We love our super heroes don’t we? It seems like every year blockbuster movies tell the stories of heroic figures possessing extraordinary abilities. Whether it is Spiderman, Superman, Batman or the X-men, we flock to the theaters to watch these phenomenal figures fight against evil and save the day.
The interesting thing about these heroes though is that while we love how extraordinary they are, most of them really just want to be normal. Spiderman would rather just be Peter Parker. Superman would trade it all just to be Clark Kent. We want our heroes to be extraordinary but our heroes would trade it all just to be ordinary people like you and me.
The Bible too is filled with heroes—men and women who God uses to do incredible things. And Jesus himself told lots of stories with heroes in them. But the interesting thing about the Bible is that in the Bible our heroes are quite different than the heroes we find in the comic books. While in the comic books we see extraordinary people who really just want to be ordinary, in the Bible we often see quite ordinary people who God uses to do the extraordinary. And it through these ordinary people, whom accomplish these extraordinary things, that you and I receive our greatest invitation and challenge from Jesus.
See, sometimes I think we want our heroes to be extraordinary so that we have an excuse to not live heroically. But Jesus will not let us off the hook that easy. Because deep within the life and ministry of Jesus is the belief that all of us possess the opportunity to live an extraordinary life. In fact, it’s part of what He came to show us.
So join us this week as we listen into our extraordinary calling as believers through Ephesians 3 and Luke 10. Because you may just find that you too have the capacity to live heroically into the extraordinary calling of what it means to be a follower of Jesus by simply being someone’s neighbor.
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(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)
Date: January 17, 2016 // Title: Place in Grace: Neighborhood Notice
Scripture: Ephesians 3:7-10, Luke 10:25-37
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
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
Sometimes we want our heroes to be extraordinary so that we have an excuse to not live heroically. But Jesus will not let us off the hook that easy. Because deep within the life and ministry of Jesus is the belief that all of us possess the opportunity to live an extraordinary life. In fact, it’s part of what He came to show us. So let’s press into our extraordinary calling as believers, described in Ephesians 3 and Luke 10.You may just find that you too have the capacity to live heroically into the extraordinary calling of what it means to be a follower of Jesus by simply being someone’s neighbor.
THE MAIN THOUGHT Keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
God often uses the most ordinary people to do the most extraordinary things!
SEE IT Questions :: 10-15 minutes
Picture: What is the story in Luke 10:25-37 about? Who is my neighbor? How did Jesus flip their answer back onto them?
Mirror: Where am I in the story? Am I the Oppressor? Or the Neglector? Or the “Empowerer”?
Window: How does this story change the way I see everything? What does neighboring look like? How can I live like “out there” is just as sacred as “in here (the Church)”?
BE IT – Practice
Change UP // Exercise 15 minutes
Play some music and spend some time praying as a community with open hands. Ask God to show you how and where He wants you to incarnate Christ to others in your neighborhood or network.
Change IN // Group Activity 15 minutes
As you think about your community, evaluate how you might have been Oppressors, Neglectors or “Empowerers” with each other. If there are areas of taking or keeping in your relationships, confess those and make commitments to start “giving” to and with each other. Live with open hearts, open hands, and open homes!
Change OUT // Life Application Assignment 5 minutes
Who was a neighbor in the story? The one who showed mercy. Be a Neighbor this week: rise up under your redemption in Christ and move toward others. Let the wounded know that Jesus is seeking them! Come together next time and share stories of how you did this.
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.