Daily Readings for John

For those of you who like to print out the Daily Readings with Questions, here they are:

M: Jn 1 How do different people respond to Jesus?
T: Jn 2-3 What startling statements does Jesus make?
W: Jn 4-5 What does Jesus offer?
Th: Jn 6-7 How are the responses to Jesus becoming less friendly?
F: Jn 8-9 What claims does Jesus make about himself?
S: Jn 10-11 How does Jesus care for His followers?

M: Jn 12 Why is Jesus worthy of worship?
T: Jn 13-14 What comfort does Jesus provide?
W: Jn 15-16 How does Jesus prepare the disciples for what is to come?
Th: Jn 17 What does Jesus pray for his disciples then and now?
F: Jn 18-19 How do you respond to Jesus’ suffering on your behalf?
S: Jn 20-21 How does Jesus respond to the needs of those He loves?

Luke Answer Sheets for Week 5 and 6

ANSWERS TO LUKE WEEK 5

1.Pharisees
Jesus told these three stories in response this disdaining statement made by the Pharisees, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

2.They all involve something that was lost
The shepherd lost a sheep
A woman lost a coin
The father lost his son

4.The elder son would receive 2/3 of the inheritance

5.And the younger son would receive 1/3

6.He would get out of the pigpen and return to his father.
He would confess to his father.
He would ask to be treated like a hired hand.

He felt he was unworthy to be called his son because he deeply hurt his father.
He demanded his inheritance before his father was dead, which was like saying, “I wish you were dead!” And then he lost his entire inheritance on wild living.

7.About two thirds, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son . . .”

8.He instructed his servants to get his best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger; and pit sandals on his feet.

10.He felt like he was being treated unfairly. He never ran away and squandered his inheritance on prostitutes. He stayed home and faithfully served his father. He questioned why his younger brother got a party and not himself.

13.The remaining property was his. The father gave the younger son 1/3 and the remaining 2/3s belonged to him. That was all that was left.

15.“Extravagantly reckless”

16.Both the son and the father


ANSWERS TO LUKE WEEK #6

Fear of spiders
Fear of having peanut butter stuck to the top of your mouth
Fear of untidiness
Fear of death

1.He traveled through cities and villages; he preached the good news; he told parables; he dealt with his own family.

2.The twelve disciples; a group of women; a great crowd; his family

3.He was probably physically and psychologically drained

4.A wild storm hit them

6.The disciples were literally scared to death, and Jesus was cool, calm, and collected

7.Because Jesus had faith in Father and the disciples did not

8.Spell binding
Gracious
Authoritative
Eternal
Powerful

Luke Daily Readings with questions

If you've been keeping up with the reading, you're probably ready to start reading the Gospel of Luke this week. Here's a condensed version of the reading schedule from the workbook. It lacks the explanations, but if the questions help guide you as you read, you can copy and paste these to a word doc, print it out, and keep it handy in your Bible.

Luke Daily Reading Schedule - read 2 chapters each day

Luke 1 Notice the human cast of character in this chapter. Who are they?

Luke 2 There are a couple more characters in this chapter. Who are they? These people are ordinary people like us. God would use ordinary people to change the world. Do you believe that God could use your life to make a difference?

Luke 3 Who did Luke trace the lineage of Jesus back to? Luke was a Gentile who was writing to Gentiles so he went all the back to the beginning of humanity, to the first man. According to Luke the gospel was good news to all humankind. That’s the meaning of universalism.

Luke 4 Who was the very first person Jesus ministered to? He was probably disturbing the synagogue service. But Jesus didn’t have the ushers escort him out. How did Jesus handle the situation?

Luke 5 Who did Jesus recruit as his first disciples and what was their occupation? Again, they were ordinary people like you and me.

Luke 6 Jesus intended the Sabbath to be good for the people, a day of rest. Are you taking a Sabbath rest for your own good health?

Luke 7 The centurion understood that when he gave an order to a soldier, the order was followed. It happened. How did the centurion apply this to Jesus? Are you willing to say to Jesus, “Say the word,” and then do it?

