Seven #1 Reasons, Numero Uno Reason

For this next week's message installment, be ready to use the general discussion makers found on the Leader Site, righthand column. Think about your group specifically during the message, and be creative with where you think the discussion should go for the particulars of your group.

Happy leading!

Steve

Seven #1 Reasons, Foremost Reason

After a time breaking the ice (perhaps have everyone share their favorite villain from a story and why they are a favorite....then spend some time comparing themes to see if pop-culture and story informs villainy, or if true villainy, the kind we see all around us, is what inspires so much art), spend some time dealing with the temptation of Jesus as found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 4.

The way that Jesus is tempted is indicative of the kinds of things we will face when anti-Kingdom, selfish love confronts us. The discussion should be as specific as possible and have people really dig into the layers of how this plays out in our daily life.

Refrain from trying to turn everything we dislike into demonic attack. The attack is so often more in who we are when things go wrong, not necessarily the thing going wrong itself.

You may want to include some discussion on 1 John 3:1-10 and how this week's theme is tied to our own behaviors and ways of living. Rather than seeing this as black-and-white condemnation, hear John warning his friends that there is a way that seems right in the moment, but leads to death. You may see that 1 John 2 makes it clear that those that are being warned are being loved like family, not given a gross ultimatum as strangers.

As a group find ways to apply this discussion as people of faith. Loving each other, and others, as people who Jesus doesn't call evil, but as either "re-tying" or "untying" what he's come to untie, is hard work. Battling people is easy. Battling for people, against the realms of darkness, is hard. It must be done, and lived, bound together.

• What were the key points for you?
• What was the "one thing" you took away?
• What specific pictures, faces or ideas sprang to mind, and what might that mean in terms of the message's application for you?
• What surprised you?
• What bothered you? Why?
• Have you ever heard or come across a similar teaching or idea? Have you ever been taught something that was contradictory?
• What is/was already part of your thinking on this subject?
• What did you learn that was new to you?
• *About God?
• *About yourself?
• *About others?
• What changes of thought are necessary in light of what you learned?
• What changes of action are needed?
• How would life be different if you/we applied this teaching fully?
• What are the hindrances, and what do we do about those?
• What role can this group play to help you take steps this week and beyond?

Seven #1 Reasons, Chief Reason

Freedom is the experienced state of being free.

Wisdom is the applied/experienced state of being wise.

Boredom is the experienced state of being bored.

So what is a Kingdom?

This week, help your group to hear this overlooked, misunderstood word for the first time. Getting it right means understands a main reason Jesus, our King (master, leader, Lord) came and what he spent so much time talking about and introducing. Not getting this right reduces "Kingdom" to part of a religious vocabulary and detaches it from our modern existence, which robs us of what our creator seems to think is good news; He as King, we as followers.

Thaw

• What can we learn about God as Spring unfolds?
• How does what we learn about God from nature contradict the images that we most often associate withGod?

• What most stuck with you from Sunday morning?
• What do you feel like God is asking you to do with what you heard and experienced from this weekend?

Read

• Luke 4:42, 43
• Thoughts?

• Matthew 13:44
• Thoughts?

Leader note: You may have people who cannot get away from the specific image of the kingdom of God being heaven. This isn't incorrect, just limited. The Bible does seem to connect al this imagery together, so here are a few thoughts in going forward. One, heaven is often a replacement for "God". Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God are interchangeable and one is used depending on the reverence of the writer. It's an ancient Jewish custom to avoid saying or writing "God" (you may see it "G-d" these days). Second, heaven isn't meant to be strictly an "up there" p;ace that we go post-mortem, but a dimension of reality that communicates the realm of God's will enacted. In the Lord's prayer, "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" is a way of saying "make what You want to happen, your will that's in effect in heaven, also happen here". So, again, we aren't simply going to the kingdom after we die, but the Kingdom is supposed to arrive in Christ, as some argue the Kingdom IS Christ. It's available know through our measurable faith in redemption today. Think of the Kingdom as a Now and Later!

• Jesus seems to think that when we catch a taste of the Kingdom, it will be something we will go after with everything we have. He seems to think that we will agree that it's good news? What might the Gospel of the Kingdom entail if it's such good news?

• How can having a master be good news?
• What masters do we already have?
• What's unattractive at this point in our understanding with submitting to the King of the kingdom?

Read

• Genesis 1:26-27
• Thoughts?

Leader note: Be mindful that there is much here to take you off the path. Try not to totally squelch tangents about creation or debates therein. Also note that dominion isn't a picture of pillaging recklessly. It's responsibility. Many Christians feel like this means we can do what every we want to the earth. On the contrary, when a King shares dominion, that's increased care, not less. Faithful people are the original environmentalists. This thrust here is the fact that being made in the image of a creator and master makes us creators and masters.

• We are made in the image of the King and have been given dominion over our part of this world. This is a lower case "k" kingdom. How does this and the gospel overlap?

Leader note: This is simply about helping people connect what Jesus is up to with the original intent of God for humanity. Try and explore what a proper relationship people would have to God, each other and the world if the Kingdom was in place.

• Why does it require Jesus' Spirit to be able to experience and live in the Kingdom of God?
• How do we understand forgiveness when we think about the Kingdom, or Kingship, of our Creator?

Discuss

• Answer and discuss these questions from the message:

1. Where in my life am I learning to follow well?

2. Am I growing in trusting Jesus or only in trusting what He did for me?

3. Am I more focused on living life or avoiding sin?

Apply

• How can the King have more reign in your life?

