Nevermind.
This week, as we wrap up where we have gone over the last 8 weeks, you may sense a unique opportunity to ask how the group is going for the members? It's a vulnerable thing to do, but catalyzing closeness often comes with an honest assessment of where things really are.
Explore different areas of life as you discuss grace and truth, but be sure and cover how grace and truth are playing out within the group itself. Note as well that the ice breaker is a little different, and is meant to bless busy souls by creating an environment of meditation and calm. Evaluate whether this is a fit for where you are in your group (but don't shy away just out of discomfort...God speaks in silence as well as study and sharing!)
Thaw
- How hectic is life right now? Share.
- (If busy...)How long has it been like this? When do you see it letting up? How will you make this happen? How do you see it affecting you/family/mind/body/faith?
- (Leaders, say something like:) We're going to try something that may seem a little awkward, but followers of Christ have been doing it for thousands of years: for the next few moments, close your eyes, and breathe slowly. As you breathe in, perhaps pray in your mind "Our Father in Heaven". As you breathe out, "hallowed be Your Name.." and so on through the rest of the Lord's prayer (May need to post the prayer or show where it is in the Bible for those who do not have it committed to memory). When distracting thoughts creep in, imagine putting them in a drawer or inbox. Don't be bothered that you're distracted, it's just how your mind works. Store the thought for retrieval in a few moments- you can come back to it, just not now. Right now, you are quieting your self and re-centering your thoughts on God. (4 minutes is plenty).
- (Afterward) Thoughts?
Switching gears...
- What has most stuck with you from Sunday's message?
- What do you sense God is nudging you to do with it?
Read
- Mark 10:17-23
- Thoughts?
Leader note: Try not to allow the discussion on this section to be overtaken by talk of money. If you sense that this is a topic the group wants to discuss, decide on a time to do it later (unless you think it's where the Spirit is moving the discussion today...). Try and keep the discussion on how Jesus handles the rich man who is torn between a desire for God and his stuff. Make sure that Jesus' love for the man, as well as his uncomfortable truth, are both in play. Grace and truth.
- John 8:1-11
- Thoughts?
Leader note: This text has been covered recently (within the last few months) in another message. Be sensitive to that, but also aware that the text can take on new dimensions each time you pass through it. Some members with more academic backgrounds may point out that this section of scripture isn't found in the earliest manuscripts on John, and appears to be inserted. If it comes up, it may be worth noting that this text may have been omitted from Luke earlier on, according to some scholars, perhaps because of how scandalous it seemed to earlier church leaders that such a sin was treated this way. In the wrong hands, it could seem like a condoning of adultery by Jesus! Later, it was added back to the only written gospel they had available when it was seen for the grace and truth that it was. There are also numerous scholars that think it was there originally, while others disagree with both those camps. Rest assured, it's a true account, wherever it's supposed to sit in the Bible.
- Is Jesus excusing the rich man's or the adulterer's behavior? Explain.
- How would you describe Jesus' approach to failure?
- How is this different from you approach to failure?
Discuss
- In the message, Greek word order was covered. How do you understand grace and truth based on the significance of word order?
- What immediate affect does this have on your understand of God, and his view of you?
- What affect does this have on how you view others?
- Is there a specific relationship that you are having a tough time understanding how this will apply?
- How has a "truth first" mentality been toxic in your life, or in our society?
- How does a "grace only" mentality also equal eventual disaster?
- Respond as a group to this quote by Randy Alcorn:
Truth is quick to post warning signs and guardrails. Yet it fails to empower people to drive safely, to avoid plunging off the cliff, and fails to help them when they crash. Grace is quick to post ambulances and paramedics at the bottom of the cliff. But without truth, it fails to post warning signs and build guardrails, and therefore encourages the very self-destruction it attempts to heal.
Apply
- Share a time when grace and truth were given you in balance.
- How did/does it change you and deepen your relationship with that person?
- What is this group heavier on, grace or truth?
- What would it look like to be a more balanced group?
- What are the risks?
Leader note: you may point out that one risk is that if some in the group decide to live in a balanced grace and truth, while others reject it out of fear, then it won't work very well. It's worth noting that, along side fear making us want to pick just one side, those who excel in truth need humility, and those who excel in grace need the courage to go beyond safe and shallow. there really is a dance to be practiced.
- How would grace and truth make this group better?
- How would it improve some of the members' other relationships?
- What are the obstacles that need dealt with immediately?
Closing
Leader note: You may wish to close with communion, as a very intimate intersection of grace and truth in and between your members. You may opt for prayer. You may also wish to, without paper necessarily, see this time as a deepening of your covenant together. Be mindful that whatever you choose should be based on where you think the group is being led to go, which is always into more significant trust and love.
Great discussions tonight!
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