Luke 8 Notice that there were women followers of Jesus. This was unheard of. How do you think it made them feel that Jesus received their offerings?

Luke 9 Were the disciples ready for the next step in the growth of their faith? Jesus challenged them to feed 5,000 people, but they shrunk back and failed the test. What challenge are you facing now? Will you trust in Christ or your own ingenuity?

Luke 10 Jesus responded positively to healing, but made sure they kept things in perspective. What was more important than healing the sick?

Luke 11 Why not use this prayer as a guide to prayer after you finish this reading. There is a resource in the back of the notebook that may be helpful.

Luke 12 What does God promise to do for us if we keep him first? How can we seek his kingdom?

Luke 13 Notice who Jesus reaches out to in this chapter. Jesus sees those whom others ignore.

Luke 14 What kind of people does Jesus tell the host to invite to the banquet?. Jesus is being consistent with his mission statement..

Luke 15 Jesus finds great joy in you!

Luke 16 In the Parable of the Shrewd Manager, the master is commending him for taking personal responsibility and being proactive. What in your life do you need to take responsibility for and become proactive about?

Luke 17 It’s easy to take others and God for granted. There is a saying, “Happy people are thankful.” Praise God for ten things you are thankful for.

Luke 18 What did Jesus tell the rich young ruler? Do you think we must be willing to do the same thing?

Luke 19 Zacchaeus was a short guy. When Jesus looked up to him it may have been the first time anyone looked up to him in a long time. Is there anyone in your life who needs your humble consideration?

Luke 20 The religious leaders considered theselves more important than others. and put their own interest first. Do you?

Luke 21 In God’s economy the poor widow gave more than the rich people. God calls us to give at least a tithe 10%. What percentage are you giving?

Luke 22 When Jesus needed his friends, his disciples the most, they failed him. Look at verse 32. Jesus is on our side, even though we fail him at times. Do you believe that Jesus is for you?

Luke 23 Even when Jesus was being tortured on the cross he was thinking of others. He had time for yet one more person.

Luke 24 Who actually witnessed the resurrected Christ? Jesus was seen alive by many people. Because he rose from the dead you can be sure you will be resurrected too.

Follow-up questions from today's sermon

As you continue in your small group discussions on Mark, here are some thoughts from today's sermon that you might include in your discussions:

The Theology of glory: God is most known in power. God's favor is manifested in the circumstances of life, in glory and power.

The Theology of the cross: God is most known in his weakness. God's favor is manifested in Jesus, in suffering, death, and the cross.

1. How does your theology impact how you respond to difficulty, sadness, disappointment?
2. How might a theology of glory lead to materialism, individualism, and a reluctance to serve?
3. How might a theology of the cross affect your idea of success?
4. What kind of theology do you have? What do you need to be honest with God about?
5. What would it really mean for you to be more like Jesus?

refresh one another

As we head into the weekend and return to church, just wanted to remind those of you who went to the retreat to "refresh one another". A couple thoughts that continue to reverberate in my head are ...

... do you view the church as a hospital or a country club?
... picture Rod in a police pursuit - do we pursue God with the same passion?

And from the evaluation forms, here are some convictions, challenges, and hopes you took away from the retreat:

spread God’s love with everyone ... reach out more to others on Sunday to think more about others ... I want to be more open to others and try to make an effort meeting new people ... idea of unity between brothers/sisters, unity as a church ...

