NOTE FROM PASTOR JAMES MACDONALD As you are aware, I’ve got a history with doctor check-ups and serious conversations about health! Praise God I am presently blessed with good health, and praise the Lord He has blessed me with clear and compelling experiences that have left an indelible impression on my life that health of every kind is not static, constant, or guaranteed. There’s a lot we can do to be healthy as people and a lot we can do to stay healthy as the church of Jesus Christ. As passionate as I am about maintaining personal good health for the glory of God, I am even more sold-out to the idea that the body of Jesus Christ must be a healthy place, a spiritual body glowing with vitality. I continually ask God to keep me attuned to any signs of spiritual illness or unhealthiness among us. And we want to be rigorously faithful about the kind of spiritual health maintenance that we find in God’s Word. If we haven’t as the body of Christ been nourishing ourselves on God’s Word, nor exercising ourselves in obedience to Christ we shouldn’t be surprised to see signs that all is not well. I promise you, we’re not waiting for sickness to warn us—we’re going for an aggressive program of spiritual health. We want the phrase 5G to be a short way of pointing to a whole list of actions we are taking to be the church Christ has intended us to be for His glory! Pray with me as we strive together to be what Christ died and lives for us to be—His 5G Church!
BEFORE SESSION ONE...
TABLE OF CONTENTS A Note from Pastor James MacDonald Before Session One Parts of Each 5G Study
1 3-4 5
Session One: Glorifying Church
7-16
Session Two: Growing Church
17-26
Session Three: Gracious Church
27-34
Session Four: Generous Church
35-48
Session Five: Grateful Church
49-58
Small Group Covenant Accountability Questions
61 62-63
Spiritual Growth Points
64
Spiritual Discipline
65
Character Quality
66
Relationships67
Welcome to 5G! This Bible study will guide you through the next five weeks as Harvest Bible Chapel embarks on a campaign to promote corporate, spiritual well-being. It’s about becoming a 5G church! You are crucial to this process. Your part in pursuing personal spiritual health with many others in our church will drive us toward experiencing what God can do through a 5G Church! The idea of “healthy” and, unfortunately, a “sick” church are clear biblical themes that God uses to wake up, tune up, and build up His people. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 the apostle Paul applied a great analogy that we’re going to be thinking about during these weeks: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our un-presentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”
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We will be studying together five great themes from God’s Word that are characteristics of a healthy church. These five themes are the 5G’s:
PARTS OF EACH 5G STUDY
A 5G church is a…
Each week you will study one of the five major themes that will be the focus of our 5G campaign.
Glorifying Church Growing Church Gracious Church Generous Church Grateful Church
OBJECTIVE We want to focus your heart on each theme for one week. We have included three studies for you to complete during your week. The objective of each day will focus your attention on the specific ways we expect the study of God’s Word to affect your lives.
READ Each study includes a passage of Scripture to read. Take your time and read through the verses to start each study.
OBSERVE This includes a couple questions and exercises that will allow you to explore the meaning of the passage from God’s Word.
consider A short devotional reading that expounds on this week’s theme.
Make it a point this fall to prepare yourself through these studies, participate in your Small Group gatherings or Community Group nights and join other believers at Harvest during the weekend Worship Service as we explore together what it means to be 5G Church!
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Apply Some final questions to help you consider how the biblical truth applies to your life.
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session
1 Glorifying Church
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1
day
Read 1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
Observe 1. In your own words and experience, what does the phrase “to the glory of God” mean?
And so when he says, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God,” he’s saying do it to display God. Do it to show off the reality of God in your life. So if your life doesn’t display God, if I can’t discipline myself in a way that displays the reality of God in my life, if I can’t go through this trial, if I can’t spend my money in a way that displays the reality of God in my life, if I can’t gamble, if I can’t smoke, if I can’t watch this in a way that displays the reality of God in my life, “Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” So, thinking about that list: Does that glorify God? Does that show that I’m a blood bought, redeemed follower of Jesus Christ? Does it show that? Can I use that to send out the message that God is real and Jesus is alive? I will do all things to the glory of my God.
Apply 1. Why do you think we’ve made “Glorifying” the number one item on the list of characteristics of a 5G Church?
2. In this passage, what is the connection between giving God glory in all you do and not seeking your own advantage but the growth of the church?
Consider
I will do all things to the glory of God. So now, consider all the things you do. What things do you do that are included here? Can you do this to the glory of God? You know what the glory of God means? Glory is to God as heat is to fire; as wet is to water; as light is to bulb, glory is to God. It’s what emanates from God’s presence. We don’t see God, we see God’s glory. The Bible says the heavens declare the glory of God.
Have you experienced the glory of God? Maybe you’ve experienced it standing on a beach on a moonlight night and looking up and feeling so small and going, “There has to be a God!” That’s Creation shouting the glory of God. But Creation doesn’t do as good a job as we do. We are to glorify God. Our lives are to display the reality of God. That’s the glory of God.
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2. What are some of the things you do that should be reconsidered in light of the glory of God?
3. Doing all to the glory of God is hard work. Why are both encouragement and endurance important aspects of a Christian’s life? Which of these two would you say is your greatest need right now?
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2
day
Read Isaiah 58:1-5
“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?”
Observe 1. What is the significance of the connection between seeking God and obeying God in this passage?
2. Based on this passage, what kind of worship is God pursuing?
Consider WHEN GOD IGNORES OUR WORSHIP Isaiah 58:3 describes a common complaint among God’s people: “We’ve humbled ourselves, and you don’t notice.” One of the things that is troubling about some Christian books is that people treat God like some subject in an advice column. Attempting to answer questions about God with “It seems to me…” is a complete waste of time. What we need is not someone’s considered opinion about God. We need to hear from God Himself. That’s what we are striving to do right now. Rather than listening to a lot of blah-blah-blah-blah about why God seems so far away, we are letting God answer the question Himself. “Lord, why does it seem sometimes that I do the things I am supposed to in order to connect with You, and You completely ignore me?”
