SUMMER 2017 PERSONAL STUDY GUIDE RONNIE FLOYD GENERAL EDITOR

SUMMER 2017 PERSONAL STUDY GUIDE RONNIE FLOYD GENERAL EDITOR REAL RELATIONSHIPS BROKEN VESSELS: HOW GOD USES IMPERFECT PEOPLE

Contents Real Relationships SUGGESTED FOR THE WEEK OF Introduction.... 10.. June 4 Session 1 Love Like Christ... 13 June 11 Session 2 Forge True Friendship... 21 June 18 Session 3 Respect Authority.... 29 June 25 Session 4 See Their Worth... 37 July 2 Session 5 Share Christ... 45 July 9 Session 6 Encourage One Another... 53 Article Horizontal Jesus... 61 First Things First July 16 Special Focus First Things First... 64 Article Fruit That Lasts Forever............................................................................... 75 Broken Vessels.. Introduction... 78 July 23 Session 1 A Fresh Start.... 81 July 30 Session 2 Objections Overruled... 89 August 6 Session 3 The Gift of Grace...................................................................................... 97 August 13 Session 4 A Channel of Comfort... 105 August 20 Session 5 A Passion to Share the Gospel... 113 August 27 Session 6 Right Here, Right Now... 121 Coming in Fall... 130 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 3

SUMMER 2017 PERSONAL STUDY GUIDE RONNIE FLOYD GENERAL EDITOR REAL RELATIONSHIPS BROKEN VESSELS: HOW GOD USES IMPERFECT PEOPLE Don t miss this! Social Media The App Connect with a community of Bible Studies for Life users. Post responses to questions, share teaching ideas, and link to great blog content. Facebook.com/BibleStudiesForLife Get instant updates about new articles, giveaways, and more. @BibleMeetsLife Bible Studies for Life is also available as an ebook. The ebook is opened and read with the Bible Studies for Life App, which is free from the ios App Store and the Google Play Store. Commentary Dig deeper into Scripture with the Bible Studies for Life: Advanced Bible Study. This resource features in-depth Bible exposition on the passages studied in this book. ADVANCED Bible Study REAL RELATIONSHIPS BROKEN VESSELS: HOW GOD USES IMPERFECT PEOPLE Summer 2017 Bible Studies for Life: Adult Personal Study Guide Volume 4, Number 4 Summer 2017 Eric Geiger Vice President, LifeWay Resources Ronnie Floyd General Editor Lynn H. Pryor Team Leader Sam O Neal Content Editor Ken Braddy Manager, Adult Ongoing Bible Studies Michael Kelley Director, Groups Ministry Send questions/comments to: Content Editor, Bible Studies for Life: Adults, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0175; or make comments on the Web at BibleStudiesforLife.com Printed in the United States of America Bible Studies for Life: Personal Study Guide (ISSN: 2330-1988; Item 005562227) is published quarterly by LifeWay, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President. 2016 LifeWay. For ordering or inquiries, visit lifeway.com, or write LifeWay Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0113. For orders with three or more issues shipped to one address, mailed monthly, at the ministry rate, visit lifeway.com/mediaoptions, fax (615) 251-5933, or write to the above address. We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWay s doctrinal guideline, please visit lifeway.com/doctrinalguideline. CSB All Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible. Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. NIV Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. ESV Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible Studies for Life: Adults often lists websites that may be helpful to our readers. Our staff verifies each site s usefulness and appropriateness prior to publication. However, website content changes quickly so we encourage you to approach all websites with caution. Make sure sites are still appropriate before sharing them with students, friends, and family. 4 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

A Word from Ronnie For many of us, summer means a vacation or a change of pace from the rest of the year. I m glad you ve chosen to include your Bible study group in your summer plans. The encouragement and growth you experience as your group studies and discusses God s Word together is invaluable. As you move through the summer months and examine the studies in this book, I m going to extend a challenge to you. Could it be time for you to step out and lead a small group of adults in Bible study? You can bring together other adults who are not currently in a group and facilitate discussions of these same studies. You could meet at a different time and place, giving others just like you the same opportunity to experience encouragement and growth in Christ. Take this summer to consider the challenge to start a new group. Have a conversation with your current group leader. Ask how the leaders at your church can help you plan and prepare to start a group in September. The opportunity is before you to lead others to know and walk with Jesus! Are you up to the challenge? General Editor @RonnieFloyd RonnieFloyd.com BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 5

My g roup's prayer requests 6 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

