Building a community of whole people who, through devotion to Jesus Christ, are learning to live every day by the Word of God.
Jan
25
How are you doing memorizing this month’s memory verse, 2 Timothy 3:16-17? You have a few days left in January! To keep you not just memorizing but also meditating, GROW Group Leader Allan Tuan will be writing a monthly devotional based on the memory verse. You can see January’s here. Enjoy!
Jan
20
As a group, recite our memory verse, 2 Timothy 3:16-17. (Suggestion: go around in a circle and have each person supply the next word of the verse.)
We have one more week to memorize this Scripture together. The news on the street is that the kids are getting it memorized ALOT quicker than us adults!
Share any new insight you’ve gained through the sermon. Ask a question about anything you didn’t understand.
This is intended to be a starter question, have folks open up with general impressions, review the outline, etc. It is also a good time to find out who didn’t get to hear the sermon.
Read Matthew 13:1-3, 10-15 and answer the following sermon “review” questions:
a. Pastor Dave gave an outline of Jesus as King from Matthew. Match the following chapters with the corresponding outline.
Matthew 1-4 The King’s power (Matthew 8-9)
Matthew 5-7 The King’s credentials (Matthew 1-4)
Matthew8-9 The King’s presentation to the nation (Matthew 10)
Matthew 10 Rejection/opposition and the King’s judgements (Matthew 11-12)
Matthew 11-12 The King’s principles (Matthew 5-7)
Again the purpose of these questions is review of the sermon. Pastor Dave provided alot of background that is worth reviewing.
b. Why did Jesus change His teaching strategy to parables? (Matthew 13:10f) due to the rejection/opposition, he started to teach truth differently for those that had ears to hear.
c. How did most of the Jews demonstrate they were “refusing to listen to Jesus?” (Matthew 11:20, 12:14, 24 & 38) Why did they do that? (Matthew 13:15) each verse shows growing opposition – did not repent, plotted how to kill Jesus, aligned him with Satan, asked for “signs”. They did so because their hearts were hard and their spiritual eyes/ears were not working.
d. Consider the “cow principle.” (Matthew 13:12) What will happen if you apply what God’s telling you? What if you don’t? This is the main point of the sermon – we either get more truth or we lose it.
Why does Matthew make such a big deal about Jesus being “King?” How can you show that Jesus is your “King?” answers will vary, but the big idea is this is the purpose of Matthew -to show Jesus as King. Today, “kingship” doesn’t really impress us, but to the readers of that time it was everything.
Break into gender groups to discuss the following questions:
What are some of the gifts the Lord has given to us to steward? Describe what good stewardship might look like for each. gifts might include the Bible, our church, religious freedom, jobs, spouse, kids, friends.
Read James 1:22-25. Pastor Dave said; ‘When it comes to truth, we have been given the most of any generation.’ He also challenged us in Point III c to “Do something with the truth He has given.” What are you currently doing? What more do you need to do?
Bonus questions for groups with kids at home:
God gives parents the responsibility for training their kids in biblical truth. Engage in answering the following diagnostic questions based on the way you prioritize your life: These questions have obvious answers, but they are to be diagnostic or revealing to the parent reading them. It might cause some to repent or ask for help. Be prepared as a leader for what God might do….
Jan
13
This week Dave Dawson is preaching from Matthew 4:1-11.
This is just an intro question to give each person a chance to participate in the discussion.
This may feel like simple regurgitation, but narration is a useful educational tool. It helps the person summarizing to notice each part of the passage and to remember it.
As Dave said, the book of Matthew was written to Jews in the first century.
Dave summarized the purpose of the book of Matthew as “fulfillment.” Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy, the law, the Messiah, what Israel should have been, and the entire Old Testament. Matthew makes all kinds of connections between what happened to Jesus and what happened in the Old Testament. He wants us to see Jesus in the Old Testament, and see the fulfillment of the Old Testament in Jesus.
