Session 2: Chapter 1 Readings

Session 2: Chapter 1

Read pg20/L52

"I get nervous when I think of how we've missed who we are supposed to be, and sad when I think about how we're missing out on all that God wants for the people He loved enough to die for.  I haven't always felt this way.  I grew up believing in God without having a clue what He is like.  I called myself a Christian, was pretty involved in church, and tried to stay away from all the things that "good Christians" avoid- drinking, drugs, sex, swearing.  Christianity was simple: fight your desires in order to please God.  Whenever I failed(which was often), I'd walk around feeling guilty and distant from God."

Read pg 22/L76

"To begin this journey, we'll first address our inaccurate view of God and, consequently, of ourselves.. the fact that we're lukewarm, halfhearted, or stagnant Christians. The crux of it all is why we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of God. We see Him as a benevolent Being who is satisfied when people ple manage to fit Him into their lives in some small way. We forget that God never had an identity crisis. He knows that He's great and deserves to be the center of our lives. Jesus came humbly as a servant, but He never begs us to give Him some small part of ourselves. He commands everything from His followers."

Read pg 27/L118-122; "Most of us know that we are supposed to love and fear God; that we are supposed to read our Bibles and pray so that we can get to know Him better; that we are supposed to worship Him with our lives. But actually living it out is challenging. It confuses us when loving God is hard. Shouldn't it be easy to love a God so wonderful? When we love God because we feel we should love Him, instead of genuinely loving out of our true selves, we have forgotten gotten who God really is...In our world, where hundreds of things distract us from God, we have to intentionally and consistently remind ourselves of Him.

Read Tozer’s quote pg 28/L129-132

I recently attended my high school reunion. People kept coming up to me and saying, "She's your wife?" They were amazed, I guess, that a woman so beautiful would marry someone like me. It happened enough times that I took a good look at a photograph of the two of us. I, too, was taken aback. It is astonishing that my wife chooses to be with me-and and not just because she is beautiful. I was reminded of the fullness of what I have been given in my wife. We need the same sort of reminders about God's goodness. We are programmed to focus on what we don't have, bombarded multiple times throughout the day with what we need to buy that will make us feel happier or sexier or more at peace. This dissatisfaction transfers over to our thinking about God. We forget that we already have everything we need in Him. Because we don't often think about the reality of who God is, we quickly forget that He is worthy to be worshipped and loved. We are to fear Him. A. W. Tozer writes,

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.... Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like."

Read God’s Attributes pg 28-33/L132-172

God is holy. A lot of people say that whatever you believe about God is fine, so long as you are sincere. But that is comparable to describing ing your friend in one instance as a three-hundred-pound sumo wrestler and in another as a five-foot-two, ninety-pound gymnast. No matter how sincere you are in your explanations, both descriptions of your friend simply cannot be true. The preposterous part about our doing this to God is that He already has a name, an identity. We don't get to decide who God is. "God said to Moses, `I am who I am" (Ex. 3:14). We don't change that. To say that God is holy is to say that He is set apart, distinct from us. And because of His set apart-ness, there is no way we can ever fathom all of who He is.

Francis Chan. Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (Kindle Locations 134-139). Kindle Edition.

God is eternal. Most of us would probably agree with that statement. ment. But have you ever seriously meditated on what it means? Each of us had a beginning; everything in existence began on a particular day, at a specific time. Everything, that is, but God. He always has been, since before there was an earth, a universe, or even angels. God exists outside of time, and since we are within time, there is no way we will ever totally grasp that concept...If my mind is the size of a soda can and God is the size of all the oceans, it would be stupid for me to say He is only the small amount of water I can scoop into my little can. God is so much bigger, so far beyond our time-encased, air/food/sleep-dependent lives.

Francis Chan. Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (Kindle Locations 142-148). Kindle Edition.

