Small Group Study from Sunday, March 14th, 2010 - What’s Your Profile - EVANGELISM (preached by Mike Mannes)

Ice Breaker:  Evangelism is challenging.  What is the most challenging thing you’ve ever done in your life?  How did you feel when it was over?  Tell the story.

1.  Who is someone if your life that led you, in word and by example, to Jesus.  Tell the story.  Would you consider writing them a letter this week?

2.  Around us in the world we see a lot of people trying to find wholeness in a bunch of different ways.  Think of people that are trying without Jesus.  Discuss.  How’s it working for them?

3.  The death of Jesus on the cross wiped our slate clean, and defeated death, so that while our body might wear out, if we trust in Jesus our soul lives eternally with Him.  Do you think often of this promise? 

       a. Discuss the statement, “We need to live in light of eternity”.

4.  Read Romans 8: 10-11.  In the last question we talked about what the death of Jesus has bought for us.  What has the resurrection of Jesus won for us in light of this passage?

5.  Here are the ten themes of the ten week, “What’s your profile series”:

       1.  We are created on purpose by the same all powerful / all loving God that created the universe.
       2.  We are created FOR purpose as well.

 Southside’s Eight Core Values comprised weeks 3 – 10:

       1.  Authenticity
       2.  Relevance
       3.  Discipleship
       4.  Community
       5.  Integrity
       6.  Excellence
       7.  Engagement
       8.  Evangelism

Is there a week that sticks out to you when God really spoke?  Share it with the rest of your group.

6.  Southside Church’s new mission statement:

“Southside exists to invite people into authentic and deepening relationship
with Jesus Christ.”

Look at the core values above.  Try to see where the core values fit in best with the missions statement:

Example – discipleship certainly fits in with deepening….as God works in us our relationship with Him grows deeper.

7.  On Sunday, Mike said that Jesus started AND ended His earthly ministry with a call to evangelism.  Discuss (see also Mark 1: 16-18 and Matthew 28:19)

8.  Read Luke 19: 1-10:

       a.  In this story, Zacchaeus was trying to get a really good look at Jesus.  There are people in your life, if you’re a Christ follower, that are watching you carefully too.

              i.  Can you think of any right now?
              ii.  Why is this a good thing?
              iii.  How does this explain why we left evangelism until the last week of our series to talk about?

Evangelism is about proximity, perspective and promise…discuss.

       b.  Does this mean that only perfect people can evangelize?  Discuss.

                      
       c.  Evangelism outside of relationship can often seem “hit and run”.  Discuss.

       d.  Explain the phrase “Invest and invite”.

       e.  Who are the lost causes in your life?  Has Jesus given up on them?

       f.  Can you think of a time that you might have seemed like a lost cause to others?  Who reached out to you anyways?

       g.  Talking to your kids about sex, praying with and for your spouse, saying you’re a Christian at High School.  All of these are challenging things…but all of them are worth while.  I think evangelism is like that.

       i.  Why is it no surprise that some of the most worthwhile things are the most challenging?

       h.  “When you mix the message of Jesus Christ with the human heart, amazing things happen….like salvation….like the lost found…..like eternity secured”.  Discuss.

              i.  How does this statement drive home the importance of evangelism?

       i.  Can you think of people that God has placed in your life that you need to invite to the Easter service? 

              i.  Pray for God to work in the hearts of those invited.

              ii.  Pray that each of us that call Southside our home that we would have the courage to invest in others and the faith to invite them to know Jesus.

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Small Group Study from Sunday, March 7th, 2010 - What’s Your Profile - ENGAGEMENT (preached by Mike Mannes)
 
Ice Breaker: What’s your favorite genre of movie?  What’s your least favorite?  Can you think of a time that you’ve run into controversy with a friend, a spouse, or a member of your family over picking a movie to watch?  Who won the battle?  How was the movie?


1.  Discuss the statement – “We weren’t made on an assembly line”.
       a.  Relate it to us as individuals.

       b.  Relate it to our church’s creation.

2.  Someone once told me, “Death feels so wrong because its not the way it was intended to be.  It’s the most powerful expression of the brokenness of our world”.  Discuss.

