Small Group Lesson: Kill Them With Kindness / Revenge

Small Group Lesson: Kill Them With Kindness / Revenge

The best practical joke you ever played on someone was …
Was there payback?

How would you define revenge and vengeance?

READ Romans 12:17-19
Has anyone ever really hurt you? If so, were you tempted to carry out some form of revenge?

Without the going into the specifics, if did you carry out revenge, what benefit did you find in it?

What negatives did you find?

Why is it hard not to pay evil with evil?

According to scripture, whose responsibility is it to handle vengeance?

What are the benefits of trusting God to handle vengeance? (Brainstorm a bit on this one. Think of all the ways of how God is superior and more qualified to handle our hurts, anger, and need for vengeance?)

How is it disrespectful and even blasphemous to carry out revenge? V.19

IDEA: When we carry out revenge it weakens our faith because we are trying to take God’s place in the business of vengeance. Revenge not only divides us from each other, it separates us from God. Not only that, we often don’t get it right when we carry it out; we either hurt the wrong people, or the justice we seek is unfair. However if you have been wronged it doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. In fact God expects us to do something about it; just not in the way the world would go about it.

READ Romans 12:20-21
IDEA: You have heard the term, “kill them with kindness”. Paul speaks of that strategy here in v.20. When we do kind things for people who hurt us, we obviously don’t want to hurt or kill them, but we want to kill the hate, bitterness, anger, and hard feelings that we have in the relationship.

Have you ever considered sincere kindness as a form of revenge?

How is kindness a more proactive and positive response when someone hurts us?

READ Ephesians 4:31-32 (preferable New Living Translation)
Jesus dying on the cross was the kindest act ever shown to us. Think of all the sin, hate, and vengeance that was piled on Him while He was on that cross. We hurt God, we sinned against Him and rather than respond with vengeance He responded with love, mercy, and kindness. What do we learn from this example?

Close in prayer…

Kill Them With Kindness

Last a week a man chased a robber out of his house with an ax. After running a few blocks he caught up with a man who he thought was the robber and brutally killed him. The problem was, it wasn’t even the right man, and the man that was killed had car trouble and was walking to a gas station for help. We live in a world that loves revenge, we see it movies, books, TV, and in the news. Revenge is in. Most revenge stories both in the Bible and in the 21st Century happen within families, marriages, friends and neighbors. When we participate in revenge, we destroy the relationships that matter most to us. Paul said in Romans 12 …

“17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” Romans 12:17-19 NIV

When we carry out revenge it weakens our faith because we are trying to take God’s place in the business of vengeance. Revenge not only divides us from each other, it separates us from God. Not only that, we often don’t even it get right when we carry it out; we either hurt the wrong people, or the justice we seek is unfair. However if you have been wronged it doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. In fact God expects us to do something about it; just not in the way the world would go about it. Let’s read a little bit more of Romans 12.

“20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:20-21 NIV

You have heard the term, “kill them with kindness”. Paul speaks of that strategy here in v.20. When we do kind things for people who hurt us, we obviously don’t want to hurt or kill them, but we want to kill the hate, bitterness, anger, and hard feelings that we have in the relationship. We kill anger with love and kindness. We kill bitterness and jealousy with mercy and humility. Through kindness and love we can save marriages, friendships, churches, businesses, schools, and nations. Here is a good definition of kindness, it is learning to treat others the way God has treated you.

There's An App For That: Gentleness

It is easy for me to be a jerk, to be rude, or to be selfish. If you are like me and struggle with those things, there is an app for that, it is called gentleness. You can’t find an app for gentleness on your I-phone or computer; you can’t consistently force yourself to be gentle either, not by will-power alone. The Apostle Paul said in Gal. 5:22-23 that gentleness is a fruit grown by the Holy Spirit in our lives. The definition of Gentleness is to have a mild and kind nature or manner; being moderate in force or degree so that the effects are not severe or harsh; not steep, not rising steeply.