God is all-knowing. Isn't this an intimidating thought? Each of us, to some degree, fools our friends and family about who we really are. But it's impossible to do that with God. He knows each of us, deeply and specifically. He knows our thoughts before we think them, our actions before we commit them, whether we are lying down or sitting or walking around. He knows who we are and what we are about. We cannot not escape Him, not even if we want to. When I grow weary of trying to be faithful to Him and want a break, it doesn't come as a surprise to God.

Francis Chan. Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (Kindle Locations 149-153). Kindle Edition.

God is all-powerful. Colossians 1:16 tells us that everything was created for God: "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." Don't we live instead as though God is created for us, to do our bidding, ding, to bless us, and to take care of our loved ones?

Francis Chan. Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (Kindle Locations 157-160). Kindle Edition.

God is fair and just. One definition of justice is "reward and/or penalty as deserved." If what we truly deserved were up to us, we would end up with as many different answers as people who responded. But it isn't up to us, mostly because none of us are good.God is the only Being who is good, and the standards are set by Him. Because God hates sin, He has to punish those guilty of sin. Maybe that's not an appealing standard.

Francis Chan. Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (Kindle Locations 167-170). Kindle Edition.

Week 11: Chapter 10

Week 11:  Chapter 10

Icebreaker:

Challenge Review:

Share with your group how you’ve been working on submitting to Christ.  

Prime the Pump:

Chapter 10 Video

Discussion/Prayer:

Read Matthew 25

1.  How have you reflected over Francis' question,  "Is this the most loving way to do life?"

A.   How would your relationships with your family change if you treated them like Christ? Your friends?  Your enemies?

B.  How do the parables in Matthew 25 shape our attitude toward waiting for Christ's return?

C.   What are some actions Matthew 25 lists that tell us how to prepare for his return?

2.  What are some life changes you've made as a result of this study?

Take Spiritual Gifts Assessment

(find 2 people that know you well to fill an assessment evaluating how they see you)

A.   How are you using your spiritual gifts?

Read 2 Corinthians 12:6-10

B.   What's the difference between a spiritual gift and God given natural ability?  Why does knowing the difference matter?

C.  How are you allowing God to grow you through adversity? Are you so comfortable you're no longer growing?

"I remember that if I stop pursuing Christ,  I'm letting our relationship deteriorate.   We never grow closer to God when we just live life; it takes deliberate pursuit and attentiveness. "

3.  What habits are you developing to intentionally pursue Christ?

4.  How do you determine whether you are in the driver's seat or if the Holy Spirit is driving?

Read Jeremiah 32:18-19, Romans 14:10-12

5.  How does knowing that you must give an account of everything you've ever done to God affect your decision making process? What habits will help you maintain a fear of the Lord?

Individual Challenge:

Commit to praying each day this week that God would reveal 1 person who God has placed in your life to invest in and one person who can invest in you.   Contact them this week and schedule a time to meet in the next week.   Set a consistent time to meet to intentionally Challenge each other to grow.

Week 10: Chapter 9

Week 10: Chapter 9

Ice Breaker:

Challenge Review:

Share with your group how reading your bible and praying for opportunities to love people better affected your life last week

Prime the Pump:

Chapter 9 Video

Discussion/Prayer

Read 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1

1.  What does 1 Corinthians tell us about the purpose of our freedom in Christ and how to use it?

A.   Why does the bible tell us we need to consider other people's consciences when making personal lifestyle decisions?

B.   How does 1 Corinthians shape the way you behave around "church"  friends? Non Christian friends? Followers of Christ?

2.  What elements of your life would you want other people to emulate?

A.   (this is a Rhetorical question in mixed gender groups, can break into gender discussion groups) What parts of your life would you be ashamed about if people were to find out about it? What will help us to no longer be ashamed of the ugly part of ourselves?

