WEEK ONE: The Fullness of God Genesis through Revelation Small Group Plan

Transcription

1 WEEK ONE: The Fullness of God Genesis through Revelation Small Group Plan Theme: God wants us to surrender all corners of our lives and hearts to Him so he can fill us with His grace, love, power, and mission. Series Overview: Do you ever feel that you are "running on empty"? From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture depicts God as full and overflowing with every goodness. We are called to know, understand, and experience the fullness of God, but too many of us are settling for half empty lives. Over the next several weeks, we'll take a look at Jesus' declaration that He came to give us "life to the full." Together, we'll learn what it means to fully live as God intended. This Week: God demonstrated His fullness in Creation. In the beginning, God created order and filled it with good things. Drought, famine, disease, deformity, war, poverty, and exploitation were not part of His original design. These came after the Rebellion Sin. Through Salvation, God again demonstrates His fullness restoring us to the fullness of grace, love, power, and mission He intended. Discussion Questions: (Urge your group members to attend worship or watch the sermon online in order to best participate in your discussion time.) Ice Breaker: I Remember Back in the Day What did Lake Travis look like when you moved to Austin? Have you ever seen it full? The following are based on the My Application Questions found on the back of the sermon notes. (Leader, encourage your group members to spend time considering and answering those questions before coming to the group, as this will produce a more lively discussion time.) What do you think a full life looks like? In what ways do think you settle for a half-full life? Why? Do you think of God as generous and full of goodness, or stingy and restrictive? What difference does your view make to your spiritual life? 1

2 God asks us to surrender all corners of ourselves to Him so He can fill us with His grace, love, power, and mission. Is there a part of your life that you hesitate to surrender? Why? 2

3 Memory Verse: Leader, our verse for this series will be challenging to memorize. Encourage your group members to take this challenge seriously. Start by providing all members with a copy of the passage on a 3x5 card. Then set the example: share your strategies, struggles, AND successes. Make weekly accountability for this part of your small group plan! This week, discuss the following What are some advantages to scripture memory? What are some strategies that you have found effective for memorization work in the past? And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17b-19 Prayer Tip: Pray for each other about those areas you discussed that are hard to surrender to God. Admit to Him your struggles. (He knows anyway, but it s good for your relationship when you agree with Him!) Ask Him to help you. Tim challenged us to make this bold prayer: God I give you all of me so you can fill me with all of you. As you pray with your partner you might add a phrase: I give you all of me, EVEN... 3

4 WEEK TWO: Jesus + Nothing = Everything Colossians 2:9-10 Small Group Plan Theme: God wants us to surrender all corners of our lives and hearts to Him so he can fill us with His grace, love, power, and mission. Series Overview: Do you ever feel that you are "running on empty"? From Genesis to Revelation, scripture depicts God as full and overflowing with every goodness. We are called to know, understand, and experience the fullness of God, but too many of us are settling for half empty lives. Over the next several weeks, we'll take a look at Jesus' declaration that He came to give us "life to the full." Together, we'll learn what it means to fully live as God intended. This Week: Jesus is fully God; He is completely divine. Therefore He is able to give us fullness to completely satisfy what we thirst for. Unfortunately, we tend to think we need more than Jesus ( Jesus + SOMETHING ) to be satisfied. As a result we wind up with LESS than God has planned for us, not more. The more we turn to something other than Jesus, the thirstier we become. But when we rely on Jesus, we become fully alive and able to bring life to others. Discussion Questions: (Urge your group members to attend worship or watch the sermon online in order to best participate in your discussion time.) Ice Breaker: Describe your thirstiest moment. (No metaphors intended here. We re looking for backpacking, yard-work, and child-birth stories. J ) The following are based on the My Application Questions found on the back of the sermon notes. (Leader, encourage your group members to spend time considering and answering those questions before coming to the group, as this will produce a more lively discussion time.) Read John 4:1-38. This story uses food and water to illustrate spiritual hunger and thirst. o What was the Samaritan woman thirsty for? o How did she try to satisfy her thirst? o What satisfied Jesus? Read Colossians 2:9-10. To what does the word fullness refer in this passage? What practical difference does it make to you to know that Jesus is fully God? 4

5 What does it mean that we have been given fullness in Christ? What kind of fullness? What is your plus? What in addition to Jesus do you think will give you a full life? What does fullness in Christ produce? How does it impact the way we think, feel, or treat others? (John suggested the following: o Because we are fully forgiven, we have nothing to prove. o Because we are fully rich we can be fully generous. o Because we are fully alive we can be life givers.) Memory Verse: And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17b-19 Make weekly accountability for scripture memory part of your small group plan! This week, try the following Discuss: o How did it go? What worked and what were your challenges? o Is anyone ready to say the passage from memory? Before your group meets, write out the passage on several 3x5 cards, putting one phrase on each card. Shuffle the cards and have the group work together to put them in the correct order. Prayer Tip: List ways that God has given fullness to the members of you group. Then spend some time THANKING Him that through Jesus He fills every hunger and satisfies every thirst. Go around the room offering brief prayers of thanksgiving. For example: Thank You that I am fully forgiven. Thank You that my life has purpose. Thank You that my physical needs are met. Thank You that I have experienced love and companionship in this group 5

