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1 PLATFORM PLATFORM PLATFORM PLATFORM PLATFORM STAND AGAINST THE WIND

2 Stand Against the Wind Erwin Raphael McManus Small-Group Experience written by Jason Jaggard

3 Stand Against the Wind Small-Group Study Guide Published by LifeWay Christian Resources 2010 Erwin McManus 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 Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN ISBN: Item Dewey Decimal Classification: Subject Heading: CHARACTER \ CHRISTIAN LIFE Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Scriptures marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Scriptures marked The Message are from The Message, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Published by NavPress. Used by permission. To order additional copies of this resource, order online at write LifeWay Small Groups; One LifeWay Plaza; Nashville, TN ; fax order to (615) ; or call toll-free (800) Printed in the United States of America Leadership and Adult Publishing LifeWay Church Resources One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN

4 Contents Behind the Curtain 4 About This Study 5 SeSSion 1 Coming Alive 6 SeSSion 2 Most Good 20 SeSSion 3 More Than Meets the Eye 34 SeSSion 4 Doing What s Difficult 50 SeSSion 5 The First Move 66 SeSSion 6 The Final Tools 80 Group Directory 96

5 Behind the Curtain I love the wind. I love the way it refreshes, the way it wakes you up on a brisk autumn day. I love how it make the willows dance. I love the mystery of the wind invisible yet undeniable. The wind is both gentle and powerful. It can work for you or against you. I remember as a kid learning to fly a kite. A powerful wind would without mercy expose a kite poorly constructed. If you wished to harness the power of the wind you would need to bring wings that could match this force of nature. If you were ready, the results would make it all worthwhile. There is one thing I learned holding a line that reached into an endless sky: if you are going to fly, you have to stand against the wind. I have found this principle to be true in every area of life. We often look for the easy way. We want the wind at our backs. This is seen as proof of God s blessing in our lives. If we are right with God, life is easy, right? Yet it is when times are difficult, when life is challenging, when we are pressed on every side, that the best of us is called out. This is the premise of the journey we are about to take that the process for character change comes in the crucible of life. This is not a popular invitation. We want change that comes without a price. But if you choose the way of Jesus, you will find an invisible force pressing against you. At first you will wonder why God is working against you. You will be certain the wind is not at your back, but that you are standing against the wind. And if you stay with it, if you hold tight, if you let it press against you, you will suddenly look down and realize you re flying. Erwin Raphael McManus 4 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

6 About This Study Welcome to Stand Against the Wind a small-group Bible study from the Platform series. In this small-group experience, bestselling author and storyteller Erwin McManus unwraps the concept that the ultimate end of character transformation is freedom to be all that God designed us to be. Here are the elements you ll be encountering during this small-group experience: Warm-Up a time for sharing stories Video Set-Up establishes context for your small-group time Viewer Guide integral points from the video message to enhance discussion Biblical Background biblical insight for greater understanding Scripture all primary Scriptures are printed in the study guide Small-Group Questions application, self-revelation, interpretation, or observation. Discovery Bible study method builds community, invites God, and generates transformational discussion Journal contributes to personal devotional time You re Up a challenge for group members to practice what they have learned Leader Notes - in colored text at the beginning of each section Let your transformation begin! 5 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

7 SESSION 1 Coming Alive Your life was meant to be a force for good in the world. That may be a little intimidating. It may even sound arrogant or sinful. Or maybe you ve known it all along: that there is actually good buried inside of you waiting to be unleashed into your life and the lives of those around you. Could it be true that you were designed to be a creative being? That you were meant to run free? That you were created to be full of wisdom and courage and to leave a wake of beauty behind you as you pursue a God who is ahead of you, calling you to a better future? 6 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

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9 WarM UP Try not to spend too much time here, but let everyone answer the warm-up questions. Getting group members involved early helps create the best small-group environment. What first comes to your mind when you think of the word freedom? What pictures, situations, films, colors, sounds, feelings, or memories from your life remind you of that word? On the flip side, what comes to mind when you think of the word trapped? Share a picture, situation, feeling, or memory that corresponds with that word for you. 8 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

10 Video set UP The information below sets up the video. It can be read aloud to the group, read by group members ahead of time, or group members can read the information silently while the facilitator sets up the video. In the following video Erwin shares that while every person may or may not be artistic, every person is creative. In Genesis, after God masterfully painted, designed, engineered, organized, built, and created the universe, He created man in His own image. Humanity carries with it a creative power bestowed upon us by our Creator God. We too are able to design, engineer, organize, lead, build, or paint. No matter what our canvas the page, film, clay, soil, family, an organization, a classroom, or a team we were meant to create. It is part of being made in the image of God. Our lives were meant to be elevated above our definition of life into a deeper experience of adventure, compassion, and wisdom. Jesus modeled a life of love and sacrifice. He showed us what it means to live and then paid the price so we could be free. Among many other things, Jesus unleashes our creative spirit. So how do we take those first steps toward unleashing this incredible power? Take a moment to read the Scripture passages on page 12 before watching Coming Alive (13:04). Then discuss the two questions designed as follow-up to the video on the Viewer Guide page. Show video now. 9 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

