14 Oct Discussion Guide: For the Love Week 9
Ice Breaker
One of the things we value within community is fun. In the midst of all the pressures life throws at us, it is our ability to laugh, play and celebrate together that reminds us we serve a good, loving, and resurrected Lord who stands above it all. So, we want to take the first few minutes of our time together to play, have fun, and celebrate the fact that we belong to Jesus.
Today’s Ice Breaker: Drop a Hint
Split your group into two teams with at least four people. Only one team will play at a time while the other team watches. We will call our teams Team A and Team B.
When you say go, the standing members of Team A will try to get the guesser to guess the word on the card by saying one word, per person, at a time.
For example if the word was pumpkin, teammate #1 might say orange, teammate #2 might say Halloween, teammate #3 might say squash. Teammates continue to give one word hints in the same order (1, 2, 3) to the guesser until the guesser makes a guess. The guesser has ONE guess to get the right word. If they guess the wrong word, the team moves onto the next word.
Team A continues trying to guess words for two minutes, or however long you designate each round. Teams get one point for each word they guessed correctly.
Once the two minutes is up, switch over to Team B and give them two minutes to guess.
After both Team A and Team B have gone once, switch the guesser for Team A and play again. Repeat until each person on each team has been the guesser or for the number of rounds, you designate at the beginning of the game.
Keep track of the number of correct answers each team gets each round. The team with the most points at the end of all the rounds wins!
What You Will Need:
- Slips of paper or index cards that you will write a word or phrase on each. You can access a sample list of words/phrases, and even print them out, by clicking here.
- Timer. Probably just use someone’s phone.
Today’s Discussion
This week we continue our series that will take us into the Fall titled For the Love. We will be walking through the Gospel of John and seeing God’s love as revealed through the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ. We will see that love may not always look and feel the way we think it should, but that if we will allow God’s love to reveal itself to us then our lives will never be the same.
Discussion Questions
What would you say are some of the most impactful moments/movements in world history? Why?
How would you say the crucifixion of Jesus compares to all other moments/movements?
¿Cuáles dirías que son algunos de los momentos / movimientos más impactantes en la historia mundial? ¿Por qué?
¿Cómo dirías que la crucifixión de Jesús se compara con todos los otros momentos / movimientos?
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”
What makes relationships, especially with people not like us, difficult at times?
How should the crucifixion of Christ impact the way we relate to or treat, others? Why?
Dr. Martin Luther King, JR.
“Debemos desarrollar y mantener la capacidad de perdonar. El que está vacío del poder de perdonar, está vacío del poder de amar. Hay algo bueno en lo peor de nosotros y algo malo en lo mejor de nosotros. Cuando descubrimos esto, somos menos propensos a odiar a nuestros enemigos.”
¿Qué hace que las relaciones, especialmente con personas que no son como nosotros, sean difíciles a veces?
¿Cómo debe impactar la crucifixión de Cristo en la forma en que nos relacionamos o tratamos con los demás? ¿Por qué?
When we rightly understand that, as Dr. Timothy Keller says, “We were so messed up that Jesus had to die for us, but so unbelievably loved that Jesus was glad to die for us,” then it simultaneously removes the pride in our hearts that wants to elevate ourselves above others and the low self-worth or despair that wants to subject ourselves to unhealthy or even abusive situations. The Cross of Christ, all at once, screams out the unconditional love and acceptance of God for us. When we understand that then it gives us the power to not succumb to bitterness and anger on the one hand, and self-loathing on the other. The greatest, negative impact on the way we treat others finds its roots in the soil of fear. Fear of losing something. Fear of not gaining something. Fear of rejection. Fear of missing out. The perfect, unconditional love of God has seen in the crucifixion of Christ is the only power strong enough to cast out those fears and change the way we interact with one another.
