ALL IN Student Small Group Study Guide
WEEK ONE: GOD S STORY Goal of Session: Students will be brought into the cosmic and eternal story of God. A beautiful story, weaved throughout History in Scripture and consummating in the worship and Lordship of Christ. They will see that though it may not feel this way, God has already secured the victory and we know how the story ends. Key Passage: Revelation 21:1-8 Sticky Phrase: We know how the story ends! Have students complete mad lib together. Go around your group and have ask students to give you a word corresponding to the blank (noun, verb, etc.). Continue asking each member of the group until all of the blanks are filled. Then tell your groups story using the words they have chosen. Introduction Watch video session 1 and discuss it with the group. Setup: Have you ever been watching a movie or reading a book and been so curious what happens that you flipped ahead or skipped ahead a few scenes. Maybe your favorite character was in trouble or you wanted to see who was the guilty party. Read Scripture like any good book tells a story. It is a beautiful of how God created a people he loved. But despite having everything they need for perfect joy, man turned on God and sought after joy on his own. God, though he should have abandoned us, made a promise that he would rescue fallen man. He accomplished this by coming as a man, Jesus Christ, and took the punishment we deserved. We now live in a time when death and sin have been defeated but we wait on final restoration where sickness, sin, death and everything that is wrong with this world is undone. We get a glimpse of what this will be like and the promise in Revelation 21. Revelation 21:1-8: [21:1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. [4] He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
[5] And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Also he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. [6] And he said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. [7] The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. [8] But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. Discuss Observe Do we see man going up to be with God in Heaven or God coming to earth to be with man (v.1-2)? What will heaven look like (v.2)? Is this how you have typically thought about what happens when we die and about what heaven looks like? If not, what typically comes to your mind? What does God promise to do when He comes to man (v.4-6)? What happens to those who refuse to follow Christ as Lord (v.8)? Understand What is the significance of there being no more sea (v.1)? o Sea is symbolic of destruction and danger. Much of the society lived near the sea and fisherman new the dangers of storms and swells rising up. What will it mean for God to dwell with man (again)? o The Garden is the glimpse we have of what this was and will be like. Why do you think God tells John to write these things down (v.5)? Who is the one who conquers (v.7)? o Those who have placed their faith in Christ who has conquered. He is not one who conquered by the sword and by might but by humility and sacrifice Apply How often do you think about heaven and what it will be like? How does this passage make you long for heaven? How certain are you of heaven and that you will be there? What do you think is the best thing about the new heaven and earth? Is dwelling in God s presence one of them? How does knowing how the story ends affect the way we live now? o Hope in tough times- note especially v.5 that these words are trust worthy and true. o Boldness/urgency in sharing as we are reminded of the reality of eternity. o Mind set on the things above rather than things below; treasure in Christ rather than stuff of world.
God is the author and creator of all things. He created this world for us and even though we turned our back on Him, He remained faithful to us. We have the assurance of Christ s blood that all things sad will come untrue and that there will be a new heavens and a new earth where God will dwell with us once again. The certainty of this promise gives us hope through our current struggles and changes the focus of what we live for here and now. Recap Thank God that He has not abandoned us. That while we were weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly (Rom. 5:6). Pray Thank God that we know how the story ends. No matter what circumstances we are in, Christ has overcome them and defeated them. There may be some serious things going on with students in your group. Give them a chance to share with the group or with you and encourage them with this truth.
WEEK TWO: TREASURING CHRIST Goal of Session: Students will learn that we are all seeking joy in satisfaction in something and that only Christ can fully meet that need. Key Passage: Luke 12:13-21 Sticky Phrase: We are to be rich toward God. Introduction Have students try to guess the value of items on the worksheet. Watch video session 2 and discuss it with the group. Read Setup: Jesus earthly ministry has been going very well by all standards. At the beginning of chapter 12 we see that he had so many followers that they were literally trampling each other. Christ however was not after large crowds but after true worshippers so he begins several teachings that get to the heart of the issue. He wants to know that those who are following Him are all in and have surrendered their whole life for the life that is only found in Him. Luke 12:13-21 ESV: [13] Someone in the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. [14] But he said to him, Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you? [15] And he said to them, Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. [16] And he told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man produced plentifully, [17] and he thought to himself, What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? [18] And he said, I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry. [20] But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? [21] So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Discuss Observe: In verse 13, what was Jesus asked to do? How did Jesus respond? Wasn t that a little harsh?
What do you learn about this rich man? What does he want or desire that makes him hoard, and be greedy? o Who can you think of that may be a modern equivalent of this guy? Understand What did Jesus mean in v. 14 that life does not consist in one s possessions? What does Jesus mean when he says be on your guard against all covetousness (v.15)? Why is he a fool who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God (v.20, 21)? He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot Let s dig deeper into the meaning of being rich toward God. What does it mean? Being rich toward God therefore is the heart being drawn toward God as our riches. Rich toward God means moving toward God as our riches. Rich toward God means counting God greater riches than anything on the earth. Rich toward God means using earthly riches to show how much you value God. This is what the prosperous farmer failed to do. And the result was that he was a fool and lost his soul. - John Piper Maybe for you it is not possessions that you look to for satisfaction, but we all have something we look to for joy and to convince ourselves and others that we matter. If its not money, it s the stuff it buys (video games, clothes, car, etc.). Maybe its your social status (jock, skateboarder, cheerleader, etc.). Maybe its your intelligence/grades. Maybe its your religion/morality, etc. The point is we all have something we hold on to because it identifies us and brings us joy. Whatever this thing is for us, it competes with God for our affections (Luke 16:13 No one can serve 2 masters ). Apply What are some of the most popular things that people look to for joy? What are some of the things that you look to? Why do you struggle with treasuring these things over God? o Tangible, immediacy, here and now, we haven t given God a chance. Have students break into groups and write down the promises about God that would draw us to Him as our treasure. Use attached document called Promises of God. Assign each group 5-10 verses to look up and identify the promise. Then have students come back together and share the promise of their verses. How does understanding the promises God has made to us and who He is help us to treasure Him?
