Outlive Your Life Part 11

Questions for Discussion 1. When have you, as part of a group, faced a challenge so enormous that it caused the group to grow close? With what group of people are you facing a challenge right now, and how could you team up with them to face it?

2. What creative teamwork stories or opportunities have you heard that are like the microfinance story about Jose in Rio and Thomas in London? Do you know of anyone doing great work like this or responding to other areas of need? How do people get started making such innovative connections?

3. Consider traditional methods of helping people that also require teamwork. Have you ever been involved in these kinds of efforts? What was the impact on those in need? What did you learn from the experience?

4. "Those who suffer belong to all of us." How can you and the people closest to you lend a helping hand to those who suffer?

Ideas for Action * "None of us can do what all of us can do." Become a part of something bigger than yourself. Tackle a very large project that you could not do alone by finding out what your church is already doing. It may not be what you would do on your own, but you will make a broader and deeper difference than if you worked alone.

* There are many ways to partner with a team that is already in tune with and actively responding to people's needs. Consider your own area of giftedness, and select a ministry that could use your talents to help others.

* Gather your neighbors to brainstorm needs in your area. Develop a plan of action that you can accomplish as a group.

CHAPTER 6: OPEN YOUR DOOR; OPEN YOUR HEART.

Questions for Discussion 1. Do you know someone who is a great example of hospitality? What makes that person seem hospitable?

2. How are you currently using your home as a tool in helping others? How could you make your kitchen, your backyard, your living room, or even your dorm room into a place of intentional hospitality?

3. What keeps you from inviting others into your home? How could you remove those barriers? In what ways do you too often listen to the "Martha Stewart voice" and miss the point of hospitality?

4. Read each of the following pa.s.sages about hospitality: Acts 16:15, 34; Acts 21:8; Acts 28:2, 7; Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 5:10; t.i.tus 1:8; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:910; and 3 John 1:8. How should we view hospitality in light of these verses?

5. Name some people you would like to invite into your home soon. Set a time in the next two weeks to open your door to one or more of these people.

Ideas for Action * Start a routine of hospitality in your life so it is always happening. Designate one meal a week as your "hospitality meal," and always plan to have people over. For example, you could invite friends every week to watch a ball game-an open invitation to enjoy your hospitality and your television. Or prepare a pot of soup every Sat.u.r.day night. Set up a hospitality station on your front porch or in your driveway, and serve bowls of friendship to your neighbors.

* Intentionally include others at your special family events. Invite a single person over for Christmas Eve dinner. Have a family in need join you for Thanksgiving, or take the turkey and have the meal in their home. On Mother's Day celebrate some of the older women in church who never had children or whose children are far away. Keep an eye on individuals who sit alone or have yet to make friends in your church, and invite them over for a meal (even if you get take-out food on the way home).

CHAPTER 7: SEE THE NEED; TOUCH THE HURT.

Questions for Discussion 1. "Human hurt is not easy on the eye." Tell of a time you encountered suffering that was painful to observe. Describe a time you were hurting and someone made you think he or she really saw you.

2. What does it communicate to people in need, especially those who are not beautiful, when you look directly at them, into their eyes?

3. Take note of each meaningful touch you find in the following miracles of Jesus: Matthew 9:2022; Mark 1:4045; Mark 7:3235; Luke 8:5155; Luke 13:1113; John 9:17. Did Jesus need to touch people to heal them? Why do you think some form of touch was part of each healing?

4. Peter and John gave more than the money the crippled beggar asked for in Acts 3. What resources do you have-beyond money-that you could give to people in need?

5. For Peter and John the strategy of kind eyes meeting desperate ones and strong hands helping weak ones unleashed a miracle of G.o.d. How could you live out this strategy?

Ideas for Action * Take time this week to look people in their eyes. When you talk to someone you know is needy, maintain eye contact with him or her much longer than you normally would. Reflect on how this helps you really see people's needs in a new way. It will have greater impact if you keep a journal or write a summary at the end of the week, describing how this experiment affected your perspective.

* This week, go out of your way to visit a person in need. When someone you know is in the hospital, visit that person to show you care. Go to a nursing home this week to extend a compa.s.sionate touch to others. Start by shaking people's hands or giving them an appropriate hug. Ask if you can pray for them, and lay a hand on their shoulders (you could even pray silently if you feel more comfortable doing so). As you head home, reflect on how meaningful the visit was. Also, consider how you feel after these visits, compared to how you felt on the way there.

