Every...body Discussion Questions

Hopefully, as this series wraps up, you have gotten a chance to  experience as a group the "every-ness" of God and life in Him. As faith continues to be more about who we are, rather than an idea we express, God continues to have more room to work out His dream for people and to proclaim the good news of His Kingdom. This Sunday, as we wrap up the series, we will spend some time letting God's Spirit do inventory on how we are ensuring that all peoples, from all walks of life and all backgrounds, see His Kingdom in us. Use your group discussion time as a way of discovering any "us and them" mentality that may run contrary to the invitation of Christ for all people to be one.

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Discussion 

Thaw

Share a time when you were picked last (or not at all) as a kid to be on a team, or to go to a party, etc...

Why did this happen?

Was there ever a time that you did the picking? Do you remember your criteria.

In what ways does the playground mentality express itself in grown up world? (work, school, politically, internationally, culturally, economically, ethnically)

Read

Isaiah 25:6-9

What are you surprised by?

What is the veil or covering that's over people?

Leader note: Take some time to point out that "saved" and "salvation" here are about the end of a system of thought that divides people. This may come as a surprise for the narrower view that salvation deals with avoiding hell after death. Also note that the word "stretched" or "covering"  (depending on the translation) in verse 7 is the Hebrew word "nasak", translated literally "woven". Discuss the implications of a "woven" system of thought, or a "woven" social dynamic between people. What are examples of the social weave that need unwoven? What might this have to do with the "death" that God is going to swallow up and the tears that he will wipe away?

Read Luke 14:7-15

What are your first thoughts about Jesus' parable and the response in verse 15?

What must change to be the kind of person who does things for people who cannot repay?

Leader note: make sure to not let people too narrowly define "repayment" in the financial sense alone. Often times, repayment is a stroked ego, a sense of accomplishment or a bolstered sense of identity based on doing "good things". One might even do an opposite harm by focusing in on the lowly as a spiritual  project/obligation. What are the implications for doing things for people who don't thank us, don't make us look good, or are even insulting an unappreciative? Would we do it again? Why or why not? Remember vs. 11 demands humility!

Read vs. 16-24

Thoughts?

What is Jesus teaching about the invitation of the gospel?

How does that differ from what you already thought of the gospel? God?

Leader note: The word "compel" in vs. 23 has been grossly misunderstood by some parts of the church through the centuries. As a result, people have been forced to submit to the crushing power of others who come proclaiming the name of Jesus, but not the will and reputation of Christ. This word, in the Middle Eastern sense, is used to denote not the force of the one inviting, but the humility of the invitee. "I'm lame, crippled, poor- outcast, surely I'm not invited." But this is no regular feast- it's the Isaiah 25 feast of God- all are invited. The compelling here is necessary because they aren't used to being invited to anything, let alone a Master's feast. But the invitation is to be lovingly insisted upon as not too good to be true!

Apply:

Who are the isolated, oppressed and marginalized in our culture?

Are Christians first to burst through those walls and barriers? Should they be?

How does what we do for a living, what we buy, how we vote, what we support worsen the divide? Improve it?

What actions can and should be taken by followers of Jesus today?

What actions can this group take together?

What actions or changes of mind need to be taken by individual members?

Prayer

Spend some time praying for awareness. Who is getting left out? Who is "them"? Who is it that remains at the borders and edges of our life? Who is it that suffers outside the banquet? Who are the people that we have grown used to saying "it's their own fault...if they would just _______"?

Additional texts to consider: Galatians 3:28, Acts 17:26, Ephesians 2:13-18

Every...day Discussion Questions

What are you asking/begging God for that is so huge, so risky, so scary that it honors His power and majesty?

As a group leader, you'll want, as always, to be creating an occasion for life change. Begin your discussion time by breaking the ice, but make sure and spend much time allowing each member to share the faith rattling, daring requests that they will begin putting openly before God and their group. You may want to contact them, at least via email, ahead of time to tell them to begin thinking of just what it is that they will would be willing to share.

 

Thaw

-What's something you bugged your parents for as a kid, that after a long time, you finally got?

-Do you remember something you prayed for as a child?

-What examples of answered prayer have you experienced?

  

Read

Luke 11:1-13

-What's something that you are surprised or stumped by?

-Are there any insights from the message on Sunday that jumped out at you?

-Does verse 10 seem realistic or not? Explain? How might we have misunderstood this promise? How might we have covered or apologized for it?

-Verse 13 assumes we know how to give good gifts to our children? What are examples of bad gifts to kids, and what makes them bad?

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Leader’s note: A few things to note here are one, the use of the word "evil". In greek, it is πονηρός 'poneros' and means sickened, blind or in bad condition, in the physical sense as well as in the behavioral. Jesus is contrasting us with The Father, which makes us all look sick! Additionally, this question is meant to get the group realizing that a child getting everything she asks (prays) for would be the mark of a bad parent. That would be very bad for the child. But if we, flawed as we are, know that- how much more does God know how to give us what we really need. You may also try and uncover as a group the fact that what we so desperately want may in fact be bad. Our desperation being responded to by God with a "no" or perceived silence seems so hurtful, but parents know that crying doesn't change what's really necessary. 

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-Is it possible that the majority of what we request out of a sense of need is actually bad for us and those we do life with? Is it possible we don't even know what we want, let alone need?

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Leaders note: You may share examples as a group of things God seems to be silent on in terms of what's being asked for, and, depending on the trust level you sense exists- share as a group that that request is actually out of selfishness, self-interest, consumption, excess, or ways that isolate and broaden gaps between people. These things are repeatedly spoken against by Jesus. Are there things we pray to God for that aren't "in His name" (or "in accordance with His reputation") that actually go against, in even subtle ways, his desire for the world?