I like the part about gentleness being not to rise steeply. As a runner I hate running up hills, especially steep hills (they are the devil). Steep hills wear me out when I have to run up them, however I don’t mind running up a gentle slope. Gentleness is all about steepness; it is about not burdening others with steep demands or selfish expectations. We make things too steep don’t we? We make it difficult for people to meet our expectations. What is the price of our love? What is the price of our mercy? What is the price of our service? We often set the price too high, so steep that it has become a burden to work with, to serve with, to worship with, or even live with us. In business we always say buy low, sell high. Make someone else pay the high price that we don’t want to pay. Do we do that in relationships, do we make the people around us pay a steep price for our selfishness; do we dump our negativity on them? Ask yourself what is the price of interacting with me? A lack of gentleness maybe great in dealing with the stock market, but it is not good in dealing with people; whether it is family, friends, coworkers, Christians, or even our enemy. To not be gentle is to be ungodly, it is sinful.

There is wisdom in gentleness. Listen to these Proverbs: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 NIV “Patient persistence pierces through indifference; gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses.” Proverbs 25:15 The MESSAGE

Gentleness is not a wimpy or weak thing, it is a powerful tool of the Spirit that allows us to connect and work with each other. Gentleness makes it a joy to be with us rather than a burden. Allow the Spirit to guide you this week into using one of the most underutilized fruit of Spirit, if you do, everyone you interact with will be blessed. - Vic

Small Group Lesson: Joy & Grace

Small Group Lesson: Joy & Grace


Why is it easier to give rather than to receive gifts?
How would you define words like “grace” & “unconditional love”?
Who have you had the most unconditional love relationship with? Explain.

READ 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17
According to v.16-17 what does God’s grace and love help us do?

When you are hopeful, encouraged, and strengthened; do you find it easier to be filled with joy? Explain.

READ 2 Timothy 1:6-12
In v.9-11 Paul describes unconditional love. According to these verses how did God demonstrate His unconditional love towards us?

How would you define conditional love?

What is the weakness of conditional love?
Why is it dangerous for relationships? For a marriage? For a church? For faith?

If grace allows us to be free of earning someone’s love; how does that help us be honest and real?

READ Hebrew 12:1-3
When Jesus was headed to the cross, the Hebrew writer said that Jesus had joy. How can anyone find joy in midst of such terrible circumstance?

Do you think Jesus found joy in sacrificing for God, or do you think He found joy in doing the will of God? Explain.

What can we learn from Jesus when it comes to finding joy in being connected to God?

The Apostle Paul said to the Roman church: “32 so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.” Romans 15:32-33 NIV. The true source of joy is found in our connection to God and to the people around us.

What barriers do you need to remove in order to have deeper and more fulfilling relationships with God’s people?

What needs to change in order for you to have a deeper and more authentic relationship with God?