3.  Engagement – “to enter into a conflict”.  How do we automatically enter into conflict just by being born?  How does that conflict increase when we become Christ followers?

4.  Read Ephesians 6: 10-13:
       a. Compare Paul’s thoughts in this passage to this speech by Winston Churchill:

The Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization.  The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be freed and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands.

But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new dark age…Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.

       b.  There were two reasons that the British people and politicians felt they didn’t have to worry about Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.  Do you remember them?  Why were both wrong?

       c.  Why is there no such thing as neutrality when it comes to this spiritual battle in our world?

       d.  Can you think of ways that other people suffer when churches refuse to engage?

       e.  Whether we want to believe it or not we have an adversary, Satan.  He fights against us for two main reasons.  Can you think of them?

       f.  What was the “lucky break” that turned the tide in the Battle of Britain?

       g.  Can you find a connection between “be strong IN THE LORD AND HIS MIGHTY POWER”, from Ephesians 6: 10 and Churchill’s words here:

Never give up. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give

in… Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

       i.  How does that truth from Ephesians 6:10 give us a reason to “never give up”?

       h. Do you find that sometimes God helps us in unexpected ways?  Are there times that God answers prayers differently than we would like?  Discuss.

              i.  Read John 16:33 and Hebrews 13:5.  Discuss these passages as they relate to our spiritual battles in this world.

       j.  Jesus fed 5,000 people with five fish and two loaves of bread.  How can this be an encouragement to us and to our church that even though we’re not perfect He can use us to help the people and situations around us.

       k.  Churchill said, after they won the Battle of Britain that “never in history have so many owed so much to so few”.

              i.  Who were the “so few” Churchill was referring to?

              ii.  When talking about Jesus, I would say that never in history have so many owed so much to one man.  Discuss.

                     a.  Jesus engaged by giving.  Discuss.

                     b.  Engagement takes sacrifice.  How did Jesus model that?

                     c.  Jesus wants us to engage like He did.  Read 2 Timothy 4: 6-8.  Discuss this passage written by the Apostle Paul as it relates to engagement.

                     d.  Take a second and reflect…is God calling you to engage with His help:
                            i.          In getting to know Him better?
                            ii.         In your family?
                            iii.        In your marriage?
                            iv.        In your church?

God made you unique.  Only you can play the role God has for you in your family, your circle of friends and your church.  Spend some time praying for one another for God to help you engage in these key areas of your life.

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Small Group Study from Sunday, February 28th, 2010 - What’s Your Profile - EXCELLENCE (preached by Brock Adams)

Ice Breaker: Are you sad the Olympics are over?
-  Did you have a chance to go to Vancouver?
-  Are you happy with how Canada did?
-  What was your favourite event?
-  What was your least favourite event?
-  Were you satisfied with how the mens hockey team played?

Intro: So far we have covered the values of… being created on purpose for a purpose, authenticity, relevance, discipleship, community, integrity and excellence
-    Which one has impacted you the most and why?
-    Which one is your strength right now?
-    Which one is your weakest?

1.    God is excellence
-  Why is it important to know God doesn’t do anything with a half hearted effort?
-  What are some examples of when God completely blew your expectations away?
-  Why is it important to understand that excellence is not a contest but rather its about effort?

Read Malachi 1:6-13

2.  Excellence because it transforms us
-  God was not happy with the priest because they were giving God their leftovers
-  In what ways do you find it easiest to give God your leftovers?
-  Verses 7 and 8 make it clear that if anyone deserves our best effort it’s the all might God. How does this understanding change your view on you spiritual life?
-  What did Brock mean when he said “There is no magic formula to a healthy spiritual life. It is read the Bible and pray”. ?
-  Why do we need to not just read the Bible but study, memorize and devour it?
-  How does going deeper with the Bible transform us?
-  Why should we spend time with God outside of the times we want something?
-  How does having the right attitude lead us to exude excellence in our spiritual lives?

3.  Excellence because it transforms people
-  Read verses 10 and 11
-  How did giving up lame, blind, diseased sacrifices make God look bad?
-  How does excellence in our spiritual lives pour into excellence in our relationships?
-  What is meant by the statement “We reflect God to those who don’t know him”?
-  How can excellence in our spiritual lives and how we interact with people show that God is a God worth following?

