STUDY GUIDE Picture Perfect Study Guide 2016 1
Week 1 Wonder Woman Inner beauty is the true greatness of a woman. What quality do you most appreciate about your mom? Your wife (if married)? Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30 Which aspect of Sunday s talk about inner beauty was the most encouraging and challenging for you? Why? Read Proverbs 31:10-18 & 25-31, 1 Timothy 2:9-10, & 1 Peter 3:1-6. According to these passages, what are some of the qualities of a great woman? How do you see these qualities in women in our society today? How do you see them lacking in our society? Who do you think is the most inspirational woman from the Bible? Why? Men: What could you do to help encourage inner beauty from the women in your life (wives, daughters, etc.)? Women: In what ways do you need to grow in the area of inner beauty? What could help you grow in those areas? What are some specific ways you can show honor to the women in your life this week? Are there any other action steps God is calling you to take this week? Picture Perfect Study Guide 2016 2
Week 2 Couple s Hot Seat Answers to the tough questions about marriage. Who, from your life, seems to have the healthiest marriage? What is it about their marriage that you respect? The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. Proverbs 12:15 If you had attended the Couple s Weekend, what was the most encouraging part about it? Which question did you most resonate with from Sunday s couple s hot seat? Why? What was the most helpful advice given on Sunday? How so? What is a question you have about marriage that wasn t addressed on Sunday? (If you are doing this study with a group, take time to discuss the question) If married, what has been the biggest challenge for your marriage? When you have challenges in your marriage, where do you go for help? If nowhere, where could you go for help? Read Proverbs 12:15 & 11:14, Titus 2:3-5, & James 1:5. What advice do these verses give in dealing with the challenges of marriage? Have you been seeking God s help and the help of others for the challenges in marriage? If not, why? What s one application you can make from today s study? Picture Perfect Study Guide 2016 3
Week 3 Holy Or Happy? The goal of our relationships is holiness not happiness. How has Hollywood presented an unhealthy view of relationships? How have Christians bought into these views? Which aspect of Sunday s talk was the most encouraging and challenging for you? Why? Read Ephesians 5:22-24. Why has the idea of submission" become such a negative word in some circles? How does the example of Christ help us redeem the word submission into something positive and noble? (Note: The Old Testament word helper when describing the wife in Genesis 2:18, is the same word used to refer to the Holy Spirit) Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27 Read Ephesians 5:25-30. What do you think it looks like for a husband to love his wife as Christ loved the church? What do these verses say about the pursuit of holiness in the marriage relationship? Read Ephesians 5:31-33. What do you think it means to become one flesh? What is the commandment given to a husband in v. 33? The commandment given to the wife? Why do you think they were given different commandments in this verse? Picture Perfect Study Guide 2016 4
Week 3 Holy Or Happy? (cont.) Men: How are you loving your wife like Jesus loves her? How not? Women: How are you showing respect to your husband? (If not married, apply these questions to other relationships in your life.) How are you pursuing holiness in your relationship with each other? In what ways are you struggling with oneness in your marriage? Men: What is a practical way you could show love to your wife this week? Women: How could you demonstrate respect toward your husband this week? What is a practical way to better pursue holiness in your relationship with your spouse (and/ or others)? Picture Perfect Study Guide 2016 5
Week 4 Family Parts Families function best when everyone plays their part. Think about TV shows over the years that have portrayed families. How do they present the family unit? (think of positive and negative examples) Which aspect of Sunday s talk about family roles was the most encouraging and challenging for you? Why? Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Colossians 3:18-20 Read Colossians 3:18-21. What does this passage say is the role of the wife, husband, and children? How are these roles being fulfilled or not being fulfilled in today s families? We looked at the husband and wife relationship last week, so let s look at the parent and son/daughter relationship. Read Ephesians 6:1-4, Deuteronomy 11:19, Proverbs 13:24, Proverbs 1:8, Proverbs 22:6, Proverbs 29:17, & 1 Timothy 5:8. What are some of the lessons we can learn about the parent and child relationship in these passages? Some of the passages suggest that being harsh with our kids is a temptation for dads. As a parent, is this true in your life? What do you think that temptation is rooted in? What do you think you should do about it? Parents/Grandparents, are you intentionally instructing your kids/grandkids in the ways of the Lord? How so? As an adult son/daughter, when we leave and cleave (leave our home for marriage), we no longer live under our parents authority but we do need to still honor them. How are you (or are you not) honoring your parent(s)? Picture Perfect Study Guide 2016 6
Week 4 Family Parts (cont.) How could you train up your kids in the Lord this week? Read Psalms 127:3. Children are a gift from God. How can you honor God with these precious gifts this week? What are some ways you can show honor and respect to your parents? (If your parents are no longer alive, choose a parent figure in your life.) Picture Perfect Study Guide 2016 7
