Journey Group Leader Questions - World Religions April 26th

Here are a few questions to help your group process Pastor Marks message from this morning.  There are probably more than you'll actually need - feel free to be selective.  Thanks to Steve, Bill, Kim, Diane for sending me suggestions.  What a great topic!  Feel free to connect with Pastor Mark or myself with questions your group members come up with.  This is a great topic!

Here's a link to a PDF of the questions below:

JG Discussion Questions - World Religions

Thanks so much!

Tim Perry - timp@cccomaha.org

 Discussion Questions

1) What did you think of Pastor Mark’s example of taking an entire year to research just one major world religion? Have you ever personally done research on Jesus and other religions or do you tend to believe what you are told?

2) Today’s message compared Christianity to Buddhism, Confusion and Islam. Which faith system were you most familiar with?  Least familiar with?  What did Pastor Mark’s comparative approach help you discover?

3) What is the consensus in your group about which religious community (other than Christianity) is the most numerous and visible in our town? What could your group do to reach out to and learn about them?

4) If Christianity were so obviously superior to all the other religions, why are there still so many followers of Buddhism or Islam? Why do so many non-Christian faiths continue to grow in numbers?

5) Pastor Mark talked about miracles as a way of comparing religions. Why can’t Christianity’s miracles be swept under the same rug as all the miraculous claims of all the other religions?

6) How can Christians claim more validity for their scriptures than the Muslims – aren’t they both products of special divine revelation that can’t really be proven?

7) Buddhists have interesting ideas about the relationship between desires and suffering in our world. In what ways do Christianity and Buddhism agree on this?  In what ways to they sharply disagree?  Have you ever met a Buddhist?  What is one thing you’ve observed about his/her way of life?

8) Which aspects of Christianity do your non-believing friends have the greatest struggle with? How did today’s message help you see that?

9) In summary, Pastor Mark compared these four faiths on the basis of their founders, their central teachings, their morality, the claims of their founding figures, their validating miracles and their deaths. Based on these categories, what makes Christianity utterly unique?

10) As a group, brainstorm a list of ways you can continue learning about world religions that are present in our city? Challenge each member to take action on one simple idea (reading a book on Buddhism or taking an international friend to lunch and asking about their faith, etc).  Think about one idea or cultural event your group could explore – put it on the calendar and make it happen!  Process the learning together.

11) Have people share about a friend from another faith and any related prayer requests. Pray as a group for opportunities to share the Good News!

Evidence April 19

Evidence for the Bible

Evidence April 12

Download PDF  Dr. Frank Turek

1. Dr. Turek stressed that Science doesn’t say anything, scientists do. "To say that a scientist can disprove the existence of God is like saying a mechanic can disprove the existence of Henry Ford. While there is certainly evidence from science to support theism, the most important point is that theism supports science. Theism makes doing science possible."

Have you ever considered this? How does this reframe your approach when talking with atheists?

2. Our worldview determines how we interpret the evidence in science. Atheist’s materialistic worldview philosophically rules out an intelligent designer in advance. The deck is stacked against a Designer and toward Darwin. How is this knowledge helpful when talking with atheists? How can you approach Biblical truth with people that have a materialistic mindset?

3. Modern science got its start by Christians who, as astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) put it, were studying how nature worked in order to understand "God’s thoughts after Him." The founders and early pioneers of modern science could rely on the regularity and consistency of natural laws because they believed in a Law Giver. Dr. Turek explained that Empirical Science studies how things operate while Forensic Science studies how things originate. Does understanding this distinction help you have a better framework to debate from?

4. Why do you think people want to discredit God for creation? What scriptures do you know that support your belief in intelligent design?

5. How do you know if you are dealing with a heart or head argument?

6. What one thing will you do as a result of what you learned from Dr. Turek? Will you be bold enough to use his social media tools to let your friends know the truth?

EMPTY Easter Sunday 4.5.2015

  1. As Pastor Mark opened his sermon, he identified many of the ways that we look for fulfillment only to be left unsatisfied and empty. Take some time as a group to share ways that you have looked for fulfillment in the wrong places.

2. Even though Jesus predicted his death and resurrection 9 times, the disciples and his closest followers did not understand it would happen. What are reasons you hear today from people on why they don’t believe in the resurrection of Christ? Share together several facts that we know about the resurrection based on Luke 24:1-12.

3. After the death of Jesus, the women bought spices and came to anoint His body, a sad but necessary task. It is obvious by their actions that the women were not expecting to find Jesus gone; resurrected. In Luke 24:5 two angels at the tomb ask the women, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” How do you approach the resurrection? Is your tendency towards skepticism, investigation or do you tend to believe?

4. For those of us that believe in Christ’s resurrection, we have a story to tell. The tomb is EMPTY, and because of that, our empty hearts can be filled with the hope of eternal life through Him. Take 3-5 minutes each to share with each other your story of faith. I once was… Now I am…. You might even want to have each group member write out the ‘Now I am’ section on a piece of paper and take a picture as a group to share on Facebook or Twitter and tag it with #CCCOmaha.

5. At the end of the Easter service we were asked to hold out our empty hands for God to fill. What may you be holding onto that is keeping you from accepting what God has for you? Is there an area in your life that you doubt God cares about? Maybe there is something you need God’s resurrection power to intervene and fill the emptiness in the situation. If you feel comfortable, share with your group. Spend time praying for one another and for belief that the power of Jesus is available for us today.

