Session 10: Part 5-Understanding the New Testament(pgs 289-330)

Session 10: Part 5-Understanding the New Testament

“The Early and and the End of the Story” (pgs 289-330)

Challenge Review/Ice Breaker

Share with your group what God revealed to you about your Spiritual gifts and the steps you will take to begin exploring and using those gifts.

Videos

The Early Church

Good News for All Nations

The End of the Story

Discussion/Prayer

Read Acts 2:41-47

1. What was the early church’s time devoted to? (v42)

1. Based on what the early church did, what did they value?
2. Do things your church says it values line up with what it does?
3. How does your personal schedule align with what you claim to believe and value?
4. What is the gospel? (1 Cor 15:1-4; 2 Tim 2:8)

2. What does Acts 2 tell us about how the early church treated each other?

1. What are some of the differences between the way the early church functioned and the way your church functions?
2. How does the Sunday worship service and weekly bible study fit into the way the church functions? What aspects of technology and culture make it difficult for the present church to mirror the early church?

3. How does the modern church’s definition of fellowship differ from the early church?

1. How can we be more intentional about being in fellowship?
2. How would a commitment to biblical teaching make our fellowship more like the early church?

Read 1 John 5:14-15; James 5: 13-16

4. What affect does prayer have on the effectiveness of a church?

1. What is the relationship between prayer and the Word of God(Biblical Teaching)?
2. What is the relationship between prayer and fellowship?

Notice what the first Christian converts in Acts 2 did not do. They did not simply make a profession of faith and then seek to live the Christian life on their own. No, these early converts were baptized as a sign of their identification with Jesus Christ and His church. Actually, to identify with Jesus Christ is to identify with the church, His beloved bride. Jesus Himself said: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for another” (John 13:35). One crucial aspect of submitting to Jesus is committing to the ministry of His church. We are no longer isolated individuals, but members of Christ’s body. (296)

3. How can you be a catalyst in your church to move people to live a faith like the one practiced in the early church?

Pause to pray: Tthank God for what your church does well and intercede for your church so that you all yield to the Spirit so that He will build up what you lack.

“But your relationship with God should not be characterized by individualism. God worked in your individual heart to give you new life, but salvation is not about your making it to heaven as an individual. Jesus saves us as individuals to place us within a body—the church. In reality, Jesus is the Savior of the church. He died to create a people who together love and worship Him and fulfill His purposes in the world. “

5. How are you as a unique individual called and created by God fitting into the Church? How are you investing your life in others? How are others investing in you?

Read Ephesians 2:11-22; Acts 1:8, Matt 5:12-18; James 2:14-26

6. How has learning about how God has called His people to be a blessing to the nations affected how you live out your faith?

1. How have you become more aware of opportunities to be a blessing through your witness to the person and work of Jesus?
2. What do these passages tell you about how you provide a witness/testimony to the person of Jesus?  
3. How can you help the people in your immediate area of influence be more intentional in “spreading the gospel” to all nations?

Pause to pray: Ask God to give you a greater burden and passion for His glory! Ask God to reveal how you can glorify Him  in all you do and be a witness to the gospel. Ask God to give you a compassionate heart that yearns for the lost to be reconciled to God.

Read Revelation 20:7-21:8; 22:7, 12-15

7. How has learning about God’s faithfulness to keep His promises affect how you read the promises God makes in Revelation?

1. How does the knowledge of from Revelation about God being “faithful and true” affect how you understand your role as His witness?
2. Revelation tells us there will be a judgement and casting out for those who are not in the “Lamb’s book of Life.”  Do you know someone that needs to know this? How does this affect the way you view the purpose of all the relationships God has given you?

Read 2 Peter 3:8-14

8. What does this passage tell you about the kind of attitude/mindset we should have until Christ returns?  

1. What actions/tasks/mission should accompany our attitude?
2. What does this passage tell you about the urgency of making disciples?

Individual Challenge

Partner with another believer and commit to regularly meeting once a week to share, pray, and encourage one another for one month. Ask that person to pray that God would be with you and prepare you as you begin to pass on what you have learned in a discipleship relationship.

Session 9: Part 5(pgs 251-288)

Week 9: Part 5(pgs 251-288)

Challenge Review/Ice-Breaker

Share with your group how meditating on Christ’s love displayed through His sacrifice has impacted your week.

