LIFESOURCE. Sta r t A Heal thy Ne w Class

LIFESOURCE Sta r t A Heal thy Ne w Class

2011 LifeWay Press No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to LifeWay Press ; One LifeWay Plaza; Nashville, TN 37234-0175. ISBN 978-1-4158-6843-0 Item 005444474 Dewey decimal classification: 268 Subject headings: Sunday Schools Growth/ Sunday School Teachers/ Religious Education of Adults Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. To order additional copies of this resource, write to LifeWay Church Resources; One LifeWay Plaza; Nashville, TN 37234-0113; phone toll free (800) 458-2772; fax (615) 251-5933; e-mail orderentry@lifeway.com; order online at www.lifeway.com; or visit the LifeWay Christian Store serving you. Printed in the United States of America Leadership and Adult Publishing LifeWay Church Resources One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN 37234-0175

Contents Welcome and Using This Resource 4 Week 1 Work Matters 6 Week 2 Money Matters 14 Week 3 Life Matters 22 Week 4 Character Matters 30 Week 5 Sexual Purity Matters 38 Week 6 Who Me? A Leader? 46 Week 7 The Thrill of Victory 54 Week 8 The Agony of Defeat 62 Week 9 Pass on the Baton 70 Week 10 Experience God s Life-Changing Power 78 Week 11 Look to God for Wisdom 86 Week 12 Take Hold of Usefulness 94 Week 13 You Have a Mission 102 For the Leader 110 My Class 112 LifeSpan Adult Strategy for Spiritual Growth 113

4 / LifeSource Welcome Thank you for launching out and becoming a part of a new Bible study group. This may be your first time to attend a Bible study group, your first time to attend a new Bible study group, or you may be a veteran of growing and multiplying Bible study groups. Regardless of your past experiences, you are helping to make a difference in the life of a local church, in the lives of others in the group, and in the lives of those who will join your Bible study group. You will also be making a difference in your own life as you learn truths from God s Word, establish new friendships, and learn from the life experiences of others. Using This Resource As a member of this new group, you will want to do all you can to make sure this new group reaches all the goals it was created to accomplish. One goal is to have meaningful group Bible study experiences. This book is designed to help you do just that. Here s how: In the days prior to the Group Bible Study, begin by reading from your own copy of the Scriptures the Bible passage(s) being studied that week. You will find these under the title on the first page of each lesson. As you read the passage(s), make a list of key words, phrases, people, places, and actions as well as questions you have about the passage(s). If you don t have your own Bible, ask your group leader for assistance. Then read the Personal Bible Study section for that week s lesson. Also take time to record 6 / Week One Work Matters Genesis 1:26-28,31; 2:15; Psalm 127:2; Proverbs 6:6-8; 21:5; Colossians 3:22 4:1 Personal Bible Study Do you ever wish you didn t have to work? Mark Twain once said, Work is a necessary evil to be avoided. If all your material needs could be met without having to work, would you work? We might sometimes find ourselves thinking, I wish Adam and Eve hadn t sinned so I wouldn t have to work. But did you know that work predates the fall of Adam and Eve? God s purpose for us on earth involves work, and we present a testimony of Him by the way we go about it. By dedicating our efforts to God, we can bring glory to Him. In this lesson we re going to look at what the Bible says about work and hopefully come away with a biblical perspective and a commitment to a biblical work ethic. BIBLICAL CONTEXT The Bible passages in this lesson come from four different books. In Genesis 1:26-28,31; 2:15, work is viewed as God s idea. After creating human beings in His image, God gave them work to do He assigned work before sin entered the world. In Proverbs, the ant provides a positive example of productive work, which is a Godordained means by which human needs can be met. Thus, work is beneficial (6:6-8; 21:5). In Psalm 127, a psalm emphasizing God s blessings of home and family, the psalmist encouraged his readers to keep work in its proper perspective (v. 2). In a letter to believers in Colossae, Paul urged slaves to do their work as unto the Lord and urged masters to treat their slaves fairly (Col. 3:22 4:1). Biblical Truth: Work was ordained by God before the fall and is beneficial and satisfying to workers as well as honoring to God. 1. Read the Genesis passages, and underline the work that God required of Adam and Eve. How is God s image reflected in the human activity of working constructively and creatively? STUDY NOTES The first two chapters of Genesis present God as a worker. His work of creation is so vast on both the macro and micro scales that science continues to make amazing and awesome discoveries of just how creative He is. According to His own purpose, He created humans in His image. Part of what that means is that we are created for work. God, therefore, assigned work to the first humans. Today when we work constructively and creatively, we are reflecting God s image. 2. Based on the verses from Genesis, which of the following statements is true? Work is a punishment. Work is a gift. How do you honestly feel about your work? 3. What reasons can you find in the Genesis passages to embrace work as a blessing from God? Work Matters / 7 Genesis 1:26-28,31; 2:15 26 Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth. 27 So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth....................... 31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day....................... 2:15 The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.