B.   What obstacles do you face in surrendering your ugly parts to God?

Read Hebrews 11:1-12, 17-38 (optional)

Read Hebrews 11:13-16, 39-40

3.  What do the characters of Hebrews 11 have in common with the ones found in Chapter 9?

A. What do the testimonies of these people's faith tell you about what you must do to follow Christ?

B.  Which of these testimonies connected with you?  Why?

C.  What keeps  you from being like the people found in Scripture and in Chapter 9?

D.  What is the difference between you and the people in this book?

Individual Challenge:

Take time this week to ask God to reveal an area of your life that you having trouble making Christ Lord/Boss of and write it down.   When you know what God's trying to grow you in commit to spending 5 min each day talking to God about it. (write it out)  Enlist 2-3 people to pray with/for you in this area of your life.

Week 9: Chapter 8

Week 9: Chapter 8

Icebreaker:

Challenge Review:

Share with your group how God used your experience in trying to let go of your "silly things"  to sharpen your focus on the kingdom of God.

Prime the Pump:

Chapter 8 Video

Discussion/ Prayer:

Read Luke 6:32-36

"There has to be more to our faith than friendliness,  politeness,  and even kindness. "  

1. How often do you find yourself adopting an attitude of anger and revenge towards people that wrong you?

" True faith is loving a person after he has hurt you. True love makes you stand out."

A.   How do you pass up or ignore opportunities God gives you to love people unconditionally?  

Read Luke 14:12-14

B.  Who/What are some people/ways you can love people unconditionally?   What challenges do you face in demonstrating unconditional love?

"  People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly,  without censure.   Obsessed people love those who hate the them and who can never love them back.  

C.   What will help us overcome the obstacles we face in loving others unconditionally?

2.  How has our need for security and comfort kept us from experiencing God's faithfulness and growing in our confidence with Him?  

A.  What cultural influences have caused us to live in fear and not take risks so that we can experience God's faithfulness?  

"People who are obsessed with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else.   Obsessed people care more about God's Kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress."

Read 1 John 2:3-11/Matthew 16:24-26

3.  How has our culture conditioned us to avoid relationships with the poor and to show contempt rather than compassion?

A. How has the pursuit of the "American Dream" (riches and financial security) hindered your relationship with God?  

"People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another.   Obsessed people believe that Jesus talked about money and the poor so often because it was really important to Him. "

4.  Why is obedience to God that actually costs us something such a radical and foreign concept?  

" Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don't always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth.  As Martin Luther put it,  ' There are two days on my calendar: this day and that day. "

" About three minutes into my prayer,  I stopped.   It hit me that the students were talking about me,  not God.  I was standing before a holy God and robbing Him of the glory that was rightfully His. "

Read Isaiah 42: 8

5.  How have we robbed God of His glory by not humbling ourselves before God?

" A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the sin of pride is always a battle.   Obsessed people know that you can never be 'humble enough'  and so they seek to make themselves less known and Christ more known. "

6. Do you find yourself complaining about serving God and find spending time with God a burden?  

A.   What would help change the way you view service to God?  

" People who are obsessed with Jesus don't consider service a burden.   Obsessed pool take joy in loving God by loving His people. "

Read Matthew 22:39

Read Matthew 5:16

7.  How can your treatment of others be used to point to Jesus?  

" People who are obsessed with God are known as givers,  not takers.   Obsessed people genuinely think that others matter as much as they do,  and they are particularly aware of those who are poor around the world."  

Read Philippians 3:18-21

8.   How does knowing that the children of God are foreigners to earth impact the way you live on earth?

A.  How does knowing that our time on earth is short and our permanent home is in heaven affect the way you spend your finances?

"A person who is obsessed thinks about heaven frequently.   Obsessed people orient their lives around eternity; they are not fixed only on what is here in front of them.   

Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9

9.  What does loving God with all your heart,  soul,  and mind look like in your life?

"A person who is obsessed is characterized by committed,  settled,  passionate love for God,  above and before every other thing and every other being."