My g roup's prayer requests BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 7

My g roup's prayer requests 8 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

My g roup's prayer requests BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 9

REAL RELATIONSHIPS 10 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

Forget "friends." Look for deeper connections. We were created for two relationships: A relationship with God. A relationship with everyone else. Each of those relationships affects the other. We don t lack for relationships, using the loosest definition of that word. Just look at our social media profiles. Many of us have plenty of friends online, and maybe even acquaintances we see at work or in the community. But what we long for are real relationships, people with whom we feel a genuine bond. God desires that for us, too. He designed us to live in community in genuine relationships that are far from superficial. This study examines relationships from a variety of viewpoints: from the foundation of true relationships, to the fulfillment we receive from deep friendships, to our responsibility within relationships with those who don t know Christ. As you engage this study together, you ll discover that an abiding relationship with Christ leads to healthy relationships with everyone else. Be prepared, though. You won t just find out about the kinds of friends you need when you read these pages; you ll also discover the kind of friend you need to be to others. Alvin L. Reid Alvin L. Reid is Senior Professor of Evangelism and Student Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Alvin is also Pastor to Young Professionals at Richland Creek Community Church in North Carolina. Alvin and his wife, Michelle, have two married children and one grandchild. 11

Real Relationships Session 1 Love Like Christ John 15:9-17 Session 2 Forge True Friendship 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:4-7; 20:10-13 Session 3 Respect Authority 1 Samuel 24:3-12 Session 4 See Their Worth 2 Samuel 11:1-9,14-17 Session 5 Share Christ John 1:35-49 Session 6 Encourage One Another Acts 11:19-26 12

1 LOVE LIKE CHRIST How have you seen technology change the way we relate to one another? QUESTION #1 #BSFLrelationships BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 13

THE POINT Base every relationship on the unconditional love of Christ. THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE Ever noticed how more and more people seem to be having conversations with their phones rather than talking with the people around them? Psychologist Sherry Turkle observes the impact of texting, email, and social media on our ability to have honest conversations and deepening relationships. In today s workplace, young people who have grown up fearing conversation show up on the job wearing earphones, she says. We are together, but each of us is in our own bubble, furiously connected to keyboards and tiny touch screens. 1 Technology has given us a world of better things, but not necessarily a better world. We are a culture starved for relationships, but even the latest smart phone app doesn t seem to help us truly connect in those relationships. We read in the Gospel of John that Jesus gave us the key to relationships that matter. He showed us how our relationship with God affects all other relationships. That one relationship is the key that makes all the difference. 14 SESSION 1

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? John 15:9-11 9 As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. John 15 overflows with words we like to hear in the context of our relationships: love, remain, joy, and friends. But Jesus didn t just apply these words to just any relationship: He used them in connection with the intimate relationship we can have with Him. Notice how Jesus began in verse 9: As the Father has loved me. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, enjoys an incredible bond with the Father. Their relationship is defined by unity, oneness, and love. Therefore, what an amazing truth to hear that Jesus loves us just as the Father loves Him! You ll never meet anyone who loves you like God loves you. God has lavished His love on us through Christ. This love is without condition, but not without cost. Indeed, it cost the very death of Jesus. Our response to this great love can only be awe and wonder-filled obedience. Verse 10 says, If you keep my commands you will remain in my love. Jesus wasn t saying, If you obey me, then I will continue to love you. That false statement would make His love conditional, and conditional love is the epitome of religion devoid of God s grace. Instead, the proper order is that our obedience flows out of love. Because God loves us, we respond to His love through obedience. In other words, we don t keep Jesus commands to earn His love; we keep His commands in response to His love. Best of all, the result of our love and obedience is joy, both for Christ and for us. How does obeying God s commands demonstrate our love for Him? QUESTION #2 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 15

THE POINT Base every relationship on the unconditional love of Christ. John 15:12-13 12 This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. The Father loves the Son, and the Son loves us but it doesn t stop there. We are to love one another, and we are to love in the same way Jesus loved us. Loving like Jesus isn t just hard it s impossible. We can t do it in our own strength. But Jesus transforms us from the inside out. He places His Holy Spirit in us. And His Spirit guides us in truth and empowers us to live out that truth (see John 14:26; 16:7; 2 Pet. 1:3-4). What does it look like to love others the way Jesus loves us? QUESTION #3 We saw the depth of Jesus love for us when He laid down His life on the cross, and verse 13 reminds us we are to express love for others in the same way. Throughout history, Christians have willingly laid down their lives for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because their love for Jesus led to a love for others. Today, we still see such love for one another among Christians. Lauren Sandler is an author and cultural observer. She s not a Christian, but she spent a year living among and studying younger believers in America. She was amazed at their zeal and genuine love for God. Lauren Sandler observed two things young people need today: 1. Certainty that is, a truth to believe in. 2. A love Christians call agape. Again, this is the kind of love God has shown to us. 2 Even those who don t know Christ recognize the need for truth and a love that goes beyond emotion. Both of those essential elements are found in an abiding relationship with Christ. 16 SESSION 1