Three Reasons God Ignores Our Worship Reason #1—Our Worship is Selfish. Isaiah 58:3b says, “Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, and drive hard all your workers.” In that phrase, you find your desire means that you already have pretty much everything you want. When we come to the weekend worship service intent on worshiping God, often we’re fed up, we’re rested up, we’re sexed up, we’re leisured up—basically satisfied with everything our hearts desire. Then we rush into church almost as an afterthought and say by our actions, “Oh yeah, God, I want You, too.” And He is like, “Sorry, it doesn’t work that way.” You cannot have everything your heart desires and God as an add-on! Secondly, God doesn’t show up in your worship because you “drive hard all your workers” (v. 3b), another expression of selfishness. Here Isaiah is saying that even though you set aside time to attend a Worship Service, your investment machine keeps on going. You may be in church, but your cell phone and pager are still on, and your little system of generating income is still in gear, even if it’s just in your thoughts. You would never think of shutting them down to give your full and focused attention to God and to God alone.
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day
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(Continued)
Reason #2—We Are Strife-filled.
Apply 1. How can you keep your worship from being selfish? What are some things you need to shut off in order to engage in the weekend worship? In what are you finding satisfaction that should be found in God?
Christians can sometimes be directionally challenged. Some are consumed with the vertical and think they can avoid or ignore the horizontal. Maybe you have some horizontal stuff (with people) that you need to deal with before you can get the vertical thing right with God. God goes on to say in verse 4, “Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.” In other words, you fuss and fume and fight with people all week, and then you come to worship. Instead of leaving church determined to get right with people and be an instrument of reconciliation in this world, you walk out and pick up every attitude you dropped off temporarily when you walked in. When we have not made every effort we can to be right with others, God ignores our worship.
Reason #3—We Are Surface-y.
We may look really sincere. We may make all the right moves, but God ignores our worship if we’re focused on externals. Isaiah 58:5 says, “Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord?” In other words, did God ask that you bow low to the ground like some cattails on a windy day?
As with most symbolic expressions of worship, over time the people became guilty of offering God the symbol and not the reality. They came to worship decked out in burlap and soot, but they failed to let the reality of their sinfulness penetrate their own hearts. What about us? What if you raise your hands to God, a symbol of sincerity and purity— not out of a heightened sense of God’s presence in your worship but just because the music is climaxing or because the person next to you does? We can bow our heads in prayer, open our Bibles for study, and approach the Communion table all the while we are in fact a thousand miles away in our spirits—keeping up appearances.
2. How can you keep your worship from being strife-filled? What relationships do you need to reconcile in order to worship more genuinely?
3. How can you keep your worship from being surface-y? Why is it easy to fall into a surface-level worship? How do you get past appearance-driven worship to genuine worship?
Those are the times God ignores our worship. When we come thinking, “What’s in this for me?” When we come without doing the horizontal forgiveness. When we look the part and do the externals, but our hearts are far from God.
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3
day
Read 1 Peter 2:9-12
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”
OBSERVE 1. The phrase, “proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness,” (1 Peter 2:9) describes a significant aspect of worship. How can we praise God for calling us out of darkness? In what ways do we accomplish this at Harvest?
God’s purpose in your life is to bring glory to Him or display His reality. In fact, He wants you to do it even in the most mundane things that you do. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). In commanding us to glorify Him, God invites us to leave His fingerprints on everything we touch.
APPLY Since giving God glory means acknowledging God’s character and His actions, how many specific reasons can you list that would be sources for glory to God today?
The ultimate goal of all that God does for us is not that others will look on and remark, “Look at that church!” Why is it important to remember the pursued goal of all that God does in and through His people is His Glory?
2. Did you notice the transition in the focus of the praise? How does our conduct and circumstances fit into giving God the glory? How have you seen another believer give God glory through a trial they experienced?
Glory is all about giving God what he deserves through worship. To be a 5G church that glorifies God we must have healthy worship. Based on this week’s study, what is your part in that?
CONSIDER
God ignites our worship. “I created [you] for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:7). God made us so that we could reflect His glory back to Him. Glory is to God as wet is to water, as heat is to fire, as light is to bulb. Glory is what emanates from God. Although we can’t see God (1 John 4:12), we can see His glory in creation and in His people when they model His holiness. Glory is the evidence that God is present. 14
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session
2 Growing Church
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1
day
Read Acts 2:42-47
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
OBSERVE 1. What do you think it means when it says they “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching?” What do you think that looked like?
2. This passage says they were “having favor with all the people.” What does that mean? Why is it important?
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CONSIDER Acts 2:42-47 is a Scripture passage that churches have looked to for more than 2,000 years as an example to emulate. These verses describe what the church is supposed to be. We have to start with this: we must be devoted to God’s Word. Notice how that word “devoted” in verse 42 is not referring only to how new believers related to the apostles’ teaching but also how they related to “the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and the prayers.” The word “devoted” is used ten times in the New Testament and it means “standing by in readiness.” Some translations say, “they continued steadfastly.” The early church was saying, “We’re ready to go! What do you need? We’re ready to do it!” The first thing they were devoted to is the apostles’ teaching, which for us means, “We must be devoted to God’s Word.” The apostles’ teaching equates to God’s Word because the apostles were teaching the Old Testament. And they were teaching their Gospels, and the contents of the Epistles. Now when you get the Old Testament and the Gospels and the Epistles, what do you have? You have the Bible! They were devoted to God’s Word! That begs this question: Am I devoted to God’s Word? Am I determined to see God’s Word downloaded in my heart? No church will ever be devoted to God’s Word except as the people in the church are devoted to seeing God’s Word downloaded in their own lives. Nobody wants to come to church and listen to some stale preacher who’s up there telling them what God’s Word says but he’s not fired up about it in his own life. Am I displeased when I hear God’s Word distorted? That’s part of being devoted to God’s Word, too. You can’t be casual or indifferent about the distorting of God’s Word. Am I distraught when I hear God’s Word diluted? We’re not talking about people saying something the Bible doesn’t say. Rather, we’re talking about people who only say part of it. “Just the nice parts, please. Just the good words, just the loving God, just the things that tickle my ears. Just that happy stuff and nothing else.” Am I dedicated to seeing God’s Word distributed? Am I giving my life to getting this Book out? Those in the early church were spending themselves to getting the message of God’s Word out, and I think we have to ask ourselves the question: Does that matter to me?
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1
day
(Continued)
APPLY 1. How is a devotion to the Word of God evidenced in your life? What does it look like?
How are you dedicated to distributing God’s Word? Who can you talk to about God’s Word today?
