One bad experience can unfairly, but powerfully, cast a shadow on a whole category.
And sometimes that experience is a person of faith, and the category is God.
Use this discussion to both wipe away the human fingerprints from God's love, and to help snap into realignment those of us that have gotten used to speaking comfortably and simplistically for God about the difficulties of real life.
Thaw
- Football season: "Hurray", "Boo" or "What's football?" Explain.
- What has been on your mind in the last week, and why do you think it has been in your thoughts?
- What has stuck with you from Sunday morning?
- Considering the message was simultaneously for followers of Jesus, people who want to follow but keep their distance in many ways, and non-followers, what is your specific position on the point of the message?
- Who did you think of during the message, and why do you think that is?
Read
- Micah 6:1-8
- Thoughts?
Leader note: The prophet Micah is largely constructed like court proceedings. Israel has a complaint, and so does YHWH. At this point in chapter 6, God is asking "how have I burdened you?". The implication is that his people are claiming they have a burden, and they may be telling the truth. It just wasn't given to them from God. God reminds them that he is the one that "un-burdened" them from slavery. (Jesus makes a similar point when he tells his followers about is yoke and burden being easy and light in that it all boils down to putting others first Matthew 11:30). A list of supposed wants and needs for a religion-protecting God follows in Micah: what does the Lord require of a person....gallons of this? tons of that? your children? various of your interests that make God out to be the taker, and not the giver? In verse 8, Micah is credited by the Talmud as actually summarizing the whole of Torah; be just, be loving, be humble in your ongoing journey with God.
Gently help people resist the urge to say "this applied to the Jews, but it's not enough because Jesus and becoming a Christian hasn't shown up yet". Jesus' message was identical, and in his Spirit this Micah 6:8 life is the life we live. Make sure people don't think God gave inaccurate information about what he wanted to Micah!
- What does doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God mean?
- What do you feel like is missing from this list based on what you have come to believe about what God wants?
Read
- Exodus 20:8
- Literally: "You will not carry the name of YHWH God emptily, for YHWH clears not the name of him who carries the name emptily."
- Thoughts?
- Why is it important to not use God's name, title, etc as a common expression, profanity or in ways outside of actually referencing him?
Leader note: It might be helpful to help the group understand the Jewish principle of "gezeirah". This is essentially a "fence" put around the heart of the command or issue at stake. A gezeirah protects the person from being able to eventually commit the greater offense. Like a parent who makes a rule that the kids can't play in the front yard, only the back. This seemingly strict, even odd rule may not make sense to the kids. But, the parent knows they live on a dangerously busy street. "Don't play in the front" is a protective gezeirah for the real matter- don't play in the street on penalty of death or severe injury. This idea is common in Torah, and is best understood as parental for a nation of former slaves (and us today, whose hearts still believe they are slaves) that needed strictness to "keep them out of the street". In light of this, understanding the traditional dimension of taking the very literal name of God seriously, undoubtedly connects in our minds and behaviors to continuing to revere God and his interests, rather than making them common or dismissed by way of familiarity.
- If this command is so that people far from him, or even people not in leadership positions, would remain clear about the difference between God's heart and human religion, what does this tell you about the power of the lives and behaviors of religious people?
Discuss
- What is something you feel you're supposed to believe about God, but have trouble with?
Leader note: Don't attempt to handle metaphysical, origin-of-everything kinds of questions in one LifeGroup. Let the weight of the question be realized if they ask, make sure responses are humble, and try and keep the discussion on the kinds of lives we're to live with or without all our scientific questions answered. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, remember that Jesus is our measuring stick for what we believe God is like (John 14:8-10). So, in trying to discern what God is like, what we're called to, and how we can know anything about the Divine, it's always safest and most accurate to reference Jesus.
- What is something you have said to others in a moment of attempting to be helpful, but realized you don't even believe for yourself?
- Where do we get the impulse to have answers and speak for God?
- Why do we often condemn the actions of others, referencing God's holiness, and yet think of ourselves in terms of our intentions, referencing God's grace?
- What does Micah 6:8 say to this?
- What does Galatians 5:21-22 say to this?
Leader note: Reminder, "fruit" means "evidence". Note the kinds of words not in this list by Paul in determining if God's Spirit is in play. Condemnation, hypocrisy, stubborn stances, excommunications, trite explanations for serious matters...none of these are evidence that God's Spirit is at work.
Apply
- How does this group apply all this?
- How will this group know it has successfully applied all this?
- What step are you taking now?
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