Extra! Ideas for Adults – Spiritual Disciplines – Session 3

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Date: February 7, 2021

Intimacy with God

The Point: Prayer draws us closer to Jesus as our hearts align with His.

Get Into the Study

Use the following information to introduce Question #1.

Statista, a company that provides marketing data, published an article in late 2020 stating that internet users around the globe spend about 2 hours and 22 minutes on social media each day. The company interviewed over 600,000 people ages 16 to 64 to gather these results. The 2020 data was lower compared to the 2019 and 2018 data, but it is likely the 2021 report will show that the trend of social media use heads back up because of the coronavirus pandemic. When the data is examined by county, the Philippines leads the way with people there spending an average of 3.50 hours connected to social networks on a typical day. The United States is fourth on the list with Americans being connected to social media an average of 2:08 hours in a typical day.

Say: We live in a world where electronic media, especially social media, clamors for our attention. Then call attention to Question #1 (What are some of the biggest ways electronic media has affected your life?) and invite volunteers to respond.

Information for this post was gleaned from:

https://www.statista.com/chart/18983/time-spent-on-social-media/

Get Into the Study [Additional Option]

After discussing Question 1, play a video clip to help group members further spark discussion on the significance of electronic media.

Study the Bible

Use the following information to supplement Question #3.

Freshman Paul Scott runs on the cross-country team at West Fork High School in Arkansas. Paul also happens to be blind, so he needs a buddy to run alongside him. Rebel Hays, a 4^th-grader, is Paul’s guide runner. They ran together as a team during the cross country season this school year. Paul says that Rebel “inspires me to run faster.” Rebel loves to run, so when the high school coach asked for volunteer runners, Rebel was happy to help. Paul and Rebel both hold onto the ends of a short rope, so that Rebel can lead Paul along the race course. They started out running two-mile races and have worked their way up to 5K races. In order to be able to compete with the high school runners, Rebel practices every day. “I’ll admit it’s pretty hard, but it’s all for Paul. I have to do it for Paul,” Rebel says. Coach Tiffany Surber is the coach at West Fork. She praises Rebel for his hard work as a guide runner with Paul, saying “He’s not only a great runner, but he has a huge heart and he is willing to serve.”

Say: Paul and Rebel show what unity looks like as they train and race on the cross-country course. Then call attention to Question #3 (What does unity look like in the church?) and invite volunteers to respond.

Information for this post was gleaned from:

https://ar.milesplit.com/articles/289462/rebel-with-a-cause-

https://www.faithpot.com/blind-runner-paul-scott/

— 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

How do you choose to stay in touch with people you don’t see all the time?
How has social media been helpful to your relationships?
How have you seen social media hinder or hurt relationships?

John 17:1-5

What does it mean to glorify God in our lives?
Who taught you the importance of prayer?
What obstacles might hinder us from having a consistent prayer life?

John 17:21-23

How has prayer deepened your relationship with God?
What are some consequences of disunity among believers?
What kind of sacrifices are required to build unity?

John 17:24-26

What’s the relationship between a church’s unity and its witness?
What adjectives would you use to describe Jesus’ prayer?
When have you seen God’s love transform someone’s life?

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: