Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
6. Is the Bible God’s Word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
Ice-Breaker:
Are you a hugger or no?
Discussion Questions:
Have someone read 2 Corinthians 8:8-15 aloud.
- In verse 8, Paul starts with saying he's not COMMANDING them to give, but that he is testing their love by comparing their eagerness with the other churches. You can't command someone when it comes to giving and expect to them to do it right. Why? Because if you're successful, all you will have created is a begrudging giver. Biblical giving MUST be with a joyful and willing heart. This is the HOW of giving: With EAGERNESS. Paul is saying, "I want you to WANT to!" According to Scripture, your ATTITUDE in giving is more important than WHAT you give. When it comes to money and giving, what is your attitude? Do you give eagerly?
- In verse 9, Paul gives them the ultimate example of giving. It's not the Macedonians... it's Jesus Himself. This is the WHY of giving: Because of the GOSPEL. THIS is why we should be so eager to give. It's because of all that Jesus has done for us. Jesus became poor so we could be rich, but this isn't necessarily speaking monetarily. Yes, He left the riches of heaven and was born into poverty, but He also left His position as God the Son and left all His eternal attributes. He divested Himself of deity, becoming human, in spite of His position in heaven so that we might become rich in mercy, love and grace. He went from riches to rags so that we could go from rags to riches. Because of this, His righteousness has become OURS, and we stand before the throne of God perfect, holy and blameless, without a single fault (Col. 1). Giving is not a way of showing God how much we can do for him, but a way of illustrating how much God has done for us. How often are you connecting your act of giving with the Gospel? If you could learn to give in light of all that Jesus as done for you, would it change the way you give?
- Then Paul gives the church some advice. He encourages them to finish what they started. This is the WHEN of giving: ALWAYS... even when the FEELINGS fade. A year before, the Corinthians were all in! They were the first to make a commitment and the first to give. But something happened in the following months. Their eagerness began to fade. Paul was telling them that their followthrough, or lack thereof, was a test of their faith and love for each other. Faithfulness is something that seems to be lacking in today's culture, even in churches. At the first sign of inconvenience or unmet expectations people just up and leave and try a different church. Then the cycle repeats itself over and over. But that's not what a family does! Paul says that the family of God sticks together and loves each other, even when the feelings fade. How faithful are you in life, in any area, to follow through on things you say you're going to do? Are you a good finisher? How faithful are you?
- Finally, Paul gets practical and tells them how much they are to give. They are to give in proportion to what they have. The standard is proportion over portion. This is the WHAT of giving: ACCORDING to what you HAVE. He doesn't give a fixed percentage. But what about the Old Testament standard of tithe (10%)? If you study the New Testament, the tithe seems to be implied. It's a given. We also know Jesus was constantly raising the bar of the Law of Moses. Remember the sermon on the mount? You've heard it said... hate is murder... lust is adultery and so on. At the City we think the tithe is a great starting point. We also believe God will challenge us to be radically generous. In these verses, Paul is simply saying to give according to what you have. When it comes to your giving to the church, how do you go about deciding how much to give? Don't feel like you have to share too much information or exact numbers obviously.
- The big idea from Sunday was to LIVE and GIVE in light of the GOSPEL. The Gospel should reorient everything in our lives. It should change our desires. Realizing what Jesus did for you should make you long to do all sorts of things that don't make sense... like loving people that don't deserve it, giving grace to people that don't don't deserve it, being patient and kind. And yes, giving in order to spread that Gospel message. Is this challenge to live and give in light of the Gospel apparent in your own life? Is there anything in this area of giving you are struggling with?
Prayer Topics:
That we would give eagerly, even when feeling fade, because of all that Jesus has done for us.
That we would live and give in light of the Gospel.
That we would long to live for something bigger than ourselves.
That we would live and give in light of the Gospel.
That we would long to live for something bigger than ourselves.
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