4.  Excellence transforms the church
-  Read verse 13
-  Church had become a burden for the priests. Their love for God and his temple had vanished. This angered God.
-  Why is it common for many people to view church as a burden?
-  Why is church perceived by many to be boring?
-  Church is not a chore but rather an opportunity to grow and serve. Elaborate.
-  Does knowing that the church is the only hope for the world add a sense of urgency to your view of church?

5.  Conclusion
-  A life of excellence truly honors God
-  Excellence is about effort and its not a contest
-  Out of the 3 areas mentioned Spiritual lives, Relationships, Church which of the 3 in your life is lacking excellence?
-    Which of the 3 do you exude the most excellence in?

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Small Group Study from Sunday, February 21st, 2010 - What’s Your Profile - INTEGRITY

Ice Breaker: Canada wanted to “own the podium” this Olympics.  Have they?  Was it a good idea to try?

1.  Last week we talked about the fact that as members of Southside church we all have a “call to community”.  We can either abuse the call (sadly, many times we hurt those closes to us when we abuse the call), avoid the call (due to selfishness, fear or just “drifting along with the culture”) or accept the call (know that we will only be fully in God’s plan when we do life together).

Discuss all three options.  Can you think of times when you’ve been in any one of these?

2.  What do a frozen chicken and a wind shield have to do with integrity?

3.  Integrity means “whole”.  This means every part of our lives should be consistent with what we say we believe. If we don’t live with integrity, we are fractional….or hypocrites.

4.  Why don’t hypocrites make the power of God shine out in their lives?

5.  The world is full of hypocrites.  Can you think of a few in the headlines right now?  (Hint….one has a golf video game named after him J)

6.  “The Bible isn’t about great men and women of God, its about the Great God of men and women”.  Discuss.

       a.  How does the story of King David in particular illustrate this point.

7.  Integrity is about the heart, the mind, the soul and the knees:

       a.  Read 1 Samuel 16: 1-7.  How can people’s exterior’s be deceiving?  Have you ever met someone who portrayed themselves one way but when the pressure was on didn’t come through?

       b.  God isn’t about behaviour modification, He’s about heart transformation.  What’s the difference?

       c.  God is for you.  He wants you to live a life of wholeness.  Do you believe that?  What areas of your life are fractured today?  Can you hand them to God?

       d.  You are an eternal soul created in God’s image – and God is a God of purpose.  What sort of things happen to people when they lose sight of their purpose?
              i.  What happens to churches when they forget about their purpose….hint….have you ever seen a church that is more about don’ting than doing?

       e.  Read 2 Samuel 11: 1-17, 2 Samuel 12: 1-13 and Psalm 51.

              i.  How in the world could this sinner be called a “man after God’s own heart?”

              ii.  Integrity is about the knees….how does this story illustrate that?

              iii.  God loves a repentant sinner.  Discuss.

8.  Read 2 Samuel 21:15-17 as David nears the end of his life.    

       a.  How has God restored David’s heart, mind, and soul?

       b.  How can God restore you today?

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Small Group Study from Sunday, February 14th, 2010 - What’s Your Profile - THE CALL TO COMMUNITY

*Attention Small Group Leaders: Right now, we are looking for people who are interested in serving with the tech/media department at church on Sundays - anyone with a passion for videoing, spotlights, running the slides on the computer, etc.  They will be trained by the current tech/media team.  If you could take a look around your group and see if there is anyone that might be interested (or any other area of the church), please encourage them to pray about it.  You can let them know to call or email me at the church office and I will get them in contact with the person who oversees that ministry.  Thanks!*

 Ice Breaker:  Happy Hallmark day, I mean Valentines Day!  Talk about what you think of it….should be some spirited discussion.  No yelling please!

By the way, do you know anything about the story of St. Valentine?  If so, show off to your small group buddies and share it!!

1.  Psalm 139: 1-18 talks a lot about how we were created by God on purpose and for purpose.  See how many examples of each you can find as you read through this amazing passage and discuss them.