I want to sustain a servant attitude ... attitude toward others “greet and meet someone you don’t know for greater unity” hit me the most ... I have a new attitude just by coming to this retreat... I’ve been really trying to change this weekend ....

desire to put the interests of others before my own ... reminder to be less selfish, to serve with humility, must understand God’s regard for you ... desire to reach across generational lines to young adults and seniors ... continue to persevere to get to know people and build unity... even though CBC is not a huge church I still meet new people at every retreat ...

renewed attitude about being more like Jesus, appreciation of what He did for us ... I appreciate struggles of college and young adults ... I will try to do my part to unite the church ... being able to connect with others we don’t know ... new focus on humility ... act more like a community... cross the generational lines ...

a renewed feeling that God is impressing upon all of us to care for each other ... meet people from church, talk, share with them much more than I ever have ... I will put forth more effort toward multi generational activities to increase connections at CBC .... wanting to know more people of different age groups at church ...

refreshment in God was very therapeutic ... more relationships with others... new perspective on youth and where they are at in terms of life and spirituality ... renewed sense of the urgency for the truth ...

we were recharged and rejuvenated ... get to know more of the church and build relationships with them ... desire for unity, community ... desire to unite this church and connect with people of different generation ...

And here are some youth responses ....

I want to learn more and try to read the Bible more ... my relationship with other youth got stronger ... my attitude and behavior... I am definitely more challenged to live a godly life ... I understand my weaknesses more ... I learned more about worldly views and it made me think about God more ... Realized that we do not want to think of this world but we are a part of this world, “Godly view” ... my attitude changed because I learned how God views the world ... different atmosphere with family and not only youth ... I am more willing to change my life to view God in a different perspective

Answer sheet for SG Week 3 and 4

Here's the answers for the Mark studies.





Answers for Small Group Week 3: Mark 1:29-39



Verses 29-34: (occurs right at the outset of Jesus' ministry)
1. They want to be healed
2. He healed diseases, drove out demons.
3. Obviously, the whole town can’t be at the door. Mark is using hyperbole to express the level of interest and excitement over Jesus’ ministry. People are coming in vast numbers to see him.



Verse 35
1. Goes away early in the morning to be with God alone.
2. Wakes up early (despite his busy day) and goes to a place where he can be alone. Gets away from people and the things that are causing him to be busy!
3.
4. Prayer is about more than telling God stuff and asking for stuff. Prayer is about spending time with God, enjoying a relationship with him. For Jesus, it was inconceivable to live life and do ministry without regularly being in touch with God.


Verses 36-39
1.
2. Peter wants Jesus to give the people what they want. He wants Jesus to play to the crowd and grow in popularity. Peter is trying to fit into his program.
3. Jesus is gonna do his thing. His mission is not to fit into peoples’ expectations, but to preach the Word.

Answers for Small Group Week 4: Mark 10:32-45

Verses 32-34

1. He is going to be betrayed, condemned, and killed.

2. He will rise again. He knows this is his purpose.

Verses 35-37

1. they want honor and glory

2. John and James see Jesus sitting on a throne, not hanging on a cross. They think Jesus is going to Jerusalem to become a powerful king, and they want to be next in line.

3. They see Jesus as a king

Verses 38-40

1. Jesus is referring to his sacrifice on the cross.

2. Yes. In short, by “taking up our own cross.” We are to seek to elevate our own lives and our own status, but to give up our lives to follow Christ.

Verses 41-45

1. to become a servant. Greatness is not about exercising authority, being in command of people, etc. It’s about putting others before one’s self.

2. Serving means serving the lowest. It’s not merely about serving your friends and loved ones, but putting yourself below the lowest members of society.

Question about Lesson 5: Three Parables in Luke 15

Q: What verses do I look at to answer questions 6-13 in Lesson 5?

A: The main text for Lesson 5 is Luke 15. #6-13 refer to the Parable of the Prodigal Son in v. 11-31.

The answers to Q 6-8 can be found in v. 17-24
The answers to Q 10-13 can be found in v. 25-31.

Suggestion for Small Group Week 3 lesson

If your small group is doing Lesson 3 this week, here's a suggestion for ending the lesson: hone in on the application of what you learn and discuss in your small group.

The last question asks what you learn from Jesus. Don't rush through that last question. Make sure your group gets the significance of Jesus, fully God, spending time in prayer with the Father.

And then, go back to question 3 on the top of page 24. Remind people of the steps they wrote and discussed in this question. If they didn't have specific steps, ask them again what steps they need to take to make time for God. And pray specifically for one another.

