Use this resurce as a tl t help Christ-fllwers mve frward in their spiritual grwth. T d this well requires that the Small Grup Leader is building a relatinship with the individuals in the small grup and has identified where the peple are in their relatinship with Gd. Are they Christfllwers? Are they grwing in Christ? If s, in what areas d they need t grw further? As disciplemakers, Small Grup Leaders shepherd peple t knw the truth f Scripture, t understand why it matters, and t apply it t their lives. Small Grup Leaders cme alngside thse whm they disciple t discver hw lving Gd, lving each ther, and lving thse nt yet in the Kingdm shuld shape hw they live. The structure f this resurce cincides with mving peple frm knwledge (Main Truth) t understanding (Why It Matters) t applicatin (Nw What D We D?). Utilize this Small Grup Guide as a flexible teaching tl t infrm yur time tgether and nt as a rigid task list. GETTING STARTED Welcme Incrprate time fr greeting ne anther, enjying any refreshments, and making annuncements. If guests are visiting, make intrductins and help them feel welcmed. Ask fr their cntact infrmatin, s yu can fllw up with them. Lking Back Prvide an pprtunity fr small grup members t share what Gd is teaching them, hw they are applying what they are learning, and hw He has given them pprtunities t share the gspel with thers. This can be dne as a whle grup r in smaller grups. D the peple knw each ther well enugh t share mre than surface level infrmatin? Hw can time tgether be used t fster deeper relatinships amng thse in the small grup? Als, what are the struggles and needs f the peple in the small grup? Hw can the peple in the small grup sacrificially serve each ther? Lking Up Hld prayer as fundamental t small grup time rather than supplemental t it. Give adratin and thanksgiving t Gd in prayer. Submit yurself t Him, cnfessing sin. Petitin Gd fr persnal needs and ther requests. Pray fr the disciple-making effrts f thse in the grup and fr the salvatin f the lst in each ther s families, spheres f influence, and in the wrld. The Weekly Prayer Fcus belw can als be incrprated in the grup s prayer time. Weekly Prayer Fcus (frm Our Wrship Guide) Pray fr Our Lives: Pray fr us all t lk fr the Spirit t wrk in pwer despite ur weaknesses. Pray we will lk beynd delivery and persnality f ur preachers t the pwer f the Spirit at wrk thrugh the preaching. Ask Gd t attune yu t His cnvictin fund thrugh the preaching f His Wrd. Pray we will all respnd t preaching with bedience. Pray fr Gd t strengthen us with His pwer fr the bedience t this Wrd. Pray fr us t make much f the pwer f the gspel in preaching and nt the preachers ding it. Pray fr Our City: This week marks the 50 th year anniversary f the Children s Crusade in Birmingham when 1,000 students marched t bring unity in the city and the Bdy f Christ. As Christians cme tgether Thursday fr the annual Mayr s Prayer Breakfast (register at mbtsal.rg), we are praying that Gd will bring new unity in His Bdy fr the sake f the Missin f Christ. We are als praying fr Greater Shilh Baptist Church and Dr. Michael Wesley, Pastr. The Crss and Christian Preaching Part 2, April 28, 2013 Page 1
Pray fr Our Wrld: Thrughut the mnth f April, ur faith family is cmmitted t praying fr the Hui, a Muslim peple grup in China. There are arund 13 millin Hui in China and up until recently n Hui church established amng them. This week we are praying fr the Dnxiang Peples, a smaller sub-culture f the Hui. Fr mre infrmatin g t www.pray4hui.cm. We are als praying fr ur Student Shrt- Term Team serving amng unreached peple grups in Atlanta. Message Outline MAIN TRUTH The Crss and Christian Preaching Part 2 1 Crinthians 2:1-5 Reminders fr the church... The message f the crss is the resurce f Gd s pwer. The preaching f the crss is the respnse f Gd s peple. Challenges fr pastrs and peple... 1. Let s wn the preaching event as a cmmunity f faith. 2. Let s apprach the preaching event as an act f wrship. 3. Let s receive the message frm Gd, nt just abut Gd. 4. Let s reslve t magnify the message f the gspel alne. 5. Let s anticipate the Spirit s pwer in ur weaknesses. (1 Crinthians 2:3-4; cf. 1 Samuel 16:7; Prverbs 31:30; Zechariah 4:6; 1 Crinthians 1:26-28; 2 Crinthians 4:7-12; 12:6-10) Cnsider Gd s twisted ecnmy when yu feel weak. Celebrate the weaknesses f thse wh preach t yu. Cme t the message f the crss with yur weaknesses. 