2
day
Read Acts 2:42-47
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
OBSERVE
1. Now that you’ve read this passage again, what is the singular thread that unites this passage?
In what ways have you seen God’s Word bring the blessing of growth in your life?
2. How do prayer (trusting God) and actions (your responsibility) work together in this passage?
CONSIDER The last part of God’s presence is in Acts 2:43: “And awe came upon every soul.” So as they gave themselves to the breaking of bread and to the prayers, God’s presence, the fear of the Lord came upon all of them. They responded by saying, “He’s God and 20
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we’re not and this is a real thing.” There was a seriousness about what the people were doing. We must have that in our church. Notice that it says in Acts 2:44, “And all who believed were together.” Together. He says it again in verse 46, “And day by day, attending the temple together.” The point is that God was keeping the church together. There is a sense of that at Harvest Bible Chapel — God is holding us together and we’re kept by the power of God in salvation; we’re kept together in unity. Jesus prayed that we’d be unified, and God’s Spirit keeps the church together.
HERE’S WHAT TOGETHERNESS MEANS • First, we have no rights. It says that they were all together. They were on the same page. They were sacrificing themselves, their rights, their opinions, all for the sake of unity. It’s not about me; it’s about us. Not what I want, but what we want. Not what I need, but what we need. That’s the strength of the church. It’s not about individuals; it’s about the whole. • Second, we have no possessions. Acts 2:44-45 says that they “…had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all.” Does that sound like communism to you? Everybody put everything in one big pot. Well the reason why it isn’t communism is because it wasn’t coerced. It wasn’t the church leaders saying, “Give it up, buddy! Right now! Cough it up!” It wasn’t like that. The people were doing it willingly. The Early Church got that. They were together on it. • Because the early church was together on the first two points, we see the third. We have no needs. They were “distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Believers willingly brought what they had and they gave it to the apostles. Biblical Christianity is about taking what we have to give it to the Lord in an act of worship. Then, the leaders of our church work together to make sure that our offerings are distributed to meet the needs of all. We meet needs by making sure we have a Student Ministry and a College Ministry and a Missions Ministry and we’re planting churches and we’re feeding the poor and that we’re preaching at local jails and we’re paying the bills in the facilities God’s entrusted to us. The early church would get together and hear the apostles’ teaching. They met in Small Groups and they would say, “How’s you’re life in this regard and where are you at?” and “Let’s break bread together. Let’s remember the Lord together.” They were doing life together. They were filled with joy together and the natural outcome of that is they were praising God (v.47). Joy is experienced. They were praising God. When it’s happening, when you’re in the groove spiritually, when the church is working, you want to worship God! 22
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(Continued)
However, joy isn’t just experienced. Joy is also extended. Verse 47 says the believers were “praising God and having favor with all the people.” That includes all the unbelievers present. Everyone was saying, “These people are rocking right now!” “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” The church grew. The Lord added members. When we do what God tells us to do and God does what He always does, then the church grows!
APPLY 1. To what extent do you think the involvement of other Christians is an essential component in you making progress in spiritual growth? (Give it a percentage from 0% to 100% and briefly explain your answer).
2. How is your understanding of the significance you have in others’ lives changed when you compare it to living in a physical body apart from which we could not survive?
3. From this passage, what character trait do you need to work on most (faith, generosity, perseverance, etc.)? How can you use that trait to build up the church? Who can help you work on improving that character trait in your life?
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3
day
Read Ephesians 4:15-16
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
OBSERVE 1. How would you define personal spiritual growth? How does that definition fit with the passage above? 2. What difference (if any) does it make if we remember that most of the “you” pronouns in the Epistles of Paul are plural—though we often read them as if they were singular? Why do you think Paul says, “We are to grow up” rather than, “You are to grow up?”
CONSIDER There’s a lot of misunderstanding about fellowship. It’s disturbing that the term is used improperly so often. Fellowship is not red punch over in the church cafeteria. The word “fellowship” means “partnership or sharing.” Here’s a good definition: Fellowship is a relationship between individuals as a result of active participation in a common mission. But biblical fellowship is a little tricky. You don’t actually get real fellowship by going for it! It’s a by-product. It comes out of something else. The deep relationships, the satisfying relationships, the lasting relationships, are the ones where you realize, “Oh my goodness! It’s awesome what God’s been doing between us!” But it didn’t happen by working on that. It happened because we rolled up our sleeves and got busy working for the kingdom of Jesus Christ together!
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In the early church, the breaking of bread was a meal. They would have a meal together. “Hey come on over to our house and we’re going to have a meal together.” Then at the end of the meal, they would take the bread and the cup and they would break bread—they were remembering the Lord together. They were devoted to the breaking of bread, the presence of Jesus Christ, and to the prayers! They weren’t devoted to “prayer,” as some translations have it, they were devoted to “the prayers,” plural. That tells us that they practiced both spontaneous prayers as well as saying from memory the prayers found in Scripture and composed for special purposes. Are you devoted to fellowship, to breaking bread with fellow Christians, and heartfelt prayers with God’s people? These are the pursuits of a church that is “joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:16).
APPLY 1. When you think back over your journey as a follower of Jesus, what do you see as the clearest signs that you are growing spiritually? 2. What does it mean to you personally to be not only connected with Christ in salvation, but connected with other believers in His Body?
session
3 Gracious Church
3. Paul uses the phrase “when each part is working properly” in Ephesians 4:16 to highlight our personal responsibility within the Body of Christ. How can you keep the focus off others’ responsibility and on your own responsibility? Based on what we’ve read so far, what is your responsibility? 26
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1
day
Read Colossians 1:13-14
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
OBSERVE 1. What is the “domain of darkness” and what is the “kingdom of his beloved Son?” How have you experienced both? 2. Why is it important that “He,” God, does the work of delivering us rather than ourselves? How should this influence our view of victory over sin?
pictures Christ’s death as payment to God. God didn’t just come and get us. He paid a price to get us back. “In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin” (v.14). Do you know what it means to be forgiven of your sin? It means that no wrong that you’ve ever done can be held against you. Think of all the wrong you’ve done. In Christ, it cannot be held against you. It’s unbelievable! All the wrong things that I’ve ever done—none of it can ever be held against me because of Christ. In Him, we have redemption through His blood—the forgiveness of sins. It’s hard to believe. We have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. We have been spared the horror of God’s wrath in Hell. We were bankrupt. We had nothing to offer. The condition of every single person in this world is lost and without hope. No capacity to pay our moral and spiritual debt and nothing with which to endear ourselves to God. Then God Himself stepped in and paid the price for us. It’s outrageous! It’s called grace. “Marvelous grace of our loving God. Freely bestowed on all who believe. Grace, grace, God’s grace.” (Grace Greater than Our Sin, hymn by Julia Johnston). Who can imagine this? No wonder we call it amazing. Grace that redeems; the penalty is settled.