Close in Prayer…

Joy & Grace

The life of Jesus demonstrated what joy is all about. Jesus had tremendous joy yet he encountered constant opposition. Joy is not free of opposition. We live in a world that values other people’s approval; therefore we often try to earn the approval of others. The flaw in that is that if my joy requires your approval, I probably will not be honest with you; instead I will do everything I can to make you like me, including putting on a false image and then tell lies to back it up. When we are not honest, we live in fear that we will be found out, that people will one day see the real us. We are afraid they will like what they see. We can’t have true joy if we can’t be honest; there is no joy in pretending to be something we are not. In his book What's So Amazing about Grace, Philip Yancey recounts this story about C.S. Lewis: “During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began thinking about the possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death. The debate went on for some time until C.S. Lewis wandered into the room. "What's the rumpus about?" he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, "Oh, that's easy. It's grace." After some discussion, the others agreed.” The idea of God's love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist have an eight-fold path, the Hindu believe in Karma, & Islam have the code of law. Each of these offers a way to earn approval and salvation; only Christianity dares to make God's love unconditional. Conditional love is harmful to relationships. What if I don’t meet the expectations of my wife, and she decides to give me the silent treatment? The implication is: "If you do what I want you to, I will talk to you. Otherwise, I won't." That is always fun isn’t it? It’s really fun when both people give each other the silent treatment. Then the only way to communicate is through banging doors, loud sighs, and evil stares. Could you imagine if a preacher did that to a church? There would be the silent treatment every Sunday. Conditional love in the church kills joy. What if I only sang when songs I like are being led? What if I only give when projects I like are being done? What if I only serve when it is convenient and what I want? What if I only pray only when God gives me what I want? Conditional love destroys churches, it destroys faith, and it is a joy killer. That is why God’s grace allows us to have true joy. Grace allows us to be who we really are; in fact grace is only understood by those who are honest. When someone loves you for you, and you don’t have to pretend to be something you are not, that kind of honesty allows us to have joy. The world wanted Jesus to be Superman or an earthly king, and when He refused it rejected Him. In Hebrews 12 it says that Jesus had joy even when He knew He was headed toward the cross. The reason Jesus had joy was not the cross, but the relationship He had with His Father, because God accepted Jesus as he really was.
If you follow the path of Jesus, you cling to God, to a father who you don’t have to pretend to be something you are not; He loves you for who you are, and for what He created you to be. It is His loving grace that propels our joy. The more we connect with Him and the people He puts in our lives the more complete our joy will be.

Small Group Lesson on Joy

Small Group Lesson

There’s An APP for That … JOY / March 6, 2011

What things bring you the most joy in life?

Is joy simply a state of mind?

What is JOY?

READ Psalm 16:11
IDEA: In Psalm 16, David was saying that to be in the presence of God in every moment is to live a complete life, and in that completeness we find joy. The problem is that most of the time we don’t feel complete; we don’t feel connected to God.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being lowest, 10 being highest), rate how connected you feel that you are to God right now?

How does that affect the joy that you have right now?

READ Romans 15:13; 32. Galatians 5:22
Where does JOY come from?

What we find from scripture is that joy is not found in yourself, it comes from God. How does that compare to what we have traditionally believed is the source of joy?

IDEA: We can’t decide to have joy, but we can do things that result in joy in our lives. Joy is a fruit that is grown from relationships, both with God and with others.

READ Philippians 2:2 & 2 John 1:12
There is a term in the Bible that really has thrown me off over the years. Several times in the Bible the phrase “make my joy complete” or “to have joy complete”.

The idea of joy being complete is interesting, is there such a thing as incomplete joy?

IDEA: Like everything else, when something is left incomplete, it is just not satisfying. Finish the sentence “I am miserable when I have an incomplete … …”

READ John 3:27-30
In John 3, some of John the Baptist’s most loyal followers noticed that the people who once followed him were now following Jesus. They were bothered by their lack of loyalty; John addressed this issue in John 3:27-30. First John the Baptists is signifying to the people that the old way of doing things was coming to an end. Then he gave a wedding illustration. John was saying that he is like the friend (the best man) who organized the wedding making sure everything was ready. By bringing people to Jesus (by doing the will of God) it made John’s joy complete.

What needs to be removed in your life so that God can make your joy complete?

What steps can you take to be more obedient to God’s will?

Close in prayer…

Where does JOY come from?

Where does JOY come from?  Paul said to the Roman church: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV “so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed.” Romans 15:32 NIV

We learn from the scriptures that joy is not found within ourselves; it comes from God. Most of us have this weird view of joy, thinking that we can decide on it, or that we can find it in meditation or through some personal strength. Joy is not something that we can will into our minds; it is not a concept that I can just decide to start having. Joy is a fruit that is grown from God. That is why it is a fruit of the Spirit; it is the result of giving ourselves to God and to others.
We can’t decide to have joy, but we can do things that result in joy in our lives. Joy begins when we start the removal of the old life, the removal of selfishness and independence from God. Joy continues the more we give ourselves to Jesus. By following Him, by doing the will of God, our joy is made complete. Each moment with Him is a complete one filled with joy.