Videos:

Jesus the Messiah

The Great Commission

The Spirit of God

Discussion/Prayer:

1. What were the two primary messages God communicates to His people through the Old Testament? (251)

Read Mark  1:1-8, Malachi 4:5-6, Luke 1:13-17

2. What do these passages tell you about the purpose of John the Baptist?

Read Mark 1:9-45, John 20:31, Matthew 16:15-16, John 1:1-18

“Remember that Israel was waiting for the Messiah, the King who would come from the line of David. When Jesus was referred to as “the Christ,” He was being identified as that Messiah. “Christ” is simply the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. So to refer to Jesus as the Christ is huge because we are saying that He is the promised Messiah—the person through whom God would accomplish His plan of redemption. God’s ultimate solution to the problem of sin had arrived. “(254)

1. What do these passages tell you about Jesus and His Ministry?
2. Why is it important to know that Jesus was fully human? Why is it important to know Jesus was also fully God?

Read Luke 4;17-30, 24:44-48, 22:17-20

3. Why is it important to know that Jesus knew who He was and what His mission was?
4. What is significant about Jesus fulfilling the OT prophecies made about the Messiah?
5. How does Jesus death serve as the connection point between the Old and the New Covenant?

“What exactly should the church be doing? The answer has been the same since the day Jesus spoke these words. Sure, each church will have some distinctives, and the church in different places and in different times has had some unique issues that it has needed to address. But the church has one mission. It is the mission that characterized Jesus’s ministry on earth, and it is the mission that He left to the church when He returned to His Father. “(268)

Read Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15-18, Matthew 28:18-20

“ But God’s commitment to His plan of redemption does not absolve us from our responsibility to obey His commands. God will reach every corner of this world, and He has chosen to accomplish this task by working through His church.”(271)

3. What is the mission Christ left his followers? How is your church fulfilling Christ’s mission? How are you involved in helping your church accomplish Christ’s mission?

“iAs we have said, a disciple is simply a follower of Jesus. If we believe that Jesus is who He says He is and we do what He tells us to 272 Multiply do, then we are disciples. So the process of disciple making amounts to telling other people about Jesus and calling them to follow Him as well. Discipleship is a lifelong process where we are continuously made more and more like Jesus.”(271-272)

4. What are the steps in the process of discipleship Jesus describes in Matthew 28:18-20?

1. How does one identify with Christ and His Church? Why is it important to be identified with Christ? Is identification with Jesus a one time or ongoing action? How/Why?
2. What does Christ command His followers to teach? How does he command them to teach? How does Christ’s command to instruct others grow us in humility before Him and fellow Christ followers?

Read Joshua 1:1-8, John 14:27, 15:5; Matthew 16:18; Ezekiel 36:25-27

5. How/Why is God’s promise to be with us(Matt 28:20) comforting?  What does God promising Himself to us tell us about what He desires?

1. What type of attitude(s) characterizes a person that is led by the Spirit? Why? (Eze 36)
2. How can you refocus yourself to make sure that you are abiding in Christ?(Jn 15)

6. What does Ezekiel 36 tell you about the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christ follower?  What does this teach you about your role in salvation?

Read Mark 1:9-12, Acts 5:1-11, John 16:13-15

“the Holy Spirit is a person. He is not an impersonal force, so we should not refer to the Spirit as an “it.” The Holy Spirit is a “He,” a person with the ability to act, will, and even be grieved “(282)

7. What does the passage in Mark teach you about the doctrine of the Trinity?  What do you learn about the Spirit and His relationship to the other parts of the God-head?

1. What does the passage in Acts 5 teach you about the nature of the Spirit?

Read 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1: 19-21, John 14:16-17, 26

8. What do the Passages in 2 Timothy and 2 Peter tell you about the role of the Spirit in Scripture?

1. How do these passages shape/interpret what you know about the Spirit from other passages of Scripture?

9. How have you seen the Spirit working in your life? How have you seen the Spirit work in your church? What obstacles make it difficult to see the Spirit at work in your life or in the lives of others?

Read Ephesians 2: 19-22, 4:1-6

10. What do the passages in Ephesians tell you about the role of the Spirit in the Church?

1. How do these passages influence your understanding of how the presence of God is manifested on Earth?
2. How are you involved in manifesting the presence of God on the Earth?

Individual Challenge:

Commit to asking God to reveal your spiritual gifts and how you can use them everyday this week.  Take a spiritual gifts inventory and meet with a church leader about how you can begin using your gifts.

Click here to take a spiritual gifts inventory

Session 8: Part 4(pg 187-250)

Session 8: Part 4(Pgs187-250)

Challenge Review/Icebreaker:

Share about opportunities have you had this week to talk to other people about spiritual things.   What did you learn from the opportunity(ies) (successful/unsuccessful)

Videos:

God’s Covenant with Moses

Sacrifice and Atonement

God’s Presence on Earth

The Kingdom of God

Exile and Promise of Restoration

Discussion/Prayer

Read Exodus 19:3-6, 10-12,  16-22,  20:1-17

1. What does the passage in Exodus tell us about what God thinks about purity?  

a.  What did God promise the people of Israel?   What were the commitments/promises the people of Israel made to God?  