Cuando entendemos correctamente que, como dice el Dr. Timothy Keller, “Estábamos tan estropeados que Jesús tuvo que morir por nosotros, pero estamos tan increíblemente amado que Jesús se alegró de morir por nosotros”, y al mismo tiempo elimina el orgullo en nuestros corazones. que quiere elevarse por encima de los demás y la baja autoestima o la desesperación que quiere someternos a situaciones malsanas o incluso abusivas. La Cruz de Cristo, al mismo tiempo, grita el amor incondicional y la aceptación de Dios por nosotros. Cuando entendemos eso, entonces nos da el poder de no sucumbir a la amargura y el enojo por un lado, y al odio a nosotros mismos por el otro. El mayor impacto negativo en la forma en que tratamos a los demás encuentra sus raíces en el suelo del miedo. Miedo a perder algo. Miedo a no ganar algo. Miedo al rechazo. Miedo de perderse. El amor perfecto e incondicional de Dios que se vio en la crucifixión de Cristo es el único poder lo suficientemente fuerte como para expulsar esos miedos y cambiar la forma en que interactuamos entre nosotros.
2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Written by Paul who was formerly persecuting Christians in his own pride.
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
16From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Why is it difficult to see ourselves accurately at times?
How should the crucifixion of Christ impact the way we see ourselves and our value/worth?
How does seeing ourselves rightly change the way we see others?
2 Corintios 5:14-17
Pues el amor de Cristo nos apremia (nos controla), habiendo llegado a esta conclusión: que Uno murió por todos, y por consiguiente, todos murieron. 15Y por todos murió, para que los que viven, ya no vivan para sí, sino para Aquél que murió y resucitó por ellos. 16De manera que nosotros de ahora en adelante ya no conocemos a nadie según la carne. Aunque hemos conocido a Cristo según la carne, sin embargo, ahora ya no Lo conocemos así. 17De modo que si alguno está en Cristo, nueva criatura (nueva creación) es ; las cosas viejas pasaron, ahora han sido hechas nuevas.
¿Por qué es difícil vernos precisamente a veces?
¿Cómo debería impactar la crucifixión de Cristo en la forma en que nos vemos a nosotros mismos y a nuestro valor?¿Cómo vernos a nosotros mismos de verdad cambia la forma en que vemos a los demás?
See the previous note for this as well.
Vea la nota anterior para esto también.
Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
N.T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is
“Our task as image-bearing, God-loving, Christ-shaped, Spirit-filled Christians, following Christ and shaping our world, is to announce redemption to a world that has discovered its fallenness, to announce healing to a world that has discovered its brokenness, to proclaim love and trust to a world that knows only exploitation, fear and suspicion…
According to Scripture, what is our original purpose/design?
How do Jesus’ life, crucifixion, and resurrection restore that purpose in our lives?
Gésesis 1:26-27
Y dijo Dios (Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo): “Hagamos al hombre a Nuestra imagen, conforme a Nuestra semejanza; y ejerza dominio sobre los peces del mar, sobre las aves del cielo, sobre los ganados, sobre toda la tierra, y sobre todo reptil que se arrastra sobre la tierra.” 27Dios creó al hombre a imagen Suya, a imagen de Dios lo creó; varón y hembra los creó.
N.T. Wright, El reto de Jesús: redescubrir quién fue y es Jesús
“Nuestra tarea como portadores de imágenes, amantes de Dios, en forma de Cristo, llenos del Espíritu, siguiendo a Cristo y dando forma a nuestro mundo, es anunciar la redención a un mundo que ha descubierto su caída, anunciar la curación de un mundo que ha descubierto su quebrantamiento, para proclamar amor y confianza a un mundo que solo conoce la explotación, el miedo y la sospecha …
Según las Escrituras, ¿cuál es nuestro propósito / diseño original?
¿Cómo la vida de Jesús, la crucifixión y la resurrección restauran ese propósito en nuestras vidas?
Closing Thought
What would it look like for us to walk out that purpose together?
Pensamiento Final
¿Cómo sería para nosotros caminar juntos de ese propósito?