Month: October 2019

As we start November, our minds will soon turn to the holiday season and all the busyness and activities.  Today’s lesson will challenge us to think about the holidays differently this year – to slow down and be present in order to honor God.  Today’s Bible passage from Luke 10:38-40 reminds us to focus on the important things in life.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

So Jesus unexpectedly shows up at Martha’s house and she starts running around the cleaning up the place and getting some snacks together while Mary stops to soak in as much of Jesus as she could.  Martha complains that Mary is helping but Jesus encourages her to stop worrying about so many things and just focus on the one thing – Him.

Although Jesus is with us in Spirit all the time, he isn’t dropping by any of our houses for a visit so what are we supposed to take away from this story?  I believe if Jesus were here he would give us two things to do this holiday season – turn our minds toward God more frequently and be fully present with our family & friends.

Jesus ends by saying that we should focus on the things that can’t be taken away from us.  For example, a clean house gets messy again but the value of quality time with loved ones can’t be taken away.  People will not remember you picked the perfect wine pairings for your party but they will remember if you were fully present in conversation with them.  People won’t remember the cookies your family made to give as gifts as much as they will remember the time you spent with them when you dropped them off.

We’ll wrap up with the picture below which sums up today’s lesson well:

Questions:

1. During the holiday season, do you typically feel more like Mary (focused on the right things) or like Martha (focused on the busyness of getting it all in)?
2. If you had a chance to ask Jesus how to be more like Mary than Martha, what do you think he would suggest?
3. Even though  today’s lesson is very simple, we often get sidetracked.  What are some of the main reasons we lose our way sometimes and act like Martha?
4. Some would say that one of the keys to today’s lesson is to say “no” to certain things in order to say “yes” to more of the important things.  What are some things you might need to say “no” to this holiday season?
5. Based on today’s lesson, what are some things you would like to do differently this holiday season?

Ego is a topic that came up the last two weeks in our group conversations.  Two weeks ago, it was in relation to the parable of the sower.  Our worries about life and the deceitfulness of wealth are like weeds that choke out the message God wants us to hear.  And last week it was in relation to keeping our eyes on Jesus so we don’t sink like Peter started to do before Jesus saved him.  Worries and an intense focus on striving for wealth can distract us from the message of Jesus.  So today we’ll dig in a little deeper and discuss how we can suppress our ego in order to remove barriers between us and God.

For the purpose of this discussion, when we say “ego” we are referring to an over-inflated sense of our own self-importance.  That is different than feeling good about ourselves which God wants us to do.  He wants us to be at peace and rest easy knowing that all our needs will be provided and that He has a plan to prosper us (Jeremiah 29:11).  But when we forget that and try to put ourselves in God’s place, taking the wheel from Him, we get in trouble.

That brings us to today’s verse which is from Proverbs 16:18

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Ego (or pride) is something that people have struggled with forever, but I believe it may be a more difficult challenge today than it has ever been – and it is getting worse.  Just looking at Facebook or Instagram (or any social media) for even a few minutes has been proven to make us feel worse, primarily because people post their best experiences which can make us want to match or exceed them.  Additionally, advertisers have access to your search histories which is why you keep getting bombarded with ads for things you really want – and things that take more money to get.

Certainly there are many contributors to an inflated ego but I believe these two things (social media and advertising) are two of the most powerful forces that create a desire in us to make something good happen right now instead of patiently waiting for the blessings God has in store for us.  This then drives us to want to take the wheel from God so that we fast-track the good things we think we deserve.  That, in turn, drives us to want to make more money and, unfortunately, in some cases take shortcuts.

Suppressing the ego and managing pride is like running a marathon – it is a long, slow process that takes a lot of work.  Hopefully, today’s lesson will at least help us recognize some of the core problems and take steps in the right direction.

Questions

• Why do you think the topic of ego keeps coming up in our group discussions?
• Do you agree that social media and advertising are major contributors to an over-inflated ego?  Why or why not?
• Today’s verse says: Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Why do you think pride or ego can cause destruction or a fall?
• How would you explain the idea that God wants us to suppress our ego but also wants us to feel great about ourselves?
• What are some habits or practices you can form or break that might help suppress ego?

After preaching to a large crowd one day, Jesus sent his disciples across to the other side of the lake and told them to wait for him there.   We get the rest of the story from Matthew 14:25-31 which says:

²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. ²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹ “Come,” he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

It is tempting to judge Peter for doubting that Jesus was going to protect him but then I remember that I’m probably even worse!  One of the things that stuck out to me in this passage is that Peter knew that Jesus could miraculously help him walk on water.  So what was Peter’s downfall?  It was when he took his eyes off of Jesus.  Verse 30 says “when he saw the wind he was afraid”.

