Journey 101: Loving God Leader Guide: Steps to the Life God Intends
Journey 101: Loving God Leader Guide: Steps to the Life God Intends
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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781426770081 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Abingdon Press |
| Publication date: | 07/01/2013 |
| Series: | Journey 101 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 303 KB |
About the Author
Jeff Kirby serves on the Adult Discipleship Team at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. Among other duties, he leads men's ministries and the Alpha program, for which he is a national trainer. With COR since 2001, Jeff is a national and international educator and speaker, as well as a consultant on leadership development. His Bible study courses at Resurrection often bring in 500+ participants, who come to hear Jeff’s rich and challenging style of teaching.
Jenny Youngman is a veteran youth worker turned singer/songwriter from Nashville. Her writing credits include the Worship Feast series, The Amazing Bible Race, and The Deep Blue Kids Bible. Jenny is pursuing her God-sized dream with her husband/pastor and their four children. Connect with Jenny and check out her music at jennyyoungman.com.
Read an Excerpt
Journey 101: Loving God
Leader Guide
By Carol Cartmill, Jeff Kirby, Michelle Kirby
Abingdon Press
Copyright © 2013 Abingdon PressAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4267-7008-1
CHAPTER 1
SESSION 1
THE NATURE OF GOD
Background
Key Scripture
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 John 4:16
Theme
Today you will explore with participants the very nature of God: love. The material in this session will help participants discover that God is love, that God's love is personal, and that God's love is demonstrated most powerfully in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Main Points
1. God is love and loves us personally.
2. All other attributes of God stem from God's loving nature.
3. God demonstrates love through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Core Traits
• Surrender
• Transformation
Welcome (5 minutes)
As participants gather, invite them to get some refreshments and find a seat. If you have more than six to eight participants, set up tables so that everyone may join a table group upon arriving. When it is time to begin, speak some words of welcome and lead an opening prayer. If you choose, you may want to use the following for opening words and prayer:
Welcome to our first session of Loving God. I am praying that our time together will cause us to experience the great love of God and learn how to respond by loving God and others. Let us pray.
Loving God, we thank you that you are indeed love. Everything we know about love comes from you. Come and meet with us in this time to reveal more of yourself to us. Give us open hearts and let us experience your love in this time of learning. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
After the prayer, introduce the learning objectives for the session (see "Main Points" above).
Connect (5 minutes)
Now it's time for participants to connect. Refer participants to the "Connect" section in the participant guide and invite them to get to know one another better by sharing freely in response to the following questions:
• Take a few minutes to introduce yourself. Share why you are interested in taking this class.
• Share with the group how long you have been attending the church.
• What is your favorite time of year and why?
• Which virtue would you most like all humans to possess? Why?
• What do you think is the hardest thing you have ever done?
Reflect (3-5 minutes)
Point out the activity in the "Reflect" section of the participant guide. Explain that marking where we are in our understanding of God's love can help us assess growth when we get to the end of this study. Ask participants to take a minute to complete the exercise individually, writing about what loving God means to them.
This activity is for personal reflection only and does not need to be shared or debriefed.
1. Video: God Is Love (10 minutes)
Introduce the "God is Love" DVD segment by explaining that the Bible uses comparisons to tell us what God is "like," but Scripture says that God is love. Participants will hear Scriptures and stories to help them discover that God's very nature is love. God loves us personally and passionately. (Video highlights are included in the participant guide.)
1. Group Discussion (10 minutes)
Discuss with your group the following questions. Make sure that participants have Bibles readily available if they didn't bring them. Encourage participants to open their Bibles and have someone read aloud the Scriptures as you come to them.
1. On the video, you heard that God's very nature is love. If you have spent time reading the Bible in the past, have you considered Scripture as a significant source to learn about the nature of God? How so?
2. Have volunteers read aloud Deuteronomy 7:7-8; Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16; Romans 8:34-39; Ephesians 1:4-5; and 1 Timothy 4:9-10. What do these Scriptures reveal about the loving nature of God?
3. Have someone read aloud Psalm 86:10-17. How does David describe God in this passage? What is David asking of God? What clues does this give you about the relationship between God and David?
4. How would you describe God's love as personal?
5. Have someone read aloud Galatians 2:20. What does it mean to you that God loves you personally, that God is generous and self-giving with God's love?
2. Video: God's Love Never Changes (10 minutes)
Introduce the second DVD segment by explaining that oftentimes people have a skewed image of who God is. Suggest that a lot of us get confused by the stories of God's wrath in the Old Testament and struggle to understand whether God is loving or wrathful. This segment will help your group see that all of the biblical attributes of God stem from love. (Video highlights are included in the participant guide.)
2. Group Discussion (10 minutes)
Discuss with your group the following questions. Encourage participants to dig deep and consider their views of God. Invite them to soak in the truth that God is love and to let go of any feelings that God is waiting and watching for a misstep—"out to get them."