Sermon follow-up for today's message: some questions to ponder

1. The message of the gospel of Matthew can be summed up in the song "This is our God". He's here, we don't have to wait for him anymore. How does that affect your attitude and how you live your life?

2. Whether you see him or not, feel him or not, sense him or not, Jesus is our Immanuel through the mundane and difficult days. Think through your last week - how has Jesus been with you?

3. Like Peter, our fundamental problem is insecurity; we spend life coping with a lack of self-confidence, feeling like unimportant nobodies with scared, self-conscious fears. But Jesus saw what Peter could become by God's grace. What might Jesus free you to become?

4. The Messiah gave his life for the forgiveness of sins: God forgives us, we forgive others, we forgive ourselves. It's all covered by the cross. Who do you need to forgive?

Small Group Week 2 Answer Sheet

Scroll down for the answers for Lesson 2. Please do the lesson on your own before you check for the answers.






2a. 3 sections
2b. 14 names. See v. 17 – David seems to be counted twice, in section 1 and 2.

3. begins with Abraham, ends with David.
(1) make you a great nation; (2) will bless you; (3) make your name great; (4) you will be a blessing; (5) bless those who bless you; (6) curse whoever curses you; (7) all people on earth will be blessed through you

4. David asked the Lord for help. The Lord made all the nations fear him; i.e., the Lord is the secret to David’s success.

6. Jehoiachin surrendered to Nebuchadnezzr, was taken prisoner, the temple was ransacked, and all but the poorest residents of Jerusalem were taken as captives into exile.

Note regarding diagram on top of p. 18: There is some overlap in the stages. David and Solomon are 2 of Israel’s greatest kings and part of the Glory Stage of Israel, but the unraveling of the kingdom begins in their reigns so they are also part of the beginning of the Disgraceful Stage.

7. See 2 Kings 21:1-6. These all constitute idolatry, which was forbidden in the Ten Commandments and God’s covenant with Israel.

10. starts with Jeconiah, ends with Christ
Note: Q 10-13 on p. 18-19 are referring to verses in Matthew 1.

11. Jesus was born of Mary (usually the wife/mother is not listed)

12. through the Holy Spirit

13. (v. 23) God came down and became physically present with us in Jesus Christ, and is with us today.

15. David (see v. 6 and 17)

Daily Reading for Mark

How are you doing on the Daily Reading? Hope you are finding new insights and challenges as you read. For those of you who find the daily reading questions helpful, just copy and paste the schedule below to Word and print it out on a half-sheet of paper.

Here is the Daily Reading Schedule for Mark
...
M: –1:1-1:39 – In what ways does Jesus demonstrate his authority?
T: – 1:40-3:6 – How is Jesus’ ministry marked by a new and different grace?
W – 3:7-4:20 – How should we receive Jesus’ word?
Th – 4:21-5:20 – Spend some time meditating on Jesus’ power.
F – 5:21 – 6:29 – What can faith in Jesus do?
S – 6:30-7:37 – What type of heart does Jesus desire?
...
M – 8:1-9:1 – What does it mean to follow Jesus, the Christ?
T – 9:2-9:50 – How can you become more like a servant?
W – 10:1-10:52 – How does Jesus show his mercy?
Th – 11:1-12:34 – How can you love God or love your neighbor more?
F – 12:35-14:26 – Spend some time remembering Jesus’ broken body and the blood he shed for you.
S – 14:27-16:8 – What did Jesus suffer for you?

Small Group Week 2

Q 11-12 on p. 19 refer to vs. 16, 18, 19 - what book and chapter?
A: Go back to the main text for this week in Matthew 1.

I've had a few questions about Lesson 2, which is a little more difficult. I will post the answers at the end of the week for those of you who are not discussing Lesson 2 in your small groups.

For those of you who are discussing Lesson 2 this week, I emailed an Answer Sheet to all the shepherds. Before you ask for the answers, think about what YOU think, wrestle with it, and discuss it in your groups. The Answer Sheet should be a last resort.