Small Group Lesson: control thy self

Life Group Lesson: self-control

What food item do you find it almost impossible to say no to?

How would you define self-control?

I have great self control when … (finish the sentence)

I have very little self control when … (finish the sentence)

READ 1 Timothy 3:1-3
Why would it be important for an elder to have self-control?

What are the positive implications of an elder that demonstrates self-control?

What are the negatives if he doesn’t have it?

READ Titus 2:1-10

Why does Paul keep repeating the need for God’s people to have self-control?

Why does Paul place responsibility on us to teach each other self-control?

In v.10, what value is there when Christians can be trusted and seen as people who have self-control?
READ Titus 2:11-14
When you think about God’s grace, what all do you think of?

Do you see a connection between grace and gratitude?

Why do you think we call prayer before dinner grace?
The idea is that God’s grace inspires us to live upright, godly, and self-controlled lives. So if we wanted to be more self-controlled, we should spend time thanking God while meditating on the grace He has shown us.

Do you agree or disagree? What would you add to that statement?
READ Jonah 2:1-9
In the story of Jonah, he rebelled against God, he was unwilling to do God’s will, to do good. But after being thrown from a ship and swallowed by large fish, Jonah had a change of heart. What is interesting is that it was not fear or sorrow that caused him to change, it was something else. Thankfulness & a focus on God’s grace changed Jonah’s heart, it allowed him to finally say “YES” to God. The scriptures say that we can move on from just saying “no” to temptation and that we can start saying “yes” to opportunities to serve; “eager to do good”.
How do you think focusing on God’s grace can help you be more self-controlled?
What do you need to be saying “no” to in your life?

What do you need to be saying “yes” to?
Close in prayer?

Grace + Thankfulness = Self-Control

I like to think of myself as self-controlled, most times I am. But if you put a chocolate chip cookie in front of me, I will eat it. No self control there. I will eat my children’s last cookie, I will smack their hand away and say, “that’s daddy’s cookie”. It is a problem; I have no self control when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. It is easy to have self-control until you see something you want. If you struggle with bad habits, a rebellious spirit, if you are like me and you feel compelled to be selfish, there’s an app for that, it is called self control. Self control not only helps us say no to sin, but it also helps us say yes to what is good.

Paul said in Titus 2:11-12

“11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”NIV

Most of us struggle in that we often lack the self control to overcome temptation, we struggle to say no to sin. It is impossible to overcome sin by willpower alone, you can’t do it on your own; we must turn ourselves over to God’s will. By focusing on God’s grace we are reminded that God has always used His power to help us overcome sin. Some of us are great at saying no to sin, but we struggle to say yes to doing what is good; we struggle saying yes to opportunities to serve. We say yes to God when we focus on God’s loving grace. When we look for new ways to say thank you to Him, it makes it very difficult for us to ever tell Him “no”. Being thankful to God will not only compel us to have self control, it will compel us to living blessed lives that are eager to do what is good.

Small Group Lesson: pray, pray, pray again

Life Group Lesson: pray, pray, pray again


ILLUSTRATION: In the movie “Rudy” we see the story of an underdog, someone who overachieves and beats the odds. His main goal in life is to play football for Notre Dame. , Rudy's grades had improved dramatically. But three semesters and three rejection letters later, he is devastated and hopeless. His next semester is his last chance, because Notre Dame never allows seniors to transfer. He has managed his way to South Bend, labored in class, and even scraped up enough odd jobs so he can eat. He has been diligent and worked every angle he knew. But it hasn't been enough. Rudy finds himself in the chapel where he meets a priest named Father Cavanaugh. And he poured out his soul to the old priest. "Maybe I haven't prayed enough," Rudy says, almost frantic. Father Cavanaugh answers with kind, narrow eyes, "I'm sure that's not the problem. Praying is something we do in our time. The answers come in God's time." Rudy isn't satisfied. There has to be something else he can do. "Have I done everything I possibly can? Can you help me?" Father Cavanaugh's answer is measured but sure. "Son, in 35 years of religious studies, I've come up with only two hard, incontrovertible facts: There is a God, and I'm not Him."