CHAPTER 8: PERSECUTION: PREPARE FOR IT; RESIST IT.

Questions for Discussion 1. How do you feel when you hear stories about heroic martyrs such as Necati or stories about horrible persecution around the world? In what ways does it put your own difficulties into perspective?

2. In societies with religious freedom, we may not experience persecution, but we may experience spiritual opposition from critics, accusers, family members, professors, cla.s.smates, coworkers, and others in our daily lives. As you read that list, does it remind you of a situation that led you to silence your beliefs?

3. How do you think Peter felt in John 18:1518, 2527? Have you ever failed to speak out in the face of pressure or persecution? On the other hand, when have you been like Peter before his accusers in Acts 4:513-ready to speak the truth boldly in the face of pressure or persecution?

4. What habits have you developed in order to spend time with Jesus so you can linger long and often in his presence? How could such habits help others realize you have been with him?

5. In what ways should spiritual disciplines develop boldness in a believer?

Ideas for Action * Pray for the persecuted church. Become more knowledgeable about church freedom in a country you already have a connection with, and pray for the believers there to be strong in their faith. Stay current on the news about the church in that country.

* Rally your church to pray for persecuted believers by setting up a special prayer vigil or by partic.i.p.ating in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Consider buying a large world map for your home or church and having family or church members write prayers on Post-it notes and place them on the appropriate country.

CHAPTER 9: DO GOOD, QUIETLY.

Questions for Discussion 1. The Acts 5 story of Ananias and Sapphira is an intense one. The consequences of their early church conspiracy were grave-literally. However, Max asks, "Was that really necessary?" What do you think?

2. How does the church regard such offenses today?

3. Have you seen examples of hypocrisy in the church that have adversely affected its reputation? What specific changes can Christians make to counter a general reputation for hypocrisy?

4. In Matthew 23, Jesus levels accusations against the Pharisees and scribes, or teachers of the law. List these seven indictments on a separate sheet of paper. How would you describe Jesus' tone in this pa.s.sage? What common threads do you see in the list?

5. How will you live differently after reading Matthew 23, Acts 5, and this chapter of Outlive Your Life?

Ideas for Action * "Expect no credit for good deeds." Think of someone you know who is in need. What tangible thing could you do for that person this week-in secret? Identify a person who has made a significant impact on your life. Send a letter thanking that individual for all he or she has done, but be sure the letter cannot be traced back to you.

* "Don't fake spirituality." Search the Scriptures to see what indicates false spirituality and what indicates authentic spirituality. Spend time in prayer, asking G.o.d to show you any area in which your spirituality is weak.

CHAPTER 10: STAND UP FOR THE HAVE-NOTS.

Questions for Discussion 1. The church in Jerusalem had overlooked Greek-speaking widows and sought to resolve the problem (Acts 6). What groups or individuals are overlooked in your community? Why are they forgotten or ignored?

2. Who is the target audience of your church? Describe the kind of person who is most likely to visit. If your church tried to become more like the people highlighted by Jesus in Luke 4:1421, what adjustments would you have to make? What steps could you take to reach out to and worship with the poor, brokenhearted, captive, and blind?

3. Why do you think the people of Israel never practiced the revolutionary concept of Jubilee? Describe what Jubilee would look like in your area if this law went into effect immediately. What mini-Jubilees can you establish in your heart and habits even though this radical concept is not the law of the land?

4. Max mentioned several of the brightest and best organizations that are doing great work on poverty (World Vision, Compa.s.sion International, Living Water, and International Justice Mission). What organizations would you add, and why?

Ideas for Action * This week find out more about what your church is already doing with the poor. Volunteer to get involved personally, to improve the work, or to fund it more intentionally.

* Rich Stearns told Max, "Poverty is rocket science." Consult the best thinkers on the more-complicated issues related to poverty. Learn about well-informed poverty solutions and strategies by visiting the Web sites of the excellent organizations mentioned in this chapter: www.wvi.org, www.compa.s.sion.com, www.water.cc, www.ijm.org.