APPLY 1. How do we try to earn God’s redemption when it’s offered freely? What things to you do in trying to “deserve” redemption?
CONSIDER Let’s think about a picture of grace as we hold up the cross of Jesus Christ. “God forbid that I should glory in anything other than the cross of Jesus Christ.” Grace is unearned. Grace is unmerited. God gives gifts, not pay raises. Consider everything you’ve ever received from the Lord; you’ve earned none of it. You deserve none of it. God doesn’t give paychecks; God gives grace. To embrace that in your life, we want you to look at four passages that fill our understanding of grace. Apart from Christ, we belong to the kingdom of darkness. You might say, I was sort of a good person. No, you were not! It’s unearned. It’s undeserved. God in His love chose to set His love upon you. He reached down and took a hold of you. You couldn’t stop Him, and He came after you. He conquered your will. He drew you to Himself. He loves you. That’s grace—unearned and unmerited. Apart from Christ we were citizens to the kingdom of darkness! The storm of His wrath was coming upon us. We were trapped with no way out and the waters were rising until Christ stepped in and led our souls to higher ground. Colossians 1:14 says we have redemption. That 28
2. From what “domains of darkness” has God redeemed you? Where are you tempted to return to the domain of darkness? 3. Where are you longing to experience the grace of God in your life? What area of your life needs a refreshing infusion of grace?
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day
Read Ephesians 2:14-15
both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (vv.15-16). That means that black and white and Asian and Hispanic, all of us different, we should get along. There should be a love between us that just blows the world away.
“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace.”
Prejudice is great wickedness. And it hurts people in our society. Every follower of Jesus Christ, listen up. Whatever your race or denomination or social background, you ought to hate prejudice with a holy indignation. It is wickedness. Prejudice has been broken down in Christ. Our love for each other, by God’s grace, should so exceed the love in the world. Are you with me? God help us to be a church like that filled with grace that reconciles.
OBSERVE
APPLY
1. What is the “wall of hostility” between us and God? What does it mean that God destroyed this wall “by abolishing the law of commandments?”
1. In our lives, walls of hostility can separate us from others. Although you know it, the walls of hostility shouldn’t be there, but which ones tend to show up when you allow them to rise? Where have walls of hostility existed in your relationships? What can you do to break these walls down?
2. What truth does this passage emphasize in repeating that Christ “he…himself” made our peace?
2. What does it say about our understanding of God’s grace if we cannot be gracious toward each other? Who’s responsible when a local church lacks grace? Consider 1 John 4:19-21.
CONSIDER By going to the cross for all men and all women everywhere, by allowing Himself to be crucified, there is a substitute for our sin. Jesus broke down the barriers that separate us. That means not only a better relationship with God, but also, once you’ve experienced grace, a better relationship with other people! That’s why the church of Jesus Christ should be the most diverse place in our entire culture. Christ has broken down the walls that separate us. Grace reconciles; it makes us both one. He “has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” What is the wall of hostility in our land? Hatred between different races; different social classes, different backgrounds. “You’re not like me; I don’t know you—I hate you!” Because God forgave, that must not be a part of a life of grace. “…that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us 30
3. Since this study is specifically about the church, would you say that a local body of Christians ought to err on the side of law or err on the side of grace when there’s a doubt? What examples can you think of where this would make a huge difference? Consider Romans 6:14-15.
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Read Romans 5:2
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
OBSERVE
God says to every person deformed by sin, “I wish you were mine. I wish you were mine.” “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Maybe you don’t feel worthy of God’s love. Maybe you feel like your life is like some dark, dirty, nasty thing and you’re ashamed of where you’ve been and you’re ashamed of what you’ve done. And you wonder if you could ever feel clean again. Could I ever go on with my life again? What will God do with my sin? Scripture says that He took it and “nailed it to the cross.” All of my wickedness, all of my sin was placed on Jesus Christ, and God in His grace reaches out and offers me free and total forgiveness.
1. Romans 5:2 pictures us as people who “stand in grace.” What does that mean?
APPLY
1. We usually think about grace as a description of how God treats us; in what ways is it a description of how we ought to treat each other?
2. Although “grace” and “mercy” are sometimes used interchangeably in comments about the way God looks at us and treats us, there is a difference between these traits. One way to express this difference is the following: “Grace gives us what we don’t deserve, and mercy withholds what we deserve.” What do you see as the practical differences between grace and mercy?
2. What keeps grace from becoming soft on sin? How do you see the difference between grace and tolerance? What are some of the things we should never tolerate, even while we are being gracious?
CONSIDER You may say that your issue is not how you see other people or even how you relate to other people who are different from you. Your issue is how you see yourself. We sometimes really struggle with that. “And you, who were dead in your trespasses… God made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” Don’t you love that? You ask Jesus, “What did you do with my stuff, Jesus?” I nailed it to the cross—removed it. That’s what He did. All of our sin, all of our self-inflicted misery are nailed to the cross.
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3. Do you tend to show more grace to your own sin or to the sin of others? With this in mind, where do you need to grow in grace?
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session
4 Generous Church
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1
day
Read Malachi 3:7-8
“From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.”
OBSERVE 1. The Father calls the wayward to return to Him. If they return, the Father will return to them. This is an amazing assurance – if you return, the Father will accept you. What does this reveal about God’s character? How does this truth influence your past choices that were financially unbiblical?
2. The Father directly addresses the lives of His followers in the area of finances. The accusation is plain and simple – “You are robbing me! You are thieves!” Do you think this accusation is too harsh? Why or why not? What is your immediate response if someone were to call you a thief?