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 12

This is the end! We have reached the end of our study in Exodus and we have come full circle to the beginning. At the beginning of Exodus, God was "conspicuously absent" and unseen by the Israelites. At the end of Exodus, God is overtly present and seen by the Israelites as He tangibly occupies the Tabernacle. In the sacrifices designed to keep the Tabernacle clean, we have a beautiful picture of God's willingness to encounter our sin and brokeness and His plan to address it so that we aren't stuck there. In an even great way, Jesus' sacrifice cleanses us so that we can become God's dwelling place. God no longer occupies a location, but has moved in to make our hearts His dwelling place!

Schedule note: if your group is continuing beyond these 12 sessions, make sure that everyone knows what the plan is moving forward. If the group is ending, we recommend having one more time together to share a meal and to celebrate the things that God did in your lives and the connections that were made.

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 11

This session deals with one of the more infamous failures in the Exodus account - the golden calf incident. At first glance, this seems like a breaking of the first commandment (you shall have no other gods before me). But when we look more closely, we see that it is actually a breaking of the second commandment (do not make any graven images). The Israelites were not creating a false god as much as they were creating their own way to approach and worship the God that brought them out of Egypt. They corrupted the plan that God had given them and tried to make their own way. We encounter this today when we meet people who have created their own "belief system" that includes things other than God's teaching in the Bible. Or when someone decides that something can't be true because of their life experience (ex. there is no hell because my deceased family member did not believe in Jesus, so I choose not to believe that).

We also encounter this principle when we try to live our lives differently than the way God directs us. When we decide to sacrifice our integrity in order to get ahead in our career or get a better grade in the class. When we decide that the stress is too great and we can't trust God to resolve the situation or provide for the need. When we go our own way we corrupt ourselves and God must guide us back to His path (and that is sometimes a painful process!).

Correction: there is a mistake on page 112 in listing the same 3 set of verses from page 111. The correct verses for page 112 are John 14:16-17, Hebrews 4:12, and Hebrews 3:12-13

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 10

The "slave laws" in Exodus 21 can present difficulty for modern readers. Some see these laws as evidence that God is not the loving person that He claims to be. A loving God, after all, would forbid slaver rather than give rules to regulate it. While this modern perspective is understandable, there are two main problems with it. First, regulating something does not mean that God is endorsing that matter. The giving of regulations is a way for God to protect the vulnerable in the broken world they live in. Divorce is another example of this. Laws are given in Leviticus and Deuteronomy for divorce, but in Matthew 19, Jesus makes it clear that God does not approve of divorce. The laws were given because God knows that divorce is part of living in a broken and sinful world. The laws protect those involved and help prevent things (divorce, slaves, etc.) from getting worse.

The second problem is sometimes called "modern arrogance," meaning that we assume our understanding is automatically superior to an older one because we are modern. In this case, we see that our modern understanding of the word slavery does not fit the practice of those to whom the laws were given. As Dr. Smith points out in the video, we are wrong to insert our understanding of slavery into these verses.

Regardless of the exact meaning of the word slavery, we can, however, say with a fair degree of confidence that we will not need these laws to help us live our daily lives. So do we just skip over them? No! As Dr. Smith shows us, these laws are beautiful and valuable because they are a window into God's character and His love for all.

Schedule note: this is the week that the group needs to start the conversation regarding what will happen after the 12th session. Depending on how frequently the group has met, there may be time for another short study before the summer season hits. If it is close to the summer (June-August) CCC can provide a plan for the group to stay connected through these sporadic months. If you or the group do not want to continue, then celebrate what God has done through the Exodus study and the connections that were made.

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 9

This session is all about the Law. It will focus more on the laws in general than the specific laws in Exodus 22-23. In the video, Dr. Smith wants us to see that many of us have overlooked the legal sections of the Old Testament to our detriment. He reminds us that the laws are good and they are the inspired words of God. Dr. Smith also helps us understand a healthy perspective of the laws, how they matter to our lives today, and how being "in Christ" impacts the role of the law in our lives.

For those in your group (and maybe yourself!) who have always glossed over these sections, encourage them to intentionally study to discover God in the legal sections of the Old Testament.

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 8

The common understanding on "Don't take the name of the Lord in vain," is to not say "Oh, God!" or "Jesus, that hurts!" While this is part of the intent, Dr. Smith helps us see that it is much larger than that. In fact, we may be guilty of breaking this command more than we thought! Dr. Smith suggests that "taking the name of the Lord in vain" is more about how we represent His name to the world (we are God's treasured possession in session 7) and ways that we try to manipulate and control God. Has anyone ever been surprised to learn that you are a Christian based on your behavior? Have you ever been surprised that God didn't do what you wanted Him to do because "you did all the right things?" You were likely guilty of taking God's name in vain in that moment. Schedule note: if your group is meeting every week, this is the week that you need to start the conversation with the group regarding the ending or continuation of your group. As the host/leader, you need to have decided if you want to continue beyond the 12th session or not. If you do desire to continue, invite the group to join you for 6 more sessions and allow people to opt out if that is what they desire.

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 7

In Exodus 19:1-8, God invites the Israelites into a formal agreement to be His special people among all the nations. If they obey Him, they will be His "treasured possession." As Dr. Smith points out, it is important to note that this offer is made after God has rescued them from slavery. God has freed them and now He offers them a deeper relationship with Him. Similarly, God has already paid the price to forgive every person of their sins. The offer of that forgiveness is available to all, but God does not impose His forgiveness on anyone. He has made the special relationship possible, but we must choose to enter into that relationship. Many people struggle to think of their lives in terms of putting God on display to the broken world around them. Every interaction and situation is a chance to display God to others. In fact, the impact God makes in our lives is the one undeniable argument for the power of Jesus. Who can argue that Jesus isn't real when He has changed your life so dramatically? So...what is your life displaying about God these days?

Note: verse 4 is a great tie in with the part in session 3 about remembering what God has done