LifeSource / 5 your answers to the questions included. You will find additional study notes for the Bible passage(s) at mystudybible. com or in the HCSB Study Bible (available at lifeway.com). Use the list you created earlier to record information you discover about the words, phrases, people, places, and actions as well as answers to the questions you listed. (Note: You will find answers to some of the questions asked in the Personal Bible Study section at the end of that section.) You can do this personal study all at one time or in smaller bites as you have time throughout the week leading up to the Group Bible Study. Find a schedule that works best for you and your lifestyle. Immediately prior to attending the Group Bible Study, review your responses to the questions under the Personal Bible Study section for that week s lesson. You will also want to review any questions you listed that remain unanswered. 10 / Week One 11. How would it change your work ethic if you saw God as your primary boss? How would it change your role as a supervisor if you realized you were ultimately accountable to God? 12. Write a purpose statement for the role of work in your life. 13. Complete this sentence: I commit to practicing a biblical work ethic by. ANSWERS TO SELECTED BIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS 2. Some mistakenly think work is a punishment for sin. Genesis 1 3 reveals that when God made the assignment to work, sin had not yet entered human experience. One punishment of sin was that work would become painful labor (3:17), but God did not assign work itself as a punishment. Work is a gift from God and a means of joining Him in His creative work. 3. People should embrace work as a blessing from God because God assigns work and because engaging in work is a means by which people reflect that they ve been made in God s image. 8. Verse 1 warns that apart from the Lord, our most strenuous efforts are in vain. The point is that we kid ourselves if we trust in our own efforts to make our future secure. The Hebrew word for vain in verse 2 basically means deception. When we fail to live in dependence on the Lord, we lose a proper perspective on our work. We tend to seek security and success in our own efforts and wisdom. We lose sight of who we are and who God is. Work Matters / 11 Group Bible Study INTRO What was your first real job? If all your material needs could be met without having to work, would you work? Why or why not? Watch the Week 1 Class Message. EXPLORE NOTES Watch the DVD segment Work Matters. Arrive on time, and be ready to participate in the Group Bible Study. Ask questions, share when given the opportunity, and be open to the truths you discover. Draw on your insights and answers from the Personal Bible Study section to add to the discussion, and learn from the insights and answers of others. Space has been provided for you to record notes, insights, applications, commitments, and even more questions for further study. Each Group Bible Study will end with a Prayer Time. You will be asked to share prayer requests, even ones specifically related to the week s study. Space has been provided at the end of each lesson for you to record the prayer requests mentioned. During the week after the lesson, take some time to review the insights you gained from the Group Bible Study and to pray for the prayer requests of your group members. 1. First Corinthians 10:31 teaches us to do whatever we do for God s glory. In light of this verse, how can you honor God at work? 2. How does it honor God when a Christian employee does quality work? 3. Brother Lawrence would have said, As a cook, I will scramble an egg for the glory of God. Complete this sentence: As a, I will for the glory of God. 4. Did God give Adam and Eve work before or after they sinned? (See Gen. 1:28; 2:15; 3:1-7.) What does this say about God s purpose for us on earth? Work Matters / 13 CONCLUSION NOTES Truths to live by: Work is not something to be dreaded but a way we can picture God in whose image we have been created. Avoid the extremes of workaholism and being a slacker. Be wise and diligent; also rest in the provision of the Lord. Whatever you, do it as for the Lord and not for men. Your work should reflect Jesus, whether as employer or employee. Prayer Time Share work situations. Pray for one another as you live out your faith in the workplace, especially for those who are in difficult job situations.