Leader note: Don't allow the group to think that this is a petty question that's asking "how can you stop being bad so that God can be the boss?" This is a question of what/who guides decisions, words...what informs hope, what drives decisions pertaining to career, spending, giving, attitudes. All of it. Many of us resolve that God isn't "king enough" and feel like that means we don't go to church or pray think holy enough. This is about mastery, not the inflicting of guilt of morality.

• How can this group be part of your surrender to the Kingship of Christ and his Kingdom?
• What stands in the way?

Leader note: If it doesn't register as good news for a person, then they are not likely to step into it. One might argue that they shouldn't. Many Christians, recognizing this, resort to threats about what happens after we die. Maybe people can be frightened into the Kingdom! Jesus never does this. The Kingdom is just that great, that you don't have to scare people into it. Be mindful that if people don't yet recognize the good news as good news, they are just not ready yet. Celebrate the long term effect of what you are doing and don't feel like it's an evaluation of your groups worth if people aren't ready.

Seven #1 Reasons, First Reason

Numerous times in the scripture, the reason Jesus came is stated precisely. And those reasons, precise as they are, differ throughout the New Testament. Depending on to whom or where Jesus was speaking or by whom he was being spoken of, the reasons for his coming range from providing us with the best imaginable life, destroying the work and progress of the Devil to what we discuss this week, fulfilling the Law and the Prophets.

As we begin, note for your group throughout this series that this is an invitation to talk about what Jesus came to do and how that relates to our modern context. It's one thing to talk about what Jesus did historically, like a group might come together and study the historicity of Napoleon. But Napoleon didn't promise to be "with us always, even till the end of the age". A historical study over the next 7 weeks about "what jesus said He came to do" will be of great value, but still misses the point. If we don't find out how to live in what we find today, then all we got was some information (we could provide that online and save you, the leader, the trouble of meeting!).

So, be mindful that what we discover over the next several weeks leading up to Easter has everything to do with transformation. With belief, and disbelief and the ability to see the Spirit of God working in 2011, not just "back then".

Thaw

• What's the strangest rule you have ever come across?
• Why do you think it was put in place?
• What was the spirit of that rule?

• What has stayed with you most from the message Sunday?

Read

• Matthew 5:17
• Thoughts?
• What are the benefits and difficulties that comes from Jesus fulfilling (filling up, satisfying) the Law and the Prophets?
• Does this mean Christians don't have any rules to follow?

Leader note: Hold on tight. It's possible the group will divide in two over the answer to this question. Some believe that all the rules have been rendered meaningless in light of Christ, and they have their verses for believing it. Others believe that the slope is made harmfully slippery by saying that the law (such as The 10 Commandments) has been fulfilled and so believe that though we are "saved by grace", we still have to follow the rules. The first group can't imagine a Christianity with rule-keeping. The second can't imagine how you live for God without adherence to Law.

Don't see this as a time to figure out which camp, if camps indeed form, is right (and to be sure, there are more than two camps than nestle in between the extremes presented above...). See this as a time to discuss how we arrive at these conclusions, what the implications are in either direction, and what we do going forward with disagreement-yet-faith in Christ.

• How do we decide what rules to follow, enforce, etc?
• In light of how that question was answered, go back and ask what Matthew 5:17 means to your discussion.

Leader note: Ask the group, if discussion merits it, "was Jesus successful in accomplishing his mission?" Yes...that's loaded. But it helps frame the discussion around whether or Jesus did what he came to do, and how that affects or orientation around things like commandments, punishments for sinners, what we allow, what we reject, and how we go about doing all of this in accord with "the Law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). "Yes" as an answer means we have to rethink how we are going to live our lives with each other when we certainly live among those who sin. "No" or "not yet" changes how we understand Jesus living and dying on the cross, as it would certainly mean that there was more to do after his dying words, "It is finished".

Read

• Romans 13:10
• Thoughts?
• How does this apply to what Jesus did in his life, death and resurrection?

Leader note: You may want to reference Matthew 7:12 as well.

• How does His work on the cross on our life of love tie together?

Read

• Colossians 1:15-23
• Thoughts?
• Verse 23 starts with the word "if". The law has been fulfilled for us, yet there is still a role that we must play. What is Paul saying?
• What is he not saying?

Apply

• What does all this mean in a modern context? How does this affect how we think about God and ourselves?
• How does this affect how we think about and live with others?
• Why would someone go on living as though the law was to be satisfied by their own morality?
• What does it cost us to allow Christ to fulfill the law and for us to submit ourselves to him?

Leader note: Romans 10:1-4 is pertinent here.

• Does anyone in this group feel as though they need to step toward Christ and away from managing their own guilt, brokenness and sin?
• What step are you willing to take, and how can the group support you?

From Jim, chapter 5

Utilize the general discussion maker as well as the daily guide to reflect as a group on where James is taking us. Find the applicability of what is being discovered by thinking through the principles as they relate to relationships, work, school, our family, our past, our motivations for what we do or do not do, etc. You may even consider using questions from the guide on a specific day to get discussion going on specific topics that seem to be resonating with your group.

Checking in with your group through out the week via email, facebook, etc. only makes this journey more potent. Consider praying for each other, finding a way to trade notes and to encourage each other to make the most of it.

• What were the key points for you?
• What was the "one thing" you took away?
• What specific pictures, faces or ideas sprang to mind, and what might that mean in terms of the message's application for you?
• What surprised you?
• What bothered you? Why?
• Have you ever heard or come across a similar teaching or idea? Have you ever been taught something that was contradictory?
• What is/was already part of your thinking on this subject?
• What did you learn that was new to you?
• *About God?
• *About yourself?
• *About others?
• What changes of thought are necessary in light of what you learned?
• What changes of action are needed?
• How would life be different if you/we applied this teaching fully?
• What are the hindrances, and what do we do about those?
• What role can this group play to help you take steps this week and beyond?