“ This Law spelled out God’s expectations for His people in their civil, religious, and moral lives. The Law began with the Ten Commandments, but from these ten simple laws followed more than one hundred specific laws related to all aspects of the life of the people of God. These laws were not intended to be comprehensive; they were meant to provide judiciary precedents through which Israel’s judges could make wise decisions about any issue that might arise...The Law gives insight into the character of God and His intention for His people. “(191-192)

b. How does this image of marriage between the God and His people affect the way you view the 10 Commandments?  

“But there is nothing in the Law that tells the Israelites that they will receive ultimate salvation if they perfectly keep every aspect of the Law. In fact, the Law itself assumes that the Israelites will fail in keeping it—that’s why the sacrificial system was included...In reality, the Law was never intended to give the Israelites a moral ladder they could climb and thereby earn God’s favor by showing what good people they were. Instead, the Law was about maintaining a relationship with God. The Law solved the problem of how a holy God can bind Himself to a sinful people...It gave the people of Israel a tangible code of conduct that would allow them to faithfully live out their identity as the people of God. It taught them to relate to God and one another appropriately.(193-194)”

c. How will knowing that the commands of God reveal aspects of His character change the way you read the Law?(Genesis-Deuteronomy)

d. Understanding that God is a person that desires a relationship with you, do you think it was necessary for God to give His People the Law(an agreement/commitment to how they would relate to each other)?  Why?

Read Deuteronomy 28:1-6, 15-19

e.  How is the covenant God made with Abraham different than the one He makes with Moses and Israel?

“In Exodus 19:5–6, God told Israel that they were to be a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation.” These two titles are extremely important for understanding Israel’s calling. A priest has two responsibilities: to represent a holy God to sinful people, and to represent a sinful people to a holy God...They were to minister on God’s behalf, to show the holy character of God to the world around them and be a light to the nations.” (196-197)

f.  How is the the covenant of Moses(consequences for blessings/curses) related to God’s purpose for His people(being a blessing to the nations)?

2. Explain what you understand about the OT sacrificial system and why/how Jesus was a sacrifice.

Read Genesis 22: 1-2, 6-8, 9-14

1. What does the story of Abraham and Isaac help us understand about Jesus?

Read Ephesians 2: 13-18, Leviticus 16:5-10,15-16, 20-22

2. What is the purpose of the sacrifice? What does atonement mean? How does Jesus atone for our sins?

“atonement is all about reconciling, making amends for what has gone wrong, and reestablishing peace where there was conflict. Atonement allowed people who were distanced from God because of their sin to once again enjoy being “at one” with God”(203)

3. How does our faith factor into Jesus being the atonement for sin?  How does understanding atonement as a relational word refine your understanding of your relationship with God?

“Every time a sacrifice was offered (which was often), an animal would die, its blood would flow, and the blood would be splattered on the altar. Imagine standing there watching this. It would have been messy, bloody, and smelly. Every time you witnessed this, you would be reminded of the seriousness of sin and its awful consequences. You would see a graphic representation of what your sin requires, and you would be thankful that that lamb, goat, or bull died in your place. “(204)

Read 1 Samuel 15:22, Hosea 6:6, Malachi 1:10-11

4. What do these passages tell you about what God is primarily concerned about in regard to sacrifices? How does knowing that God’s primary concern is our relationship with Him and our heart attitude affect the way you worship God(interact w/Him) daily?

3. Think back to Genesis 1-3, why was God’s presence so important to Adam and Eve?  Why is God’s presence important for us?

Read Exodus 25:8-9, 21-22; Exodus 33:1-4, 12-18, 1 Kings 9:3, 6-9, John 1:1-14

1. How does Israel's response to the removal of God’s presence affect the way you think about God’s presence in your life? What would having God’s presence in your life look like?
2. How does the Mosaic Covenant help you understand the connection between God’s presence and our obedience?
3. Explain the significance of Jesus becoming flesh.(tabernacling with us)
4. Explain what you’ve learned about the connection between sacrifice, God’s presence, and Jesus.

Read 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 19-20, 2 Samuel 7:10-16, Ezekiel 37:24-28

4.  What is the relational significance of Israel asking for a king to govern them?(relationship between Israel and God)  How do the words, “that we also may be like all the nations” relate to your times of disobedience and distrust of God?

1. How does God’s covenant with David(Davidic covenant) help remind you of God’s promises to Abraham and Moses? What is the connection between the covenants and Jesus?

Read 2 Kings 17:5-20, 25:1-7, Ezekiel 36:19-32, Jeremiah 31:31-34

5. How does the exile of the people of Israel serve as a fulfillment of the Mosaic Covenant? What have you learned about God in learning about the covenants?