1. What is your understanding of God's nature as depicted in the Old Testament? Full of wrath? Vengeful? Loving? What has led you to this understanding?
2. Have someone read aloud Hosea 11:1, 3-4. Describe the image these verses paint. How easy or hard is it for you to imagine God as this loving caregiver? Why?
3. How does God's love for you cause you to respond?
4. Have someone read aloud Matthew 22:37. What response is required by this verse?
5. What do you think of when you hear the word meditation? How can you love God in return simply by meditating on God? (Refer to Psalm 63:6.)
6. Look together at the preceding list of God's names and attributes. (See participant guide.)
7. Which attributes are new to your understanding of God?
8. How does understanding more about who God is help us understand more about God's love?
3. Video: God's Love Revealed in Jesus Christ (10 minutes)
Introduce the final DVD segment by sharing that God demonstrates love for us most powerfully through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We can know the love of God because of Jesus Christ. (Video highlights are included in the participant guide.)
3. Group Discussion (10 minutes)
Discuss with your group the following questions. Remind participants that imitation is the highest form of praise. With every question and every reflection, encourage them to consider how they might imitate Christ in their daily lives.
1. When have you tried to imitate someone—for better or worse?
2. What does it mean to imitate Christ? (Refer to Ephesians 5:1-2.)
3. Have someone read aloud Ephesians 3:17b-19. What does it mean to be rooted and established in love?
4. Reflect on the height, depth, breadth, and length of God's love for you in Christ Jesus. Describe your thoughts about God's great love for you.
5. Why do you think people often find it difficult to believe God loves them? What might be helpful in overcoming these objections?
6. Look up the following Scriptures and discuss what you discover about the nature of God: Romans 5:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 1 John 3:16.
Review (3-5 minutes)
Help to solidify the content with participants by inviting them to name the three main points covered in this session. Ask volunteers to name them in their own words, assisting them as necessary.
In this session, the main three points were:
1. God is love and loves us personally.
2. All other attributes of God stem from God's loving nature.
3. God demonstrates love through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Ask the following questions:
1. The Bible says that God is like a lot of things, but what does it say is the very nature of God? (Love)
2. How are we to respond to God's great love? (Imitate Christ)
Closing (5 minutes)
Remind participants that in the last video segment they heard about how the love of God changed someone's life and consequently resulted in bringing many others to faith in Christ. Invite each participant to share with a neighbor his or her responses to the questions in the participant guide.
Pray Together (5 minutes)
Express gratitude for the commitment of the group members gathered to take this journey of loving God more deeply. Encourage them by promising to pray for them and be available to answer questions.
Ask participants to share joys and concerns for the week. After a few minutes, close your time with a prayer of your own, or invite group members to pray in unison the prayer that is printed in the participant guide:
O God, I pray for each of us as we conclude this time together. I pray for us as the Apostle Paul prayed for his followers. I pray that the eyes of our hearts might be open and that each of us, together with all of your people, might come to know and experience the height, the depth, the breadth, and the width of your amazing love for us. And I pray that each of us might be filled to all the fullness of God in Christ. Thank you for loving us. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Walking It Out
Encourage participants to take what they have learned today and apply it in their daily lives by reflecting on the "Walking It Out" page in the participant guide throughout the coming week.
CHAPTER 2SESSION 2
EXPERIENCING THE LOVE OF GOD
Background
Key Scripture
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.... For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise. Psalm 96:1, 4a
Theme
Today you will explore some ways to experience God's love, primarily through worship and prayer. This session will help participants to see themselves as the objects of God's affections and point them to worship and prayer, not only as a response to God's love but also as an opportunity to experience that deep love.
Main Points
1. God loves us personally and passionately and fills our hearts to overflowing with his love.
2. Worship is the most natural and appropriate response to God's great love for us.
3. We can experience God's love through prayer.
Core Traits
• Transformation
• Spiritual Disciplines
Welcome (5 minutes)
As participants gather, invite them to get some refreshments and find a seat. If you have more than six to eight participants, set up tables so that everyone may join a table group upon arriving. When it is time to begin, speak some words of welcome and lead an opening prayer. If you choose, you may want to use the following for opening words and prayer:
Welcome back to Journey 101: Loving God. In our time together today we will zero in on the idea that each of us is the object of God's affections—that God's love for us is immense and overflowing. Will you be open to experiencing God's great love for you in our time together? Let us pray.
Loving God, sometimes it is hard to take in the deep well of love you have for us. We feel so far from your greatness and we fall so short of your glory. But you are good, and faithful, and full of love. Thank you for your amazing love. Come and meet us, and let us experience that love even now. Amen.
After the prayer, introduce the learning objectives for the session (see "Main Points" above).
Connect (5 minutes)
Now it's time for participants to connect. Refer participants to the "Connect" section in the participant guide and invite them to get to know one another better by sharing freely in response to the following questions:
• What is your favorite movie of all time?