In this passage in particular, there are many parallels to the Old Testament. Jesus is the new Adam – the Son of God (Gen 5:1) who passed the test that the first Adam failed. Jesus is the new Moses who crosses the water and spends a preparation time in the wilderness. Jesus is what the people of Israel should have been as he faces starvation without complaint and accepts his mission without turning back.
There are a number of reasons we could list, and Dave will list some in his sermon. Possibly the biggest reason is hinted at in the bonus question below.
Bonus: Why do you think Satan tempted Jesus? (see Heb 9:14; Ex 12:5; 1 Pet 2:22-24)
Jesus’ mission on earth was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matt 20:28). The entire plan of redemption hinges on Jesus’ death as the righteous and unblemished sacrifice on our behalf – the righteous for the unrighteous (1 Peter 3:18). If Satan had been able to tempt Jesus into sinning, the whole plan would fall apart.
The bigger “why” behind Satan’s actions is always God’s action, but that will be addressed in question 4, so don’t spend too much time on it in discussion here.
This application will look different in each person’s life, of course, but you can steer your group members to see both the example of Jesus and the confidence that we can have in His righteousness that is now given to us (Phil 3:9).
It’s great to be reading the Bible everyday, but it’s even better to understand it! Help your group members find a method to help them understand the Bible and apply it to their lives. The application journey that Dave suggested is a good first step, as well as the “SOAP” acronym (Scripture; Observation; Applcation; Prayer). For more in-depth study, Dig Deeper by Nigel Beynon and Andrew Sachs is an excellent guide to Bible study tools. With an engaging style and insightful examples, this book has helped me understand the Bible more than any other book has.
God does not tempt to evil (James 1:13), but He does test our faith (Ps 139:23-24). The Father allowed and the Spirit led Jesus to be tempted by the devil. This was a test to reveal Jesus’ faithfulness and righteousness, the way that Adam was tested and failed and the way that Abraham was tested and passed (Heb 11:17).
Demons know who God is. They know the Bible. They even believe it. But they don’t obey it. Jesus hid Scripture in His heart in order to keep His way pure, just as the psalmist did. Satan memorized Scripture in order to misquote it and use it against God for his own purposes.
Make sure everyone in your group got a set of verse cards. You may want to have some extra in case anyone was absent Sunday or missed them. Plan out how you will work together to memorize the verses. Will you recite them together each week? Will you have a contest to see who can learn it the quickest or remember it the longest? Will you have a different person come up with a memory game to play with it each week? The options are endless. Find something that works for your group. Feel free to change your group’s plan later if you find that it isn’t working (competition is getting out of hand or no one is motivated, etc.).
Break into gender groups to discuss the following questions:
In the first test, the devil appeals to the real need that Jesus had for food. In the second test, the devil pointed to a promise that God had made and encouraged Jesus to hold him to it in obligation. In the final test, the devil offers the ultimate goal of Jesus’ mission: everyone worshiping Him. And he offers it without the suffering.“ We have to remember that these were real and deep temptations for Jesus, yet He rejected each one in favor of His relationship with the Father, where His deepest need is met and all the promises are kept, and the mission is ultimately completed.
Food can be a real temptation even when we are not starving like Jesus was. Other deep needs are safety, love, acceptance, respect, belonging. We are often tempted to find these in things other than God.
When we succumb to the “God is obligated to do this” test, we dictate to God the way in which He should keep His promises. We get angry when our prayers are not answered or things don’t work out the way they should. We need to remember that we are here to serve God; God is not here to serve us. He will not cater to our whims.
Our eyes can be on the goal, and yet still fall into temptation in the way we try to get there. Even if our goals are good (like Jesus’ was), it can be tempting to take a pain-free shortcut to get there. We tell ourselves that the end justifies the means. But in the end, we will find we lost our goal in the process and sold out to the devil.
It is comforting to know that Jesus was tempted as a man, and that He defeated temptation by the power of the Holy Spirit. Be careful not to let your members dismiss Jesus’ triumph over temptation as a consequence of His deity. We have the same power in us (1 John 4:4).