6 WEEK THREE: Be Filled Ephesians 5:18 Small Group Plan Theme: God wants us to surrender all corners of our lives and hearts to Him so he can fill us with His grace, love, power, and mission. Series Overview: Do you ever feel that you are "running on empty"? From Genesis to Revelation, scripture depicts God as full and overflowing with every kind of goodness. We are called to know, understand, and experience the fullness of God, but too many of us are settling for half empty lives. Over the next several weeks, we'll take a look at Jesus' declaration that He came to give us "life to the full." Together, we'll learn what it means to fully live as God intended. This Week: Scripture teaches that all believers are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:9) But it also commands us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18) In other words, it is possible to have the Holy Spirit living in us but not allow Him to control us. We have a choice. We can quench His fire (by ignoring His voice) and cause Him grief (by engaging in sin). Or, we can walk in step with the Spirit (sometimes called spiritual breathing). Being filled with the Spirit is an on-going, daily, even moment-by-moment, practice of letting go of selfish motives confessing sin and giving up a personal agenda and inviting the Spirit of God to direct us acting on His direction while relying on His power. Those who make the choice to live life filled with the Holy Spirit experience what Jesus called Life to the Full. For more on Spiritual Breathing and the Spirit-Filled go here: Discussion Questions: (Urge your group members to attend worship or watch the sermon online in order to best participate in your discussion time.) Ice Breaker: When you were 10 years old, who or what was the greatest influence in your life? The following are based on the My Application Questions found on the back of the sermon notes. (Leader, encourage your group members to spend time considering and answering those questions before coming to the group, as this will produce a more lively discussion time.) 6

7 Read Romans 8:9 and Ephesians 5:18. What is the difference between having the Holy Spirit live in you and being filled with the Holy Spirit? What part do we play in being filled with the Holy Spirit? Can we prevent the Holy Spirit from filling us? How? Describe a time when you believed the Holy Spirit was prompting you to do something. How did you respond? What happened? How do you know when you ve been trying to live the Christian life in your own power, rather than in the power of the Holy Spirit? Memory Verse: And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17b-19 Make weekly accountability for scripture memory part of your small group plan! This week, try the following Ask who is ready to say the passage from memory. Celebrate the achievement! Give me a sign! Make a game of this: o Pass out the cards you used last week. o Have group members act out the phrase on their card for the rest of the group ( Charades style). o Then, put those phrases and actions together saying and signing the passage at the same time. Prayer Tip: Point 3 of this week s sermon is All Believers Come Alive When Filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:19-20 describes what this coming alive looks like. Leader, choose a worshipful song that is meaningful to you. Read Ephesians 5:19-20 and then play the song you chose for your group. You might also provide them with a printed copy of the lyrics to read along and focus on the words as well as the melody. Afterwards, spend some time responding in prayer as the Spirit prompts you. Maybe you will pray for your group. Maybe they would like to pray conversationally. 7

8 WEEK FOUR: The Fullness of God in the Bible 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Small Group Plan Theme: God wants us to surrender all corners of our lives and hearts to Him so he can fill us with His grace, love, power, and mission. Series Overview: Do you ever feel that you are "running on empty"? From Genesis to Revelation, scripture depicts God as full and overflowing with every kind of goodness. We are called to know, understand, and experience the fullness of God, but too many of us are settling for half empty lives. Over the next several weeks, we'll take a look at Jesus' declaration that He came to give us "life to the full." Together, we'll learn what it means to fully live as God intended. This Week: As a society, we have more information available to us than at any other time in history. But we find that more information doesn t necessarily make us wiser. Wisdom is about the skillful application of knowledge to life that is to say, righteous living. For that, we find what we need in the Bible (which calls itself Scripture and the Word of God). In Scripture, God breathes out life-giving words of instruction and wisdom. When we apply what we find there, we are prepared to enjoy life as God intended it to be life to the full. Discussion Questions: (Urge your group members to attend worship or watch the sermon online in order to best participate in your discussion time.) Ice Breaker: What is your preferred source of news and information? (For example, talk radio, the Internet, newspaper, a well-informed friend ) The following are based on the My Application Questions found on the back of the sermon notes. (Leader, encourage your group members to spend time considering and answering those questions before coming to the group, as this will produce a more lively discussion time.) What is your view of the Bible? How did you come to hold that view? Has your view changed over time? What are some voices that compete with the life-giving words of the Bible? How has Satan used a life-taking voice to rob you? Read James 1:22-25, John 15:9-17, and Hebrews 5: Discuss the danger of learning and knowing without doing. 8