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CONSIDER We’re focusing on Malachi 3:8, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.” The tithe part of God’s statement is straightforward; but the idea of offerings has lots of people confused. Not to mention the fact that believers need to take seriously God’s charge here. An offering is a freewill gift that is over and above the tithe. There are believers who have never given an offering. The reason you may have never given an offering is because you can’t give an offering until you’ve been faithful in the tithe. The word “offering” is used 757 times in Scripture. It’s what we give not because of a legal requirement, but out of love. It comes from surplus. It comes from a lifestyle restriction. It comes out of a bonus, an inheritance, or a savings, possibly even a sudden increase of some kind. It comes from a home sale or some other possession being sold. Moments when you rejoice in God’s faithfulness or marvel at God’s unexpected generosity ought to spur spontaneity in giving. The real joy is offerings. Offerings are not my duty but my privilege. I’m doing this because I love God. I’m doing this because I want to bless the work of God. I have the capacity—by God’s grace—to practice tithing. My tithe was taken care of a long time ago. Now I’m bringing my offering; it’s my expression of love and commitment to the work of God. Malachi 3:10 continues, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby [do you see it there?] put me to the test…” Some translations say, “Try Me.” When the Creator of the universe faces off against you and your family and your finances, He’s like, “You don’t think you can trust Me? You don’t think I know what you make? You want to have My money at your house? You think you’ll be better off without Me? Why don’t you test Me?” There’s an unbelievable invitation in God’s words—“Try Me.” When Malachi 3:10 was written, the “house of God” was the Temple. And the “food in My house” refers to the supplies and finances that enabled the priests to live and to serve. A modern application of that would have to be the local church. The “storehouse” was literally the silos that were built to contain the grain that the people would bring. Our tithes and offerings follow the regularity of finances in today’s world. Back then, the harvest season was also the main season of giving the tithe and offerings out of the abundance of God’s provision. And that’s what the work of God would live off for the year to come. So the invitation then is, “Bring … [all of this] … that there may be food in my house.”
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3. What is it about us that requires a reminder from time to time that trusting God or not trusting God has real consequences?
Then the rest of verse 10 and the beginning of verse 11 widen the scope, “[See] if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you…” Wow! The devourer is a reference to Satan and his demonic hosts who seek to disgrace and to destroy the lives of all believers. We’re flat-out in a war. While “greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world,” (1John 4:4), the enemy is a serious foe. He wants to take and ravage our marriages and our children and our churches. An all-out war is being waged against us.
So it’s huge when God Almighty promises, “If you do this, I’ll do this,” and one of the things He says is, “I’ll rebuke the devourer. I’ll set him back on his heels. I’ll push him off. I’ll tear down a stronghold that’s been built.” Do you want that? That’s an incredible promise that God is making.
APPLY 1. If we’re honest with ourselves, money can be a hard thing for us to talk about. Why is it so hard to talk about?
2. How important do you think it is for us to know the difference between tithes and offerings? How does your practice of tithes and offerings match your understanding?
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Read Malachi 3:9-10
“You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”
OBSERVE 1. What does it meant when God tells us to put Him to the test? When is it right and when is it wrong to test God?
2. What Bible stories exemplify the consequences or curse of stealing from God?
CONSIDER Disobedience in tithes and offerings equals stealing from God. If you’re withholding tithes and offerings from God, you’re stealing from God. You should be terrified to have what does not belong to you at your house. The fact is that we should all feel uncomfortable any time we’re holding on to what belongs to God.
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Tithing means one-tenth; it means 10 percent of your income. You can do the math. If you made $1,000 this year; we’re talking about $100. If you made $10,000; we’re talking about $1,000. If you made $100,000; we’re talking about $10,000. The term tithe is used forty-one times in the Old and New Testament. You may even be thinking right now, “You know, I’m feeling guilty.” If by that you mean you’re feeling responsibility, then that’s good. If you mean you’re being convicted by the Word of God and by the Holy Spirit, again, that is good. The reason we open God’s Word is to have our wrong, sinful, selfish patterns altered. If you have a selfish pattern in finances, how good is it that you are reading this today? If you are holding on to what belongs to God, you’re missing out! The windows of heaven could be opened. God could be pushing back the devourer from your life and tearing down your stronghold. You wonder, “Why is it so hard for me all of the time?” The answer comes, “Will a man rob God?” Disobedience in tithes and offerings is stealing from God. Stealing from God has significant consequences. This truth might explain a lot in your life. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have had incredible grace and mercy showered upon you. Among the billions on the face of the earth, why have your eyes been opened to the glorious truth that’s found in Jesus? Why will you be living in eternal bliss a hundred years from today that will last through all of eternity and obliterate anything that we would presently call human happiness? Why do you get that? Why is that racing upon you even in this moment? Not because of anything in you, right? But think for a moment: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (1 John 3:1). And it is the height of ungratefulness that we who have received so much would be stingy and tight and difficult with the God who loves us, and the God who saved us. Stealing from God has significant consequences. Malachi 3:9 says, “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me.” Now there isn’t some weird curse here; this is the consequences of disobedience. It’s no different than any other. Choose to sin; choose to suffer. So, if you choose to sin, you’re going to have suffering in your life. You’re not the first person to think, “Well, I’ll go my own way and it’ll work out better for me.” It’s time to change your mind.
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(Continued)
Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. And thereby put me to the test.” Who acts first? Who makes the first move, us or God? The very first move is God throwing down the gauntlet. And now God’s saying, “Alright. I’ve made My move. I’ve told you that I will not let you down. Now you make your move. Bring your tithe into the storehouse.”
3. How is the relationship we have with those we support as a church a two-way relationship? What blessings have you noticed personally that God has provided for our church as a result of faithful giving?
Here is one of the most important sentence you’ll ever hear from me on the subject of finances: 90 percent with you and God is more than 100 percent with you on your own. And without tithing, that’s what you are. You’re on your own. How’s that been working for you? You’re like, “Well, not good. It’s not been working that good.” Correct! This is the time to get this figured out, to get it settled. It’s a step of faith though. You’re going to have to be willing to trust God. God challenges every believer to test the tithe. What are you waiting for? God challenges you to do that.
4. Faith comes before miraculous provision. We see this principle at play throughout Scripture. Not until the lepers started walking were they healed. Not until Noah built the ark did the rain fall. What has God called you to do by faith without clear evidence of provision? What keeps you from taking that step of faith?