6. Let s respnd t the gspel message with bedient lives. (1 Crinthians 2:5) Respnd t Gd s Wrd with yur bedience. Rely n Gd s pwer fr yur bedience. 7. Let s magnify the gspel s pwer, nt the gifted preachers. (1 Crinthians 2:5; cf. Acts 20:36-37; 1 Crinthians 1:10-17; 2:1; Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Thessalnians 5:12-13; Hebrews 13:7-8,17) Resist the Christian rck star culture. Celebrate the brader kingdm impact. Affirm faithful pastrs f lcal churches. Credit the message, nt the messengers. Value the biblical mdel f teaching teams. The Crss and Christian Preaching Part 2, April 28, 2013 Page 2
Cme fr the teaching, nt the teacher. Hnr, lve and bey faithful teachers. Message Summary This week s message cntinues ur study f the crss and Christian preaching frm 1 Crinthians 2:1-5. Frm this passage, we see that Gd uses ur weakness t exalt Himself, and He als graciusly allws us t cme t the ft f His crss with ur wn weakness. As we hear preaching, we shuld respnd with teachable hearts and bedient lives. When we participate in the preaching event, we shuld always magnify the gspel s pwer rather than gifted preachers, fr the gspel alne has the pwer t save. Digging Deeper WHY IT MATTERS Since this passage is part tw f the previus week s sermn, rehearse with the grup the first five challenges fr pastrs and peple regarding Christian preaching. Als, take sme time at the beginning t fllw up with yur grup regarding the six exhrtatins frm last week (pray, plan, prepare, participate, prcess, and practice). Which f these did yur small grup incrprate int their rhythms f wrship this week? Hw did it enrich and enliven their participatin in the preaching event this week? Cnsider asking a few peple t share their experience. Challenge them t add mre f these int their weekly practice as they participate in preaching. Did anyne share what they learned last week with a nn-believer? If s, hw did they respnd? Encurage each persn in the grup t identify ne r tw peple they can share with ver the next week. Ask them t share the names f thse with whm they plan n sharing with anther member f the small grup in rder t prvide accuntability and prayer as they share. Spend sme time this week rehearsing the histrical cntext f this passage, particularly regarding the Sphists. Many Bible schlars and teachers agree that Paul was speaking against this particular grup f peple, fr the Sphists were public speakers wh were praised and fllwed by fans because f their ability t speak passinately and pwerfully in public. It wuld be difficult fr us tday t fully grasp the fllwing this grup wuld have enjyed during the first century in a csmplitan city like Crinth. Sphists wuld chse a tpic and cnvincingly speak abut it in a variety f cntexts (public frums, businesses, pagan temples, festivals, etc). These men spke in rder t gain scial standing and the praise f men and were fllwed like celebrities. Unfrtunately, sme Sphist ideals had been imprted int the Christian church. Thse wh failed t rise t the standards f the Sphists wuld simply be disregarded. This became a prblem fr the church in Crinth because the pwer f the Christian gspel is the message itself, nt its delivery. Try t help yur small grup cnnect the riginal cntext with ur culture tday. What parallels can be drawn t ur wn time? Help them cnsider hw intimidating this wuld have been fr the rdinary Christian believers in Crinth with little skill r training in preaching, particularly when the message they have been given t preach is regarded as flish (1 Cr. 1:18). Are the members f yur small grup ever discuraged t speak the gspel message fr the same reasn? D they think that preaching is a specialized task nly fr thse wh are particularly gifted public speakers r fr thse with seminary degrees? Des anyne in the grup find themselves mre inclined t hear the gspel when it preached by certain teachers? D they value the gspel fr the message itself, r d they find it mre acceptable frm certain teachers? If s, hw des that devalue the gspel? We are blessed t live in a place where we have widespread access t the preaching and teaching f many pastrs thrugh multiple avenues such as pdcasts, the Internet, Christian radi, and televisin. Many f these resurces are free, and the influence f these teachers is far reaching. Praise Gd that many f these The Crss and Christian Preaching Part 2, April 28, 2013 Page 3
