Serving God's People

Opening:

If you have access to a computer, watch the video of the girl in the yellow dress at makepovertyhistory.com and take the time to feel it.

Start by sharing in the group any experiences you've had in serving other people- volunteering, mission trips, things you've done for family or friends. Share how these experiences made you feel or how they challenged you.

Digging Deeper:

Read the parable of "The Good Samaritan," in Luke 10.

First, examine the situation. What all does the experts question imply about our lives and eternity? What does Jesus say? What is his answer? Where have we seen this before (check out Deut. 6:4-5 and Lev. 19:18)? What does, "…he wanted to justify himself" mean?

Now look at the story itself and break it down a bit- it's really a simply story, but part of the power is in understanding the people groups: who were priests, Levites and Samaritans? How is this a brilliant answer to a rather dumb question?

25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?

26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'^[c]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^[d]"

28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins^[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Closing:

"Go and do likewise." How can you do service- in and through our church, as a Connections Group, and a family or individual?

Stewarding God's Gifts

Opening:
Last week we got into worship- which is really saying we, as people, belong to the God whom we worship. Stewardship is the "logical" next step- worshipping God through giving him everything. Does this logic make sense and how so?

Digging Deeper:
Going back to the Acts 2 passage, we read in v. 44, "All the believers were together and had everything in common." Discuss the picture of Christian community and stewardship- is this applicable to modern life and culture?

Read Genesis 1:26-31. Discuss the implications of this passage for what life was supposed to look like.
Read 1 Peter 4:10 "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." What does this teach us about stewardship?
Matthew 25:14-30. Read this parable and discuss the stewardship principles.

Closing:
What time can you steward better for God, yourself and neighbor?
What talent(s) can you use and in what way for God's glory?
What treasure(s) can you better steward? Are you giving to the church and/or other ministries?

Soaring in Worship

Signs of Belonging
“You are a member of God’s family, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.” Ephesians 2:19

Belonging. It taps into something very deep within us - the yearning to be part of something larger than ourselves, to be accepted and loved by others with all of our gifts and limitations. Jean Vanier says that belonging does for human beings what soil does for plants: it nurtures us, and enables us to grow and to blossom.
Despite what we know about the importance of belonging, too many people experience its opposite: loneliness and isolation. “Belonging" remains a tragically elusive goal.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Discover the Signs of Belonging, and uncover a radical new way to live in community.

Opening:

Have you experienced a profound sense of belonging in any area of your life? Have you experienced the pain of realizing you don't belong with a person, group, or organization that meant a great deal to you?

Digging Deeper

Joe Myers talks about 4 spaces in which we long to belong: Public, Social, Personal and Intimate. Is there one you're more comfortable in? One that eludes you? What is the importance of each in our church? Can we foster an environment where belonging can grow in each of these areas (check out the Connections Groups blog for more background on this topic).

Read Acts 2:42-47

Pick this apart and see if you can find all the "signs of belonging." What priority is placed on worship in this passage?

Westminster Q&A #1 What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

How does worship glorify God? What else brings God glory? Can all of our lives really be worship? Would you say that you "enjoy God?" Do we really want to worship God forever?

Closing:

How can we make worship glorifying to God at Connections? What signs should always mark our worship? How can we enjoy worship more? In what areas will we make worship a priority this week?

___
Joe Myers has done some fascinating research on belonging and has identified very simply four spaces of belonging- Public, Social, Personal and Intimate. Our lives are lived out in these four spaces where each of us is longing to belong. Life is not just saying we belong of don’t belong, but it’s about finding ways a places to belong Publicly, Socially, Personally and Intimately.

Public belonging is a gathering such as this- worshiping in this theatre as Connections Community Church. There is a huge need that we as individuals have to belong in public ways. So we gather together as a whole church and get excited about seeing a bunch of people together for the same purpose, though we don’t even know everybody gathered. It can be very powerful. But not necessarily. There may well be some folks who were dragged here who really get no sense of belonging out of this gathering. It’s the same in sports for me- I can go to a football game and feel a part of the vast crowd of cheering fans just because I’m wearing my teams colors. I go to baseball game and feel like a complete stranger.

Social space is what happens before and after the service. Folks take the time to talk with a few individuals in smaller groups. Not a lot is shared, and there may not be a lot of history, but the interaction is very meaningful because we begin to express ourselves to one another. Some folks call it small talk, but there’s really nothing small about it. We see it as an essential part of the Connections culture. Two things would ruin it- the first would be if I tried to preach while everyone was socializing. That would subvert the social belonging. The second would be if I pressed you to share on a deeper and more intimate level. Instinctively folks would clam up if I was like- everyone share your deepest pain now.

That kind of talk reserved for Personal space. That happens where people begin to call one another friends or close friends. This is where more personal and confidential revelation occurs. It’s usually confined to one-on-one, but can occasionally happen in small groups. Our hope is that this can happen in our Connections Groups, but to be honest, it’s really difficult to predict, manage, or control. No one, and no program, can make us get personal. Many churches, I believe, make the mistake of thinking that they can make personal belonging happen, but all we really can do is create opportunities and environments where is may happen.

Last is intimate space. This is generally reserved for marriage, family, and maybe a very select few in our lives. This is where we can truly get real, get naked.

All of us are strongest in one or two spaces. Some of us are terrified by one or two spaces. All of us must navigate these spaces in our lives. And all of us ultimately want to find a place of belonging in each- public, social, personal and intimate belonging.

Our job as a church is to create opportunities for belonging to happen in each area, then let you navigate yourself through. We serve coffee for social belonging and hanging out after the service. We gather for public worship here in the theatre. We offer Connections Groups in homes for personal space and belonging. And if two folks here fall in love I’ll officiate the wedding for their intimate belonging! See, we’ve got all the bases covered!