FEar of the Lord Campaign Bible Talks
In the Presence of the Lord Luke 5:1-11 Big Idea: In the presence of God no one is an expert, therefore obey him. Icebreaker: What is the hardest law for you to follow, why? What is the setting here? (vs 1-3) A group of people being taught,jesus gets in Simon s boat Jesus continues dialog with crowd as he teaches from the boat What does Jesus command Simon to do? (vs 4) What is Simon s response? A little sarcastic/stubborn at first Makes sense, he s the fisherman (expert) and Jesus the carpenter Ends up doing it though inking about it, Simon needed to suck up his pride to listen to Jesus because this was his profession, more advanced in the matter. What are ways we feel like we can be experts? at we do not need Jesus commands in? Forgiving? Evangelism? Parenting? Remember that people were still watching on the shore, how do you think it looked when Simon first listened to Jesus? Humiliating, etc How can we feel this way sometimes? When jesus tells us to do something and others are watching? Ask for examples What was the results of Simon s obedience? Needed a second boat for all the fish! Results ended up being more than imagined for Simon! Share about a time when you decided to have simple obedience to Jesus/Scripture and ignore what others have thought. focus on testimonies of disciples to inspire visitors. Ask what the common trends are in people s perceived area of expertise. Comment on them. ex: People think they don t need to share at their work place, A er seeing the results, how does Simon Peter react? (vs 8) On his knees--astonished humbled What was Jesus ultimate hope for his followers? To catch men Charge: Consider how your expertise could prevent you from following this simple command from Jesus/scriptures. Jesus made an example of Simon Peter s actions, consider how he s done the same in your life.
Rejection Acts 13:42-52 Big Idea: When we fear God, our obedience brings both others and ourselves joy. Ice Breaker: What is the greatest accomplishment you have ever achieved? What made it so great? How much work was put into it? Was it easy? How did it feel working towards the goal?how did it feel accomplishing the goal? Why were Paul and Barnabas in the synagogue in the first place? How did the people, who actually heard their message, respond to it? Judging by the group that followed at Paul and Barnabas next Bible Talk, what had the people done that had heard the first message? Went and told others! Shared the faith. What made the Jews change how excited they were from last time they heard the gospel? Saw the crowds and became jealous. When we become jealous, who do we focus on? What kind of fear drives jealousy? Do we fear men or God? Before becoming jealous and fearing men, how did the Jews feel about the message they heard? Eager to hear more. ey were joyful. What is Paul s response to those who talk abusively against him? What kind of fear drives his response? Does he fear men or God? Because of his fear of God rather than of men, how do the Gentiles (non-jewish people) respond? According to this passage, what are some expectations of people who truly fear God above men? What did Paul have to do in vs. 46? We should be out telling people about God! What can make it difficult for us to tell others about Jesus? What can we fear losing by spreading the gospel? Despite the persecution, how do the disciples leave for Iconium in vs. 52? How is this similar to the people who initially accepted the Word, and to the Gentiles? When we can learn to fear God instead of man, what does this produce within us? Joy, happiness, eagerness to know Jesus How can we, starting now, strive to face our fears of men, and start fearing God? Study the Bible! Start reading the Bible Begin to talk to others about Jesus Final Charge: Paul and Barnabas come into Pisidian Antioch with the objective to do God s will. ey had faced many people before them who had not liked what they had said but this did not stop them. ey continued to fear God and preach the Word. Let s make sure that we aren t living lives that appear spiritual on the outside, but inside care only about what man thinks. Let s not come to these Bible Talks to appear spiritual or check a box, but instead let s come because we fear God. I challenge everyone this week to go out and start 3 conversations with people about Jesus. If we truly do this with the fear of God, we ourselves will be joyful, no matter the outcome, and the person hearing it may as well.
Threat Mark 6:12-29 Big Idea: Fearing God eliminates the power of men s threats. Icebreaker: (Choose 1 or more to introduce topic) Describe a time where you have been mistaken for another person? Who do people say is your celebrity look-a-like? Describe a time where your actions and/or speech reminded them or somebody else? Introduction: Tonight we are going to be discussing the actions of King Herod towards Jesus and John the Baptist. Both Jesus and John the Baptist had identical messages for the world that resulted in many people displaying their disagreement and displeasure. Context: Jesus has sent out the twelve and gave them specific instructions. eir message was (v. 12) that people should repent. What did King Heard hear about? Who did many people believe was responsible? Who did Herod believe it must have been? Why was their a mistaken identity? Mark includes how John the Baptist died. Whose ill-will caused Herod to have John killed? What message of John the Baptist caused Herodias to ultimately threaten his life? If we are going to follow Jesus, what similar message must we share with others? What actions/heart should we have in order to be grouped with Jesus, also? What can people do that hinders us from living this way? How have you been influenced? Has anybody ever recognized that you are like Jesus? Why or why not? Why should we want to be grouped with Jesus and His message? What can you do to help overcome any threats to living like Jesus? Why does God want us to help others by calling them to change (repent)? How would tomorrow look like if we decided to ignore the threats we may/may not receive? Final Charge: Jesus called the world to repent and turn to God. His message was not popular and caused many people to resist Him and those who carried the same message. If we carry this message we can expect to be met with resistance. We must resist all threats that come from man and be motivated by God to see people know the truth in hopes that they respond in faith. Talk about one challenge from the Day of Defiance box that the entire Bible Talk can complete.
Pressure John 9 Big Idea: Giving into the pressure of people makes you blind to God s power. Icebreaker: What was your biggest fear as a kid? Discussion e parents/neighbors What do the man s parents fear in the passage? (Pharisees, their reputation) Do you think the neighbors really don t recognize the man born blind? What could they be afraid of? What is the parents main concern in the passage? (maintaining image/status) How can a fear of losing our status or reputation influence our actions? e Pharisees What do the Pharisees fear in the passage? (Jesus stealing their limelight, being incorrect and humiliated) What do the Pharisees actions say about their fears? How can fear of losing or being replaced influence our actions? How can envy or jealousy feed our unhealthy fear of people? e Man Born Blind What does the man born blind fear in the passage? (Jesus opinion, doing the right thing) How was the man able to have an appropriate fear of the LORD? ( I was blind, now I see ) What types of things does the man say that reveal his loyalties and allegiances? ( He is a prophet God does not listen to sinners ) How can we imitate the man born blind? What types of actions can we implement every day in order to have a God-centered fear as opposed to a people-centered fear? Conclusion Which of the three characters do you associate most with? Why? How can you relocate your fear to be based on God? Why is having a healthy fear of God important in our lives? Final Charge: ere s a saying, No pressure, no diamonds. Everyone in this passage experienced pressure. But only the blind man, the one who feared God could see through the pressure and see God s power. Let s be like the blind man this week and defy the pressures that people pour into our lives on a daily basis. If we fear God, obey his commands no matter what pressure we feel from our friends, family, coworkers, or neighbors then we will watch God take that pressure and turn our faith into diamonds and we will see him working powerfully in our lives.