RELATIONSHIP STATUS? How happy are you with your relationships? Use the following scales to record your current level of satisfaction with your relationships in different spheres of life. Relationships at home: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Not satisfied) (Very satisfied) Relationships at work: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Not satisfied) (Very satisfied) Relationships in your community: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Not satisfied) (Very satisfied) Relationships at church: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (Not satisfied) (Very satisfied) "There is no love without hope, no hope without love, and neither hope nor love without faith." AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 17

THE POINT Base every relationship on the unconditional love of Christ. John 15:14-17 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. 17 This is what I command you: Love one another. What emotions do you experience when you consider these verses? QUESTION #4 Here s the progression we ve covered so far: We are loved by God. We respond to that love by remaining in Christ and obeying Him. This abiding obedience brings intimacy with Jesus. We are brought into a relationship in which Jesus calls us friends. Savor that thought for a moment: Jesus calls His followers friends! The next step in this progression is to bear fruit. When we live in a continual relationship with Jesus, we can t help but bear fruit. That s what He told us: I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain. A healthy branch is connected to its source of life the tree that provides the nutrients, water, and all it needs to thrive. As a result, it produces healthy fruit. 18 SESSION 1

My wife and I recently planted a young grove of pecan trees. The trees should start bearing pecans in a few years, and in the next decade or so, they will produce more than we can manage. It wasn t a minor process. First, the trees had to be healthy, then they had to be planted in the right soil and climate, and now they have to be protected from disease to flourish. We are doing everything we can to ensure that at the right time, these trees will produce healthy pecans. Similarly, when we remain in Jesus, He provides us all we need to live and to live fruitfully. That s more than just existing. I met a young server in a restaurant whose arm was tattooed with this statement: I want to live, not just exist. We all want our lives to matter, and that starts with a relationship with God through Jesus Christ (see John 10:10). When we walk with Jesus remaining in Him, obeying Him, and loving as He loves our lives will matter. We will bear fruit for Him. Another way this intimate relationship bears fruit is through our prayers: I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. The result of an intimate relationship with God is confidence when we talk to Him in prayer. This isn t a name it and claim it kind of presumption that we can ask absolutely anything we want and God will hand it over. Instead, this passage teaches that our abiding in Christ leads us to obediencebased prayers focused more on glorifying God than getting more stuff for ourselves. It all comes back to love. Our prayers are grounded in our love for God, and what we ask is motivated by our love for others. We all want real, authentic relationships with other people. But that starts with a relationship with Christ. Let His love fill you and flow out of you into a love for others. Then all your relationships will take on the quality and depth you desire. Consequently, you will bear fruit in each of those relationships fruit that will remain in the lives of others and bring glory to God. How have you seen these verses practiced within the church? QUESTION #5 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 19

THE POINT Base every relationship on the unconditional love of Christ. LIVE IT OUT How will you let the unconditional love of Christ impact you and your relationships this week? Consider the following suggestions: Reflect. Take some time to think about your experiences with Christ. List at least three reasons why obeying Jesus brings joy. Read. Read John 15:9-17 each day and note what it says about your relationship with God. Ask God to give you a fresh perspective each day and to help you stay focused on Him. Share. Find ways this week you can bring joy to others in your workplace, family, school, or neighborhood. Bringing joy to others is a way to show Christ s love, and it can pave the wave for opportunities to proclaim the gospel. Changes in technology won t change our relationships not in any meaningful way. Instead, our relationships will be healthy when they are founded on our relationship with Christ. My thoughts 1. Sherry Turkle, The Flight from Conversation, The New York Times [online], nytimes. com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/the-flight-from-conversation.html (accessed 30 December, 2015). 2. Lauren Sandler, Righteous: Dispatches from the Evangelical Youth Movement (New York: Penguin, 2006), 86. Share with others how you will live out this study: #BSFLrelationships 20 SESSION 1