T H E S T O R Y SESSION 24 LEADER GUIDE Before the Meeting Remind group members to bring their Participant s Guide. Walk through the material on your own prior to the meeting. Send a list of group participants to the New Hope Staff. Leading the Discussion - Session 24 Introduction: Ask someone in the group to read the Introduction this week. Talk About It: Talk about a time when you read the Bible, or heard a sermon and you felt a strong desire to change a something you we re doing. How did it turn out? Ask your group to share their stories with one another. Our mistakes and success are an encouragement- you may need to go first. DVD Teaching Notes: Encourage your group to bring their Bibles and read from the Scriptures when the participant guide references the Bible. Provide pens so group members can take notes as needed. Play Session 24 from the DVD DVD Discussion: We have now entered the second week of the life of Jesus! Jesus announcement begins with a blast of parables about God. Parables drew the listeners into the story of which they quickly discovered they we re at the center of. The parables revealed God s heart for his people; he loved them deeply. God loved us so much he entered into human history through his Son Jesus. And proved he would stop at nothing to get us back! 1
1. What are some ways we can really tune in and open our hearts, ready to receive the truth God wants to speak in our life? Attempting to Tune in to God has been a life long journey for many. Below are ways to do this: 1. Patience- we live in a fast paced society. However, if we desire to open our hearts to take in God s truth we must be willing to wait on his time and practice the art of becoming patient; pray and wait on God. He may not answer when you want, but will speak truth when the time is right. God s time is always perfect! 2. Ongoing Conversation- We must develop an ongoing conversation with Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5v17(MSG) says, Pray all the time. This doesn t mean you walk around constantly with your head bowed (you could hurt yourself doing that). However, it does mean no matter where you go, or what you do you have a conversation with God- you may want to discuss this concept in detail. 3. God s will- Ask God to do his will in your life. Psalm 143v10 says, Teach me to do your will for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path. When we ask God to do His will our hearts are more receptive and in tune to his truth for our lives, and not just our desires. 4. Abide- In John 15v5(NIV) Jesus says, I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain (abide) in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Abide/Remain means you hang out with God. Spend time reading the Bible, attending church, meditating on Scripture, praying, and of course attend your Care Group- these are all great ways to remain/abide with God. 2. In one of Jesus parables he used agriculture language and imagery to teach powerful spiritual truths (Mark 4:1-20; The Story, pp. 335-336). What are the four different kinds of soil in this parable and what do they represent? The four different types of soil are: 1. Pathway Soil- these are people who hear the word, but don t understand it, or may possibly have a hardened heart. The Birds represent Satan who attacks and blinds them from understanding, or from grasping the word. 2. Rocky Soil- These people do not have deep roots. They hear the word of God, and are immediately excited about it! However, when trouble or persecution arises they quickly flee. When life becomes overwhelming due to divorce, financial hardship, etc. they give up. The people in this category can be labeled as emotionally responsive. 3. Thorny Soil- The people in this category hear the word, but their desire for the pleasures of this life overwhelm them. They are so focused on gaining wealth, or material stuff in this life their anxiety chokes out the word of God. So, they don t get to see the blessings of God in their life. 2
4. Good Soil- This represents people who hear the word and grasp it. Ultimately, they bear fruit. In Luke s version Jesus says, they have a noble and good heart. These people will produce the fruit of the Spirit [which] is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). How can these same things still get in the way of people receiving God s truth and hearing his message? This is a great time to encourage your group members to share something they often struggle with which gets in the way of their relationship with God- you may want to start the conversation. Times may change, but the worries of life, the pressure of our culture, and Satan are all the same. While Jesus may have said this nearly 2000 years ago they are all still very real threats. 3. Jesus told 3 parables about lost things that were found (Luke15; The Story, pp.337-339). What similar threads run through these stories and what do you learn about the love and heart of God from them? Every story points to the significance of each person; God cares about each individual, and celebrates the recovery of the one. God s love is relentless. God cares about each of us the same, and is willing to stop everything to find just one person who may stray away. This is a good opportunity to ask your group What is your perception of God- Is he loving, angry, patient, and/or forgiving? 