There are common times when we are vulnerable to temptation: when we are hungry, tired, sick, right after an intimate time with God, right before church or small group, when it’s been too long between times of marital intimacy, certain times of the month. It is good to be aware of those vulnerabilities in order to be prepared for them. A combination of the four suggestions to fight temptation has helped me. There are times when a sin needs to be brought into the light by telling someone else. There are times when a situation needs to be avoided quickly. Prayer in times of temptation is always helpful. Sometimes an encouraging Scripture can provide the antidote to the temptation – why look for what you need elsewhere when you have it in God?
Jan
9
This month is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month and we are blessed to have the opportunity to hear from Don and Bridget Brewster of Agape International Missions this weekend on both Saturday and Sunday.
The first event is Saturday, January 14th at 7:00pm at Bethel Church in the Fellowship Hall. This event is to raise awareness in our community. Invite friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members to hear the Brewsters share stories of faith and victory over the horror of child sex trafficking. Don and Bridget have been living on the front lines of the battle against Child Sex Trafficking for the last 6 years and have great wisdom and an impactful message to share with us.
The second event is on Sunday, January 15th at 4pm. This is for the men and women of Bethel Church to not only learn more about the problem but learn ways to combat it as a community of believers in the name of Christ. Encourage your GROW Group to attend together!
More information about the Brewsters and Agape International Mission:
Don Brewster has been featured on many of the network broadcasts about sex-trafficking over this last year as director of Agape International Missions in Cambodia.
They partner with International Justice Mission to combat sex trafficking in Cambodia and worldwide. IJM has this to say about ARC (Agape Restoration Center – a safe home where rescued girls can heal):
Kaign Christy of International Justice Mission (the leader in rescuing children from slavery around the world), has given ARC the following endorsement, “ARC opened in Cambodia at a time of critical need for quality, secure shelters for rescued victims of child sexual exploitation. They have filled that need wonderfully. Their shelter and programs are professional, nurturing and effective. The stories of rehabilitation and hope that result from their efforts are profound and moving. It is our privilege to partner with them in this work in Cambodia.”
Oct 24, 2011: Agape International Missions was highlighted in the CNN Freedom Project. Read full story and view video here
August 24, 2011: Don Brewster and Benjamin Nolot, producer of Nefarious, were interviewed on the Insight Program on Capital Public Radio. Click here to listen to the interview.
June, 2011: AIM is K-Love’s June Ministry Partner. Check out K-Love’s page here.
May 19, 2011: Suzanne Phan from NEWS 10 interviewed Don and Bridget about AIM. It aired on the 11pm news. Click here to watch the news broadcast.
May 9, 2011: Capital Public Radio did a live radio interview with Don and Bridget Brewster. Please Click Here to listen to the broadcast.
May 6, 2011: Toby Lewis from the Roseville Press Tribune wrote an article about the National Day of Prayer and AIM entitled: Hundreds come to pray in Roseville, Rocklin. Click Here
to read the article.
May 4, 2011: KFBK recently broadcasted a radio interview with Nikki Medoro and Don Brewster. Please Click Here to listen to the braodcast.
April 28, 2011: FOX40 News interview with Ben Deci. “Couple Working to Shut Down Cambodian Sex Trade” Click Here to view to the broadcast.
Jan
9
Eastgate Elementary (where we did one of our Fall Frenzy events last fall) is seeking volunteers to help with a parent training they are doing at their school on Thursday evenings. Details are below. Please pass this along to your GROW Group members. If you don’t already have an outreach focus, consider serving as a group.
Even a few people helping just one time is a huge blessing to them!
“Great Families” Parent Training
Through the Kennewick Police Department, officers conduct 6-week parenting classes for 8-10 Eastgate families at a time. The families come and share dinner, and then the parents participate in the training while the children go to a classroom and have their own fun activities. The school would love to have groups (or 3-4 adults) come in and serve the meal (the food is already prepared by Yokes), and then help with the children’s activities. They also try to provide a raffle gift each week to help entice the families to participate, so donations of restaurant gift cards would also be appreciated. More than anything, though, they’d just love volunteers to help out.