When you hear someone say something like Father Cavanaugh did about prayer in the movie “Rudy”, do you agree or disagree with his statement?

What do you think when you hear someone say “God answers prayer in His own time?”

READ 2 Peter 3:8-9
The context of 2 Peter 3 is about the Lord’s 2nd coming, however what do we learn about God’s desire and purpose for people?

Whose schedule is He on?

It is also important to see who the focus of God’s love is on. This passage clearly says God works on His time but for our interest. Why is that not always easy to believe?

READ Luke 11:1-12
In v.1-4, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray. What qualities does Jesus demonstrate in His prayer?

How do qualities like humility, submission, reverence, and trust help us have better prayer lives?

Look at v.5-8, why would a friend give you what you need when you ask them?
(IDEA: You ask, you never stop asking because you believe it will be given to you if you ask enough.)

Do we ask God enough for what we need or want?

Why do we stop asking for what we need?
(IDEA: either we don’t really need it or we have a lack of faith)
In v.9-10, Jesus says that we are to ask, seek, and knock expecting God to hear us and to give us what we need. The previous verses mention that prayer requires audacity. Prayer requires a faith that is both unstoppable and determined. Compare you’re life right now to that which is described here, do you pray with audacity? Why or why not?

I love and v.11-12, because we are reminded that God is a loving Father who meets our needs, who gives us His Holy Spirit that transforms us to be more and more like Jesus. Close in prayer.

To love or to hate?

On Valentine’s Day I witnessed two very different interactions between people. The first one was between children at a Valentine’s Day party for Abby’s class. There was this little kid who was about two maybe three years old, he was obviously a younger sibling of one of Abby’s classmates, and he was into everything. He was going around the room shooting people (mostly 3rd graders) with his finger. Of course he was making that shooting sound with his mouth that required saliva being spit out in the process. Most of the 3rd graders were very patient with him, because he was two. But one 3rd grader after this two year put his finger on his back and shot him, turned around with an angry face and an angry tone, and he said “Get away, I’m going to kill you kid”. It was shocking for me and the others that witnessed the event. Immediately I felt sad for this young man, this 3rd grader who had enough anger and hate in him to say something evil in such a threatening way. It broke my heart to see someone so young being led by anger and hate, being led Satan. That 3rd grader was angry before he came into that class; he woke up and decided to be angry. When confronted with an annoying 2 year old, he was given the opportunity to display that anger.

Later that same day Stacy and I were drinking coffee at Barnes and Noble (that’s what cool people do), and we witnessed something powerful. There were two other couples sitting in the coffee section of the store, one older the other younger. The older couple said to the younger one, “we haven’t seen you in a while at church”, and the younger couple said “yeah we moved down to Franklin and go to church down there.” Then the older couple said, “are you still trying to adopt a child?” The younger couple said, “yes, but it is very expensive, we are trying to adopt an orphan from Haiti, and we have had to start a fund raising campaign to make it happen.” The older couple said, “we want to contribute to that account, we want to help you adopt a child.” While he was writing out a check he said, “I woke up thinking that God would use me today to bless someone financially”.

Two things I learned on Valentine’s Day: First, do not conduct business around me because apparently I will eavesdrop. Second and more importantly, the older couple woke up that day and decided that they would bless someone, that they would live by the Spirit of God, and that they would do something special for someone out of love. When we hate or love, it is not an accident, it is a commitment we live with everyday. To live without God or to ignore the urgings of the Spirit is to choose hate, but when we choose God, we choose to live His Spirit; it is to commit to love people before you even meet them.

