I want to offer you some suggestions and cautions for the first wiiik’s lesson in this series. I alluded to some of this in the handout, but wanted to provide a bit more for those of you who are a little less confident with this one. So, here wiii go. For starters, determine how much time you have for your group and then stick to it. If your group members have allotted only an hour for the lesson, then you need to honor their time and stick to it. You may even want to designate someone as a time keeper. It’s usually best to have a more detail-oriented, administrative-type of person in charge of this. (Definitely not someone like me.) Next, feel free to communicate with them the general direction that the lesson is going. But you may not want to explain everything up front, as it might take away from some of the impact of the initial part of the lesson. If people are already thinking of the questions you’ll be asking them about the icebreaker during that time then it will be harder to get “real” responses.
For the Study portion, you may find it meaningful to have everyone read the Scripture together, or to divide up the Scriptures and have different members read part of it. Getting your group members involved in reading and hearing Scripture together is a sacred activity. This is also where you as the leader may determine that you want to spend more time. If your group is pretty new to one another, I recommend spending more time on the ice breaker. But, if your group has been together for years, you may want to spend a little less time on the ice-breaker and dig a little more deeply into the study. But be cautioned: just because people have interacted with one another for years does not guarantee that they really know one another, and the ice-breaker may still serve to open some doors for more meaningful interpersonal interaction for your group.
If your group has time for it and desires deeper study, here are some places you can go with that. These are just some thoughts and questions for you as the leader to consider, in an effort to lead your people into deeper study.
For the 1 Corinthians 12 passage, you may want to ask:
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How can our individuality be dangerous to the church?
Possible answers (there are many) – if expressed in an unhealthy way we may want the church to always meet our needs and neglect our duty to serve Christ and others and our individuality may also present itself as arrogance and selfishness -
How can our individuality be an asset to the church?
Possible answers – (again, there are many) if everyone was the same, it would be boring. We need different people who are wired up with different gifts and abilities and personalities to take care of all the different ministries and responsibilities in the Kingdom. -
Which of these is a greater struggle for you – feeling too insignificant to matter in the Kingdom of God (low self-esteem) or feeling that you matter more than others in the Kingdom of God (pride)? Both of these are sin. Remember – God proved your significance when Jesus stretched his arms wide on the cross. But, while this means yo have an immeasurable amount of worth in the eyes of God, it also is your call to do likewise and pick up your cross and serve others. The cross of Christ frees us from needing to be all about ourselves.
For the Philippians 2 passage you may want to consider the following.
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The parallel between Philippians 2 and John 13 is one of the most amazing scriptural parallels I’ve encountered. Granted, it may be personal preference, but the similarities between these two passages has deeply impacted me. You may simply want to have your group read Phil. 2.1-11 and John 13. Have them look for parallels between the Christ Hymn in Phil. 2.6-11 and John 13. Here’s what you’ll find:
Phil. 2 paints a picture of humility as shown with attitude and action, while John chapter 13 gives us a clear picture of what that looks like when lived out in a life of selfless service.
he got up from the table (stepped out of heaven)
took off clothing = took off his “God” identity)
wrapped a towel around his waist= servant role = wrapped himself in flesh and humanity
poured water into bowl = poured his blood on the cross
washed their feet = washed their sins away
drying with towel = clothing in new robes
finished, put on clothes = stepped back into deity/divinity
returned to his place = exalted to heaven -
Then ask how we can show humility like that of Christ? The attitude of humility that leads to the cross is displayed with a towel in the upper room. What do we need to let go of regarding personal preferences, pleasure, comfort, etc. to truly live a life of humility.
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Have the group members define humility. Then share this definition with them: True humility is not thinking less of one’s self, it’s thinking of one’s self less often. Otherwise, we’re still thinking of self, and that’s pride at some level. True humility is getting past self and getting on to a focus on God and others.
I hope this helps by at least assisting you in thinking along these lines and that it generates some ideas for you if your group desires to dig a little deeper.