What are some ways that you can continue to be rich toward God in your own life? Recap Next week we are going to look at how we can leverage our time treasures and talents for the glory of God. How we can use what God has given us to give back to Him and those around us. However, we will never be able to do this unless we first understand our treasure in Him. Until we loosen our grasp on our things here and began to hold onto God as our treasure, we will never give of ourselves, our time, our talents and our treasures. Prayer Break into groups of 2-3. Spends some time confessing the things that compete with God for your affections. Have students pray for each other. Then have them discuss ways they can be rich toward God and hold one another accountable.
WEEK THREE: TREASURING CHRIST Goal of Session: Students will understand that we are blessed in order to be a blessing to others as they see that Christ who was God humbled himself to be man in order that we might be exalted with Him Key Passage: Philippians 2:1-11 Sticky Phrase: We are blessed to be a blessing. Many of us either because of comparison or because of pessimism do not view ourselves as blessed. We focus on what is wrong with our lives rather than everything that is going right. We look at the group of people on the next level of the social ladder and wonder why we don t have what they have. The reality is that we are blessed far beyond what we could imagine. Even the lower middleclass in our country are rich in the eyes of the world. If you had a Starbucks drink this week, you spent what many make for an entire days salary. Introduction World United States Average Income $18,000 $52,000 Average Home Size <1000 sq. ft 2300 sq. ft. Average TV s per home <1 >3 Average Cars per home <1 >2 Watch video session 3 and discuss it with the group. Setup: Paul in his letter to the church at Philippi is addressing some conflict that was going on in the church. Apparently, there were two women fighting and people were beginning to join sides and cause dissension and division within the church. Paul uses Christ as both an example of a life lived out of humility instead of pride and as the resource we have to enable us to look to the interest of others. To sacrifice of ourselves for the sake of others and for the church means that we have to understand what Christ has done for us and how that frees us to serve and live for the sake others. Read Philippians 2:1-11: [2:1] So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, [2] complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. [3] Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. [4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Discuss Observe Paul says in verse 1 that there is encouragement in Christ. What is it? Who are we to have the same mind and love as (v.2,5)? o Other Christians and ultimately Christ What was the result of Christ s humility? o Initially the cross and his death; o Then his exaltation; o Then our salvation. Interpret What does it mean to have selfish ambition? Are we to never look out for ourselves? What does it mean in v. 6 that Jesus was in the form of God? How did Christ empty Himself (v.7) or of what did He empty Himself of? Why was Christ dying on the cross an act of humility (v.8)? What was Christ seeking through His life and how does that compare to the way most of us live our lives? o Christ emptied himself for the sake of others. We tend to use others to get the things we want. Apply Take some time with the students to identify the ways in which God has blessed you. Specifically look at the areas of time, talents and treasures. Have students list out these for themselves and then discuss them. What the purpose of being given these is? Why are we so blessed and what is our response to it? How are we to use that blessing? o The goal here is to connect back to Christ. Students should see that though God Himself was infinitely rich and powerful, he emptied Him self for the sake of others. We are to do the same with our treasure. What enables us to give of our time, talents and treasures?
o The fact that we have everything we need in Christ. Nothing this world can offer nor death and sickness take can touch the inheritance we have in Christ Jesus. We already have in Him what others are seeking in the world Where would we be if Christ had not humbled Himself and emptied himself of his riches? Where will those who are far from God and in need be if we don t follow His example? Christ modeled for us a way of living that is completely different than the world lives. The world uses people to gain power, fame and possessions. Christ, though He had infinite power, fame and possessions used them for the good of others. Since we are rich in God through Christ, we can leverage our time talents and treasure for the sake of God s kingdom. Recap Give students 5 minutes on their own to wrestle through how they are leveraging their time, talent and treasure for the glory of God. Have them spread out, get alone and really pray. For some students this may seem like an eternity but make sure they do it. Pass out commitment cards and have them complete them to turn them in at Elevate. Pray
WEEK FOUR: GROUP PROJECT Goal of Session: To commit to All In together as a group by serving the community (and have fun doing it) At Elevate, students committed personally what they were going to devote to All In and to becoming a part of what God is doing through the Summit Church. Tonight at as a small group we want to give your group an opportunity to work together to be a part of All In. To do that, we are going to have a contest. The winner will receive $250 for their group to accomplish a project they plan. Here is what you need to do: 1. Identify an area, group of people, school, etc. that is broken and hurting. It can be anything but it needs to be near you and bite sized enough for your group to make a difference. 2. Develop a plan that will impact the identified group or area from above. Make a real, tangible plan with what your going to do, what supplies/people you will need and roughly when you are going to do it. 3. Make a video pitch for why your group should get the $250 for your project. Make the video informative but also entertaining or moving. No one wants to watch an infomercial. 4. All videos must be submitted as a link or a physical copy by November 16. If your video is not in by then, your group is disqualified. At the next Elevate, we will show the top videos, with the top video getting $250 to implement their project. Be creative, be inspiring and have fun with this. Tips: Videos should be no longer than 3 minutes If you use your phone for video, make sure it is in landscape (long ways horizontal) so we can display in on the screens Use imovie if you have a Mac to edit the video, add music, text, etc. o If you don t, find a friend who does and let them help you Use your time wisely. Maybe you should take the first night to plan and then you ll film it on Saturday. Upload videos to youtube or vimeo to make it easier for you to turn them in Do skits, go on location, use props and clothing. Make your video memorable.