1. What does the passage in Ezekiel say about why God chooses to redeem His people?  How does the reason for God’s decision to save His people affect your relationship with God? What does this passage tell you about your need for God?
2. How does this passage affect how you pray and ready yourself to make decisions?

“ In the old covenant, the law was written on stone. In the new covenant, the law would be written on human hearts. Under this new covenant, God’s people would no longer get caught up in external religion; they would experience spiritual change—they would be made spiritually alive. Obedience would no longer be a condition for entering the covenant; obedience would be a promise that God’s people would experience through the new covenant. “ (246-247)

3. How has studying the covenants changed the way you view your responsibility in your relationship to God? What is your responsibility? What is God’s job/responsibility in His relationship with you?
4. Has studying the covenants increased your gratitude for Jesus? Why or why not.

Individual Challenge:

Read Luke 22:17-20 and memorize Romans 5:8 every day.  Reflect on the new covenant found in Jesus by taking a moment to remember every time you eat or drink.

Session 7: Part 4(pg 139-186)

Session 7: Part 4(pgs 139-186)

Challenge Review/Ice Breaker:

Share with your group how intentional/consistent time spent with God in His Word has affected your relationship with God.  

Videos:

Part 4: Creation

Part 4: The Fall

Part 4: God’s Covenant with Abraham

Part 4: Exodus and Redemption

Discussion/Prayer:

Read Genesis 1:12-2:27

1. How would you characterize/describe man's relationship with God?  

A.  What does God provide for man?  

B.  What kind of commands does God give to man?  Does God give a reason for his commands?  

C.  What words describe who God is in the first two chapters of Genesis?  

D.  How has what you've discovered about God in the first 2 chapters of Genesis affected the way you think about petitionary-prayer?

E.  What are icons?  What are some current examples of icons?  What do the icons represent?  How does this help you understand that as being made in the image of likeness of God that you are an icon?  

F.  What are some words that describe man's attitude toward God at the end of chapter 2?

Read Genesis 3

2. What changed in the relationship between man and God after Genesis 3?

A. What led to the man's decisions in chapter 3 and the distance it created between him and God?  

B.  If God eliminated the consequences for man's actions would He be a just God?  Why was it necessary for God to uphold the consequences of sin to be just?

C.  What is God's response to Adam and Eve's rebellion/disobedience?  Why did God remove Adam and Eve from the garden?  

Read Genesis 4-11

D.  How does recognizing that sin isn't supposed to be part of our world help you understand that Genesis 4-11 is the result of sin?  How does reading Genesis 4-11 with the consequences of sin in mind help you understand the purpose of those chapters?  

Read Genesis 12:1-3,  15:1-21, 17:1-14

3. How does God's promise to Abraham connect to what God says in Genesis 3? How does this passage connect to Jesus?  How does this passage connect to a present day follower of Jesus? (Gen 12:1-3)

A.  Who is it that walks between the two halves of the sacrificed animal?  What is the significance of God making a covenant/treaty with Abraham?  What is the significance of God being the only one to walk through the sacrificed halves?  

Read Galatians 3:7-9

B.   What is God's purpose in setting apart a people for Himself?  What is the purpose of God's people?  How does knowing the purpose of the nation of Israel help you understand what your responsibility is as part of the people of God under the new covenant?  

Read Romans 4:23-25

C. How did Abraham respond to God's promise to make him the father of many nations when he had no children?  How is Abraham's circumstance, in responding to a promise of God, similar to the circumstance every believer faces when trusting Jesus to be Lord?  

Read Exodus 2:23-3:22

4.  How does the captivity/slavery of the people of Israel and their salvation through God's use of Moses relate to you?  How does this help you understand God's faithfulness?   How does the story in Exodus help you understand the purpose of testimonies?  

A.  What is the significance of God telling Moses that His name is "I Am Who I AM?

Read Exodus 12:29-30

"It is difficult to image such a scene it is morbid and hard to stomach,  but it teaches an important lesson about God.   Just as He is faithful to keep His promises of blessing,  God is also faithful to carry out His warnings of wrath.   This is important to keep in mind in a time when so many doubt and even ridicule God's intention to punish."(180)

B.  How does the above statement challenge your understanding or view of God?  How has this knowledge change what you may tell people as you try to help people come to a better understanding of who God is?  

C.   How does understanding the Passover sacrifice enhance your understanding of why Jesus died?

D.  What was the people of Israel's response to God delivering them out of Egypt and leading them to the Red Sea?  How are we similar to the people of Israel when faced with the seemingly desperate and impossible?  

Individual Challenge:

Pray that God would reveal 1 person you can have a spiritual conversation with this week.   Ask God to give you the opportunity to share what you have learned about Him with someone this week.   Share with 1 person.