Knowing Jesus: Week 12 Col 3: 18-4: 1

Kick of the discussion with prayer followed by this week’s reading and discussion questions

You can use the kick off prayer below (or do your own), and give time for others to pray into the night together. 

‍Example kick off prayer: Father we praise you for gathering us together. Despite whatever weighed on our hearts as we entered this house, we pray that your Spirit guides our time together and free us from anything that is not of you. We pray that by the strength of your might we may speak truth in love to one another. We pray that we are led by the gifts of your spirit, so that we may build up one another and your church as a whole. As we read your word, we pray that we may be filled with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner pleasing to you.  

‍Passage: 18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. 4 Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

• v 18-22Paul calls both husbands and wives, children and parents, bondservants and masters to gospel-shaped roles. Each role requiring significant level of submission and responsibility. Submission or responsibility, which one brings more hesitation to your heart or has brought you more grief.
• v 23–24 reframes all human interaction with gospel motivation. How could one relationship change (family, co-worker, classmate, friend, etc.) this week, if you were to relate to the person 'as to the Lord'? [Who pops in your head and why]
• 4:1 confronts the misuse of power. How are you tempted to use authority to serve yourself instead of laying down your life down like Jesus did?
• v 24-25 promises that the Lord sees it all. Where do you find it hard to believe that Christ sees and rewards the unseen, faithful acts of love you do at home or work?

Share with one another and pray for one another. Pray for God to speak into your direct questions and circumstance. Ask the Holy Spirit for a gift, such as a word or image, that can be used to build up someone in your group. Ask the Holy Spirit if there is anything in your relationships that needs to change today.

If any questions arose, which you would like to follow up on, please reach out to one of the elders. In person, via phone or Ask a Pastor.

Habit of Grace: Generosity

“The more you get, the more you want.” Few truths cut more deeply across the breadth of the human experience. No matter how much money or stuff we amass, we never feel like we have enough. Even more haunting: “The more we get, the more neurotic we often become.” Jesus’ counterintuitive insight is: not only does wealth not make us happy (beyond lifting us out of poverty and offering the basics of life), it often makes us anxious, agitated, discontent, and lonely. Perhaps this is why the bulk of Jesus’ teachings on money are warnings about the danger of
it, such as his cry in Luke 12:

“Watch out for greed! Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions!”

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Do you agree? Discuss, pray and encourage one another. 

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Practice

Did you follow through on the practice last week, where we set aside money to bless people? If you are willing, please share that experience with the group. How did you decide who to be generous to and how did you decide how you would be generous to them? What was the experience like for you? 

This week's exercise:

• This week's practice encourages participants to identify an item they own that they do not need and either give it away or sell it and donate the proceeds to someone in need. This act serves as a tangible step toward simplifying one's life and combating greed.

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• Reach Exercise: Pick a room or area of your life, go through it thoughtfully and
  peacefully, and simplify it down to the essentials. This could be
  your closet, bedroom, living room, kitchen, garage, etc.
  
  • As you quietly observe each item in the room, consider holding it
    up before God.
  • Ask yourself questions: Do I really need this? Could I live without
    this? Would my life possibly be better without this unnecessary item?
    Rather than asking ourselves how we can get more, we’re pondering
    how we could live with less.
  • Make four piles for the unnecessary items: 01. Throw away. 02.
    Recycle. 03. Sell. 04. Give away.
  • Give your extra stuff away. You can give to the poor via the Salvation
    Army or a local donation drop, or give directly to someone you know
  • Go sit in the decluttered room or area, and pay attention to how
    you feel. Spend a few minutes in gratitude to God for the goodness of
    ordinary life

[Extracted from Practicing the Way Resources]