* "Cut concern for the poor out of the Bible, and you cut the heart out of it." Take time this week to study just a few of the nearly two thousand scriptures on poverty, wealth, justice, and oppression. Start with the following verses: Exodus 23:6 Leviticus 19:15; 23:22; 25:35, 39 Deuteronomy 15:711; 24:1015 Psalm 35:10 Proverbs 14:21; 22:2223; 31:9 Isaiah 10:13; 58:67 Jeremiah 5:2629 Matthew 19:21 Luke 12:3233; 14:1214 Acts 4:3335 James 2:14

CHAPTER 11: REMEMBER WHO HOLDS YOU.

Questions for Discussion 1. Which personal achievements make you feel most grateful? How much did G.o.d have to do with them? How could you thank G.o.d for his help and tell others about it?

2. In what seasons of life is it tempting to have a too-small view of G.o.d or a too-large view of yourself? What helpful habits could you develop to keep these two tendencies in check?

3. What instruction on pride and humility do you find in James 4:610? In what ways do you see humble people experiencing grace? When have you seen proud people opposed?

4. How does James 4:1317 help you talk about the future with humility?

5. Humility and pride are opposites. However, wisdom may be a helpful path to cultivating humility and beating pride. How might a wise view of reality combat a too-high or too-low view of self?

Ideas for Action * Do not miss what G.o.d is up to in your city. Use a journal to track moments when you see G.o.d moving. When did he show up in a way that you noticed? How did things go differently because someone was living as Christ would?

* The next time you receive praise, respond intentionally. Beware of dismissing it entirely by saying the accomplishment was nothing. Spread the praise around to others who helped you achieve it. Even better, praise others who helped, but then give G.o.d the glory for it all.

CHAPTER 12: BLAST A FEW WALLS.

Questions for Discussion 1. Philip went to Samaria, and the grace of G.o.d blasted the walls between the Jews and Samaritans. Max asks you, "Do any walls bisect your world?" What divisions do you see dominating your culture? What unspoken rules of separation promote a subconscious prejudice? How long has this wall been there? What are the root causes? What keeps it going?

2. Describe yourself with the categories Max used to describe Philip (skin, hometown, economics, relationships, etc.). Now describe someone quite the opposite of you in these categories. Name someone you know who resembles the latter.

3. As Christians, how well do we live out Galatians 3:2829 and erase the divisions between us? Where have we succeeded? Where have we failed?

4. How could you tell a person on the other side of a dividing wall that he or she matters to you? What could you do to show that person you care?

Ideas for Action * Be honest with yourself about your prejudices. Spend some quiet time thinking about this. Make a list of groups of people you tend to prejudge or categorize. Pray over that piece of paper, asking G.o.d to change your heart. Then shred the list, embracing the freedom that comes with unbiased eyes.

* Grow in your cross-cultural awareness. Learn about the group that lives on the other side of a dividing social wall in your community or region. Eat where they eat, shop where they shop, and meet people. Listen to their stories. Find out what you have in common. Find out what differences are crucial, and be sensitive to them.

CHAPTER 13: DON'T WRITE OFF ANYONE.

Questions for Discussion 1. Name a very public or famous person whom n.o.body would expect to convert to Christianity. Why does it seem so unlikely that the person would become a Christian?

2. Share a story either about yourself or someone whom you know personally that made an unexpected radical conversion to G.o.d.

3. "Has G.o.d given you a Saul?" Is there someone in your life whom most people have given up on and dismissed? How could you be an Ananias for that person?

4. What does Scripture say about reaching out to those in need? How can you be more sensitive to the Father's promptings in this area?

5. How would you describe your conversion? Was it sudden or gradual? What are you doing to help others experience conversion?

Ideas for Action * If you struggled to think of a potential Saul in your life, try to meet someone who could become that person. What kind of routine environment would help you become friends with people who are far from G.o.d-or even opposed to G.o.d? Remember, G.o.d may be leading you to that place just as he led Ananias to Straight Street.

* Schedule time with a person who has converted to Christ and may need a mature Christian to disciple him or her. Start the process by simply asking that individual to retell his or her story, and then ask how you could help in the next leg of the journey.

CHAPTER 14: STABLE THE HIGH HORSE.

Questions for Discussion 1. What was the social pecking order when you were growing up? How about today? Who is at the top, who is at the bottom, and where are you in the order?