6 / Week One Work Matters Genesis 1:26-28,31; 2:15; Psalm 127:2; Proverbs 6:6-8; 21:5; Colossians 3:22 4:1 Personal Bible Study Do you ever wish you didn t have to work? Mark Twain once said, Work is a necessary evil to be avoided. If all your material needs could be met without having to work, would you work? We might sometimes find ourselves thinking, I wish Adam and Eve hadn t sinned so I wouldn t have to work. But did you know that work predates the fall of Adam and Eve? God s purpose for us on earth involves work, and we present a testimony of Him by the way we go about it. By dedicating our efforts to God, we can bring glory to Him. In this lesson we re going to look at what the Bible says about work and hopefully come away with a biblical perspective and a commitment to a biblical work ethic. Biblical Context The Bible passages in this lesson come from four different books. In Genesis 1:26-28,31; 2:15, work is viewed as God s idea. After creating human beings in His image, God gave them work to do He assigned work before sin entered the world. In Proverbs, the ant provides a positive example of productive work, which is a Godordained means by which human needs can be met. Thus, work is beneficial (6:6-8; 21:5). In Psalm 127, a psalm emphasizing God s blessings of home and family, the psalmist encouraged his readers to keep work in its proper perspective (v. 2). In a letter to believers in Colossae, Paul urged slaves to do their work as unto the Lord and urged masters to treat their slaves fairly (Col. 3:22 4:1). Biblical Truth: Work was ordained by God before the fall and is beneficial and satisfying to workers as well as honoring to God.

Work Matters / 7 1. Read the Genesis passages, and underline the work that God required of Adam and Eve. How is God s image reflected in the human activity of working constructively and creatively? STUDY NOTES The first two chapters of Genesis present God as a worker. His work of creation is so vast on both the macro and micro scales that science continues to make amazing and awesome discoveries of just how creative He is. According to His own purpose, He created humans in His image. Part of what that means is that we are created for work. God, therefore, assigned work to the first humans. Today when we work constructively and creatively, we are reflecting God s image. 2. Based on the verses from Genesis, which of the following statements is true? Work is a punishment. Work is a gift. How do you honestly feel about your work? Genesis 1:26-28,31; 2:15 26 Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth. 27 So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth....................... 31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day....................... 2:15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. 3. What reasons can you find in the Genesis passages to embrace work as a blessing from God?

8 / Week One Proverbs 6:6-8; 21:5 6 Go to the ant, you slacker! observe its ways and become wise. 7 Without leader, administrator, or ruler, 8 it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food during harvest....................... 21:5 The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit, but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor. STUDY NOTES diligent (Prov. 21:5) The Hebrew term translated diligent carries the ideas of alertness, determination, and eagerness. It calls to mind workers who do more than is required and carry out tasks to the best of their ability. reckless (Prov. 21:5) The term translated reckless is more literally hasty. It describes people who are in a hurry. These are impatient with the notion of thinking through a plan and sticking to it. The idea of deferred gratification repels them. They want the rewards without the necessary effort, so they take shortcuts, often doing no more than they absolutely are required to do. To impress a boss they might make excuses, blame others, or even take credit for what others achieve. Their minds are on the easiest way to get through the workday. Such folk may call in sick and go out to enjoy the day. Somehow they never grasp the truth that work actually is beneficial. 4. Besides a paycheck, what are the benefits of work? 5. Why do you think the writer of Proverbs used an ant to make his point? (See 6:6-8.) 6. Proverbs 21:5 contrasts the results of being diligent and of being reckless. Name some examples of diligent work: Examples of reckless work:

Work Matters / 9 7. Where do you fall on the continuum between these two work attitudes? Mark your spot. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 workaholic slacker What are the dangers of either extreme? Psalm 127:2 2 In vain you get up early and stay up late, working hard to have enough food yes, He gives sleep to the one He loves. 8. What s the point being made in Psalm 127:2? (Read also v. 1.) 9. Name steps you can take to avoid the extremes of workaholism and being a slacker. STUDY NOTES Colossians 3:1 4:1 contains some of Paul s Godinspired instructions to believers about Christian living. The contents can be summarized in two statements: (1) Believers are to walk with God and allow Him to shape them into what He created them to be. (See 3:10.) (2) Believers are to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, that is, do what He would have them do in the way He would have them do it. (See v. 17.) In 3:22 4:1, Paul spelled out what those statements mean in terms of our work. In short, our work should honor God. 10. How does fearing the Lord make you a better worker (Col. 3:22)? Colossians 3:22 4:1 22 Slaves, obey your human masters in everything. Don t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism. 4:1 Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you too have a Master in heaven.

10 / Week One 11. How would it change your work ethic if you saw God as your primary boss? How would it change your role as a supervisor if you realized you were ultimately accountable to God? 12. Write a purpose statement for the role of work in your life. 13. Complete this sentence: I commit to practicing a biblical work ethic by. Answers to Selected Bible Study Questions 2. Some mistakenly think work is a punishment for sin. Genesis 1 3 reveals that when God made the assignment to work, sin had not yet entered human experience. One punishment of sin was that work would become painful labor (3:17), but God did not assign work itself as a punishment. Work is a gift from God and a means of joining Him in His creative work. 3. People should embrace work as a blessing from God because God assigns work and because engaging in work is a means by which people reflect that they have been made in God s image. 8. Verse 1 warns that apart from the Lord, our most strenuous efforts are in vain. The point is that we kid ourselves if we trust in our own efforts to make our future secure. The Hebrew word for vain in verse 2 basically means deception. When we fail to live in dependence on the Lord, we lose a proper perspective on our work. We tend to seek security and success in our own efforts and wisdom. We lose sight of who we are and who God is.

Work Matters / 11 Group Bible Study NOTES Intro What was your first real job? If all your material needs could be met without having to work, would you work? Why or why not? Watch the Week 1 Class Segment. Explore Watch the DVD segment Work Matters. 1. First Corinthians 10:31 teaches us to do whatever we do for God s glory. In light of this verse, how can you honor God at work? 2. How does it honor God when a Christian employee does quality work? 3. Brother Lawrence would have said, As a cook, I will scramble an egg for the glory of God. Complete this sentence: As a, I will for the glory of God. 4. Did God give Adam and Eve work before or after they sinned? (See Gen. 1:28; 2:15; 3:1-7.) What does this say about God s purpose for us on earth?

12 / Week One NOTES 5. How did the fall affect Adam and Eve s work? (See Gen. 3:17-19.) 6. What are some reasons a worker might not find joy in his or her work? 7. Bret s chart says: Loving Mondays! Discover your Have Feel 8. How can we avoid the two extremes of viewing work as an evil to be avoided on one hand and being workaholics on the other? (See Question #9, p. 9.) What guidance does Scripture give on this issue? (See Ps. 127:2; Prov. 6:6-8; 21:5.) 9. What should employers expect of Christian employees? What should employees expect of Christian employers? 10. Not all believers have good or even acceptable work situations. How should Christians respond to unfair treatment by their superiors at work? Groups may choose to review and discuss selected Personal Bible Study questions on pages 7-10.

Work Matters / 13 Conclusion NOTES Truths to Live By: Work is not something to be dreaded but a way we can picture God, in whose image we have been created. Avoid the extremes of workaholism and being a slacker. Be wise and diligent; also rest in the provision of the Lord. Whatever you do, do it as for the Lord and not for men. Your work should reflect Jesus, whether as an employer or an employee. Prayer Time Share work situations. Pray for one another as you live out your faith in the workplace, especially for those who are in difficult job situations.