Session Extras

Year 2

Living in Community: Session 5
Witness

Here are some great links for further study and discussion. Check out the book suggestions. We've also included additional resources for leaders.

Digging Deeper

• Read more about issues of justice from the website of the Office of Social Justice and Hunger Action (OSJHA) of the Christian Reformed Church, which includes many articles, resources, and links to other sites.
• The Reformed Church of America’s goal for “Social Witness and Social Justice” is “to hear the many voices that are calling out for us as people of God to move from witness to action, as we follow Christ into mission and live out our purpose.” Check out their web page for more interesting links.
• Read the story of Julio Diaz.
• Is wealth bad? Is God biased toward the poor? What does it mean when Mary sings, “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:53)? Read Ronald J. Sider’s response in the article “God's Heart for the Oppressed.”
• Chuck Colson looks at how we can best serve God in the article “Doing Justice, Loving Mercy, Walking Humbly.”
• In the article “Reflecting God's Values,” Adam R. Holz discusses how God longs for his people to be compassionate.
• In the article “The Holy Art of Compassion” Abraham Kuyper asks if we view the poor as our brothers.
• What is a Christian response to global warming? Check out the article “Climate Care” by Calvin DeWitt.
• Learn more about the Belhar Confession or read the article “The Confession of Belhar and Our Common Future” by H. Russel Botman.
• Information from the RCA about caring for creation is available here.
• The CRC offers more information about Justice and the Environment here.
• Wonder what your congregation can do? Check out the article “British Columbia Churches Pursue Creation Care” by Jenny deGroot.
• “One of the privileges God has given to all of humanity is to be stewards of our environment.” Read more in the article “Reflecting God's Values” by Ginny Vroblesky.

For Small Group Facilitators/Leaders:

The lesson is designed for a one hour session. Here are suggestions for how to shorten or lengthen the session, as well as what part to emphasize.
Shorter session:

• In the Word Search section, focus on just one or two of the suggested passages.
• In the Bring It Home Section, use Option 2 or 3.

Longer session: Begin your time together by reviewing the four previous lessons with the group.

Below are listed some additional ideas to help you tailor the lesson to your group!

• For Starters:
  • This is a good time to review the four previous lessons.
• Let’s Focus: Ask your group to briefly respond to each part of the statement in the discussion guide. Do you agree?
• Word Search:
  • Isaiah 42:5-7. Isaiah reminds Israel that there is one God and that Israel’s role is to be a servant to the nations.
  • Matthew 5:13-16.
    • The book of Matthew mixes the narrative of Jesus’ life with his teachings. This passage is taken from the first teaching found in Matthew 5-7 called the Sermon on the Mount.
    • Read the article “A Vessel of Grace” by Robert Hager based on Matthew 5 about how we can be channels of God’s grace.
  • 1 Peter 2:9-10
    • Peter is using language that was used to describe the people of Israel but directing it to Gentile readers.
    • In the article “Grace and Graciousness,” Doug Bixby discusses how the church can show God’s grace.
• Bring It Home
  • Option 1:
    • Bring newsprint or a board and a marker to the group meeting. Use a church calendar or schedule of events to help you list the activities of you church.
    • If your congregation hasn’t already completed a gifts and talent survey, check out some of these::
      • An excellent resource is the book Discover Your Gifts.
      • This survey from Bellevue Baptist Church consists of 41 questions and is summarized online.
      • The Spiritual Gifts Survey from Lifeway Christian Resources has 80 questions and is scored by hand.
      • The Online Spiritual Gifts Survey from Ministry Resource Center includes 35 statements, assessing only the seven gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8.
      • The Reformed Church in America has a web page called “Assessing Spiritual Gifts: Every Christian—Called by God, Gifted for Ministry.” This page also includes links to a guide book, a spiritual gifts survey, and an annotated bibliography.
  • Option 2: Choose only one or two of the questions.
    • For the first question, consider making a list of the activities and ministries of your congregation.
    • For the second and third question, bring an issue of the newspaper or a news magazine to the group meeting as a way of jump starting the discussion.
  • Option 3: Here are a few songs to consider:
    • “Lord, Speak to Me That I May Speak” Psalter Hymnal 528
    • “Shout to the North” by Delirioius? (available on the CD Cutting Edge.)
    • “Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?” by Delirious? (available on the CD Cutting Edge.)
• Pray It Through:
  • Before you meet, read through all the options for prayer. Think about which option will fit your group. If the members of your groups are not comfortable praying aloud, use the third option.
  • Bring slips of paper and pens to group so the group can write down their concerns or thanksgivings.
• Live It Out: Marilyn Yocum writes about a deeper sense of community that came from her prayer partnership in the article “Prayer Partners.”

   

  Submit your ideas!

  Do you have suggestions for this particular session? Something that was especially meaningful for you or your group? Extra reading you’d like to suggest? Help others get the most out of this session. Send your ideas to editors@FaithAliveResources.org and we’ll consider adding them here!

 

 

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