The next 6-week sessions are:
Session One: Jan. 12, 19, 26, Feb. 2, 9, 16
Session Two: Feb. 23, Mar. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Contact: Principal Niki Arnold-Smith at 509.222.5400 or niki.arnoldsmith@ksd.org
Jan
8
[Author’s note: For many of us, sex trafficking is “too horrible to think about.” I know. I used to be there. But I’ve come to realize that this is a crime that is too horrible not to think about – and tell others about and do something about. It has often been said that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Evil is triumphing in sex trafficking. It is time to rise up against it.]
Though awareness is on the rise, sex trafficking is crime that is little known and widely misunderstood. Its lack of public outrage is all the more drastic when contrasted with its prevalence. More of an epidemic than a crime, sex trafficking accounts for a large percentage of all human trafficking, which is the fastest-growing organized crime in the world, second only to drug trafficking. Human trafficking is estimated to net $32 billion dollars each year – but that doesn’t take into account the $97 billion that the world pornography industry rakes in each year by selling images of the victims of sex trafficking.
Sex trafficking is the sale of persons for commercial sexual exploitation wherein the person is forced, coerced, or deceived into performing sexual acts for the profit of the trafficker. It occurs in every country in the world and in nearly every city. An estimated 100,000 new girls and boys are kidnapped, lured, tricked, or sold by their own parents into commercial sexual exploitation each year in the United States alone. Their average age is 13.
Once in “the Life,” these women and children are controlled by their pimps with violence, threats, and psychological manipulation. They are held captive as slaves, servicing an average of 20 customers a night, with little hope of escape or rescue. Many die at the hands of their pimps or johns, or from drug overdose or STDs. The few who are rescued rarely have a safe place to recover, as there are fewer than 100 dedicated beds in the United States for these victims. Many return to their captivity.
It is a common misconception that prostitutes are simply bad people. They are drug addicts driven to selling their bodies, we think, or they enjoy it and make a lot of money doing it. The reality is that these are broken people, who oftentimes can’t even recognize their slavery because of the psychological control of their pimps.
But Jesus shows us an even more radical response to that misconception. He makes it clear that we are all bad people (Mark 10:18). Jesus is the only good guy. And far from shunning prostitutes, Jesus had dinner with them (Matt 9:10-12)! He sought out the places they frequented and showed them the love and forgiveness of God that changes trodden-down women into saints. Who doesn’t love the story in Luke 7:37-50 of the sinful woman anointing Jesus and washing his feet with her hair? May we follow His example and not that of Simon, the host of the dinner party who knew very well “what sort of woman” that was – and who loved little.
January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. We are honored to have Don and Bridget Brewster, the founders of Agape International Mission, coming to visit Bethel. They will share about their work in Cambodia rescuing and restoring girls from sexual slavery and transforming the culture to prevent it. They will also talk about the global sex trafficking problem and the hope we have as Christians with which to combat it. Join us Sunday, January 15 at 4pm in the Desert View Room.
Please pray:
1. Agape has done much work in the village of Svay Pak, Cambodia, and it is making a difference! Two men in the village of Poipet, on the Thai border, were recently overheard saying,”It’s very difficult in Svay Pak now. We stay away from there, now we have to come here to Poipet where it is still easy.” Pray for a Rahab’s House (community center) to be built in Poipet.
2. For provision and protection on all AIM ministries, staff, girls and families. For all of our staff and leadership, for strength and perseverance to keep fighting the good fight in faith.
3. For complete restoration for Agape’s rescued girls. Some are so bombarded by guilt from their family to return to the life to make more money! Their families’ insistence to do what is wrong wears them down. May Christ reign in their hearts and minds instead of the earthly parents.
4. For many Christians to rise up and build restoration homes in the United States where rescued victims of sex trafficking can find a safe place to receive love, healing, and the gospel.
Jan
7
This week Pastor Dave shares with us from the recent New Testament One Year Bible Reading in Matthew 3:1-13. We took the questions a little bit different direction this week: instead of addressing each part of the sermon, we focused on what we believed to be the aim of the sermon – a right understanding of repentance and an exhortation to practice it regularly.