Walking By the Spirit is Easier Than Crashing in the Flesh

While practicing military night training exercises, a Huey Cobra messed up the landing and landed on its tail rotor. The landing was so hard that it broke off the tail boom. However, the chopper fortunately remained upright on its skids, sliding down the runway doing 360s. As the Cobra slid past the tower, trailing a brilliant shower of sparks, this was the radio exchange that took place...
Tower: "Sir, do you need any assistance?"
Cobra: "I don't know, Tower, we ain't done crashin' yet."

I think for most of us, we are just not done crashing yet. Whether it’s sadness or fear, anger or hate, anxiety or depression, lust or jealousy … We are just not done crashing yet. As Christians, when we sin or when we spiritually crash, we feel guilty, maybe even angry. Sometimes we crash because we made a sinful choice, other times we crash because we were not prepared for a loss or tragedy that impacted us. If you feel like you are crashing today, listen to the words of the Apostle Paul:
“16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” Galatians 5:16-17 NIV
The Greek word for flesh is (sarx). It refers to the sinful state of human beings who are often in opposition to the Spirit of God. The “flesh” refers to the part of us that is intentionally sinful; the part of us that says “it’s all about me and what I want”. To live by the Spirit is to live in harmony with the will of God. It means that we wake up each day to be Christian on purpose, that in every moment we choose to be connected to God through Christ. If you are tired of crashing, then make a commitment to no longer be controlled by whims and events of world but to be empowered and led by the Spirit of God that brings peace and life.

Football season is almost over and I am so bummed that I will have to wait till next fall to watch my favorite teams play in my favorite sport. As a Texan’s fan, it has been a bad year, REALLY bad. As a Longhorns fan it was pathetic. Getting back to the Texans, they had such high hopes this year and in the end they flopped. The Packers and Steelers will be playing in Super Bowl this Sunday. Do you know who will win? I have no idea; my guess is the Steelers (I hate those guys).

Everyone will be watching the BIG GAME; it has become quite the spectacle. Everyone comes together to watch two of the best NFL teams compete for the championship. When it comes to the Super Bowl, we don’t know who will win until the game is over, that is part of the fun and excitement. We all have opinions on who will win. Will the Steelers win in a blowout or will the Packers pull out a last second play to win the game? When it comes to football there is a lot of speculation, because we don’t know who will win. So who do you think will win?

Now for a spiritual thought. Let’s pretend that the Super Bowl is not about two teams playing each other, but rather it will be a contest between God and Satan. Is there any speculation on who you think will win? Absolutely not, God wins every time. That is the good news; when it comes to defeating Satan’s work in our lives God wins every time. There is no suspense, there is no worry of a fourth quarter comeback by Satan, he loses and God wins. Therefore we win, and we are defined by God’s victory.

There’s An APP for That … Series: PEACE

Life Group Lesson: Peace
Today is the big game. Who do you think will win the Super Bowl? Who do you want to win?

Answer the Following question on a scale of 1 to 10. (1 meaning very little and 10 being very much)

How strong is God in your life?
How powerful is He in your life?
How much is He in your life?

Is anyone willing to explain the ratings they gave to the previous questions?

The things we do, the way we act is connected to the strength of our God. The smaller or lesser view of God we have the more powerful our fears and stress will be because all the power and answers fall on us and not on God. Is there any peace being independent from God?

How would you define peace? How would you explain the idea of “inner peace”?

How does the following passage help you?

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 NIV

Does it inspire you to be closer to God so you can be stronger?

How has God strength brought you peace?

READ Matthew 11:28-29

In Matthew 11 Jesus has traveled through the towns of Capernaum and Bethsaida. He saw the lack of faith and peace in their lives, therefore Jesus warned them of this & predicted that their independence from God would destroy them.

What does Jesus promise us in v.28?

What does Jesus say we need to learn if we are to have peace or rest?

To be gentle means that I do not force my will upon others including God. How does being gentle in this way help you find peace?

How does humility help us find God’s strength?

What part of your life do you experience the most peace from God’s strength?

What part of your life do you experience the least amount of peace?