Week 5 The Baton God has called us to live and leave a godly legacy. What do you think are some of the strengths/weaknesses of the younger generation ( Millennials )? What are some of the strengths/weaknesses of the older generations? How could the younger generation positively impact the older generation (and vice versa)? Read Proverbs 16:31. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8 What do you think the Bible means when it says that gray hair is the crown of glory and the splendor of old men? Read Titus 2:1-8 What are the qualities of a godly older man? Older woman? How do you think longer years on the earth has helped develop these qualities? What are the qualities the older generation are to teach to the younger generation of men and women? Why these particular qualities? Teaching involves more than words (or a classroom). How so according to vs. 7-8? How do you think our church is doing in helping promote the older teaching the younger? In what ways are we doing a good job? In what ways do we need to improve as a church? How are you doing in having older mentors in your life? If you don t have older mentors, why not? In what ways could you use an older mentor in your life? How are you doing in mentoring someone younger? If you aren t, why not? What strengths, gifts, and experiences do you have that could benefit the younger generation? What do you think God may be asking you to do in response to this week s topic? Who could you could seek out for mentoring? Who is someone you could begin to mentor? Picture Perfect Study Guide 2016 8
Week 6 Fight Night Growing, not winning, is the goal of resolving conflict. Growing up, how did your family members typically handle conflicts? Which one best describes you as it relates to conflict with others? So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Romans 14:19 The Turtle: You hide in your shell and pretend there isn t an issue that needs to be addressed with a person The Golden Retriever: You want to be loved and accepted so badly that you only say what people want to hear The Shark: You speak the truth but forget the in love part and so it comes across as an attack The Owl: You wisely choose the right time and tone to speak needed truth into people s lives If you checked the Turtle, Golden Retriever, or the Shark,how have you seen that style have negative results when trying to resolve conflict? Read the following verses from Proverbs on how to handle conflict: Proverbs 15:1, 17:9, 19:11, 24:29, & 30:33. What are some principles from these verses to keep in mind when in the midst of a conflict with a spouse (or anyone else)? Which are the hardest ones to obey? Why? Resolving conflicts in a Biblical matter is very important. But something else is important growing in character through conflicts. Or to put it another way: God can grow us through our CLASHES and our CRITICS. What do you think is meant by the previous quote? Picture Perfect Study Guide 2016 9
Week 6 Fight Night (cont.) Read James 1:19-20. A way to apply James 1:19-20 during a conflict and therefore allow our relationships to P.U.R.R. is to P ause (bite your tongue and stop and think before you say anything) U nderstand (try to think about the issue from their perspective not just your own) R espond (o.k., you do have to say something if the issue is going to be resolved) R ight (make sure your tone is calm and your words are loving and kind) Which of these principles needs the most work in your relationships? Why? Read Matthew 5:21-25. Jesus says that we must reconcile our horizontal relationships (with people) or it will affect our vertical relationship (with God). Is there unresolved conflict in your life that needs to be resolved? If so, what is it? What action step is God calling you to take this week to resolve conflicts in your life? (Close the time together by praying for the conflicts that need to be resolved) Picture Perfect Study Guide 2016 10
Week 7 Iron Man God has called men to provide spiritual strength for their home, church and society. What quality do you most appreciate about your dad? Your husband (if married)? What aspect of Sunday s talk about being a real man of God was most encouraging and challenging? Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:10-11 Read Ephesians 6:10-20. Which of these qualities of an Iron Man (Iron Woman) are strengths/weaknesses among the Christian men in society today? Why? According to 1 Peter 2:17, what else are the qualities of an Iron Man/Woman? Paul likens his role to that of a father in 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12. What three things should a father do with his family? Why do so many dads not take these roles seriously? Revisit the three passages above. Which are strengths and which ones are weaknesses in your life? (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 relates specifically to dads) Iron Men/Women need to be sharpened by one another just as iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). The Bible mentions three important types of relationships in our lives (see below). What do these three relationships look like in your life? A Paul is an older man who is willing to mentor you, to build into your life. Not someone who's smarter or more gifted than you, but somebody who's been down the road. Somebody willing to share his strengths and weaknesses--everything he's learned in the laboratory of life. Somebody whose faith you'll want to imitate. A Barnabas is a soul brother, somebody who loves you but is not impressed by you. Somebody to whom you can be accountable. Somebody who s willing to keep you honest, who's willing to say, "Hey, man, you re neglecting your wife, and don t give me any guff!" Picture Perfect Study Guide 2016 11
Week 7 Iron Man (cont.) A Timothy is a younger man into whose life you are building. Here was Paul, the quintessential mentor, building into the life of his protege--affirming, encouraging, teaching, correcting, directing, praying. (Descriptions taken from Howard Hendrick s, Men of Integrity) Which quality of an Iron Man (or Woman) will you ask God this week to help you develop? Do you need to find a Paul, Barnabas, or Timothy? What steps will you take this week to do so? Picture Perfect Study Guide 2016 12