T H E S T O R Y SESSION 4 LEADER GUIDE Before the Meeting Contact members and let them know when / where your group gathering will take place. Encourage group members to read pages 43-57 from The Story Bible. Remind them to bring their Participant Guide and a Bible. Walk through the material on your own. Leading the Discussion - Session 4 As group members become more comfortable with group life, they will start to share and open up more... Be mindful of this as you lead discussion. Keep your eye on the clock and move past optional questions if needed (look for the * ). Because this is week 4 it might help to summarize where we are in The Story before reading the introduction. o In week 1 we discovered that God created man in His image but Adam and Eve messed things up by breaking God s one rule. Since then, God has been trying to rescue people back into a relationship with Himself. o In week 2 we learned that God s plan included starting a new nation which ultimately would solve the sin problem... Abraham was chosen because of his incredible ability to trust God and in the end we watch God provide for Abraham. o In session 3 we talked about a man named Joseph. He was one of the sons of Israel and endured incredible hardships throughout his life. However, Joseph knew that God was using his Lower Story to accomplish His will in the Upper Story God used Joseph s circumstances to save the nation which would eventually bless all nations. o Today we are going to see the next step for the nation of Israel, by looking at the life of Moses. Introduction: Ask for a volunteer to read the introductory paragraphs about artist and speaker Joni Eareckson Toda. Talk About It: Read the question and encourage every member in the group to give a response. If you have a lot of people, have members turn to their neighbor to discuss the question. Regardless, engage people in conversation.
DVD Teaching Notes: Provide pens so group members can take notes as needed. Play Session 4 from the DVD (time = 11:06) DVD Discussion: Many people may be familiar with the story of Moses (thanks to the Movie, The 10 Commandments). However, they may be less familiar with the significance of God introducing Himself to Moses as I am, or the importance of the Passover. During the discussion continue to bring people back to the truth that God will give us what we need to do more than we ever thought we could do. 1. Tell about a time you were minding your own business, going through your normal Lower Story life, and God showed up, revealed himself, or spoke to you in some surprising way. This question may not be easy for group members to answer right away. Expect some silence. It might help for you to get the ball rolling by sharing your own experience. o I remember sitting at Camp one summer when an adult counselor sat beside me and asked if I knew how to become a follower of Christ... o I was attending church and there was an announcement for CARE Group Leaders. I had never thought about it before, but felt compelled to get involved... o After work a friend asked me if I would be interested in attending church with them. I had nothing better to do so I went. The music and lesson changed my life. 2. God is dramatically active in his people s deliverance he is engaged, he cared (Exodus 3:1-10; The Story, pp. 45-46. Looking specifically at verses 7-10, what do you learn about God in the following areas? Encourage members to look up Exodus 3:1-10 from a Bible and read it out loud. Then restate the question. You should be able to move through this question quickly. What did God see, hear, and feel? God saw Moses turn toward the bush, but more importantly He saw the affliction of His chosen people in Egypt. God heard their cries for deliverance from their oppressors. And God felt compassion for their situation. What did God say He would do? God said He would deliver the Israelites and bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey. What did God call Moses to do? God called Moses to go speak to the Pharaoh of Egypt and bring the people out of slavery.
3a. How did Moses see himself and his abilities and how did God see him (Exodus 4:10-12; The Story, pp. 46-47)? Encourage members to look up Exodus 4:10-12 from a Bible and read it out loud. After reading the passage, this might be a good question to direct to the quieter members of the group. Ask, Hey, what did Moses think about himself when God told him to go speak to the Pharaoh of Egypt? Try this approach with a different member of the group. Say, What about you, how did it sound like God saw Moses? 3b. Tell about a conversation you had with God that may have sounded something like the one Moses had in this passage. This question is very important so don t skip it!!! Say, The truth is we have a lot in common with Moses. We have a tendency to think less of our selves than God does. So how would you answer the second part of #3? If the group is hesitant, be ready to share a time you sounded like Moses and then give members a chance to share. *4. While God saw Moses as the perfect person to face Pharaoh and speak the word of the Lord to the leader of Egypt, Moses saw himself as a political fugitive and a poor communicator who had no business facing the king. Give examples of how God can see us one way and we can see ourselves differently. What can we do to increase our ability to see ourselves from God s perspective? Because the first part of question 4 gets some attention in the previous question, you can skip over the first part (Give examples...), and simply answer the last part of the question (What can we do...). Answers might include: a) Listen to what others say about us, b) Meditate on verses from God s word that remind us that we can do more than we think (Ephesians 4:10), c) Ask God to give us a heavenly perspective of ourselves. 5. Randy suggested that the best thing we can do is to say yes to God, even when we do not feel adequate for the task ahead. Tell about a time when you dared to say yes and followed God, even when you were afraid. How did God show up and lead you? Group members may need some help thinking of examples. Say, I really like this question, because God calls us out of our comfort zone. That s what it means to be a follower of Christ of course that s not always easy to do... Just keep in mind your response doesn t have to be something like talking to a king... It could be something like making the decision to be baptized. It could be praying out loud for the first time. It could be signing up for a mission trip, giving an offering, or inviting someone to church... As people tell their stories remember thank them for sharing.
6. God always was, is, and will be; he calls himself I AM, the self-existent one. How can embracing the reality that the God we worship is the eternal I AM help you face the challenging moments of a normal day? Once someone reads this question you may want to open it up a little by saying, Before we answer this question, I d like to ask it another way. What does it mean to you that God is the great I AM? After a few answers share the following information: The Name I AM (YHWH in the Hebrew text) is transliterated Yahweh. It is the personal and intimate name for God. When God revealed Himself to Moses, He spoke using verbs rather than nouns. The verb forms are in perfect tense, implying continuing, unfinished action: Meaning, I am the one who always is. When Moses realized who he was talking to, he hid his face. At that point God revealed that He sees, He hears, and He can deliver. Next go ahead and answer the original question. Responses may include: God as the great I AM is a reminder that I m not alone, that God is not too busy for me, that God cares about what is happening in my life and more importantly that God will come to my aid. 7. What is one area of your life where you tend to focus more on your limitations than God s ability to work through you? How can your group members pray for you and encourage you as you seek God s leading in this area? Challenge every group member to give a one word / sentence answer. This is not a time for judgment, but an opportunity to encourage one another toward greatness in God. Be ready to go first and don t be afraid to be authentic. Group members will risk deeper levels of sharing only if you do. *8. How is Passover an ancient sign pointing to the death of Jesus on the cross as the final Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world? This question is does not relate to the theme of the questions for this discussion, but is worth mentioning. Don t spend a great deal of time here, but do help group members see the connection between the fact that the lamb used for Passover had to be without blemish, and the fact that Jesus was called the Lamb of God in the New Testament. Jesus was sinless (without blemish), and therefore an acceptable sacrifice to God. 9. Read movement 2 of The Story (p. 11 of this participant s guide). How does God unfold his story in this second movement and how does this connect with your story? Member may say this in different ways, but basically: God uses people to accomplish His will. Just as God used Moses, He wants to use me. I may make excuses, but God can provide the tools, power, and desire to get it done. I must overcome my fear and put my trust in Him.
Closing Prayer: Review the 3 points of the closing prayer and ask group members to choose 1 from the list. Ask, Looking at the list, how can we pray for you? Once everyone has shared, close with prayer. This is a great opportunity to include others with group tasks. Be looking for someone from the group who will give the closing prayer. Between Sessions: Remind group members to review the exercises before the next meeting. Go over where and when the next group gathering will take place. Clean up and go home.