Core
Curriculum
Discussion
Guides
How To Be Rich - Journey Group Discussion Guide #1
In this series we will see that when we trust God and put our finances, resources, and lives in His hands, He can do immeasurably more than we can imagine. Week 1 - First Things First
Heaven Series Discussion - Week 4
Hey, Friends...this is the final week of the Heaven series and the final discussion guide until groups gear up again in the fall. If you're looking for something to do in the summer, pick up a copy of the Summer Resource in the atrium. Week 4 - RSVP
Toolbox Training Videos
Hey, leaders...I am really excited to have the Journey Group Leader Toolbox up and running. This will be a very helpful resource to make sure that we have the best and most accurate information about each group so that we can be more effective at connecting people into community and making disciples. In the end, that's what this is all about...making disciples of Jesus for Kingdom impact! If the video playback is low-quality, try clicking the HD icon in the status bar of the video.
https://vimeo.com/91353212
https://vimeo.com/91427355
https://vimeo.com/91416203
https://vimeo.com/91418964
https://vimeo.com/91358865
Matthew's Book Leader Notes - Final Session
Matthew 7:15-23 As we come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us two important warnings in these verses. First, He warns of those that seem to speak and act for God but are not with God in reality. Normally, a prophet would be proven true or false if the prophecy came true or not. But sticking with the “internal life” theme of the whole sermon, Jesus says that we can identify the wolves by looking at the fruit of their lives. The character of their life (their joy, peace, patience, love, etc) and the impact of their life (do they have a trail of blessing and health or damage and hurt in their past) will tell us if they are really with God or not.
Second, Jesus warns that our actions are not necessarily the determining factor of our inclusion in His Kingdom. All throughout the sermon, Jesus stressed the internal nature of being His follower. He wants us to know that we can do all the Jesus-type things (a.k.a be a good church person) but totally miss out on His Kingdom if our hearts are not right with Him.
The people that Jesus turned away in verses 21-23 may even be the wolves from verses 15-20. They were doing things that seemed good and Godly, but they ended up being turned away by Jesus. If we start with our actions but neglect our heart, we will find ourselves outside of God’s Kingdom. When we start with a repentant heart, we will find that God will lovingly shape our desires and our actions over time so that we become the people Jesus has described in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew's Book Leader Notes - Session 11
Matthew 7:1-14 Randy Harris uses a great word to tie these passages together – generosity. When we know and understand the depth of God’s generosity toward us, it will compel us to be generous towards others.
When we grasp how much God has forgiven us, we will extend grace to others rather than judge them. This does not mean that we give a free pass to everyone or that we have no standards of behavior. That doesn’t fit with the rest of Jesus’ teachings. Not judging people means that we do not lower our esteem of them because of their behavior. We realize that we are guilty of similar or worse sins and so we do not think less of them. Instead, we embrace them when they repent and we do whatever we can to help them move forward in their spiritual life.
When we understand that God wants to give us good things in life (vs. waiting for the chance to punish us), we will more easily call out to Him for help and rely on His provision in this life. This is not to be seen as a “blank check” that we can cash whenever we want something from God.
When we are living a life that is aware of God’s generosity to us in forgiveness and provision, we will be able to treat others with great generosity in return. We can take the risk to treat them as we would want to be treated. Even if they turn around and treat us badly, our gracious, generous heavenly Father will take care of us.
Note: Randy Harris’ interpretation of verse 6 is not in line with the majority of commentators. Most commentators agree that the “dogs and pigs” are references to Gentiles, but they suggest that Jesus is telling His Jewish audience to keep God’s Kingdom for Jews (see Matthew 10:5-6 for another instance). At this point, Jesus’ message was for the people of Israel. Later, He would make it clear to His followers that the Kingdom of God was to be taken to all people, even to the ends of the earth.
Since the exact meaning of this verse is not clear and it is not a critical theological point, we should not be too dogmatic about any one perspective or interpretation.
Matthew's Book Leader Notes - Session 10
Matthew 6:19-34 The main point of this section is summed up well in the word priorities. Some have mistakenly used these verses to say that we should despise anything of this world and the only worthwhile things are those that have “eternal value.” If that is the case, then God seems to have wasted a lot of energy creating a world of great beauty. After all, what is the “eternal value” of a beautiful flower or a sunrise?
Instead, Jesus is teaching us to live in and value this life in light of God and His presence with us. As we make God our priority, everything else falls into perspective. Rather than our desire, our money becomes a way to honor God and advance His Kingdom. Rather than our prize, our possessions become necessary tools for living and also a means to help those in need.
When our priorities are the things of this world rather than God, our lives will be marked by worry. When we are focused on what we can acquire rather than the One who can give us all good things, we experience fear because of our limited ability to acquire these things and we will have a strong fear of losing what we are able to acquire.
When we make God and His Kingdom our priority, we do not turn our backs on the things of this world, but we see them for what they truly are and we can live in freedom and joy knowing that God will be faithful to provide for us.
Bonus: I came across an interesting analogy to help us appreciate verses 22-23 more. Imagine driving a car in the dark. If the headlights are working, you can see clearly to navigate the turns. If the headlights are dim or not functioning, then the darkness is 1000 times more dangerous and you are in a world of trouble! When our priority is anything other than God, it’s like trying to navigate life in the dark without headlights.