Jeanine is going to UCI

Last week I asked you to pray and consider supporting Jeanine Tan, a friend of Kyle's. She had 38% of her support raised, and needed to get to 100% in 2 days, and even though I don't know her, I felt compelled to respond. Thanks to those of you who also responded. I'm just incredulous that God provided, and I am so blessed to be a part of sending her on to campus ministry. Here's what she said:

I wanted to update you on what God has done since the last time I e-mailed you. Last week I still had so much support left to raise. But in two days, God raised the rest of the support that I needed in order to intern this year-- two days! And I know that He answered my prayers with your partnership.

I am absolutely over the moon about the Lord preparing the way for me to dive into the whirlwind that is college ministry, but I have to say, I feel like I can barely catch my breath. Maybe it's because, even while I was hoping for the best, I was preparing myself for the worst-- bracing myself for the day that I would have to take my dream of interning off of the mantelpiece to pack into a cardboard box somewhere. But now that all my support is raised and I'm gearing up to transition into this new phase of my life... I just feel like laughing and crying at the same time! In a good way. : )

I've learned a lot from this whole process. Ultimately, what it all comes down to is the truth that God has been holding me in His hands the entire time, leading me every step of the way. Often times it was hard to see where He was taking me or why, especially when I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make my deadline and began questioning my calling to ministry. But now I can look back and see that all the while He was saying: I have the best in mind for you. Trust that even if life seems uncertain, you can be certain of Me-- I've got you. : )

marshmallow test

If you did Lesson 1, you read and thought about your marshmallow temptations on WB p. 12. Here's a video of the experiment and the kids trying not to eat the marshmallows.

Grammar lesson: what is a pronoun?

One of the groups asked me what the answer is to the questions on WB p. 6-7 about pronouns. And in my SG last night we weren't sure either!! I remember teaching this lesson when I taught 2nd grade, but sadly, I don't now remember what I said!

So I checked the venerable source of all knowledge at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronoun

WB p. 6 says: There is another word that uses the plural form. I didn't notice this, but my brilliant young adults noticed there are actually two plural words: us, we.

WB p. 7 says to circle the pronouns. You probably got they, their, he. We weren't sure about everyone, and wikipedia says it is an indefinite pronoun.

So there you have it.

I'm going to give an answer sheet for SG Week 2 lesson. But do the study first and think and wrestle with it a little. I'll post the answer sheet next week, but if anyone is doing lesson 2 this week, email me and I'll send it to you.

Answers to 2 questions

Q: Do we have to answer all the Daily Reading questions (WB p. 4)?
A: No. The questions are to help guide you as you read. We tend to read more attentively when we have a purpose, so maybe the questions will help you get more out of the reading. We hope you won't just speed-read and rush thru it, but that you will take the time to think about what you read and how it applies to you, and the questions might help you do that. You don't have to answer the questions, or write the answers anywhere, though journaling can be helpful in processing your thoughts.

Q: I forgot what you said about the Lord's Prayer Worksheets in the back - what are they for?
A: They are to help you in your daily prayer time. At the end of the first lesson on The Lord's Prayer, WB p. 13 recommends you use one at least once a week. They're meant to help you develop your prayer life. One small group is going to use them during the meetings to help people feel more comfortable with prayer.

Extra optional questions to follow up today's sermon

These are optional additional questions that you can use in Lesson 1. Just use them if people like talking about the sermon, or if you feel it fits.

1. WB pg 8 - how we picture and experience God:
a. Pastor Gary contrasted the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, and said "I'm glad we're living in New Testament times". What's different about our relationship with God now?

b. Pastor Gary talked about the movie "My Sister's Keeper" and related the sacrificial giving of the younger sister (Anna) to her leukemia-stricken sister (Kate). How does this illustrate God's love?

2. WB pg 11 - forgiveness is the key to reconciliation - Pastor Gary shared the story of his son's and his own reconciliation with a neighbor. How does his story emphasize the importance of forgiveness? Have you had any similar experiences, either forgiving someone or receiving forgiveness? How did that impact you? Why is forgiveness so important?