Don’t forget to come to the Bible Celebration Sunday evening at 6pm!
This is an opening question to give a chance for everyone to speak up, but it is also a chance to discuss plans for daily Bible reading and memorization throughout the new year. Encourage men to take the lead in their families with Bible memory, and encourage women to make plans to work on the verses with their children.
Peter’s preaching of the good news of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection led to conviction (they were cut to the heart), which led them to respond and then to repent. These people may have been Old Testament believers, but this was their first understanding of Jesus and His work. When they repented, their sins were forgiven and they received the Holy Spirit (v. 38).
It is surprising how quickly we each turn away from salvation by grace alone and begin – often unknowingly – depending on our own work to save us. Because of this, it is easy to begin thinking that repentance is the work that we need to do in order for our sins to be forgiven, as if repentance earns forgiveness. But forgiveness of sins is bought by the blood of Christ alone – He has paid the penalty for our sins. Nothing we can do (repenting, “praying the prayer,” taking communion, being baptized, etc.) earns our salvation or grants our forgiveness. As Romans 8:29-30 makes clear, our salvation begins and ends with God. Repentance is still required; baptism is still commanded; obedience is still expected. But those things are part of the process of salvation that is founded solely on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Repentance does not earn forgiveness or salvation. Instead, like holding out our hands for a gift, we receive God’s salvation through repentance.
1 John 1:5-2:1 shows us the necessity of continual repentance as a Christian: we continue to sin so we have a continual need to confess that sin and turn away from it to the light so that we can have fellowship with Him. We can be confident in our continual repentance because of our advocate Jesus Christ the Righteous and because of the justice of God who has promised to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Romans 8:38-39 and John 10:28-30 demonstrate the assurance of our salvation. It is in Christ’s hands and no one can separate us from Him or snatch us away from Him. Building on the discussion from the previous question, we know that our salvation is founded on the death and resurrection of Christ. Looking at Romans 8:28-30 and John 10:28-30, we see that God has chosen who He will save and that their salvation is so assured that Paul speaks of it in Romans 8:30 as having already happened. That assurance does not negate the parts of the process that involve us (repentance, obedience to God’s commands, increasing holiness), rather it gives us confidence to work out our salvation because we know that God will work our salvation within us (Phil 2:12-13). This is a precious promise that we can count on no matter what happens.
This is a letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth and the surrounding region (see 2 Cor 1:1).
Although repentance is only used to describe one of the types in this particular passage, there are two Greek verbs in the New Testament translated as “repent” and it is important to be able to distinguish between them. One is what Paul calls “worldly sorrow” in this passage. It is regret, a change of mind. That is the kind of repentance Judas felt in Matt 27:3. It brings sorrow and guilt but not new life.
The other is the product of godly sorrow: true repentance. This kind of repentance involves a change of mind and purpose. See Easton’s Bible Dictionary for a definition of each kind.
Paul warns that worldly sorrow leads to death. It is only regret, not a running away from sin toward God. The godly sorrow of the Corinthians produced repentance and led to eagerness to become right with God and others, zeal for God’s glory, indignation (anger at sin), fear of God’s wrath, and longing for holiness.
Some of our misconceptions about repentance come from our perception that repentance is simply something we do. Repentance is more than that. It is a new way of being that redefines us as God’s people rather than slaves to sin.
Break into gender groups to discuss the following questions:
Take time to be honest and transparent with one another. Make sure that an appropriate amount of time is spent listening to each person’s situation, praying over them, and supporting them as brothers or sisters in Christ. Be sure to follow up sometime during the following week with anyone who identifies themselves as being in a spiritual desert. Give them a phone call or mail them a note thanking them for their openness and encouraging them in their difficult situation.
If your group needs to make a renewed commitment to making the weekly meetings a priority, the new year is a good time to emphasize that.
Dec
30
Just five questions this week. Enjoy the New Year!
Dec
17
This week Pastor Dave is preaching about some qualities of a godless people from the short book of Obadiah.
John and Jessica Stone have been involved in Bethel for many years, and John has been on staff in the past. They have been called to Nebraska, where John will pastor a church. This week we will be sending them off. They leave December 27th.
