Important Update AND Discussion guide

Hey Leaders,

Happy New Year!

Before we get to the discussion guide (which is sorely late, apologies to you all...especially those who have already had their group. Remember, you can always use the generic guide to generate good discussion. It's on the main page, on the righthand side column) i wanted to let you know where messages will be heading up through Easter. This way, you can make an informed decision about where to go on the discussion end of group time.

Starting this Sunday, we will begin an interesting series called Decisions. DE (off) CISIONS (cuts) are the choices we make by cutting off what isn't useful or beneficial. We will be talking about the underlying premise behind all Jonathan and Steve's messages- a "bottom line" if you will- that also informs how we make decisions in our day-to-day lives. We will talk about wisdom and how it's superior to good/bad decisions, yet foreign to the collective mind of our society. Then we will talk about how we make up our minds about people and what it takes to re-see them in light of grace and mercy...tough stuff. We will finish the series by talking about the kind of story you want to live, and how you cut off parts that don't carry your/God's preferred story forward. Should be a great series.

Following this, we will spend five weeks in the book of James. We're kicking around calling the series "Brother Jim". The reason for this actually pretty interesting.

Each week, we will pull a main theme from each chapter and try and draw from it the heavy brilliance James intended for some of the earliest Christians, and us. Along side the messages and the discussions for groups, everyone will be invited to utilize a daily devotional/meditation/reflection/study guide. These guides will hopefully catalyze your group members to take some steps in their faith, outside of Sunday and group time.

THEN! We will begin a series that takes us all the way to Easter. It's called The Seven #1 Reasons. Each week we will deal with a Biblical statement, or pairing thereof, made about "the reason he came". Fulfilling torah, preach the gospel of the Kingdom, give abundant life, destroy the works of the devil, testify to the truth, be propitiation for sin, and then on Easter Sunday: to Save the World. Should be a fun, encouraging, challenging ride.

We hope that you and your group will really dive in, with all of your individual and collective hearts, and see what God has for us in the months to come. More will be shared on series beyond these, such as the one on family, the philosophy of "why?" and 10 weeks on the the Ten Commandments.

Now, for this week's discussion Guide.

Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your mind, ALL your soul and ALL your strength. This is nothing to feel guilty about. It's simply what we would want our God to want from us. Every other person we know settles for a convincing performance...but our loving Father wants our all.

Thaw

• What do you think was something God was trying to teach you over the holidays?
• What are some things you are already thinking about for next Christmas?

• What most stuck with you from this past Sunday's message?
• As you look out over 2011, where do you think you will find the most challenges in seeking the Lord with all of your heart?

Read

Jeremiah 29:13

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.

Deuteronomy 4:29
If from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Psalm 14:2
The LORD looks down from heaven... to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

Psalm 27:8
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Psalm 105:4
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

Psalm 119:2
Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

Psalm 119:10
I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

John 15:5

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

• Thoughts?
• Other than the obvious theme of God being sought, what thoughts come to mind?

Leader note: You may have people in your group that feel put off by the idea of God insisting to be sought. In a human sense, God seems "needy". Be sure and let this be aired, and perhaps consider bringing it up if you feel it's possibly felt but not spoken within your group. Once we understand that God, who is Love, does what is best for us- and has no psychological deficits for which to compensate- we begin to see that the invitations to focus ourselves, our worship- ALL of our hearts on Him- provide us a much needed source of Good and Wholeness to fixate on, away from our own brokenness. We must help people understand God is not a man seeking to be affirmed. He is Love, bent on making us what we're supposed to be; other's-centered replicas of Himself.

• What's the difference between seeking God with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13) and simply believing in God?
• Jesus says faith like a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds, is enough faith (Luke 17:5-6). Is Jesus contradicting Jeremiah 29:13 and other passages, or is there something else going on?

Leader note: The context of the Luke passage is the apostles asking Christ to increase their faith. Jesus isn't saying it takes less faith to be in alignment with the Kingdom. He is saying give all you have, and if all you have is is mustard-seed faith, compared to the peach-pit-sized faiths of the spiritual elite, you don't have less faith. The idea is all YOU have, not how it rates next to the faith of others.

Discuss

• In what areas do you need the most help, where giving all your heart is concerned?

Leader note: Finances? Sex life? Insecurities? Lying to get ahead or attention? Judgmental attitude? Forgiveness issues? Difficult marriage? Difficult children? Difficult parents?

• How can this group go beyond just listening (something the group is committed to continuing to do!) and actually be part of your growth in the areas you shared?
• What are you up against?

Leader note: This "obstacle identification" is very important. If a person is judgmental by default, what they are up against isn't merely the word "habit" or that it's "hard" to stop judging people. They are up against an old paradigm that the person learner ( or was taught) earlier in life. In this particular instance, the person has learned to categorize people, or to make distancing observations so as to preserve themselves or their interests. So the obstacle is a learned fear (if even presenting itself as disgust!) of people, and a reluctance to believe that people's differences are not a threat. As the specific issues are shared, dig through them a bit and see if you can see what is really going on under the surface of the expressed obstacle.

Closing reading

(Consider one reader, slowly reading it aloud for the group.)

• Colossians 3:1-17

Prayer.