We are all thirsty for something.

We are all thirsty for something. Your entire life, other people have told you what to fill your cup with. Family, friends, coaches, classmates, everyone has their opinion... But isn t college the time to decide for yourself what you want to put in your cup? First, you ll need to figure out what you re thirsty for. Then, just get ready. Not for shots or even a tiny little martini-- but for rivers of living and vibrant goodness. Get ready for a life worth chugging. rough draft by Liz Thrasher Wheatley @ Chico State, lizthrasher@gmail.com, 530.521.7242

Luke 13:10-17 10 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness! 13 Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God! 14 But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. There are six days of the week for working, he said to the crowd. Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath. 15 But the Lord replied, You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? 16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath? 17 This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did. Pre Party We all have those moments when we are going about our day, and something hits us. A sense that we are thirsty for something more in life... a deep longing that leaves us asking, Will this desire ever be satisfied? This first week we are going to see how Jesus enters into that exact type of moment in two very different scenarios for two different women. At Large Group, you ll learn about an outcast woman in John 4 who is deeply thirsty for relationships yet can t seem to get it right-- with men, or with anyone else for that matter. Here in this Bible study, you ll enter into the life of a woman who has been crippled for 18 years, and rejoices when Jesus finally makes her stand up straight again. How do you relate to these women, to the deep longings they have? Another Round - Describe the characters in this scene, how each may have felt and what they desired. Who do you identify with? - Explain the significance of Jesus interaction with the woman. Compare and contrast how Jesus treats her v. the synagogue leader. In what ways has religion failed this woman, while Jesus gives her reason to praise? - What is an area of chronic struggle for you? How do you empathize with the woman? - The Greek verb to describe how Jesus healed her literally means to be made erect, to be rebuilt. Is there an area of your life that you want Jesus to rebuild and make right? Ask Jesus now.

Matthew 9:9-13 9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector s booth. Follow me, he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. * For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. pre-party Gut check: noun, a test or assessment of courage, character, or determination. This week we will look at two stories of very successful men and how interacting with Jesus was a true gut check-- a complete punch-in-thestomach, change-your-life kind of turning point. Large Group will focus on the Luke 19 story of a wealthy guy named Zacchaeus, a head honcho tax collector, who completely changes his purpose in life after meeting Jesus. This Bible study takes the same idea of purpose a step further with the story of Matthew. As you study, consider the question, Is there anything about Jesus worth changing your life for? (For both Matthew, and the Pharisees.) Another Round - Why do the Pharisees dislike tax collectors like Matthew? What might Matthew s life be like? - How would you describe each group? What motivates them? What do they hope for? - It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. What is Jesus saying about his intent for us? - Hosea 6 is a pretty intense passage-- what could Jesus be trying to explain to those who would follow him? *Hosea 6:6 - How does your community reflect/ not reflect Jesus heart for those the church might typically dislike? What is an active step you can take this week to align yourself with Jesus heart? - How does this passage speak to us? What might hold you back from changing the direction of your life as you begin to know Jesus more?

John 8:1-11 1 Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 4 Teacher, they said to Jesus, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say? 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone! 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, Where are your accusers? Didn t even one of them condemn you? 11 No, Lord, she said. And Jesus said, Neither do I. Go and sin no more. pre-party Last week we looked at our thirst for a sense of purpose, this week are are turning our attention to our thirst for love. For authentic, real and loving relationships. The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 will speak to our longing for loving relationship with family and with God, and to the broken/misdirected ways we sometimes try to meet that need on our own. This Bible Study takes that misdirected nature in us as its starting point, but considers romantic and/or sexual love. Though we can mistakenly look for love in all the wrong places, Jesus always shows us his love unconditionally. Keep in mind that although this may be a story of the religious leaders trying to trap Jesus, we re going to focus on the woman. What is her story, her experience. What was she thirsty for? another round - This woman knew that legally she could be stoned for committing adultery. What do you think she was looking for, that would drive her to make a choice that could be so damaging? - She may have been looking for a fulfilling romantic love. Notice that Jesus doesn t try to meet that thirst-- he doesn t set her up on a date with the guy of her dreams! What kind of love does Jesus show? What thirst for love does Jesus meet? - Often, we can judge the scandalous person in our dorm/class/group of friends, and be quick to be frustrated with their lifestyle. How does Jesus response invite the woman away from her life of sin and into a new life? - What are some ways that you can make your community safe for people to admit that they are lonely and aching for love? What steps will your Bible study take to receive Jesus love in these areas of longing?

Luke 9:1-6 1 One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. 2 Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 Take nothing for your journey, he instructed them. Don t take a walking stick, a traveler s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. 4 Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. 5 And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate. pre-party A recent graduate from a major party school explained to an InterVarsity staff that his fraternity brothers would take a bullet for him, but would never help him become the man he needed to be. Even though he had no spiritual background, he felt clearly that there was something missing from what should have been his deepest friendships. This week focuses on community. Large Group will unpack the story of the paralytic and his friends in Mark 2, where you ll explore how amazing community can be when everyone will bring you to Jesus instead of trying to fix you themselves. This Bible Study delves deeper into what a Christoriented community can look like. What could it look like to be more than a club, but actually an active and vibrant part of life on your campus where deep/authentic/lifelong/faith-filled relationships? another round - What are some qualities that you most admire and value in your friends? - Make a list of some qualities/characteristics that the disciples would need in order to be successful in the mission Jesus had called them to. 6 So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick. - Which part of the calling is most intriguing to you? Why do you think Jesus included it? - Look at the list of qualities/characteristics of the disciples. As a Bible study, pick 1 or 2 that you want to grow in this semester/year, and how you will pursue that growth. How might your community respond to the deep thirsts of your campus?

mark 5:1-20 1 So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes 2 When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from a cemetery to meet him. 3 This man lived among the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. 4 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles as he often was he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. 6 When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. 7 With a shriek, he screamed, Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don t torture me! 8 For Jesus had already said to the spirit, Come out of the man, you evil spirit. 9 Then Jesus demanded, What is your name? And he replied, My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man. 10 Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place. 11 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. 12 Send us into those pigs, the spirits begged. Let us enter them. 13 So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. 14 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. 15 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who Jesus can see who we really are, beyond all the junk we have been through or beyond all the things we feel hold us back. Jesus can see who we are created to be, and only Jesus can release that in us. Only in Jesus will our souls be truly satisfied. pre-party This week s Large Group will go back to John 4, seeing not only the impact the woman had but how her testimony satisfied Jesus as well. In Bible Study, you ll dig into one of the clearest stories of transformation in all of the Bible. Stretch out and get ready for a big ol spiritual feast! Another Round - How does the story of Jesus pursuing this madman sit with you? Why does Jesus go to so much trouble for this man-- even with all the crazy baggage he has? - Read the end of Mark 6 and the beginning of Mark 7... the demoniac was the first missionary to the Ten Towns aka The Decapolis. What sort of an impact did he have there, preparing the way for Jesus? - Have you ever actually seen someone transformed by Jesus like the demoniac has been transformed? Make a list comparing what the man was like before Jesus freed him and after. had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 16 Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. 17 And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone. 18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. 19 But Jesus said, No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been. 20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns (The Decapolis) of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them. - What story do you have to tell this week? Go and tell everything the Lord has done for you.