You have probably seen this literary device frequently in the Bible, especially the book of Proverbs (three things, no four; six things, no seven). If you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered what that’s all about. The ESV Study Bible clears up the confusion with this note on Proverbs 6:16-19: “This numeric literary device presents a representative rather than exhaustive list (cf. 30:15–16, 18–19, 21–31) that seeks to draw particular attention to the final item as the focus of God’s hatred. It is easy to agree that God hates the first six items; it is also easy to overlook the seventh (v. 19b), and thus the author pulls the reader up short.”
The sin that is emphasized is the sowing of discord among brothers. That is the focus of God’s hatred in this passage. God takes the bond between brothers seriously, and those who mess with it incur his hatred. As a family of believers, our brothers are fellow Christians. Gossiping, condemning others, not seeking reconciliation, and avoiding certain people are just a few of the ways we can sow discord among our brothers in Christ.
Verses 10 and 12 of Obadiah point out that the reason Edom is condemned is because of the way they treated their brother nation Israel. They joined strangers in attacking and looting Jerusalem; they gloated over Israel’s demise. Verse 14 goes on to say that they even captured the refugees and sold them as slaves. The point is that the evil of those things is amplified when it is done to a brother – one who should be treated with particular love and loyalty.
Pastor Dave points out that these evils are some of the symptoms of Edom’s pride (which is introduced in verse 3). He lists seven symptoms that Edom displays:
It may seem a little presumptuous to assume everyone sees at least one of these in their lives, but pride is such a pervasive sin that it is not a stretch to say everyone struggles with it to some degree.
As we saw in questions 1 and 2, conflict between brothers – and the stirring up of conflict between brothers – is a significant issue to God. The flip side is also true: love between brothers is important to God. Jesus set us the example of love when he sacrificed his own life for us, his brothers. He has also given us the grace and power to do the same for our brothers. Going back a couple verses to 1 John 3:14, we see that love for the brothers is a sign of our new life in Christ. Jesus put it this way: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
So for whom are we laying down our lives? Is our love evident in our small group? Do we love the whole body at Bethel? Do we suffer along with the global church?
Paul points to Christ as the ultimate example of humility and the reason for our humility. Pondering Christ’s sacrifice gives us a sense of who we are in relation to God and of the overwhelming grace we have received. If, like the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:23-35, we accept such grace and then turn around and withhold mercy from others, it is clear we have not been meditating on the good news of Jesus Christ.
Considering Christ’s sacrifice also shows us what it means to be humble. Jesus was no door-mat to be stepped on. He made it clear that he was willingly giving up his life (John 10:17-18) and had the power to make it all stop if he had chosen (Matt 26:53). He was also not willing to stand by and let evil men claiming to be religious leaders do whatever they wanted. He had the courage to stand up to them not because he was arrogant, but because he humbly relied on his Father’s guidance (John 8:28). He gave up what we would consider to be his right to equality with the Father in order to serve people who hated him simply because he loved them. That is humility.
This whole section of James 4, beginning in verse 1, addresses the quarreling that was occurring among Christian brothers. James points out that the main problem is their pride. The solution is to humble themselves (v. 10) by weeping and mourning over their sin rather than laughing about it (v. 9). Last week we talked about the five C’s of reconciliation: Conviction, Contrition, Confession of sin, Conversion, Confession of the Lord Jesus Christ. Humbling ourselves is Contrition. When we truly see our sin as God sees it, we have to mourn over it. But we don’t mourn as those with no hope. Despair is a hidden form of pride. When we don’t trust God’s promises to forgive and cleanse our sin, and to eventually perfect us at Christ’s return, we are putting our sin and our helplessness in the place of God.
This may require one-on-one time with God rather than a group setting. Consider playing instrumental music softly while each person writes out a confession to God (which can then be burned or shredded or balled up and thrown away) or ask each person to take time this week to get alone before God for an extended period of time for confession. Be sure to check in within the next week to make sure it happens, even if your group is not meeting.
Dec
12
