Matt Zainea                                                   Rockford Campus                                                Feb. 4, 2024

 

Storytellers: Faith Over Doubt

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

 

[back to Group Discussion main page]

 

REMINDERS

Ignite 2.0 (Feb. 25 5:30pm) – We’re excited to re-try the Ignite event to celebrate and encourage our volunteers. Even if you signed up last time, please sign-up again for this new date:  https://magnifychurch.org/event/ignite/

 

Leader Development Class (Sunday nights) – We relaunched the LDC this Winter and so far, it’s been GREAT dialogue. This Winter, we’re going after topics that are incredibly relevant to your leadership including:

• Crucial Conversations
• Gospel Conversations

Please plan to come to 3-4 over the coming months to be sharpened and equipped as a leader!

 

TOGETHER IN LIFE

Take time this week to share parts of your story with your group. Use the 3×3 Method of Story Sharing. Describe the following that shaped your walk with Jesus:

• 3 Important People
• 3 Important Events
• 3 Important Places

If you were unable to get to everyone last week, continue on with others who weren’t able to share.

If everyone was able to share last week, take time this week to share more details on 1 of the above.

 

TOGETHER IN THE WORD

THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Luke 4:1-11

 

Note: We encourage you to read the entire text together as a group out loud.

 

This week we address the proper use of Scripture in our life, how we ought to use it and how we can leverage it for good in our day.

 

TEMPTATION #3: The Exchange

QUESTION: After reading the passage, ask and answer:

• What was the nature of Satan’s temptation of Jesus? How was Jesus tempted this time?
• How does Temptation Question #3 (4:9-11) differ from #1 (v3) and #2 (v5-7)?
• How does Jesus respond to each of the temptations?

TRY THIS: Read Psalm 91. How does Luke 4:1-11 compare/contrast to this particular psalm? Why did tempt Jesus in this way?

 

In this temptation, Satan is intentionally twisting the words of God to bring Jesus into a place of doubt.

 

QUESTION:  How have you seen Scripture mishandled? Why does the mishandling of Scripture feel so hurtful and dangerous?

 

QUESTION: Have you ever heard someone quote Scripture to support a non-biblical value or idea? How did that make you feel? What did you do in response?

 

 

Suggestions for Better Understanding of the Bible

Some key ideas to consider as you read the Bible:

• Pray: the Holy Spirit is who enables us to understand and read Scripture properly (John 16:13-15). As you go to read, pray that the Lord would help you understand His words.

 

• Read with others: one of the best ways to grow in reading Scripture well, is to do it with others. This helps in many ways (including accountability), but one of the best is that others can help us see things that may not stand out to us at first. “Read with others” should include actual people in our life to read alongside. And it also can mean looking into commentaries, sermons, and books that help illuminate meaning within the text.

 

• Observe what the text says: before figuring out “What does this mean?” we need to first ask the question of whatever passage we are readying: “What does this passage say?” Many of us can skip past this too quickly and miss important parts of what is communicated. Learn the skill of observation by asking about what is already there, before trying to figure out what it means.
  • Key questions: “What did this mean originally?”
    • “Who? What? Where? When?”
    • “What came before/after this passage?”
    • “What do we already know is true about God to this point?”
    • “Who is the speaker/author and what are they actually saying?”
    • “Who is in the ‘audience’ of the speaker/author and how might that affect what is being communicated?”
    • “When in the Bible/in this person’s life/in this context is this particular passage occurring?”

 

• Interpret what is being said: is step is particularly crucial for proper understanding. This is where we take the text from the world it was written in, and attempt to build a bridge to our day. In this, we’re trying to get at the proper meaning of the text. This exists outside of any one person’s experience but can be informative to what God wants you to see personally. While we do not believe that Scripture is unique for any one person, we do know that God does use different texts to speak to us differently in different stages of our lives. The Bible is an unchanging story about an unchanging God to a constantly changing world and people.
  • Key questions: “What does this mean for us?”
    • “What does this text tell us about God’s character?”
    • “What does other parts of Scripture help us understand this text better?”
    • “In what ways are there similarities/differences to our day?”
    • “In what ways have we previously understood this text?”
    • “In what ways might we be missing something critical to understanding this text?”
    • “How does knowing this help me to know, love, or trust God more?”

 

• Apply the meaning of the text: in this part, we are trying to work out what we ought to personally do in response to what we just read.
  • Key questions: “What should I do?”
    • “What is this text calling me to be?”
    • “What am I being encouraged to know?”
    • “What is this text telling me to do?”
    • “How am I being changed to love God more as a result of reading this text?”
    • “In what ways should my life look different because of what is being said here?”

 

BIG IDEA:

The Bible is a gift of God to us as a means of revealing Himself, uniquely and specially to the world. There is no other book like it. It has the power to revolutionize our hearts and our world. Because of this power, the misuse of it also is a potential we must guard against and seek to read alongside others to help us better understand it and apply it to our lives.

 

 

Using Scripture to Be More Like Jesus

 

QUESTION: Have you ever experienced God’s presence through His Word? If so, share your story about it.

SHARE: Why the Bible is such a powerful book in your own words.

QUESTION: Why is word-for-word Scripture memory important in our lives?

QUESTION: In what ways can knowing and memorizing Scripture help you through life?

 

 

TOGETHER IN ACTION

Discuss about the 5P’s of your Relational Roles (Person, Priest, Partner, Parent, and Professional).

Matt encouraged us all to pick a passage of Scripture that pertains to each of these and commit it to memory.

“Scripture is our aid to faith as we face pain and sin. It grounds us in absolute truth that is above everything else.” – Matt Zainea

Consider the 5P’s in your life. Where do you often struggle? Is there a sin to avoid? A battle to fight? A good habit to keep doing? A new habit needed to replace a bad one?

Share about each of your 5P roles – help one another find a verse to commit to memorizing. Check back in with each other regularly to see how this is going.

 

5P Scripture Memory Ideas

Here are some options of good passages to memorize for each of the 5P’s. There are many more in the Bible than this list. But we hope by providing some ideas, this will enable to you have a good starting point:

 

PERSON

Matthew 22:36-40 – The Greatest Commandment

2 Corinthians 5:17 – A New Creation

Ephesians 2:8-10 – By Grace, Through Faith

John 15:5-8 – The Vine and Branches

 

PRIEST

1 Peter 2:9 – You are a Priest

Romans 10:14-15 – Bring the Good News

Mark 6:34-35 – The Easy Life is Not for Us

 

PARTNER

Ephesians 5:21 – Submit to One Another

John 13:14-17 – Wash One Another’s Feet

Husbands: Ephesians 5:25-26, 1 Peter 3:7

Wives: Ephesians 5:22-24, 1 Peter 3:1-6

 

PARENT

Ephesians 6:4 – Bring Up Children in Training and Instruction of the Lord

Psalm 127:3-5 – Children are a Blessing

Ephesians 6:1-3 – Children, Honor Your Parents

 

PROFESSIONAL

Colossians 3:17 – Do Everything for God

Colossians 3:23-24 – An Audience of One

1 Corinthians 10:31 – Whatever You Do, Do it for God

Proverbs 6:6-8 – Work Hard

Jeremiah 29:7 – Seek the Good of those You Serve

 

TOGETHER IN PRAYER

Pray for each person’s commitment to memorizing Scripture. Be sure to encourage one another throughout the week and especially for the needs that the Scripture memory represents.