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Date: August 15, 2021
Serve with Loyalty
The Point: God deserves our loyalty and service.
Get Into the Study
Use the following information to introduce Question #1.
The Milwaukee Bucks recently won the NBA championship. It was their first title in 50 years. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 point for the Bucks in the championship game when they defeated the Phoenix Suns.
CBS sports writer Colin Ward-Henninger wrote this about Giannis – “Perseverance. Courage. Selflessness. Giannis, the Finals MVP, displayed all of the qualities of a literary hero over the course of the 2021 playoffs, bouncing back stronger and more determined following a potentially season-ending injury. But there’s another heroic quality, one that’s become increasingly unique in the modern sports landscape, that perhaps stands out above the rest. Loyalty.”
The writer used “loyalty” to describe Giannis because he had signed an extension to his contract with the Bucks before the 2020-2021 season started. He said, “This is my home, this is my city.” Giannis’s loyalty is notable because it is much more typical for rising superstar players to make a move to a new team once they have gained success and higher contracts are offered in other cities.
After winning the title game, Giannis said, “It’s easy to go somewhere and go and win a championship with somebody else. It’s easy. I could go to a superteam and, you know, just do my part and win a championship. But this is the hard way to do it and the way we were going to do it. And we did it.”
Say: Giannis Antetokounmpo showed his loyalty to the Milwaukee Bucks when he renewed his contract rather than looking to better paying contracts with other teams. Then call attention to Question #1 (Where to you see loyalty demonstrated in our culture?) and invite volunteers to respond.
Information for this post was gleaned from:
Get Into the Study [Option from Adult Leader Guide]
In advance, play a video clip that gives an example of loyalty. Then ask Question #1.
Study the Bible
Use the following information to introduce Question #3.
The Gallup company has been conducting public opinion polls about Americans’ religious ideas and habits since 1937. This year, for the first time since 1937, the proportion of Americans who consider themselves to be members of a church, synagogue, or mosque has dropped below 50 percent. The Gallup poll also showed that the number of people who said religion was very important to them has dropped to 48 percent – this is a new low point in their polling since 2000. Ryan Burge, an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University and a pastor in the American Baptist Church, commented on the Gallup polling, explaining that for some Americans, religious membership is viewed as a relic of an older generation.
Say: While church membership is just one aspect in thinking about a person’s faith, the Gallup poll data does seem to show that people’s loyalty to their local churches is on the decline. Then call attention to Question #3 (How do you know when your loyalty to God is waning?) and invite volunteers to respond.
Information for this post was gleaned from:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/03/29/church-membership-fallen-below-majority/
— Donna McKinney wrote these Leader Extras. Donna is retired from a career with the federal government of the United States. She is a veteran Bible study group leader living in North Carolina. 
Additional Questions
Icebreakers
- Where or when did you learn the importance of being loyal?
- To which organizations are you most loyal?
- What’s one example of loyalty you’ve observed lately?
1 Kings 18:20-21
- How do Elijah’s words apply to Christians today?
- What does it mean to “follow” God?
- What are some ways God has earned your loyalty?
1 Kings 18:22-26
- Which part of these verses do you find most remarkable?
- How could Elijah be so courageous when he was so outnumbered?
- What are the challenges of showing loyalty to God publicly?
1 Kings 18:31-39
- When have you seen or heard about someone standing boldly for God as Elijah did?
- When has God answered a prayer that caused you to say, “the LORD, He is God!”?
- What does it look like to demonstrate loyalty to God in today’s world?
For Those in Your Group
Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:
Podcast
Click here for a 20-minute podcast for both the group member and the leader.
Podcast (adultsleadertraining): Play in new window | Download
Thank you < This series is one of the best. this Sunday is going to be a session in knowing who God is. He is on the throne waiting for every detail about us to come about