APPLY
1. In your own words, what does a generous church look like? Be specific.
2. In what ways have you been blessed by the generous gifts of God’s people at our church?
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day
Read Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
OBSERVE 1. What do you think is the point of Jesus bringing decay and theft into the teaching on wealth? Why is it important to remember?
Here are the top four consequences of rejecting the biblical teaching on tithes and offerings. 1. The Absence of God’s Protection on Your Finances. If my financial future was falling through the floor as the stock market tumbled or real estate tanked, I’d want to be in a position where I’m like, “I am so on God’s team. I can so trust Him. It’s going to work out.” I wouldn’t want to be the “Dang it! I should’ve got up-to-date on my tithes when I was told to. Now look what’s happening to me.” Some people who are struggling financially have the confident assurance of God’s prosperity and their future because of their faithfulness. And other people are on their own—they’ve got double trouble!
2. The Guilt and Hypocrisy of Knowing You’re Not Doing What God Wants You To Do.
2. Does this passage mean that we shouldn’t save money here on earth? Why or why not?
Every week you come to church and the offering is an inconvenience. And you’re like, “I love God so much” as you pass the offering bag. But you feel the dissonance in your heart. You know it’s hypocrisy. You know what the Scripture teaches.
3. What does it mean practically to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven?”
CONSIDER The Gospels record thirty-eight parables Jesus told, and sixteen of them are about your money. One out of ten verses in the New Testament deals with what we do with our money. The Bible has approximately 500 verses on prayer and less than 500 passages about faith. But the Bible has more than 2,000 verses that deal with money. Now that’s not because your money is the most important subject; it’s because if you 44
get this wrong, it’s difficult to get anything else right. If your finances are not honoring to God, it’s very likely that very little else in your relationship with God is right. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). If you get this right, a lot of things will be right. If you get this wrong, it will be hard to get anything right.
I talked to a man recently who is in his late fifties who wept in my presence saying, “Why haven’t I figured this out? Why did I waste so many years and think that somehow I would do better on my own? I knew the right; I chose the wrong.” And just the sense of regret and loss of the years that could’ve been in partnership with God can be devastating. 3. Fear and Confusion During Hard Times. I’ve alluded to this already. Hard times are going to come. Anytime is a really bad time to be on your own. You want to be in partnership with God. Then, when hard times come, if you lose your job, you’re going to be like, “God is going to so take care of us. We’ve been faithful to God; God’s going to be faithful to us.” And then lastly—I’ve just got to tell you this—all of those are such negative things. But I think the biggest consequence is …
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4. Loss of Blessing. God wants to prosper you and bless your life, but you’re stingy and stubborn and difficult and you withhold from God. And God withholds from you. Steven Olford says that “giving is God’s method of enriching our lives in faith.” I mean, do you really think that God’s up in heaven thinking, “I’m going to be a little short this month. Didn’t see those disasters and setbacks coming. My stock portfolio took a hit. I hope Andre and his wife get their tithe into the church!” Think again! How worried is God about economic situations? This is your chance to partner with God and His kingdom now and through all of eternity. Financial partnership with God is an incredible blessing. There’s a cause-and-effect relationship between tithes and offerings. Here’s what God promises: Give, get blessed. How that blessing will come is in God’s hands. Honestly, if I could choose how God would bless me, I wouldn’t choose finances. How about answered prayer? How about restoration of a prodigal? How about healing in my marriage or in my body? How about joy and comfort and satisfaction with less? Study 2 Corinthians 9. The blessing’s coming. But in what form it is coming we do not know and God does not promise us. “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Stuff is not happiness. It doesn’t matter what you have or don’t have. Paul said, “… I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (Philippians 4:12). How about the gift of contentment? How about even if my marriage is never healed? How about even if my life is never fixed? How about a supernatural capacity to be joyful in the midst of hardship? Now I don’t know what’s coming. But, I do know if we obey God in tithes and offerings, He opens the windows of heaven and pours out a blessing. The story of Harvest is the story of God’s blessing. It started with Kathy and me and God’s open door. There have been countless times when we flat-out didn’t know where the next dollar or the next million was going to come from or exactly how God was going to come through yet again! Our life experience shows us that if we keep faith in tithes and offerings, then God’s like, “Give more to them; they’re not hoarding it.” You give and God pushes it back to you! You learn what Jesus meant by “pressed down, shaken together, running over” (Luke 6:38).
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APPLY 1. In what way does giving tithes and offerings illustrate the values and priorities of your life?
2. Think about the word stewardship. If you don’t know exactly what it means, take the time to look it up. Knowing that you are a steward of God’s resources, how does that change your perspective on what you do with what you have?
3. What is one specific decision about giving that you need to make or renew as a result of thinking through what God’s Word says?
4. How have you seen obedience in one area (like giving) bring blessing in another?
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session
5 Grateful Church
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1
day
Read Psalm 107:6-9
“Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”
OBSERVE 1. Would you say that God’s concern over our gratitude has to do with His need to be thanked or with our need to be thankful? Why?
