When was the last time someone asked you for advice?
For me, the requests are pretty frequent, especially in the last 18 months since I became the campus pastor at Grace Snellville. I must admit, however, that often I don’t know exactly what to say because the people asking for advice are doing so precisely because they find themselves in very complicated situations.
This week, we will be reading 1 Corinthians 7, which concludes Paul’s thoughts on romance and marriage in the letter. The chapter begins with Paul responding to a request for advice: “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote…” (v. 1). He goes on to share profound and challenging advice about the way they can honor and live out their most significant covenant relationships and responsibilities.
If you re-read the passage (which I highly recommend), you might find it pretty intimidating and even difficult to follow. As one of my friends said to me, “You have to admit, sometimes Paul seems a bit heavy-handed.” But as we will see, Paul actually gives godly counsel with an incredibly gentle touch. Furthermore, we will learn not just what he tells the Corinthians, but also how his understanding of Jesus shapes everything he says. My hope is that we will all have a better idea of what to say the next time someone asks us for advice.
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(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)
Date: September 20, 2015 // Title: Grace in Your Place
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:1-40
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes
Spend the first fifteen minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another.
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
Paul seems to open a can of worms in this passage—dealing with sexuality, divorce, singleness and slavery. Yet his message appears to be consistent: if you want to evoke change in your current situation, more often than not, God calls you to remain. It is in the remaining that we witness his grace through the Incarnation, Crucifixion and Resurrection.
THE MAIN THOUGHT: (keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion)
There’s grace right in your place.
SEE IT – Questions 10–15 minutes
Picture: Discuss the pattern of godly change that is shown in Scripture: incarnation (show up), crucifixion (lay down your life) and resurrection (trusting God to bring new life). Pick one or two stations of life (marriage, singleness, divorce, widowhood) and discuss how this pattern could apply.
Mirror: Which section of the passage most spoke to you? What does it look like for you to pursue godly change in your current relationship status? Where have you seen resurrection in your life? Where are you hoping to see resurrection?
Window: Jon talked about the refugees in the Saharan desert who didn’t wish to establish a permanent residency because they still hoped to return to their “home.” How might having an eternal perspective on your relationship status affect how you live day to day? (1 Cor. 7: 25–34)
BE IT – Practice
Change UP // Worship :: 15 minutes
The women who witnessed Jesus’ resurrection modeled the behaviors that can position us to experience resurrection in our own lives—they worshipped Jesus by bringing spices to anoint his body. Spend time worshipping while listening to Aaron Keye’s song, Sovereign Over Us (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPkMbhydU9I). Reflect on how God is sovereign over your current situations.
Change IN // Invest :: 5 minutes
Draw names of couples/individuals and find ways to invest in their marriage/them over the next month. Take their kids for the night, give them a gift card, take them to dinner or pray for them.
Change OUT // Make Space :: 5 minutes
What is our group’s posture towards widows, singles, those who are in a struggling marriage and those who are divorced? How do we make space for grace for those who are at a different station of life than us?
CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.