Introduction: There a lot of things people do that require guts.
Question: What is something that you have done recently that required guts?
Question: Does it require guts to follow Jesus? Why?
We are going to look at what following Jesus was like, and we are also going to look at several people who wanted to follow Jesus but didn’t have the guts.
Do You Have The Guts? Read More »
Introduction: Every person is different. We all have different skills and talents, but one thing we all have in common is that we all have a “best”. We have a best effort, we have a best quality, we have a best foot forwards, etc…
Question: What is your best [cooking] dish?
Introduction: Who here likes to be motivated? We live in a generation that wants to be motivated for everything. We watch motivational videos, listen to motivational music or speakers, hire motivational coaches, read motivational stories or books, etc…
Question: What is one thing that motivates you?
We are going to talk about motivation, and we are going to look at how God attempts to motivate us to follow and obey Him.
Introduction: Ever since the beginning of time there have been things that we all humans find hard to resist.
Question: What is something you can’t resist? (Looking at your phone, easting chocolate, etc…)
We can all relate the feeling of being compelled to do something we know is not good for us, or something that we don’t intellectually want to do. This is something that is common throughout humanity, and it is even common in the Bible.
Introduction: On average, a person has about 20,000 words in their vocabulary.
Question: What is one word that comes to mind when you think about God?
Question: What are some other words that are commonly used in religion?
Question: Do words matter?
We are going to be talking about words, and specifically about people whose relationship with God was all about words.
Introduction: It is great to meet up in a group. However, there are some things that all of us prefer to do by ourselves.
Question: What is something that you like to do alone?
It is sometimes good to be alone. We are going to talk about something that people often like to view as being independent or alone – faith.
Revelation 19:1-9
We have all heard the word “hallelujah” in the lyrics of many songs – both spiritual and secular. Interestingly, the word is only mentioned four times in the Bible; and all four of these instances can be found in this scripture. (Revelation 19:1-9)
John 11:1-3
In his gospel, the Apostle John records Jesus’ favorite pair of sisters, Martha and Mary, sending word to Jesus that their dear brother was sick. We are all familiar with what follows. Lazarus turns out to be more than just sick. In fact, by the time Jesus gets on scene, he had been dead for four days. The emotions were high, forcing even Jesus to weep with Mary and Martha. (John 11:35) Eventually, Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb; and miraculously, he is resurrected from the dead!
Introduction: Romans 12:3
In the ancient world, the Greek physician and philosopher, Hippocrates, (460-370 BC) incorporated what he called “four temperaments” into his medical practice. These personality types were sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, and melancholy. His theory was that each one of these personality types was produced by the balance of our four main bodily fluids: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. Of course, that theory was later proved wrong. However, Hippocrates’ theory opened up doors to the larger idea of being able to classify people by their personalities. Many years later, psychiatrists and psychologists are still following in the footsteps of Hippocrates, as they’ve come up with a number of ways to classify people by their personality types. (i.e. The Color Test)
Introduction: One of the things everyone is required to have is an I.D. (Identification Card)
Question: If you could change anything about your I.D., what would you change? (If guests feel comfortable, you may even ask them to share their I.D.’s with one another.)
Question: What would the world be like if nobody had an I.D.?