"I find myself acting differently with God.   ,,  when I pray I will phrase my sentences in a way that makes me sound better.   I will try to soften my sins,  or touch up my true feelings before laying them before God. "  

10.  How does our prayer life reflect our lack of intimacy with God?  

" People who are obsessed are raw with God; they do not attempt to mask the I ugliness of their sins or their failures.   Obsessed people don't put it on for God; He is their safe place,  where they can be at peace."

"People who are obsessed with God have an intimate relationship with Him.   They are nourished by God's Word throughout the day because they know that forty minutes on Sunday is not enough to sustain them for a whole week,  especially when they will encounter so many distractions and alternative messages."  

"A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort.  Obsessed people know that true joy doesn't depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated a gift that ultimately comes from God. "

" A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the best thing he can do is be faithful to his Savior in every aspect of his life,  continually saying' Thank You! " to God.   An obsessed person known there can never be intimacy if he is always trying to pay God back or work hard enough to be worthy.   He revels in his role as child and friend of God."  

Challenge:

Commit to reading your bible and praying everyday.  Pray that God would reveal 1 person you can grow in loving this week.  Take active steps to love that person unconditionally.

Week 8: Chapter 7

Week 8: Chapter 7

Ice breaker:

Challenge Review:

Share with your group how writing out the sins you struggle with and praying about them(prayer journaling) has impacted your spiritual walk this week. 

Prime the Pump:

Chapter 7 video

Discussion/Prayer:

"By now you've probably realized that you have a distinct choice to make: just let life happen, which is tantamount to serving God your leftovers, or actively run toward Christ."

"Do you recognize the foolishness of seeking fulfillment outside of Him? Do you understand that it's impossible to please God in any way other than wholehearted surrender? Do you grasp the beauty and deep joy of walking in genuine intimacy with God, our holy Father and Friend? Do you want to see God more than you desire security?"

"Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers".

Question 1: Do you spend more of your life investing in your eternal home or your earthly home? How? Why? Is it out of balance?

Question 2: "Christians today like to play it safe. We want to put ourselves in situations where we are safe 'even if there is no God.' But if we truly desire to please God, we cannot live that way. We have to do things that cost us during our life on earth but will be more than worth it in eternity." What are some ways we/you play it safe?

Question 4: Define the word “faith” from a Christian perspective. How is God’s definition different from the world’s definition of “faith?”

Question 5: God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him completely--so much so that we do not hesitate to put ourselves in situations (with His guidance and blessing, of course) where we will be in trouble if He does not come through. What are you doing right now, at this season in your life that requires that radical kind of faith in God?

Question 6: Do I really think of each person I come in contact with as if they were Christ? How would my life change if I did?

Challenge for the week:

What of your “Silly Things” can you give away to someone who is in need? Give it away. No excuses. Give something away that you own.

Week 7: Chapter 6

Week 7: Chapter 6

Ice Breaker:

Challenge Review(groups of 2-3):

Share your experience with intentionally maintaining contact with other believers this week to encourage and be encouraged.  If you didn’t get to experience that, talk about what kept you from engaging in those relationships and if you want to experience that accountability what your next steps are.

Prime the Pump:

Chapter 6 Video

Discussion/Prayer:

“If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?”

1. How often do you think of God as more of a concept rather than a real person? Which is more of a struggle for you: intimacy with God or reverence for God?
2. We all have ‘baggage’ that we tote around with us and toss into our various relationships. What kind of baggage do you bring to your relationship with God?

Read Galatians 5:13-14

“When we love we’re free! We don’t have to worry about a burdensome load of commands, because when we are loving, we can’t sin. “

3. Does your relationship with God resemble a ‘love’ relationship? Why or why not?

“God wants to change us; He died so that we could change.  The answer lies in letting Him change you.”

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

4. Why do you think God created us? What is our ultimate purpose (in your own words)? How did you come to this conclusion?

“When loving Him becomes obligation, one of many things we have to do, we end up focusing even more on ourselves. No wonder so few people want to hear from us about what we ourselves feel is a boring, guilt-ridden chore!”