2. What is the connection between God satisfying the longing soul and the principle of gratefulness?
CONSIDER Gratitude is the attitude that sets the altitude for living. Period. Always. Every single day. Think about that for a few moments. Gratitude needs to be distinguished from thanks. When I was growing up, no sooner had someone given me half a cookie than my mom was elbowing me with, “Say thanks; say thanks!” You grow up and by the time you’re three years old, you’ve said “thanks” like a million times. But does it mean anything? 50
The word gratitude is defined this way in the Oxford Dictionary, “to show that a kindness received is valued.” When you show that a kindness received is actually valued, then you’re beginning to catch hold of genuine thankfulness. Isn’t it right that if God never did another notable thing for you and me, we could still spend the rest of our days filling them with gratitude and “thank You God for this day”, and “thank You for life,” and “thank You for breath,” and “thank You for health,” and “thank You for strength”? But somehow we make the choice to turn from all that we’ve received and focus on what we still don’t have. That’s where complaining comes in. That’s why so often we feel like we’re living our lives in a wilderness. The way to put off complaining is to fill your life with genuine expressions of gratitude, first and foremost, to God. Psalm 107 is all about thankfulness. The Psalm repeats one verse four different times: “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and His wonderful works to the children of men” (vv. 8, 15, 21, 31, nkjv). A lot of studies have been done in the last few years to examine the relationship between fervent faith in God and personal well-being. Even people who don’t believe in God—and we don’t have that excuse—are recognizing that a God-centered, faithoriented, thankful life is a healthier, happier life. Those who choose complaining as their lifestyle spend their lifetime in the wilderness. So let’s get as specific about thankfulness. Thankfulness is a decision. Gratitude is a choice that we make. Notice that Psalm 107 says, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord.” Now, if the passage instead said could—“Oh, that men could give thanks to the Lord,” well then the ball would be in God’s court. Wouldn’t it? Then we would be like, “Well, God, if You would have wired us up in a way that we could give thanks, then we would.” But it doesn’t say could, and it says would; therefore, the choice is ours. “Oh, that men would…” We have the internal makeup. “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord.” But are we willing? What a critical, life-changing, joy-producing, happiness-inducing choice it really is. You can choose your attitude as much as you can choose your diet or your clothing. We really have so much to be thankful for. Did the sun come up again this morning? Are you able to draw breath into your lungs? Do you have another day to live for the glory of God? Then you have ample basis for thankfulness. You don’t need anymore than that. You say, “Hey! I have a lot more than that.” Then you have no excuse other
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than to make the decision to be thankful. It’s a decision that everyone should make. Here’s a second thing… Gratitude is a decision based in reality. We’re not asking for some mind-over-matter, stupid power-of-positive-thinking nonsense thing here. We’re asking you to use your mind and think through, “Do I really have a lot to be thankful for?” The answer is clearly, “Yes!” Thankfulness is a decision based in reality.
APPLY 1. List three or four people or things in your life that you are thankful for. How can you express your gratitude for these things this week?
Read Colossians 3:15-17
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
OBSERVE 1. What does it mean to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly?”
2. How can a person give thanks in whatever they do, in “word or deed?” Is this possible?
2. How do you keep your eyes focused on what you have been given rather than what you don’t have? In what circumstances are you tempted to be discontent?
3. When we do feel deeply grateful, beyond expression, the words “thank you” seem woefully inadequate. What do you do when you feel like you can never say enough to express your gratitude? (Is saying “Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul” ever enough?)
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CONSIDER Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise [give thanks to] you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Isaiah 25:1 says, “O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise [give thanks to] your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. 1 Corinthians 15:57 says, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession…” All through God’s Word is this message: Gratitude is the attitude that sets the altitude for living. But there is a kind of negative life that some people live, a particular approach that kind of grovels and slums and flies under the radar. It’s a sort of down-and-dirty, cloudy, damp, depressing, ungrateful, unthankful, complaining, negative, ugh! sort of life. We’ve all spent some days there. 53
Then there is another kind of living, an approach to life that soars above and refuses to focus on the negative. Up where the air is clean and the sun is shining and the future is as bright as the promises of God. If you have ever flown up there, that’s where we want to live our lives. How do we get there? Gratitude. Thankfulness. There is plenty to focus on to be thankful for. You say, “Yeah, but there’s plenty to focus on and complain about, too.” My point exactly—we have a choice to make. It’s as simple as that. Either we will choose thankfulness for the good things in our lives and live in the Promised Land or we will choose complaining and live in the wilderness.
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Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
Thankfulness is a life-changing decision based in reality.
OBSERVE
APPLY
1. What do you think is the connection between praying always and giving thanks in all things?
1. In today’s world we speak of the “default settings” on our computers—the background programs that run continuously and to which the system returns when nothing else is required. In what ways do you think God’s Word is teaching us that gratitude ought to be the default setting of our lives—always thankful, and especially when nothing else is going on?
2. Does this passage mean you have to like everything and always be happy? Why or why not?
2. What would it take for thanksgiving to become the default setting in your life? What are some of the common alternative default settings in life other than gratitude?
3. During what situations or events do you find it particularly hard to imagine being thankful? Is there a difference between “feeling thankful” and “being thankful”? 4. Why would it be valuable to acknowledge gratitude even if the feelings don’t seem to be there? How can we move ourselves from dutifully thankful to being sincerely thankful?
CONSIDER Here are three questions to ask yourself about gratitude. First, am I a thankful person? Let’s go to school on thankfulness just for a moment. There are three levels of thankfulness—elementary school, high school, and higher education. Level one: elementary thankfulness—the basics. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” Level one is the sacrifice of thankfulness. “Thanks God. You did that for me? Thanks.” Now that’s not nothing, but it’s not much. As long as thankfulness is just a sacrifice, like, “Well, I’ll do it if I have to, I guess,” I might cross
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the borders of the Promised Land, but I won’t find a lot of the joy that’s there. I’ll be kind of in-between a lot of wilderness. But there is a better place. We’ll call level two—high school thankfulness. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” In every situation, I can find something to be thankful for. If I look closely, I’ll find something to appreciate. I can make that decision. I could look away from what’s wrong and focus on what’s right and give thanks. “Give thanks in all circumstances.” That’s kind of a high school version. But if I want the real joy—if I want to be done with the poverty-cheerless-joylesswilderness thing, level three—higher education is thankful for all things. Even the bad things. Even the things you wouldn’t choose. Ephesians 5 tells us, “Be filled with the Spirit … giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (vv.18, 20).
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APPLY 1. In many of his letters, Paul begins by including a note about the way he is praying for those to whom he is writing. Part of those prayers is gratitude. What does Paul actually say and how might it affect the way we pray for one another and inform one another of our prayers? (Consider Romans 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:3).
Maybe you have a health crisis or a great sorrow that won’t go away. Maybe you’ve got a financial need. To get to the place, by faith, where you can thank God for that thing—“Thank You, God. This is the thing that You’re using in my life. Thank You, God for that!” When you can do that, get ready for the land flowing with milk and honey.
Matthew Henry, a famous Bible scholar, who lived a couple of hundred of years ago— wrote these words in his diary one day after he was mugged. “Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, let me be thankful that it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.”
a. Am I a thankful person?
2. How did you respond to each of the three questions in the reading?
b. Am I seeing the blessings of thankfulness in my life?
It’s a choice. Are you making that choice? Are you a thankful person?
Second question: Am I seeing the blessings of thankfulness in my life? Am I experiencing the joy that comes with a thankful heart? Is my life like a wilderness? What percentage of my thought life is focused on good, positive, praise-worthy things? How often do I go out of my way to recognize with gratitude a person whom God has used to bless me—a parent or a neighbor or a friend or a Small Group leader. Is thankfulness part of the discipline of my life, and am I seeing the blessings of that?