11 VieWer Guide Included are two questions designed as follow-up to Coming Alive. This time is set aside for discussion within the group about what they heard, how it affected them, and possible applications. These questions may be only a beginning. Feel free to begin the conversation by asking what thoughts, insights, or stories had the most impact on group members. 1. Although maybe not artistic, in what ways are you creative? 2. According to Erwin s message, what choices in life make you most free? 10 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

12 BIBLICAL BACKGround With music there is usually a story behind the song that helps listeners appreciate the heart and soul behind both the music and the lyrics. Scripture is no different. Below you ll find a brief story behind this week s Scripture intended to provide additional understanding and insight. Erwin opens this session with Galatians 5:1. In this passage Paul used the idea of slavery versus freedom to discuss with the Galatians the role that Jesus played in the context of their lives. The ancient world leveraged slavery as an everyday commodity. People were conquered and as they were they would be enslaved. Slavery was prevalent, open, feared, and seen everywhere. The hearers of Paul s letter may have been current or former slaves themselves or possibly current or former slave owners. Whatever the situation, each person would have had a visceral and acute understanding of slavery as well as the longing of a slave to be free. Paul s letter to the church in Galatia is one of the oldest documents of early Christianity, and it s also the first testimony of the conflicts in the early church over the role of the Torah, or law, in the lives of Jewish and Gentile believers. The writer of Galatians juxtaposed living according to a set of rules with living in the Spirit. The overall declaration of freedom in this chapter is both a factual statement and a goal to pursue. 11 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

13 SCriPture It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 (NIV) Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. Galatians 5:1 (The Message) You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13 (NIV) 21 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you. 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island. Acts 27:21-26 (NIV) 12 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

14 SMALL-GrouP Questions Over the next few pages you ll find discussion questions, material that may be used as additional discussion points, and a journal exercise for group members to complete away from the group. Some of us make our worst decisions longing for those things we re supposed to want. 1. Erwin compares temporary relief with life freedom. We want things like love, adventure, and meaning and God wants them for us. So how do we make decisions that actually rob us of our freedom and creativity while in pursuit of these things? 13 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

15 REEL STORIES In Stranger Than Fiction, IRS agent Harold Crick wakes up one morning hearing a voice narrating his life. Unable to either recognize this voice or discern where the voice is coming from, Crick seeks the advice of a literature professor who reveals to him that he is a character in a story written by an author known for killing off her protagonists in random and meaningless ways. What ensues is an existential crisis in which Crick desperately tries everything to avoid his own death while wrestling with what it means to be truly alive. Fighting against his own destiny, he struggles with love, loss, and fate. As the hour of his death approaches, Crick chooses an act of sacrifice and love, instead of inevitability and determinism, that shapes not only his own life but also the life of the author as she writes his story. Although bizarre, this film invites us to wrestle with our own sense of being trapped in life versus living life to the fullest, and the impact that choosing a life of sacrifice over meaninglessness can have on those around us. 14 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

16 2. Why do you think it is difficult at times to determine which choices are freeing and which are enslaving? 3. How can you know which choices will set you free? You not only need wisdom to make the right choices, but you need the courage to take the right actions. 4. What are some things you see people doing to avoid living the lives they are meant to live? 15 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

17 A PersonaL Bent We live in an information age, and I ll (Jason) admit that I m an information junkie. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, articles, books, and radio give me a constant stream of information, ideas, and news snippets. For me, information can become a tool of procrastination. I become trapped in the snare of information feeding my fears instead of informing my actions. I sometimes use learning more as an excuse for doing less. In my experience, even reading the Scriptures can lead to information overload. My problem isn t knowing what s right; it s choosing to do what I already know to do. We want God to give us adventure without risk. Erwin observes that we flock to films or amusement parks as a way of pacifying our craving for life. We ride perfectly safe roller coasters rather than going on an adventure of a lifetime. We watch films of men and women living heroic lives in order to fool ourselves into thinking our lives are heroic. 5. Describe ways you might fulfill your need for adventure and creativity with things that are less than what God has in store for you. 16 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

18 23 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you. Acts 27:23-24 (NIV) 6. As we begin to live out God s dreams for our lives, we begin to enhance the lives of others along the way. What connections do you see between living a creative life and how a creative life enhances the lives of others? 17 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

19 Journal This journaling opportunity is designed for group members to utilize at another time. They may choose to answer the question in the space provided or they may prefer to use the space and time to take a deep question or concern to God. What fears stand between you and the life unleashed that Erwin describes? List them here. As you pray, ask God to give you the courage to face and defeat these fears, concerns, roadblocks, and distractions. 18 STAND AGAINST THE WIND

20 You re up To live the unleashed life that Erwin describes in this session, keep these things in mind: Ask God to help you see yourself the way He does as a creative being. Reflect on the Scriptures and ask God to speak to you in response to your doubts and fears. When making critical decisions, ask yourself whether (1) you re seeking temporary relief that will cost you your freedom or (2) making a life-freeing choice that will foster an unleashed life. Know what you re investing and what you re investing in. Living an unleashed life is costly, but not as costly as suppressing the creativity that God has put inside you. Next week we will continue talking about creativity as a means for standing against the destructive winds blowing around us. To prepare, take a minute to read 2 Corinthians 9: STAND AGAINST THE WIND