4. Jesus taught with stories but also in more traditional messages, such as the Sermon on the Mount, where he called his followers to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16; The Story, p 341). What was he getting at with his challenge, and how can we be salt and light in our daily lives? This may be a difficult question for some to answer. You may want to take the lead. Salt was a great commodity in the ancient world, at times Roman soldiers would be paid in salt, and the Greeks considered it to be divine. Even the Mosaic Law required all offerings contain salt (Lev. 2:13). Salt also serves as a preserving agent. Jesus is challenging his followers they must preserve the message or word he has given them against a world that is infected by the sin virus. Light illuminates darkness. Jesus was challenging the disciples to be a light in world that is dark, or filled with sin. Philippians 2:15 says Believers are to shine as a light in the world. We can be salt and light in our daily lives by standing strong in our faith, and living our lives for Jesus in our place of work, at home, when we play sports, and in any other arena of our life. 3
5. Jesus taught his followers how to pray, the so-called Lord s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15; The Story, p. 341). This prayer was not given as a set of words to be repeated over and over with no thought to their meaning. Instead, each line was meant as a springboard to lead us through key areas of concern. What themes does Jesus call us to include in our prayers and how can his words move us to a deeper place of prayer? Some themes he calls us to include in our prayers are: ACTS 1. Adoration- this is the act of worshiping and praising God. Example: Our father who is in heaven Hallowed be your name. 2. Confession- we confess our sins to God, and believe we are forgiven. Once we confess we should not harbor the guilt of our sin (Romans 8:1). Example: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. 3. Thanksgiving- The third act is thanking God for all he has done, and will do; our prayer life should reflect a spirit of gratitude to God. Example: Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever amen. 4. Supplication- this our final act upon which we ask God to meet our needs, and the needs of other people- making our requests known to God. Example: Give us this day our daily bread lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Discuss this idea amongst your group, and give ample time for everyone s input. Whatever the groups answers may be, be sure to emphasize God s word will always move us to a deep place of prayer because they are simply put His words. 6. Randy noted a third way that Jesus taught; using real-life situations to communicate deep spiritual truth. Why are real-life situations a good way to teach, particularly for parents and grandparents? This is a good time to encourage all the parents, and grandparents in the room to speak up! Experience is the ultimate teacher. As a parent or grandparent you may have faced the hardship, or success of life. Therefore, you are able to draw upon the wisdom of past experience. The Danish Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said, We live life forward, but understand it backwards. This is a great way of saying we can learn from our past. 7. What lesson did Jesus teach after Peter tried to walk on the water (Matthew 14:22-33; The Story, pp.348-349), and how can we learn the lesson today? Jesus wanted Peter to know he could trust him. The minute Peter felt the wind, and waves he took his focus off Jesus. When we take our focus off Jesus it may seem as though we are sinking. Ask the members of your group if they ever find themselves feeling like Peter; struggling to believe. Challenge them to trust God in these areas. 4
8. Jesus is the Master teacher, and that makes every Christian a student. What is the one area in your life in which you feel God wants you to become a humble student and receive the teaching of Jesus? This is a very important question! Please don t rush the process. Leave a minute for silence, and encourage people to share. Take time to write your groups struggles down, and remember to follow up with them next week! 9. Read movement 5 of The Story (p. 11 of the participant s guide). How does the hope of heaven help you understand God s work in your life? You may have many answers, but it should sound something like this. While this life may be hard, and some times unrewarding there is hope which transcends our present struggles and trials Heaven. God s blessing to our lives is to spend eternity with him. Our reward for perseverance in this life is an eternity with God in his kingdom Heaven. Closing Prayer: Have members of your group pair into groups of two, or three. During the prayer time, ask your group to pray for the areas in their lives they are having issues trusting God with. Then come back together to close out the meeting in prayer. Between Sessions: Set up a time for a social gathering outside of your Care Group time: You could see a movie (The Son of God opens this weekend), dinner, bowling, or some other type of activity. Email the group to let them know you are praying for them. Call one member this week and pray for them on the phone. Make quiet time with God each day. Rest. 5