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NEW: Online Group Plan for Session 5
Date: August 23, 2020
We Strengthen One Another
The Point: We strengthen one another to live as God desires.
Get Into the Study
Use the following information to introduce Question #1.
Jeremy Humphrey is an ultra-marathon runner (Ultra-marathoners run races longer than 26 miles). So when he heard that a 43-year-old female hiker was lost in the Valley County, Idaho, wilderness on July 3rd, he volunteered to search for her. Humphrey was familiar with the mountain area where she was lost.
“I thought I had something to offer because I can move quickly in weird, bad terrain,” Humphrey said. “It was looking like it was going to be a 40-mile day if I did it right.” Humphrey had been climbing for a while, when he stopped and called out her name. She answered! Humphrey quickly reached her and called for help. “There was a little marshy lake, so she had water but no food for four plus days,” Humphrey said. “So, it was time. It was getting serious.” The woman suffered exhaustion and sunburn, but is expected to fully recover.
“It felt good to do something not selfish,” Humphrey said. “Something for somebody else and to use multiple skills that I have honed over my entire lifetime to put me in that position to do something.”
Say: When the hiker got lost in the wilderness, Jeremy Humphrey went searching and found her. He had her back. Then call attention to Question #1 (When has someone shown that they really had your back?) and invite volunteers to respond.
Information for this post was gleaned from:
Get Into the Study [Additional Option for Adult Leader Guide]
In advance, play a video clip of someone supposedly having another person’s back. Then ask Question #1.
Study the Bible
Use the following information to supplement Question #3.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of IMB missionaries serving abroad have been temporarily relocated to the U.S. Mark Chambers is one of these missionaries who was serving overseas, but is now living in Oklahoma. During this time of waiting to return to his work overseas, Chambers is helping local churches in Oklahoma build relationships and share the gospel with refugee communities in the area. First Baptist Church of Guymon, Oklahoma, wanted to reach out to the large refugee community in their small town. But FBC Guymon found the language and culture barriers difficult to navigate as they attempted to build relationships. So to help them in their efforts, Chambers is working with FBC Guymon to teach them strategies for meeting physical and spiritual needs in the immigrant community. “I’m looking for ways not just to keep busy but to still be about the [missions] task,” Chambers said. Chambers also enlisted another IMB missionary, Stuart Foster, to come work with him in Oklahoma. Foster said he and his wife had been praying “for God to open some doors … to infuse some purpose while we’re waiting to go back.”
Say: Mark Chambers, and other IMB missionaries, have turned what seemed like just a waiting time into a purpose-filled time, as they work with local churches reaching out to immigrants. Then call attention to Question #3 (What are some ways we can honor God with our time?) and invite volunteers to respond.
Information for this post was gleaned from:
http://www.bpnews.net/55163/imb-missionaries-help-church-reach-the-nations-in-oklahoma
— 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
- When was a time you wished you had asked for help?
- When have you foolishly taken on too much by yourself?
- What is one job that is impossible to do by yourself?
Ephesians 5:8-14
- How does life in darkness contrast with life in the light?
- Why is it significant that Paul says we “are light,” rather than “like light”?
- What would it look like this week to truly walk in the light?
Ephesians 5:15-17
- Who do you know who honors God in the way they manage time?
- What are some ways you honor God with your time?
- How might we be tempted to misuse time?
Ephesians 5:18-21
- What are some specific ways we can turn to the Holy Spirit for strength?
- What are some of the results of being filled with the Spirit?
- What role can our group play in helping one another live out the truths taught in these verses?
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.
Tips for Leading Bible Study Groups
Podcast (adultsleadertraining): Play in new window | Download
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