EXTRA! Ideas for Adults – How to Know God’s Will – Session 2

Date: October 20

God’s Will and the Bible

The Point: God gives us direction through His Word.

Get Into the Study

Use the following information to introduce Question #1.

Maybe you’re a person who likes the furniture you buy to arrive fully assembled and ready to use. Or maybe you don’t mind buying furniture that arrives in a million pieces with a set of instructions for assembly. The Spruce website recently compiled a list of furniture companies and ranked them based on how easy or hard it is to assemble their furniture. Here are a couple of the furniture companies on their list:

• Pottery Barn topped their list as easiest. They offer “white glove service,” when means a team delivers the furniture you buy, unwraps and assembles it in your home.
• Ikea, on the other hand, is known for its “legendary assembly requirements.” The instructions come with lots of pictures and few words.

Say: Whether it was assembling furniture or parenting a teenager or baking a pie, think about the times you’ve really needed a good set of instructions. Then call attention to Question #1 (When have you really needed an instruction manual?) and invite volunteers to respond.

Information for this post was gleaned from:

https://www.thespruce.com/home-furniture-building-guide-4177955

Study the Bible

Use the following information to supplement Question #5.

A church in Texas has helped to pay off $4 million in medical debt for their neighbors. The Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, became aware that the medical facilities near them carried a heavy load of debt from patients who were unable to pay their bills. “It’s a problem that’s crippling many families,” said David Dykes the pastor. The church asked its members to give and they gave – over $45,000 in generous gifts. Then the church worked with a national nonprofit group that helps organizations like churches to pay off medical debt. With the help of the nonprofit, Green Acres Baptist Church paid off $4 million in medical debt (the nonprofit buys “portfolios of medical debt” to help the church get maximum benefit from their donation). “The Bible says to ‘bear one another’s burdens and so we fulfill the law of Christ,'” Dykes said. “The only law of Christ is to love God and love your neighbor. Because the need was so great, we felt like this was the perfect thing for us to do.”

Say: The members of Green Acres Baptist Church believed they were being obedient to God’s Word in caring for their neighbors by helping to pay off medical debt. Then call attention to Question #5 (How can our group help one another be more obedient to God’s Word?) and invite volunteers to respond.

Information for this post was gleaned from:

http://www.bpnews.net/53588/church-pays-off-4m-medical-debt-in-east-texas

— 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

Icebreaker Questions

• Where do you turn when you need to know how to do something: the internet, library, a friend, or something else?
• What can you build or make strictly from memory? How did you learn to do it?
• What do you most trust for accurate directions: a person, GPS on your phone, or a physical map? Why?

Psalm 19:7-10

• How have you experienced the benefits and blessings described in these verses?
• What can we learn from these verses about God’s Word?
• What methods have been most helpful to you in learning and understanding God’s Word?

Psalm 19:11-14

• What obstacles or challenges can hinder us from a deeper experience with God’s Word?
• What’s required of us if we hope to reap the benefits from God’s Word?
• How has the Bible helped you experience growth and change over the years?

Member Extra

Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:

When You Lose Your Way in Following God

Video

Here’s a brief video giving you an overview of this session: How to Know God’s Will, Session 2.

Magazine Article

This article complements the study. Share this link with your group members.

• HomeLife – Reaching Deeply Into God’s Word

Tips for Leading Bible Study Groups

• 7 Fall Fellowship Ideas for Groups
• Groups Matter