If you are ready to allow God to give you strength, if you want peace, then do as v. 29 says, learn from Jesus, follow His example of humility and trust in God. Close in prayer.

Peace that overcomes weakness and fear.

There’s An APP for That … Series / Peace that overcomes weakness and fear.
 
How strong is God in your life? How powerful is He in your life? How much is He in your life? The truth is if we can’t answer “God is strong in my life” then we probably enjoy little to no peace. When we believe God is working in our lives, we commit to and do big things. Can you honestly say the following words and mean them?

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 NIV

The things we do, the way we act is connected to the strength of our God. Most of us have a hard time believing that the all powerful, always strong, and forever loving God is with us. The smaller or lesser view of God we have the more powerful our fears and stress will be. There is no peace if we believe we have a weak God. If God is not our strength, then all the problems and struggles of life fall on us. That’s stressful! Imagine everyday not being determined by the powerful and loving God working in our lives, but rather our confidence and faith being determined by the random events of each day. There is no peace in that. If you feel weak, pushed around, filled with fear; there’s an app for that. It is found in letting God be big and strong in your life.

Small Group Lesson 1: Patience

There’s An APP for That … Series

Life Group Lesson 1: Patience / January 30, 2011

Do you use your mobile phone too much, hardly ever, or just right?

What is the funniest thing you ever saw someone do because they were too busy talking on their phone?

Do you own a smart phone? If so what is your favorite app? Why?

Explain what a smart phone and app is. Smart phones have apps (applications) that can help you with just about anything you do or want to know. The problem is that we have not found apps on our phones that help us be better people. I have not found an app on my phone that will help me live with joy, peace, kindness, or patience. READ Galatians 5:1, 16, 22-25

The Bible is a place you can go to find all the apps you need to live your life.

What are the fruit of the Spirit?

How do the help us be better Christians (better people)?

What do these verses say that the Holy Spirit will do for us?

Have you ever experienced the Spirit guiding you? Explain.

How has being a Christian helped you be more patient?

Why is it easier to be patient with a circumstance rather than with people?

PATIENCE in this verse is the word “Makrothumia”. It means “to be slow to anger with someone, or simply to wait and be patient with someone. To be patient here means, don’t be ready to attack someone when you don’t get your way.

What do you do to be patient when someone repeatedly offends or bothers you?
Read 2 Peter 3:9.
In Scripture we learn that God is “slow to anger and abounding in love.” God is intentionally patient with us. Why?
Possible answers: Because His goal is to save us, to teach us to change our lives, to repent. God is not just waiting around for us, He is working on us, changing us so that we can grow in His love and be more like Him.
How does God’s patience with you inspire you to be more patient with others?

Where plan practice godly patience this week?

Close in prayer.

There’s An App For That

By the way, I love my i phone!!!

The popularity of smart phones are growing each day, it seems like every other person between the age of 5 and 95 have them. Have you heard the phrase “there’s an app for that”? Smart phones have apps (applications) that can help you with just about anything you do or want to know. Do you need to know what the weather in Hong Kong is like, there’s an app for that. Would you like to know the shortest route to the hospital, there’s an app for that as well. My phone has all kinds of apps for all kinds of needs. I’ve got a map app, calculator app, movie listing app, weather app, level and measuring app, Bible apps, news apps, and even a game app called “Angry Birds”. We see people on their phones using their applications everyday everywhere. People risk their lives to be able to use their phones. People die every day trying to drive and use their phones. The other day I saw a man walk out into the street in front of a moving car, he didn’t look, the car threw on it brakes and swerved to miss him. He didn’t even notice, because his head was buried into his phone. It is as if the world has decided it cannot live without the applications that smart phones have to offer. The problem is that I have not found apps on my phone that will help me be a better father or husband. I have not found an app that will help me forgive or not lose my temper. I have not found an app on my phone that will help me live with joy, peace, kindness, or patience. Yet the apostle Peter said “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life” 2 Peter 1:3 NIV. So if you need joy there is an app for that. If you need patience or mercy, there is an app for that as well. As Peter just said, because of Jesus we have an app for every need. The more we read God’s word the more we learn not only how much God loves us, but how much God can help us. I encourage you to read your Bible more, pick it up and read it; you will be blessed if you do. By the way, if you don’t own a Bible but you may own a smart phone, if so, download a Bible app on it. Wow, now that we have the Bible app on our phones we can truly say we have an app for everything.