2.  Core values... we’re on our fourth now.  We’ve gone through authenticity (We are Sought, Bought and Taught), relevance (we’ve got to see people like Jesus does, reach out to people like Jesus does and be an example to people like Jesus was), discipleship (we can be deceived, derailed because of lack of depth, distracted or discipled….and now community.  Discuss the first three as a review and see the importance of each of them in our church.

3.  How do the Olympics display that God’s design for men and women is to live in community?

4.  Read 1 Corinthians 13: 1-8 and verse 13.

       a.  What was the health of the relationships in the church of Corinth?
              i.  give an example.

       b.  We defined community as A group of individuals living in unified relationship
              i.  If we as a church and we as individuals are called to community in our relationships, what are three responses we can have to this call?  (hint…they all start with A)

              ii.  Why is it easiest to hurt those closest to us?

              iii.  When we treat our family or our church well, how does that glorify God?  See John 17: 20-26.
                     1.  In this passage, Jesus says the stakes for unity are very high.  Explain.
                     2.  According to Jesus here, where will we get the power to be in true community?

              iv.  Paul writes here that no matter how many great things you do for God, it means nothing if you don’t love.  Discuss that.

              v.  Why does our culture gravitate away from community and towards isolation, do you think?  Give some examples.

              vi.  Being someone who really loves others in community is a big challenge (See 1 Cor. 13: 4-7)
                     1.  What is the hardest part of that list for you?
                     2.  Can you think of people in your life that display that kind of love?

              vii.  Read verse 13 of 1 Corinthians 13….what a strong testimony to community!  Discuss.

              viii.  Small groups….intentional community.  Southside cares a lot about them, that’s for sure!
                     1.  What struck you about what Julie, Mary, Sean and Chris had to share?

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Small Group Study from Sunday, February 7th, 2010 - What’s Your Profile - DISCIPLESHIP

*Attention Small Group Leaders: Right now, we are looking for people who are interested in serving with the tech/media department at church on Sundays - anyone with a passion for videoing, spotlights, running the slides on the computer, etc.  They will be trained by the current tech/media team.  If you could take a look around your group and see if there is anyone that might be interested (or any other area of the church), please encourage them to pray about it.  You can let them know to call or email me at the church office and I will get them in contact with the person who oversees that ministry.  Thanks!*

Ice Breaker:  People sometimes try to appear like someone they’re not on Facebook.  Have you ever been told you look like someone famous?  Who?

1.  On Sunday, Mike said we started off the series with Two facts, things that are true whether you believe them or not.  That each of us and our church are created:
     a.  On purpose
     b.  For purpose

Why are these truths important?

2.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says that if we’re in Christ, we become a new creation….

     a.  In what way is this instant?  How are we made right with God instantly?

     b.  In what way is this a slow process?  How are we made more like Jesus over time?

3.  Read Luke 8: 4-8; 11-15

     a.  The word Satan, means adversary.  What is his goal for you, for this church and for our world?

            i.  what is his primary weapon?

     b.  Have you ever experienced a moment in your life when you felt God directing you clearly, but then allowed doubt to creep in later (Did God REALLY say….).  Talk about it.

     c.  What would Satan like you to believe about the role that Southside has to play in bringing God’s hope to the world?

          i.  Have you felt temped in this area before, to write off the work God wants to do through you or Southside as unimportant or irrelevant?

d.  What does a shallow relationship with Jesus look like?

e.  With a shallow faith, hard times are seen as faith breakers….contrast this with God’s plan to:
          i.          comfort us through hard times

          ii.  shape us through hard times (C.S. Lewis once said God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.)

          iii.  use us to comfort others through hard times

f.  “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.”

           i.  Worries, riches and pleasure…how do each of those threaten to take God’s place as the Lord of our life?
                 1.  How can this circumvent discipleship?

One Solitary Life

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.

I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.

Discuss this essay.

Pray that God would use us as a church, as His body being transformed into His likeness, to affect our world like Jesus did and does.

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Small Group Study from Sunday, January 31st, 2010 - What’s Your Profile - RELEVANCE

Ice Breaker:  What’s your favorite thing about facebook / twitter?  What’s your least favorite?

