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Print this pageLife Change | Dressed For Success | February 23-24, 2008 |
Growth Group Homework
For the week of February 24, 2008
QUICK REVIEW: Looking back at this week's teaching on Dressed for Success, was there anything that particularly caught your attention, challenged you or left you confused?
MY STORY
1. Can you think of a time you totally misjudged someone by what they looked like on the outside?
2. How can we know if someone is faking a "spiritual wardrobe"? Does it matter? Is it a bad thing? Is it ever good to "fake it" when it comes to traits we looked at this weekend?
DIGGING DEEPER
1. Jesus is our ultimate example of what to "put on" spiritually. Below are a number of situations Jesus encountered where He had to make a choice as to how to respond. As you read the passages, write down the choice He made, the attitude or action He portrayed, and/or any challenges or opposition He encountered (from others or possibly even within Himself).
Mark 1:35-39
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. [36] Simon and his companions went to look for him, [37] and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
[38] Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." [39] So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. [NIV]
Mark 1:40-45
A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."
[41] Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" [42] Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
[43] Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: [44] "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." [45] Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. [NIV]
Matthew 14:13-21
When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. [14] When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
[15] As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."
[16] Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."
[17] "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.
[18] "Bring them here to me," he said. [19] And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. [20] They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. [21] The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. [NIV]
John 8:1-7
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. [2] At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. [3] The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group [4] and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. [5] In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" [6] They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. [7] When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." [NIV]
John 13:1-17
It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
[2] The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. [3] Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; [4] so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. [5] After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
[6] He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
[7] Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
[8] "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
[9] "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
[10] Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." [11] For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
[12] When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. [13] "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. [14] Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. [15] I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. [16] I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. [17] Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. [NIV]
Looking at your notes above, is there one trait or response that is harder or more uncomfortable for you to "wear" than the others? If so, explain.
2. The bigger our God is and the more we feel we can trust Him to meet our needs and to protect our interests, the easier it is to respond in a way that makes Him look good. As you read the descriptions of God listed below, write down what each one says about how big God is and then on a scale of 1-to-5 (5 being highest) rate how well it fits into your current perception of God.
Jeremiah 10:10
But the Lord is the true God;
he is the living God, the eternal King.
When he is angry, the earth trembles;
the nations cannot endure his wrath. [NIV]
Psalm 25:8
Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. [NIV]
Psalm 86:5
You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
abounding in love to all who call to you. [NIV]
Psalm 116:5
The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion. [NIV]
Is there one passage or principle that is more important than the others for you to remember?
3. At times we might not be motivated or even have a bad attitude about responding as we're called to do. How can Matthew 26:36-39 help when we find ourselves in this kind of situation?
Matthew 26:36-39
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." [37] He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. [38] Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
[39] Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." [NIV]
TAKING IT HOME
1. Looking back at this week's teaching and study, is there any of God's spiritual wardrobe that you sense He is particularly encouraging or challenging you to put on?
2. Are there any specific situations in your life you need to respond to differently?
Prayer Requests:
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