Freedom seemed like an impossible dream. Israel had been “oppressed cruelly” for 20 years (Judges 4:3). It was so bad that the people were afraid to even go out onto the main roads (Judges 5:6). The oppressors were so powerful that change appeared impossible.
But then a woman named Deborah arose and delivered the word of the Lord throughout the land. They were words of deliverance and courage. Some who heard the call refused to respond, preferring their coastland comforts and the security of home (Judges 5:16-17). But those who did engage got to see something amazing: God working through an unlikely, impossible team of leaders to change everything.
Today more than ever in our nation, we as God’s people need to hear again his words of deliverance and courage in the face of oppression and violence. We need to recall the dreams that God has for his world. And we need to remember how he brings together teams of simple and unexpected people to make those impossible dreams possible.
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(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)
Date: July 10, 2016 // Title: Team Deborah, Barak, Jael
Scripture: Judges 4-5
ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes
Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
God wants to do amazing things in our world. And if we have learned anything from the events this past week, it’s that our world really needs God to work. But from the beginning, God has continued to do His greatest work through His people—unlikely teams of people who band together to be God’s family and do God’s work in the world. This week, Jon spoke to us from Judges 4-5 about a heroic team of unlikely people who dared to step into the chaotic events of their day and do something to change it. This timely and inspiring message invites and challenges all of us to be God’s team and make is His dream a reality in every area of our world that is struggling to wake up from it’s nightmare.
THE MAIN THOUGHT Keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
Teamwork makes the dream work but God’s work makes the team work.
CHANGE
5 questions to help us GROW or SEE IT
1. What words would you use to describe our world today? How have you seen those words in the news this week?
*have each person pick one positive word and one negative word to describe the world they see today.
2. What words would you use to describe the world that Deborah, Barak and Jael lived in?
*have each person pick one word to describe the world of Judges 4-5.
3. How did Deborah, Barak and Jael work as a team to see God restore His dream in their world?
*describe together how each of these individuals used their personal opportunities, gifting and talents to do what they could do individually but how it took all of them working together to deliver Israel.
4. How has your team of family and friends worked together in the past to become a team that God has used to do His
work in the world?
*share your family highlights
5. What places might God be asking your team of family and friends to step into this month?
*discuss together places that your team work could make God’s dream work.
CHALLENGE
3 exercises to help us GO or BE IT (choose at least 1)
UP (Our relationship with God): God’s Work
Read Isaiah 6:1-8 together as a family. Notice the way that Isaiah responds to God showing up in His life. Isaiah’s first response is to see himself and see his world (I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips—he sees the chaos of his life and his world). Isaiah’s second response is to repent. But Isaiah’s third response is what we want to concentrate on today. Here in Isaiah 6: 8, Isaiah stays around long enough to hear God’s heart for His world—and then Isaiah says, “Here am I. Send me.” Think through together as a family how you could be a “Here am I. Send me” family. What might it look like to live as a family sent by God to do His work in your world? Then draw a picture together as a family to demonstrate what this might look like.
IN (Our relationships with each other): Team Work
Doing God’s work in the world as a team means working together as a team. And working together as a team means recognizing what each of you bring to the team individually and championing it together for each other. Take a minute to go around the table and have each person speak one word into every person’s life by telling him or her something they admire about him or her or one strength or talent he or she has.
OUT (Our relationship with the world): Dream Work
Take a walk as a family around your neighborhood this week. Ask this one simple question and answer it together as you walk— “What might God want to do in our neighborhood that our family could work for together?”
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.