9 Describe the difference between trying and training as Tim explained it. Would you say that you are currently training in righteousness or just trying? o For those who are training, what is your training plan? o Is there something you want to start doing to train yourself more effectively? How can this group help you? Memory Verse: One very effective way of using Scripture to train ourselves in godliness is to memorize it! If your group hasn t done so until now, this is a great time to start. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17b-19 Practice and review the passage together. Those who have more experience or have made more progress toward the goal, share some tips and techniques with the rest of the group. Ask who is ready to say the passage from memory. Celebrate the achievement! Prayer Tip: Pair up and share with your partner a goal you have this week for training yourself in the application of Scripture to your life. Also share a challenge or obstacle you expect to face. Then pray for each other. Ask the Holy Spirit to help and empower you as you commit to follow God in this area. Plan to check back with your partner next week to see what happened. 9

10 WEEK FIVE: The Fullness of Joy Psalm 16:1-11 Small Group Plan Theme: God wants us to surrender all corners of our lives and hearts to Him so he can fill us with His grace, love, power, and mission. Series Overview: Do you ever feel that you are "running on empty"? From Genesis to Revelation, scripture depicts God as full and overflowing with every kind of goodness. We are called to know, understand, and experience the fullness of God, but too many of us are settling for half empty lives. Over the next several weeks, we'll take a look at Jesus' declaration that He came to give us "life to the full." Together, we'll learn what it means to fully live as God intended. This Week: What is the formula for a joyful life? Whether we articulate it or not, many of us have some kind of unspoken formula: The RIGHT spouse + well-behaved kids + a comfortable house = Joy The RIGHT college + a cute boy/girlfriend + a new car = Joy The psalmist David described some unexpected components to the life that is full of joy in Psalm 16:1-11. He said that fullness of joy begins with a Bet the Farm kind of faith in God. When we see God, our Master and Protector, as the only good thing in life, it changes everything. Such faith is reinforced when we enjoy godly community and make gathering with other people of faith a priority. It causes us to recognize all blessings in life as gifts from God and to focus on the Giver more than the gifts. And Bet the Farm faith causes us to rest in God s guidance and protection, relying on His Wisdom and His Promises. As a result we can experience Full-on Satisfaction in presence of a God who never abandons His own and emanates ultimate, eternal joy. Discussion Questions: (Urge your group members to attend worship or watch the sermon online in order to best participate in your discussion time.) Ice Breaker: Name a possession you have that is valuable to you because of who gave it to you. The following are based on the My Application Questions found on the back of the sermon notes. (Leader, encourage your group members to spend time considering and answering those questions before coming to the group, as this will produce a more lively discussion time.) 10

11 Read Psalm 16:1-11. Leader, since this is a longer passage you may choose to have the group read it, one-verse-per-person. What good things give you a sense of security? How would you finish these statements: o Life will be good if happens. o Or, Life will not be good if happens. Why would recognizing God as the Giver cause us to get more joy from our material possessions? How do you cultivate the habit of seeing things that way? Describe a time when you knew that God guided or protected you. How does an awareness of that experience affect your outlook on the future? What do you sacrifice in order to meet with this group? What are the benefits to you? How can we do a better job of reinforcing each other s faith? Memory Verse: In order to rest in God s guidance and promises, we must be listening to His voice. A great way of doing that is to memorize and then meditate on God s Word. That s why we include scripture memory in our small group plans. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17b-19 A few weeks ago you came up with some hand gestures and body movements to remind you of the words of this passage. Use them to review the passage together. Ask who is ready to say the passage from memory. Celebrate the achievement! Prayer Tip: Have your group think back on how you all finished the statements: o Life will be good if happens. o Or, Life will not be good if happens. Focus on those responses in your prayer time. Lead the group like this: Father, we choose to Bet the Farm on You in faith. We recognize that we have no good thing apart from You, and that You alone are our ultimate good. You are the Giver of all good things in our lives, Including (have group members list good things God has given them). We relinquish our demand for other good things including (have group members list the things they mentioned earlier in the discussion) We choose to rest in Your guidance and protection and encourage one another in all this. Close your prayer time by reading Psalm 16:5-8 11

