith? (For example, hearing other people s stories of faith, certain spiritual disciplines, hearing a prompting/whisper from God). How could you engage in more of these things? What prevents you from doing so?

3 Discussion Guide 2 A Little Deeper Read Ephesians 4:20-32 aloud as a group. o o o Share a time in your life when you most reflected Christ in your relationships and way of living. What was going on in your life during that time? To what do you attribute your ability to live in that way? What, if anything, has changed? What are the attitudes and behaviors that characterize your old self? What parts of that old self still come out from time to time? In what ways? Paul says Quick that Connect the only way we can truly put off our old self Message is by being Recap made new Host in the Resources attitude of our minds (v. 23). Think of a typical Suspendisse week. What lobortis, news quam programs, television shows, social In lacinia, media, enim or sed other luctus things you take into your mind ac have euismod a positive sodales, diam impact on what and how you think ultricies, and the velit way odio tempor you turpis luctus nunc, vel act? Which ones have a negative impact? What changes would help you throw off mauris, your in old aliquet self nunc and sem porta mauris enim quis put on your new self in Christ? ipsum. tempor nisi. Vestibulum sodales. Next Steps Review the next steps below and consider which one or ones each member of the group would like to commit to for the upcoming week (and beyond). Pray and Journal. Spend some time in prayer this week asking God to show you the ways in which you are not reflecting Christ in the world whether it s because of deceit, anger, stealing, unwholesome talk, a bitter or critical spirit, slander or gossip, or a lack of kindness, compassion, or forgiveness. Allow God to bring to mind the times in which you have acted out of your old self instead of the new self in Christ. Ask God for forgiveness and for His power and guidance so that you can continue to shed your old self in favor of the new self. Apologize and seek forgiveness from those you have hurt in some way. Ask for feedback. Think of someone you know someone in your family or a close friend who you trust to be completely honest with you and loving toward you. Ask that person for feedback about how they experience you and whether they see any of the old ways in you that Paul mentions in Ephesians 4:20-32 lying, rage or destructive anger, stealing of any kind, any unwholesome talk, including profanity, inappropriate jokes or stories, or a critical spirit, bitterness, slander, malice, a lack of kindness or compassion, or a lack of forgiveness. Apologize and seek forgiveness from those you have hurt in some way and ask God to use Paul s words or other Scripture to transform your mind and heart. Discover Your Spiritual Gifts. Come learn your spiritual gifts and how to deploy them to serve. Our next spiritual gifts class is on December 2 at 7:30 pm in Room B205/207. Learn more here. Also, you can take a spiritual gifts assessment here.

4 Discussion Guide 3 Closing Prayer Pray for whatever difficulties or needs were shared during your time together and have someone close that time by reading the prayer below. Lord, we come before You You who created heaven and earth and pray that out of Your glorious riches You would strengthen us with power through Your Spirit in our inner beings so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. And may we, being rooted and established in love, have the power together with all of Your holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that we may be filled to the measure of all Your fullness. Now to You, who are able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to Your power that is at work within us, to You be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Quick Connect Message Recap Host Resources Notes

5 Message Recap 1 Bill Hybels Scripture: Ephesians 3 4 Bill taught through the key passages in chapters three and four of the book of Ephesians. For this reason, I, Paul, prisoner of Jesus Christ for the sake of the Gentiles Ephesians 3:1 In this short opening verse of chapter three, Paul uses a literary device in which a word or phrase has multiple meanings. We refer to this as double entendre, but in this verse the word prisoner actually has three meanings. First, as he writes this letter, Paul is physically a prisoner of Caesar, locked up in a Roman prison. But by stating that he is the prisoner of Jesus, Paul wants his audience to know that Jesus is sovereign over Caesar and the moment Jesus wanted Paul freed from his prison cell, He would arrange it. Second, Paul conveys that the love of Christ so thoroughly gripped his heart that Message he considers Recap himself captive to it, shackled to the One whose affection for him changed everything in his life. Third, Paul intimates that he is chained to his calling from God to alert every Gentile that Christ has demolished the dividing walls between Jews and Gentiles and that everyone has access to the Father through Christ. In other words, Paul felt so strongly about his calling to share the gospel with the Gentiles that he was effectively a prisoner to it. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ Ephesians 3:8 Paul says he is less than the least of all God s people. Does he really believe this? Was he having a bad day? Was he speaking hyperbolically? If Paul, who wrote two- thirds of the New Testament, believed this about himself, how should we feel about ourselves? For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lord s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:14 21 In this breathtaking prayer, Paul reminds us that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. No matter how hopeless our situation feels, no matter how impossible the odds are, God is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ask or think. Bill shared a picture of the Global Leadership Summit site in Hanoi, Vietnam, in which hundreds of pastors gathered together to learn. Two years ago, he had gone to the Communist government to try to convince them to allow the Summit to take place there.