New development on the Daily Reading

Pastor Gary had the same idea about wanting to have a separate list of the Daily Readings (see Sept 14 below).

So on Sunday we're going to have a separate page with the Daily Reading Schedule for all of Vol. 1, Matthew thru Romans. You can add it to your WB or put in your Bible or wherever is most convenient. It will NOT, however, have the questions for the daily reading.

So, if you or your group members find the questions to be helpful, then print the list from the blog. I'll post the new one for each book as it comes up. If you don't use the questions and just want the Bible passages, you can use the list that will be available on Sunday.

Note: I just found out that Val also has the alternate reading schedule I mentioned at the meetings, for people who want to read 1 chapter per day throughout the study. You can pick that up on Sunday too.

You can print out the Daily Reading and tuck it in your Bible

I'm trying to stay one step ahead of you all in the hopes of anticipating needs. So, as I started the Matthew Daily Reading today, I realized I don't want to lug the workbook around when I read. So, I'm going to print out the daily reading schedule and tuck it in my Bible. I'm posting it here so you can copy and paste it to Word (it'll fit on a half-page) and print it out. Put it in your Bible, or on your mirrror or refrigerator or wherever will help you remember to do it.

...
M: Mt. 1-3 How do you see God’s hand in the events of Jesus’ birth?
T: Mt. 4-6 How does Jesus turn beliefs upside down in the Sermon on the Mount?
W: Mt. 7-8 Compare the faith of the centurion and of the disciples. How does it impact their actions?
Th: Mt 9-10 What would you like and not like if you were one of Jesus’ followers?
F: Mt 11-12 Jesus has challenging words for some, soothing for others. Which do you need to hear today?
S: Mt 13-14 What attitudes do these parables urge you to have?
...
M: Mt 15-16 What wrong attitudes do the Pharisees have?
Tu: Mt 17-19 Which of Jesus’ teachings do you need to apply to your relationships?
W: Mt 20-21 How does Jesus demonstrate his authority?
Th: Mt 22-23 How are you like the Pharisees? What needs to change?
F: Mt 24-25 Are you the faithful and wise servant waiting for the Master’s return?
S: Mt 26-28 Let the events of Jesus last days shock and sadden you. Rejoice that He has risen!

Reminder: the questions are to help guide your reading. But God might speak to you through his living and active Word in other ways. Be open to His still small voice as you read.

Which group are you?

The shepherding group focuses all its energy on sharing and personal needs. Caring is essential, but if groups become like therapy sessions, people may become weary of "the problem of the week" and stop coming.

The teaching group focuses completely on the Bible and teaching, believing knowledge of the Bible is key. While Bible study is important, this group doesn't always move beyond knowledge to share life experiences and develop God-centered relationships.

The fellowship group eats together, laughs, has game nights, goes out together and has a ton of fun, but they avoid anything meaningful with regard to life change and God’s role in it. It's like any other social group.

The right balance is in the life change group that understands that all 3 are important. There is awesome fellowship so that people become friends and can open up and share their hearts. They are sensitive and committed to meeting needs, but they understand the difference between helping and enabling. The curriculum involves healthy discussion and shared experiences so that life change can happen. In short, this group is balanced.
—Adapted from SG Orientation, buildingchurchleaders.com

Which group are you?

How can you help your group find greater balance?

Matthew sermons & studies

The Matthew sermons are on 9/20 and 10/4. In between, there is a guest speaker on 9/27. That means we will spend 3 weeks on Matthew.

But there are 2 SG studies, which works fine if your group meets every other week. If your group meets every week, you have 3 weeks to do 2 studies. Those 2 studies are long and have a lot of reading, so you can spread them out over the 3 weeks. OR you can just keep going and start on the Mark studies. Most likely you won't do all the studies before you break for the holidays anyway.

There are also 2 weeks of Daily Reading for Matthew (see WB p. 4). That means you can ease into it, start late, give yourself grace if you miss a few days, spread it out over the 3 weeks, or just keep going and start on the Mark Readings.

Adjust and adapt however works best for you and your group.