A Class V Prayer

I often try to use words to inspire people to pray.  Sometimes events make prayer a natural thing to do.  When you are traveling down the Gauley River in West Virginia, prayer has an amazing way of finding its way out of our lips.  In the above picture is me (Vic Pruett), Randy Brooks, Raleigh Brooks, Don Adkins (my father in law), Kent Burnett, and Josh Shelton (who became a father just yesterday).  It was a fun ONE TIME event. 

When Life Attacks

Have you seen those TV shows on cable called “When Animal’s Attack?” The idea of the show is that you have a person walking near a wild animal. The person probably shouldn’t be around an animal that has the ability to hurt or kill them. There is of course a video camera filming this person as they get closer to the wild animal. Then out of nowhere the animal just jumps and attacks this person. And everyone acts surprised when the wild animal attacks. It’s funny and sad when you hear someone say, “I just didn’t think that lion would hurt anybody”. Can these people not hear what they are saying? It’s a wild animal, that’s what they do. Animals can attack, and if you mess with them, they will attack, and don’t be surprised when they do.
In Matthew 7 Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish builders. The part we often forget about in the parable is that Jesus says there was a storm. There is no maybe about the storm; in fact Jesus is saying storms happen. Just as we know that animals can attack you out of nowhere, so can life, sometimes life attacks. The point of the parable is not how to avoid storms, because you can’t, everybody faces struggle and storms. The point of the parable is that the only way to overcome the storms of life is to be connected to Jesus. With Jesus as your rock you will overcome every struggle life throws at you. That is why we must be building our lives each day upon the powerful words and promises of God. May God bless you in both sunny and stormy days.

When Life Attacks Small Group Lesson

Have you ever been attacked by a wild or tame animal? If so, what happened?
How would you define fear & anxiety?

Sometimes life attacks. We all experience pain & struggle. Cars break, accidents happen, we get sick, someone we love gets sick, or we lose something or someone. When life attacks, it hurts. Jesus knows that when life doesn’t go our way, that we have a tendency to be overwhelmed with anxiety, worry, & discontentment. Notice how many times Jesus uses the word worry as we read Matthew 6:25-34.

In v.25, what does Jesus say about food and clothes? What is His point?
Idea: Vic’s opinion, life is more than those things. Your thoughts?
In v.26, Jesus illustrates the lesson by talking about the birds of the air and the storing of resources in barns. What is Jesus’ point here?
Why is it dangerous to live with the idea that we “live to eat”, “live for clothes”, or “live to store up resources”?

When we live that way we make clothing, food, and resources our god. We put our faith in things when we live for them. Why would living for things cause worry?
IDEA: It causes worry because we are afraid we will lose those things.

READ 1 Chronicles 4:9-10
“9 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.” 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NKJV

Why was Jabez given his name?

How would you like it if you were defined by the pain that you caused others?

What struggle do you allow to define you as person?

Notice in the NKJV that Jabez asked God to bless him so that he will longer cause others pain. It is possible that the guilt of causing his mother pain caused him great pain. **Some thoughts here were inspired by Bruce Wilkerson the author of "The Prayer of Jabez".

Why do we allow guilt, fear, and anxiety to define who we are?

Because of his faith and prayer life, Jabez is no longer synonym nous with pain, but with blessing. Prayer has the power to redefine who we are and what we do. If we seek first His Kingdom and righteousness as Jesus said we should in Matthew 6 we will have the power to overcome the storms and struggles that life may throw our way. Close in Prayer.