1.  God says that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and He loves you.  However, each of us struggles from time to time with the image we have of ourselves.  Talk about your struggles throughout your life.

     a.  How are you doing right now?

     b.  What would you like prayer for in regards to the labels and names you’ve allowed yourself to carry?

2.  What does it mean to say that our church is “missional”?  For help on this one, see Matthew 28: 16-20.

3.  Brad Fry, one of our worship leaders, wrote a song based on the series that we’re going through.  The lyrics are below:

What is Your purpose for me Lord?
for Your word says I am Yours.
It says I've been chosen for Your plan
It says I've been created by Your hands

What is Your name for me Lord?
for Your word says I am Yours
It says I'm adopted as Your son
It says I'm called Your beloved one

Praise be to this God who has a plan for me
Praise be to this God who has given me this name
Praise be to this God whose glory never fades
Whose love will never change for me
praise His name

What words in this song convey God’s hope most clearly to you?  Why?

4.  Last week we talked about our core value of authenticity.  Explain briefly why it is important for a Christ follower to be authentic in terms of being SOUGHT by the Father, BOUGHT by the Son, and TAUGHT by the Holy Spirit.

5.  Why is it hard for a church to be relevant if they buy into the thinking that “life is a movie about them”?

6.  Who is the most relevant person to ever live?  See John 3:16

7.  Turn to Acts 17: 22-31 and answer the following questions:

     a.  Athens seems like a very religious place!

               i. how is our culture very religious also? - what are some areas of worship in our culture?

               ii.  Do you sense some desperation in having an altar to an unknown God?  How do you think Jesus feels about this?

     b.  How does legalism make it hard for people to hear the truth of the gospel?

               i.  What do you think of Paul’s decision to quote one of their poets to engage the people of Athens? 

     c.  “The most powerful apologetic in the world is a changed life.  Comment.

               i.  How does a changed life manifest the power of the Holy Spirit?

               ii.  How does a changed life draw men and women to Jesus?


8.  Read Matthew 25: 34-36.  Is this a good vision for our church?

     a.  How many different kinds of hunger and thirst do you see in our world and in our city?

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Small Group Study from Sunday, January 24th, 2010 - What’s Your Profile - AUTHENTICITY

Icebreaker: Can you think of a “cool shattering” moment you’ve had (where you were trying to be cool, but ended up looking not so cool)?  Have you seen it happen to someone else?

1.  Read Psalm 139: 1-16
     a.  How does this passage powerfully illustrate that you were created on purpose?

     b.  The same God that created the universe is the God of this passage.  How does that make you feel?

2.  You were also created FOR purpose, and so was our church.

     a.  A couple weeks ago we said God’s plans for our church and for us individually were:

     P  articular
     L  arge
     A  ware of our shortcomings
     N  ew
To  S  end us

Discuss.

3.  We’re all tempted to be less than authentic from time to time.  What’s the damage it can do?

4.  How is the church especially likely to struggle with authenticity?  What is the cost of lack of realness in the church?

5.  Read Philippians 2: 5-11.  In this passage we are challenged to model ourselves after Jesus…..to see that we’re SOUGHT by God the Father, BOUGHT by His Son and TAUGHT by the Holy Spirit.

     a.  Jesus took on human likeness.  When we accept that we are human and not perfect, we are more likely to realize that God SOUGHT us by sending His Son, because Jesus came to seek and save the least, the lost, the lonely and the last.  Discuss.

     b.  When we are self righteous, we are less likely to see that God SOUGHT us by sending His Son.  Discuss.

     c.  True Humility always brings us to the cross, because when we are humble we realize that we’re not capable of saving ourselves.  Discuss.

     d.  Jesus BOUGHT a fresh start for us on the Cross.  Its why we regularly celebrate communion.  How can we die to our past when we come to Jesus?

     e.  When we go to the Cross humbly, we can then be TAUGHT by the Holy Spirit.  Explain what that means in the context of Romans 8:11.

6.  Where are you right now?  Do you realize that you have been Sought, a fresh start has been Bought for you and that you can be Taught by the Holy Spirit to live the life that you were called to?  Spend some time in prayer with one other person thanking God and coming humbly before Him as you move forward.
 
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