Third and last question: Am I choosing thankfulness over complaining moment by moment? Am I choosing thankfulness over complaining? It’s like freeze-frame! Am I choosing thankfulness right now? Remember, attitudes are patterns of thinking formed over a long period of time. Nobody’s life is perfect, but we dilute and defuse the complaints of life with thankfulness.
c. Am I choosing thankfulness over complaining moment by moment? 3. How important do you think it is to express gratitude both vertically to God and horizontally to others? Do we need to tell both God and others that we’re thankful? Why?
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SMALL GROUP COVENANT • I will make my Small Group meetings a priority, and if I am unable to attend or running late, I will call ahead. • I will come to my Small Group meeting prepared and ready to participate. • I will maintain confidentiality of the personal information that is shared within my Small Group. I understand my Small Group leader reserves the right to contact the Flock Leader or a pastor if there is a situation that he/she doesn’t know how to handle, a person is being harmed, or if there is ongoing unrepentant sin. • I will help create a safe place for each member to share with no judgments attached. • I will be accountable to my Small Group concerning my personal and spiritual goals • I will commit to a Small Group, which is open to new members, and as it grows, we will multiply to further God’s work. • I will take ownership of my responsibility of being faithful, accountable, and teachable in my Small Group. • I will pray for my Small Group Leader, Apprentice(s), and Members of my Small Group. • I will encourage other Members to cultivate a daily quiet times with God. • I will pray for the Pastors and Directors of Harvest Bible Chapel to continue to seek God’s direction for the Small Group Ministry.
Name: ____________________________________________________________ Leader’s Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________________________________________
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ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTIONS FOR WOMEN
ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTIONS FOR MEN
1. Have I exposed myself to any explicit materials this week?
1. Have I exposed myself to any explicit materials this week?
2. Have I fulfilled my personal goals for prayer, scripture reading, and memorization this week?
2. Have I fulfilled my personal goals for prayer, scripture reading, and memorization this week?
3. Am I aware of any unconfessed sin(s) in my life?
3. Am I aware of any unconfessed sin(s) in my life?
4. Have I been completely above reproach in all my financial dealings this week?
4. Have I been completely above reproach in all my financial dealings this week?
5. Have I been a good steward of all of the resources God has given me (money, time, talent, etc)?
5. Have I been a good steward of all of the resources God has given me (money, time, talent, etc)?
6. Do I have anyone I need to forgive?
6. Do I have anyone I need to forgive?
7. Have I been involved in the sins of gossip, demonstrating a critical spirit, or jealousy?
7. Have I been involved in the sins of gossip, demonstrating a critical spirit, or jealousy?
8. Have I been with a man this week in such a way that was inappropriate or could have looked to others that I was using poor judgment?
8. Have I been with a woman this week in such a way that was inappropriate or could have looked to others that I was using poor judgment?
9. Have I stood for Christ in the marketplace in which I work this week?
9. Have I stood for Christ in the marketplace in which I work this week?
10. Have I taken every opportunity to share Christ with my unsaved family, friends, and co-workers?
10. Have I taken every opportunity to share Christ with my unsaved family, friends, and co-workers?
11. In what ways have I demonstrated love and respect to my husband this week?
11. In what ways have I demonstrated love and respect to my wife this week?
12. In what ways have I sought to have spiritual input with my children this week?
12. In what ways have I sought to have spiritual input with my children this week?
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SPIRITUAL GROWTH POINTS
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works – Hebrews 10:24
What is an area of spiritual discipline you can focus on for the next 90 days?
Identify a personal growth point in each of the three categories of Spiritual Discipline, Character Quality, and Relationship. Commit to allow God to grow these areas of your life and be held accountable by others in your small group.
CHALLENGE YOUR SMALL GROUP TO DEEPER ACCOUNTABILITY…
• Personal Bible study – hunger for God’s Word, regular time of reading, studying, and meditating on the Word
• What is an area of spiritual discipline you can focus on for the next 90 days?
• Prayer life – a meaningful prayer life including praise, confession, intercession for others, journaling, and listening
• What is a character quality that you want God to form within you?
• Scripture memory – systematically memorizing and reviewing Scripture
• What is a relationship you want to focus on – spouse, child, co-worker, neighbor? Have your Small Group Members write down three areas where they want to spiritually grow in the next three to six months. SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE CHARACTER QUALITY
• Giving – cheerfully giving a biblical portion to the work of the Lord • Corporate worship – engaging with God through consistent participation in weekend worship services • Accountability – connected in a relationship for the purpose of transparency and personal growth • Serving – actively involved in shouldering weekly Kingdom responsibility • Fasting – routinely fasting (from food, media, activity) to seek the Lord through prayer and dependence on Him • Sabbath rest – intentionally setting aside time to cease working as a reminder that we are longing for our final rest
RELATIONSHIP
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CHARACTER QUALITY What is a character quality that you want God to form within you? • Boldness – not being afraid to share who Jesus is with confidence assurance; being gentle, kind, and loving • Compassion – empathy on behalf of another’s circumstance and acting on their behalf • Contentment – being at peace; not given to anxiety, nor jealousy and envy
• Selfless – considering the needs of others above yourself • Truth in Love – willingness to speak truth in a spirit of grace; not passive (love without truth), not harsh (truth without love) • Wholesome speech – quick to encourage and build others up; not given to vulgarity, gossip, slander
RELATIONSHIP
• Even Tempered – not given to sinful anger and temper
What is a relationship you want to focus on— spouse, child, co-worker, neighbor?
• Faith – confidence in God and His promises of you regardless of the circumstances
• Spouse
• Forgiveness – releasing someone of a wrong done to you
• Son
• Honesty – being truthful and above reproach in all things; not deceptive nor hypocritical
• Daughter
• Kindness – acting in love and grace by helping others • Patience – a spirit of forbearance • Peace – sense of fulfillment that comes from being rightly related to God and rightly related to others
• Parent • Sibling • Neighbor • Co-worker
• Purity – thinking and acting in godly ways; not given to lust and sexual immorality • Self-controlled – bringing thoughts, emotions, and actions under the control of the Holy Spirit rather than flesh
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Copyright ©2010 Harvest Bible Chapel