teachers are faithful ministers f the gspel and that we have such access t the wisdm and teaching f many gifted pastrs. Unfrtunately, we are still sinful peple, and there is a temptatin t glrify these preachers abve the gspel f Jesus Christ. As the peple in yur small grup cntinue t think abut preaching, help them remember the these exhrtatins: Resist the Christian rck star culture. There is a dangerus element in Nrth American Christian culture t glamrize particular preachers and pastrs. Remember that Gd des nt measure success in human terms. Speaking t thusands at a cnference and selling many bks is nt an accurate indicatr f hw much r hw little Gd is blessing a pastr s ministry. Each pastr s gifting and ministry assignment is different. We must be careful t maintain an apprpriate attitude twards this culture and cntinually examine ur wn hearts in light f it. At the end f the sermn, Pastr David remarked hw the praise f man is pisn t the sul. While we want t encurage ur pastrs, hw can we be sensitive n ur end, s we are nt inflating their pride and eg? Celebrate the brader kingdm impact. While we need t be watchful f the rck star culture, we shuld als praise Gd that many pastrs enjy the ministry that they d. We will never knw hw many peple have cme t faith in Christ while they were reading a bk they were given, listening t sermn they were encuraged t dwnlad, r ging t a cnference they were invited t attend. Praise Gd that He allws faithful servants f His Wrd t enjy such kingdm impacting ministries! This des nt apply just t preachers but als t small grup leaders and t believers in the lcal church. We can be tempted t cmpare urselves t thers r t measure ur success by what we are ding. D we lk arund at thers, r are we fcusing n Christ and what He is accmplishing? Affirm faithful pastrs f lcal churches. Gd gives all pastrs a particular calling and gifting. T sme, this gifting may invlve preaching t thusands at cnferences. T thers, it invlves serving faithfully at a lcal church. The verwhelming majrity f pastrs serve the Lrd in bscurity, and mst Christians are taught each week by pastrs wh will never enjy ntriety. As a church, we need t pray fr and encurage these brthers ften. Take the time thank these men fr their service t the kingdm. Credit the message, nt the messengers. There is n pastr wh has ever saved smene. Salvatin belngs t the Lrd (Ps. 3:8). A gd teacher may help us better understand what Gd has said, but, ultimately, a gd teacher is delivering a message frm Gd. The gspel message is the center f Christian preaching. The gspel message alne carries the pwer necessary t see changed lives. The wrth f Christian preaching is inextricably linked t the message f the crss. Value the biblical mdel f teaching teams. Jesus sent the disciples ut in teams f tw (Mk. 6:7; Lk. 10:1). The Hly Spirit appinted a missinary team in Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2). Paul left Titus in Crete with instructins t appint elders (Tit. 1:5). The New Testament puts a high pririty n having a multiplicity f pastrs in a church. Almst every reference t elders in the Bible is plural. The respnsibility f teaching and preaching the Wrd f Gd shuld be held and shared by a grup f elders rather than a single individual. Discuss the value f teams with yur small grup. What are the benefits f having a plurality f elders and preachers in the lcal church? Cme fr the teaching, nt the teacher. When we attend a wrship gathering, ur highest pririty shuld be t wrship Gd and t be taught by Him thrugh His Wrd. Gifted teachers will cme and g, but Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, tday, and frever (Heb. 13:8). The gspel never changes. If we are cming t wrship fr the purpse hear a particular teacher rather than gspel teaching, we need t seriusly recnsider ur mtivatin. Encurage yur small grup t check their hearts regarding their attitude twards particular preachers. D they have a teachable spirit regardless f wh is in the pulpit? Are they attentive, r d they begin t tune ut when the preacher wh pens the Wrd is nt n their A-list? The Crss and Christian Preaching Part 2, April 28, 2013 Page 4