6 Message Recap 2 Bill Hybels Bill said he did not have the faith to pray they would say yes, but when he met with the government, he shared his heart that he wanted to teach Christian leadership principles so that pastors all over Vietnam could spread the good news about Jesus Christ. A year later, the government granted permission and a year after that (this year), nearly 500 people gathered for the Summit teaching. This was an example of God doing immeasurably more than we could ask or think. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 This verse has shaped everything we do at Willow. As a general rule, churches fall into one of two camps. Below is an example of the two models at work in a church with one pastor and 100 members: Quick Connect Clergy- Model Camp 1 Pastor: does all ipsum. ministry in the church Suspendisse lobortis, quam ac euismod sodales, diam turpis luctus nunc, vel porta mauris enim quis Ephesians 4 Camp 1 Pastor: equips every member to do ministry Host Resources 100 Members: Receive Ministry 100 Members = Ministers The clergy model is patently unbiblical. The biblical model is Ephesians 4 the job of the pastor is to equip every person in the church to help them know what their spiritual gift is and the joy of serving, and to release the power of people using their spiritual gifts. We are a church of about 25,000. What would happen to this church if 25,000 people knew their spiritual gifts, were ministering with those gifts in the power of the Holy Spirit, and felt the thrill of God using them? We would be an unstoppable force for good. We follow this Ephesians model at Willow. Just as an example, at the Care Center, we have 2,000 volunteers carrying out ministry to the under- resourced. In the Next Gen ministries, we have 1,000 volunteers carrying out ministry for kids. According to this text and several others, it is clear that God wants His church to be led by people with leadership gifts, taught by people with teaching gifts, administered by people with administrative gifts, shepherded by people with shepherding gifts, and so on. Under this model, everyone does the thing they are best at so the quality of each area goes up. And, everybody feels valued, needed, and involved. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:23 24

7 Message Recap 3 Bill Hybels Paul gives us a vivid, memorable image we all know what it feels like to take off dirty clothes and put on clean clothes to show us what to take off and what to put on now that we are walking with Christ: Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully... (v. 25) Paul says we must throw away our liar s jacket, that jacket smelling of lies, broken promises, and un- kept commitments. He instructs us to put on our truth- telling jacket and wear it for the rest of our lives. As followers of Jesus, we should always, only, ever tell the truth. In your anger do not sin ; Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (vv ) Paul tells us to take off our rage- aholic jacket. Are you losing your temper often? Do you ding or destroy all the relationships you have because of how you act in anger? Paul says anger is natural, but we are not to sin in our anger. We Quick can express Connect anger, but in a constructive, not destructive way. Take off the Host rage- aholic Resources jacket. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. (v. 28) Suspendisse lobortis, quam ac euismod sodales, diam turpis luctus nunc, vel porta mauris enim quis ipsum. Paul is clear take off your "stealing jacket. Whatever you re stealing, stop and do some real work because doing so builds self- respect and reinforces that you are a new person in Christ and you are on a new course in your life. The Holy Spirit will help you forge a new life. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (v. 29) Paul tells us to take off our profanity jacket. No more dirty jokes or profanity. If this is the way we speak, we are living beneath our calling. If we are quick to criticize or give our opinion about everything instead of building up, we are living beneath what we are called to in Christ. Put on your blessed and build up others jacket. When you are with people, make it your aim to bless them and build them up. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (v. 30) When you hear God s whispers and promptings, pay attention to every single one of them because if you blow Him off, you shut off the source of the One trying to give you new life. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (vv ) Bill shared the story of his life of being raised in a family that was not nurturing and of working on the loading dock of his father s produce business for fifteen years, making him tough, profane, and macho. Years later, he continued to be tough and was too tough on his staff, his board members, and his wife. One day, he preached a sermon and referred to a woman as being big as a two- story colonial house. During this sermon, his wife Lynne, later told him, a woman who was overweight had come into church for the first time and when she heard these words, she walked out. Lynne asked him: Who are you Bill Hybels? Why can t you see how often you hurt people? These words drove him to ask God to use Ephesians 4:31-32 to melt the toughness that had been baked into his life from a young age. This material is protected by U.S. Copyright Law and is for your own personal use. Any further use requires permission. Contact Kellye Fabian at Willow Creek Community Church with your request.