• If you could go back in time, which time period would you most like to visit? Why?
• Do you think it's more challenging to speak kindly or honestly? Why?
• What did you take away from last week's session that stuck with you during the week?
Reflect (3-5 minutes)
Point out the activity in the "Reflect" section in the participant guide. Ask participants to take a minute to complete the exercise individually, writing about when they most fully experience God.
This activity is for personal reflection only and does not need to be shared or debriefed.
1. Video: God Loves Personally and Passionately (10 minutes)
Introduce the first DVD segment by pointing out that God's love is something we can always count on—it's a given. Participants will hear Scriptures and stories to help them begin to comprehend the great love God has for them. (Video highlights are included in the participant guide.)
1. Group Discussion (10 minutes)
Discuss with your group the following questions. Make sure that participants have Bibles readily available if they didn't bring them. Encourage participants to open their Bibles and have someone read aloud any Scriptures listed.
1. What do you think it means to say that God loves you personally and passionately?
2. Have someone read aloud Romans 5:5. How do we receive God's love according to this passage?
3. How can we be sure we are the objects of God's affection and love? (See Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:5.)
4. What causes us to doubt God's love for us? How might we overcome those doubts and be confident of God's great love?
2. Video: We Respond to God's Love Through Worship (10 minutes)
Introduce the second DVD segment by explaining that the most appropriate response to God's love is worship. As they watch, encourage them to consider how they approach worship opportunities. (Video highlights are included in the participant guide.)
2. Group Discussion (10 minutes)
Discuss with your group the following questions. If time allows, linger on the last question. Ask participants to consider how the love of Jesus is good news to their lives.
1. When have you personally experienced the type of worship that makes you want to stand on your feet and applaud? Share your experience.
2. What is your favorite part of community/corporate worship? Why? Which part of the service connects with you the least? Why? What might you do to develop your worship life in your least favorite areas of the service?
3. Have someone read aloud John 4:19-26. What does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth?
4. Review the list above for ways to get the richest experience of community worship.
How do you prepare yourself to engage and participate in corporate worship? What causes you to be distracted or unengaged?
5. If worship is our spirit being ignited by the Holy Fire, how do we get to that place?
6. Why is worship the most appropriate response to God's deep love for us?
3. Video: Prayers and Psalms (10 minutes)
Introduce the final DVD segment by explaining that along with worship, another primary way we experience the love of God is through prayer. Participants will hear that prayer is the way they grow more and more in their love relationship with God. (Video highlights are included in the participant guide.)
3. Group Discussion (10 minutes)
Discuss with your group the following questions. If time permits, allow a few minutes of silence before discussing question 3. Invite participants to reflect on this question before sharing their thoughts with the group.
1. Have someone read aloud Matthew 6:9-13. We call this the Lord's Prayer because when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, this is how he responded. What phrase speaks to you the most? The least? Why?
2. Do you sometimes feel prayer is more routine than special? Why?
3. How might you overcome this and make prayer more meaningful?
4. In what ways does prayer change us?
5. Prayers in the psalms are often along the lines of confession, thanksgiving, praising, asking, and so on. What kind of prayers do you most often pray?
6. We learned that one key benefit of prayer is transformation. Have you ever experienced change as a result of prayer in your life? How?
Review (3-5 minutes)
Invite participants to name the main points covered in this session. Ask volunteers to name them in their own words, assisting them as necessary. Review the teaching that God loves us and fills us with love. Help participants begin to grasp how beloved they are and to become intentional about experiences that help them grow in the knowledge of God's love as well as love for God and others.
In this session, the main points were:
1. God loves us personally and passionately and fills our hearts to overflowing with his love.
2. Worship is the most natural and appropriate response to God's great love for us.
3. We can experience God's love through prayer.
Ask the following questions:
1. What is new or surprising to you about God's love based on what you heard and discussed in this session?
2. Why are prayer and worship central to experiencing God's love?
Closing (5 minutes)
Remind participants that in the last video segment they heard a story about Jenny's amazing ability to embrace God's love through very difficult life experiences. Through all of her challenges, she never stopped talking to God. Reiterate that Jenny had deeper experiences of God's love because she was intentional about worship and prayer. Invite group members to open themselves to God in this way by intentionally planning worship and prayer. Ask them to think about how they might better prepare for worship so as to be free from distractions and how they might incorporate regular prayer into their daily lives.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Journey 101: Loving God by Carol Cartmill, Jeff Kirby, Michelle Kirby. Copyright © 2013 Abingdon Press. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction,Fifteen Core Traits of a Deeply Committed Christian,
Session 1 The Nature of God,
Session 2 Experiencing the Love of God,
Session 3 The Transforming Love of God,
Session 4 Choosing to Trust God's Love,
Session 5 The Love of God in the Sacraments,
Session 6 The Love of God As the Mark of the Church,
Notes,