12 Lord, You alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 12

13 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Amen 13

14 WEEK SIX: Radical Grace Luke 15 Small Group Plan Theme: God wants us to surrender all corners of our lives and hearts to Him so he can fill us with His grace, love, power, and mission. Series Overview: Do you ever feel that you are "running on empty"? From Genesis to Revelation, scripture depicts God as full and overflowing with every kind of goodness. We are called to know, understand, and experience the fullness of God, but too many of us are settling for half empty lives. Over the next several weeks, we'll take a look at Jesus' declaration that He came to give us "life to the full." Together, we'll learn what it means to fully live as God intended. This Week: What is radical grace and how does it produce a joyful life? We often try to manufacture joy by selfishly controlling our circumstances to our own perceived benefit. Jesus teaches in Luke 15 that joy comes from having our hearts set on what is on the Father s heart lost people coming home to Him. The Pharisees were rebuked by Jesus story because everything about the story went against what they held near and dear in their religion. Jesus uses the story of the Prodigal Son to show the heart for lost people that the Father has. God desires that ALL return to him just as the son returned home to his father in the parable. When we align with God s heart, we experience the joyful heart he promises. If we live for ourselves, we miss it completely. Discussion Questions: (Urge your group members to attend worship or watch the sermon online in order to best participate in your discussion time.) Ice Breaker: Describe briefly how you were once lost (as a kid or otherwise) and how you were found. How did you feel in that circumstance? The following are based on the My Application Questions found on the back of the sermon notes. (Leader, encourage your group members to spend time considering and answering those questions before coming to the group, as this will produce a more lively discussion time.) Read Luke 15. Which character do you most identify with in this story? In this parable, the father is watching for his son to return. Are you watching and waiting for the people you love? Is anyone watching and waiting for you? Read Romans 5:8. Are you able to accept where others are on their spiritual journey, and rejoice when they make progress? 14

15 If someone brought a prodigal to your small group or our church, how do you think they would be received? Would you/they respond like the father or the son? Memory Verse: In order to rest in God s guidance and promises, we must be listening to His voice. A great way of doing that is to memorize and then meditate on God s Word. That s why we include scripture memory in our small group plans. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17b-19 A few weeks ago you came up with some hand gestures and body movements to remind you of the words of this passage. Use them to review the passage together. Ask who is ready to say the passage from memory. Celebrate the achievement! Prayer Tip: Have your group think of some family or friends who are far from God that they would like to see come back to Him. Go around and pray for those people. Encourage your group members to make a simple REACH List to identify those far from God, pray for them daily, and take some steps to help them find their way back to the Father. 15

16 WEEK SEVEN: Walking in the Full Life Selected Scripture Small Group Plan Theme: God wants us to surrender all corners of our lives and hearts to Him so he can fill us with His grace, love, power, and mission. Series Overview: Do you ever feel that you are "running on empty"? From Genesis to Revelation, scripture depicts God as full and overflowing with every kind of goodness. We are called to know, understand, and experience the fullness of God, but too many of us are settling for half empty lives. Over the next several weeks, we'll take a look at Jesus' declaration that He came to give us "life to the full." Together, we'll learn what it means to fully live as God intended. This Week: It s one thing to LEARN about what it means to have life in full, but it s a completely different thing to actually DO something about it. Jesus taught AND modeled what it means to live life in the full. In other worlds, he put LEGS on what it means to walk in the fullness of life. He not only pointed to the commands to love God and love others, but he demonstrated how to do it. The path to the full life is sacrificing ourselves for the sake of others, just as Jesus did. The full life comes from action - actually doing things that help and serve others. As we Love, Encourage, Give to, and Serve others, we put LEGS on our faith. Jesus uses us to lead people to himself and to build up the body of Christ when we die to ourselves and our own interests and focus on others. This concept is counter to the way we normally think, but this is the only path to the full life that Jesus promises. Discussion Questions: (Urge your group members to attend worship or watch the sermon online in order to best participate in your discussion time.) Ice Breaker: Describe briefly how someone helped you significantly, gave to you, or served you in some way in the past. The following are based on the My Application Questions found on the back of the sermon notes. (Leader, encourage your group members to spend time considering and answering those questions before coming to the group, as this will produce a more lively discussion time.) 16

17 Read Matthew 22: Jesus said the greatest commandments are to love God and to love your neighbor. Who in your neighborhood do you need to begin to build a relationship with? Read 1 Thessalonians 5:11. Paul ties encouragement and comfort to building each other up. How have you seen this work in your life? Who do you need to personally encourage this week? Read 2 Corinthians 9:6. In what ways is this verse counter to what our culture tells us? Who does God want you to give to in some way this week? Read Matthew 20: How did Jesus put others first and serve them in his lifetime? How does this relate to and impact your service to others? Is there someone that God is prompting you to serve in some way this week? Memory Verse: Give the people who are memorizing the verse to recite it to the group. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17b-19 Celebrate the achievement with anyone who can recite the verse from memory! Prayer Tip: The discussion this week centers around love being an action. Pray about how members of your small group can individually or as a group serve and help people better. Ask God to bless you through the efforts. Pray about any commitments you ve made to Love, Encourage, Give to, or Serve others. Pray that the people being served will be able to see Jesus Christ in your service and be drawn to God through it. 17

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