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Apply

Take a large sheet of paper and put the names of each group member on it, with the date. Go around the room and allow each member to share something huge that, despite the risk and the inability to make it work on paper- they sense they need to start "banging on the door" about. Finish the evening on this exercise, and communicate to the group that you will be saving the sheet and referring to it from time to time to check in on what God has been doing with these requests, and on the members' diligence in continually "knocking".

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Leader's Note: Don't feel the need to correct some of the strange prayers you will hear. But, if you are gathering by the nature of what people are saying they want to start begging God for, that they are saying something they don't mean, or that they aren't sharing something really from the heart because they don't think God cares about it- you may want to prod a little. Maybe you know Mike loves music and wants to have music as more a part of his life- even as part of what he does for a living. He may not feel like God would care about that. You may say, then- "Mike, what would you think about asking God to create an opportunity for you to create and play music? That sounds like something you'd really like to start pounding His door down for. Once people see that it's safe to really throw the huge stuff out there, they'll follow suit.

You may also find people wanting to ask God for a quality of life make-over. Without condemnation- try and get them to ask God to make them part of other people's lives- part of the gospel initiative of Jesus. Steer them to see that "in Jesus' Name" means something so big and beautiful that Jesus would hang His name on it. Celebrate honesty and vulnerability during this time together, and watch as you have everyone trusting each other and growing in faith in friendship because of this exercise. 

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Every...time Discussion guide

We are always proclaiming to people what we believe about Jesus and the good news of His Kingdom. Always.

The purpose of Sunday's message entitled Every...time and the group study that comes with it is to help Christians understand that evangelism is more about showing the relational and transformational power of God's Kingdom in our life- not just a slick sales pitch that creates an occasion for choosing sides. One of the goals of your group time is to explore ways in which what's believed has already been communicated, regardless of whether a "spiritual conversation" has taken place or not.

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Discussion guide

Thaw

Have you ever been treated well by someone who turned out to only want to sell you something?

What kinds of words or phrases come to mind when you hear the words "evangelist", "share the gospel", "evangelical"?

Read

Luke 4:16-19

Does this personal mission statement of Jesus differ with how you would have described His mission? How?

What are some areas of our day to day life that run in opposition to creating good news for the poor, release to the captives, healing, equity, etc?

leader note: If some areas are uncovered, discuss how these affect a follower of Jesus and his/her ability to point to their belief as "good news". If someone is hearing a Christian talk about how Jesus saves the world, but is seeing that the system isn't really changing things in ways that prove any sort of god was at work- would they call it good news? How does intellectualizing (or reducing to a ideological discussion) the gospel both take away from Jesus' mission and people's ability to "observe" that it's of God?

Apply

In Mark 5:1-20, the formerly demon-possessed man is instructed to go and tell people what God has done. That, for Jesus, will be plenty in communicating that God's Kingdom is at hand. 

-Share ways, no matter how big or small that you have seen God change your own life, or the life of someone close to you.

Leader note: if people are having a tough time coming up with anything, you may have to guide them to be aware of God in their midst. Ask them if they have experienced a difficulty in recent months or years, and what they learned from it. Ask them if they have had any "aha!" relational moments. Help them see ways that the appreciate beauty, compassion, generosity, justice- if even in small ways. If you get the sense that the group is at a loss as to what God may be doing and transforming in their own life, you should take some time to discuss what you, as a group of faith journeyers, can do together to allow God more space in 2008 to do what He does. Feel free to finish your time discussing this, as nothing else you discuss will be as valuable as when you decide that you are all in the group to be transformed by God, as well as an instrument of His transformation in others!

Wrap up

How do the following communicate which Kingdom we have given victory to:

Who we associate with.

What percentage of our income we spend on ourselves.

How speak to and about people.

Who we call enemies.

How we see those who have wronged or insulted us.

Where we cheat.

Whether people define us as talkers or listeners.

What makes us worry.

How we see environmental issues.

Clothing.

Our view of sex.

The number of impoverished people we name as friends.

What we eat.

Being in a Life Group.

Spend some quiet time in reflective prayer to give God's Spirit the room to shine some lights on areas that don't communicate His Kingdom well. Areas where we are living the way of a conquered kingdom of death. If the group members are willing, share some of the insights they may glean from this time so that the other members can encourage and ask about it in months to come.

Groups Leaders take 'everything' further!!!

My very good friend just emailed me this (excerpted below). I think he makes a great point, and it does well to challenge us as we reflect on the various ways in which we eliminate that which drowns out the whisper. Part of our job as Life Group Leaders is to help shape into "living" what is only "hearing" when it doesn't move beyond the sermon. The environment you create each week as a group leader may be the baby step someone needs to exchange what they think is a great, but overly idealistic idea, into an actual way of life.

I just listened to the podcast from last Sunday (I was out of town then). I loved it, loved it, loved it!

 

But I was struck with the question: did you convince others of the truth that God is present now in every moment at every place? and that this truth is EVERYTHING? 

 

We are so brainwashed by/in the consumerist world that a message about God's constant presence and the need for our frequent silence just doesn't register. To most, it's just not practical. ....which is funny, since it's all about 'practice,' according to the literature.  

 

We aren't practiced at silence or solitude. We don't even know how to start. Instead, we participate in and contribute to the stream of noise in which we were born. We practice noise all the time. We just don't know how to practice silence/solitude. In our mega-church culture, are we guilty of adding to the noise and shoving the silence into a corner?

 

I loved your message, but I just wonder if it falls on deaf ears and if we have to do more than talk about it.  Are we creating environments where silence is nurtured and flourishes and where noise is shunned?