Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
Ice-Breaker:
Did your family talk much about money or giving growing up?
Discussion Questions:
Have someone read 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 aloud.
- For many of us today, talking about money can be taboo... especially in the church. We all come from different backgrounds and experiences. For some, talk of money can cause anxiety and shame to surface. For others it might be insufficiency, or even the opposite - sufficiency. Which of these rise up in you when it comes to talking about money and giving? What is it about money and giving that surfaces all of these emotions?
- The overflow of GRACE is GENEROSITY. Paul challenges the church in Corinth to rethink how they view money... to see it as a way to express to others the grace that God had given them. They had been slow to participate in Paul's collection effort. He told them about the churches in Macedonia that had discovered profound joy through their whole-hearted generosity. In the midst of their poverty, they discovered the riches of generosity as they gave to the poor in Jerusalem. Why do you think the Corinthian church was initially resistant to give? Why do you think Paul used the Macedonian churches as an example to the church in Corinth?
- The overflow of GRACE is PRIORITY. God's will for all of us is to put Him first. When we make what SHOULD be priority THE priority, the secondary things will fall neatly into place. Grace is what makes primary things primary and secondary things secondary. Grace takes all the secondary things in your life and submits them to what's primary. What must have happened in the hearts of the Macedonians for them to "beg" to be a part of the collection for the needy? How does this compare to YOUR heart and priorities?
- The overflow of GRACE is MINISTRY. Grace isn't just a one-time event that happens at the time of salvation. It's also God's ongoing work in His people. His grace heals what is broken, breaks the power of the past, changes our hearts and makes us free. In verse 7 the word used for "giving" is the greek word for "grace." So a ministry of giving is a ministry of grace! Paul makes a specific point about excelling in this grace of giving just as we excel in other areas of our faith. Why do you think he felt the need to single out giving like this? Why do you think giving can be such a difficult, and even polarizing, part of faith for some? Is it for you?
- The big idea Sunday was that grace RECEIVERS become grace DISPENSERS. One of the most amazing things about God is that He dispenses SHOVEL-FULLS of grace, mercy, love and forgiveness. And man do we love this! We celebrate and receive the shovel-full, don't we? But when it comes to DISPENSING grace, mercy, love and forgiveness, we reach for the spoon.... oof! Paul is telling us in his letter to the Corinthians that what we DISPENSE is a reflection of what we have RECEIVED. This is as true when it comes to our money as it is in any other area... maybe even more so. When it comes to our giving, GRACE turns "it's a PAIN" into "it's my PLEASURE." When it comes to YOUR giving, do you reach for the shovel or the spoon? How do we better connect the grace we have received to what we choose to dispense?
Prayer Topics:
- That we would learn to put God FIRST.
- That we would excel in our ministry of grace and giving.
- That we would dispense of grace and giving with the shovel, not the spoon.
No Comments