Hnr, lve, and bey faithful teachers. We shuld all hnr thse wh speak the Wrd f Gd t us (Heb. 13:7). Whether r nt ur pastr is knwn within the wider Christian culture, the church shuld praise Gd fr faithful teachers. We als need t remember that faithful Bible teachers are nt teaching a message f their wn but wrds frm Gd. Faithful teaching shuld always result in lving bedience frm the hearers. NOW WHAT DO WE DO? Grup Discussin & Applicatin Use the fllwing questins t help review the applicatin f Gd s Wrd t ur Head (What des Gd want me t knw?), t ur Heart (What des Gd want me t desire/value?), and t ur Hands (What des Gd want me t d?). 1 Crinthians 2:1-5 gives us helpful guidelines fr what preaching shuld be and fr hw it shuld affect us. What is the gal and mtive f Christian preaching? What shuld we anticipate happening when we preach r when we listen t thers preach? Hw des Paul describe his wn preaching? What des Paul mean when he says that he came t the Crinthians in fear and much trembling? D yu revere Gd s Wrd in this way? Read 1 Crinthians 2:5. When Paul sacrifices human cnventins and wisdm, what des he get in return? Hw can yu mdel this apprach when sharing the gspel with thers? While we want t be sensitive t ur cntext, there is a danger in mainstream Christianity in trying t be t relevant t ur wn culture. What are the dangers f Christians and churches seeking cultural relevance? What is Gd s twisted ecnmy? Hw des this keep us humble and grunded? Hw is this cunterintuitive t the cntemprary wrldview? Cnsider 1 Samuel 16:7, Prverbs 31:30 Zechariah 4:6, 2 Crinthians 4:7, and 12:9-10. When yu feel weak, d yu rely upn the pwer f Gd r n yurself? Hw des human weakness magnify Gd s pwer? D yu let yur weakness stp yu frm serving Gd? If s, what des that reveal abut what yu think abut Gd s pwer? Hw can yu respnd the next time yu feel weak, and hw can yu encurage thers when they feel weak? What des it mean t psitively respnd t Gd s Wrd? Hw d we identify what the crss is beckning us t d in every sermn? When yu feel like there is n way yu can d what the pastr is teaching, why is that a gd place t start? Peple with always put their faith in what they feel is mst imprtant (presentatin, engaging speaking, message f Gd, etc). When yu listen t preaching, what is mst imprtant t yu? D yu let anything rise abve the message f the gspel? Why shuld we resist the Christian rck star culture? D yur actins and attitudes prmte it? Hw can we maintain an apprpriate respect fr and relatinship t gifted preachers f Gd s Wrd withut elevating them abve the message itself? Hw is this culture dangerus fr gifted pastrs as well? Hw can we better pray fr and affirm pastrs in the lcal church? Every week in ur Wrship Guide and in ur Faith Family Wrship Guide, we include the name f lcal church in ur area and the name f their senir pastr. D yu pray fr these brthers and their cngregatins every week? Are yu mre likely t cme t a wrship gathering if yu knw befrehand a particular pastr is preaching? Read 1 Crinthians 1:11-15. Why is this the wrng way t think abut leaders in the church? Hw des that type f thinking devalue the message f the gspel? Faithful pastrs and teachers shuld always be beyed. D yu seek t bey the teaching f ur elders and leaders? Discuss with yur small grup hw they respnd during and after the sermn. D they cme as spectatrs t receive the message, r d they allw the preached Wrd t transfrm them frm the inside ut? What is their attitude as they listen t a sermn? Think f a kitchen spnge. Smene wh cmes and merely listens t a sermn is like a spnge that cntinues t absrb misture. If it is nt wrung ut, the spnge will begin t mildew and stink because it is meant t be The Crss and Christian Preaching Part 2, April 28, 2013 Page 5
squeezed. Christians wh absrb mre and mre knwledge withut applying it and making disciples are like saturated spnges wh need t be squeezed. There is nthing wrng with listening, enjying, and being taught by ther pastrs thrugh bks r pdcasts. Think abut ther pastrs whse bks yu read r whse sermns yu listen t. Why shuld yu nt cmpare thse teachers with yur wn pastr? Why shuld yu nt cnsider a preacher n a pdcast t be yur pastr (if the pdcast preacher is nt the pastr f the lcal church yu attend)? The Crss and Christian Preaching Part 2, April 28, 2013 Page 6