When Peter allowed his focus to switch from Jesus to the wind he became scared and started to sink.  But when he returned his focus to Jesus and cried out to Him, Jesus reached out His hand to save Peter.

So then we need to ask why God would design us in such a way that we start sinking if we take our eyes off of Him.  Here are a few possibilities:

1. God wants us to take risks and get outside of our comfort zone so that we are always growing, but this means we are going to see some storms from time to time.
2. We cannot save ourselves but that doesn’t keep us from trying!  God wants us to be reminded how much we need Him.
3. Sinking can help prepare us to help rescue others. In Luke 22:32, Jesus told Peter “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren”.  Jesus allowed Peter to fail and, by overcoming that negative experience, he emerged stronger in his faith. Afterward, he was able to relate to others with more compassion and help them overcome by God’s grace.

As a final thought, a wise person once said that God will let you sink so low that you know you can’t live without Him and He will take you so high that you’ll know you you couldn’t have gotten there without Him.

Questions:

1. Can you relate to Peter?  Do you ever feel like you are sinking because you take your eyes off of Jesus?
2. Do you have any stories about returning your eyes to Jesus and being saved?
3. Do you agree that God wants us to sink a little (or a lot) from time to time?  If so, why?
4. Are you struggling with anything right now that is taking your eyes off of Jesus?  If you are comfortable, please share with the group.
5. Based on today’s lesson, what is something you might change to try to do a better job of keeping your eyes on Jesus?

Today’s lesson is from Matthew 13 and has more scripture than usual because it includes most of Jesus’ parable of the sower. Jesus frequently spoke in parables that were relatable to his audience.  In today’s lesson, he uses a farming reference because this is something everyone understood. Matthew 13:2 tells us that the crowds had grown so large that day that Jesus had get in a boat and preach from just off the beach.

Matthew 13:1-9 says: That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Then Jesus provides an explanation in verses 18-23.  “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Some of you may feel a relation to one of the three situations that prevent seeds from growing in our hearts and bearing fruit.  For me, it is probably the third one – worries of this life and deceitfulness of wealth.  If you are struggling with one of these situations, Jesus wants you to know that He understands that you are struggling and that He is with you in your efforts to grow good soil in your heart.  He wants all of us to bear much fruit which requires two basic elements: 1) hear the word and 2) have the word fall on good soil.  Below are a few questions to help us think through it more deeply.

Questions:

• What do you think Jesus’ main goal was in preaching this message?
• This passage tells us that only seeds that fall on good soil can grow to bear fruit. How would you describe “good soil” and how do we grow more of that in our hearts?
• In your life, how much of God’s word falls on the good soil? And how much falls on the path, the rocky places, or among the thorns?
• What is one thing you might do differently after today’s lesson to try to grow better soil so that you can bear more fruit?

 

 

We are starting a men’s mentoring program at Northside called Radical Mentoring.  It is a program designed to take men through a deep spiritual journey and help them move toward becoming better disciples.  At a recent meeting for leaders of this ministry, one of the major needs for the ministry was discussed and that is that middle-aged men are facing many new challenges that are causing significant additional stress in their lives. This stress is causing negative trends in mortality statistics, primarily due to suicide but also heart-related and other health issues.  So today we are going to flip this stress on its head and look at it from the other direction.  More specifically, we’re going to discuss how giving to and serving others has a double-positive effect – you are fulfilling your calling to do so and you are also helping yourself.

We’ll start with today’s verse which is from 2 Corinthians 9:7 and says:

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

This verse is referring specifically to giving money and material items to the poor.  But for today’s lesson we are going to expand that concept to include every way you can give of yourself.  In addition to financial giving, this could also include spending time with people in need, sending a note to let someone know you are thinking about them, or doing a favor for someone without expecting reciprocation.

While these acts will not take away the cause of underlying stress in our own lives, it will redirect our minds and give us a different perspective.  And God will bless our giving if our actions are consistent with the verse above – we must be cheerful givers in order to get the biggest blessing.

So what’s the best form of service?  That depends on how God has equipped you and where He is calling you to serve.  When you pray next, ask God to put people in your path that need your help and to help you identify the areas where He most wants you to serve.  He will honor your prayer and give you answers about where to serve as well as how to reduce your own anxiety and stress.

Questions:

• What are some of the biggest causes of stress in your life?
• Do you agree that giving to others can have the double-positive impact of helping them and helping to relieve your own stress?
• Do you have any examples of serving others that gave you an improved perspective or outlook?
• What are some ways you think God may be calling you to serve others? That could include things you are already doing or things you feel like He may be calling you to do?