5. What happens when we “try harder” not to be lukewarm?

“When I look at my relationship with God as a chore, a sacrifice, then I am getting the glory-not God.  I keep saying, ‘Look what I have sacrificed for God...’

6. When we see our relationship with God as a chore or a sacrifice how does that affect what we give Him? What can you give God?

Read John 10:10

“The fact is I need God to help me love God.  And if I need His help to love Him, a perfect being, I definitely need His help to love other, fault filled humans….The Holy Spirit has to move in our lives.”

7. What makes it so difficult to admit we need God’s help? What keeps you from asking God for His help?
8. List 2-4 of your “light and momentary” struggles. Do they feel “light and momentary”? How are you handling them? Or, are they handling you? Is God showing you anything in these struggles? Are you even looking to move in His direction?

“If you really want to experience God’s supernatural provision, then do as He says.  Test Him. Give more than you can manage, and see how He responds.”

9. How have you demonstrated you’ve trusted God in the decisions you’ve made? What’s scary about trusting God?

Individual Challenge:

Write out and confess the things you struggle with by putting them first in your life over Christ.  Ask Jesus to change your heart and to desire and want to be closer to Him and to find contentment and thankfulness with what He’s given you.

Week 6: Chapter 5

Week 6: Chapter 5

Ice Breaker:

Challenge Review(groups of 2-3)

Share with your group the names of the people you've shared with this past week.  Share how your discussions with other Christians on the subject of Lukewarm Christianity went.

Prime the Pump:

Chapter 5 Video

Discussion/Prayer

Read Revelation 3:15-18

1.  How do you respond to Francis' statement that, "Lukewarm Christians are not Christians?" What does this statement suggest about people you know that claim to be followers of Jesus but are "back-sliddin"

"The thought of a person calling himself a "Christian without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd."

Read the Parable of the soils(

2.  According to the parable of the soils , which type of soil is a person that is saved?

a.  What does the parable of the soils tell us about how to do evangelism? What does the parable tell us about who is saved?  Who is the one that causes the plant to grow?

"You believe there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that and shudder." (Jas 2:19) God doesn't just want us to have good theology; He wants us to know and love Him. "

3.  How does the above statement change the way you view God's commands and obeying them?

"Each of us has lukewarm elements and practices in our life; therein lies the senseless, extravagant grace of it all.  The Scriptures demonstrate clearly that there is room for our failure and sin in our pursuit of God.  His mercies are new every morning(Lamentations 3). His grace is sufficient(2 Corinthians 12:9). I'm not saying that when you mess up, it means you were never really a genuine Christian in the first place.  If that were true, no one could follow Christ.  The distinction is perfection(which none will attain on this earth) and a posture of obedience and surrender, where a person perpetually moves toward Christ."

4.  What does the above warn us about regarding equating a church's success or prosperity with a transformed and sanctified life?

"If one hundred people represented the world's population, fifty-three of those would live on less than $2 a day...Simply by purchasing this book, you spent what a majority of people in the world will make in a week's time. Which is more messed up-that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don't think we're rich? That on any given day we might flippantly call ourselves "broke" or poor"? We are neither of those things.  We are rich."

5.  Why is it hard to agree with Francis in recognizing that you are rich?

a.  How do you compare your obedience to Christ to others?  What is the problem with comparing your relationship with Jesus with the relationship other people might have with Jesus?

Read Malachi 1:8

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

6.  If the followers of Christ are known by how they love, what does God have to say about how we are supposed to love?

Read 2 Corinthians 5: 17

7.  How knowing that the decision to follow Christ results in the process of sanctification give you hope about where you are in your relationship with Christ?

Challenge:

Commit to contacting(text/email/fb/phone call) the people in your clan group(2-3) everyday this week checking in with how you are doing in your walk with Christ and send them encouragement to continue to walk with Christ.