Matt Zainea Rockford Campus May 14, 2023
Fleeing Idolatry
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE
REMINDERS
Leader Appreciation – May 21 (all campuses) Don’t forget to swing by the Atrium at your campus so we can give you a high-five and a HUGE thank you for serving your groups this year! Look for the white bags in the Atriums and you’ll find us there!
May Newsletter – if you haven’t had a chance to check it out, take a look at the May Newsletter here. This is our chance to continue to encourage you and share thoughts for your leadership in your groups.
TOGETHER IN LIFE
“Schools out for summer!” Well, almost. As we come to the end of the school year for our Seniors and nearly the end for the rest of students, it makes us wonder: what was that like for you?
Share some memories from your childhood of end-of-school or start of summer celebrations.
TOGETHER IN THE WORD
THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: 1 Corinthians 10:1-14
Note: We encourage you to read the entire text together as a group out loud.
Discernment: Idolatry
What kinds of idol worship did they have in Paul’s day?
*Pro tip: check out a study guide for more info on Idol Worship or check out this 6 min. video from The Bible Project on what it means to be an image bearer (which is closely connected with idol worship).
What idols are abundant today?
What is at the heart of idol worship? Why do people tend to make and worship them?
What do idols do for people?
Idols can change throughout our lives. In our younger years, they tend to be more concrete and visible. In our older years, they tend to be more abstract and hidden.
- What are some idols you had in your younger years?
- What are some of the idols you have now?
Some helpful questions/thoughts to identify idols in our lives…
- Ask others: what do I love more than anything else?
- Finish this sentence with as many relevant answers as you have:
- “If only I had _______, then my life would be complete.”
- “If only __________ loved me, then my life would be full.”
- “If I could only do _____________, then my life would have purpose.”
- What do I go to when times are hard to find relief, comfort, peace, or security?
These things in and of themselves are not bad things. It is how we use them and what order of priority in our life they hold that matters.
Matt says: “Idolatry is revealed in our lives through doubt, disappointment, and perceived drudgery of life.”
Question: How have you experienced this in your life?
Big Idea:
Idols always promise what they cannot truly deliver. Life is only found in Christ and anywhere else we go to fulfill it will only disappoint and destroy.
Layers of Idolatry
The Heart: The deepest layer, the core of our motivations, seat of desire and fear. When the desires or fears of our heart are unfulfilled, we create idols…
Others: one of the first sets of idols we go to where we long to be Wanted and/or Obeyed…
Wanted Obeyed
Family Position
Seduction Revenge
Performance Strength
Creation: this is often the next set of idols we create where we long to be comforted, pleasured, secure through Indulgence and Security…
Indulgence Security
Entertainment Environment
Hobbies Politics
Distractions Technology
Question: Have you experienced idolatry of others in your life? What was that like for you? Are you able to surrender your need to be wanted or obeyed to Jesus?
What can this group do to help you?
Big Idea:
Idols are man-made attempts to fulfill the deep longings of our hearts. This can be people, things, and activities. However, they never give us what we truly want.
When we go to the Lord with our hearts in trust and faith, he provides the fulfilling rest and peace our hearts are longing for.
Question: How does God’s love and truth found in the Bible confront and replace our idols? Which texts are particularly helpful to you?
Circle Back: In what ways are the idols of your heart causing others to stumble in your life? (cf. 1 Corinthians 8, Matt. 18)
TOGETHER IN PRAYER
As a group, take time to confess your idols, pray for one another, and build one another up in the truth found in God’s Word.
Consider these texts as you do so:
James 5:16-20
1 John 1:8-2:2
Heb. 10:23-25
