Living for the Glory of God: Effective Evangelism


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LEADER’S GUIDE

Week #24 Leader’s Guide – October 2nd, 2016 Straight Talk: Bold Letters to the Corinthians SDBC Community Groups

“Living for the Glory of God: Effective Evangelism” Key Passage:10:14-33 14

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel:[a] are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 23

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his.

2016 South Delta Baptist Church

Straight Talk

For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? 31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Discussion Questions 1. Icebreaker: Describe a moment in your life when you had an evangelistic opportunity to share your faith (whether it was a good experience or a bad experience).How did it go? This section of text concludes a lengthier discussion Paul started in chapter 8 regarding how believers are to engage food offered to idols. Through these past 3 chapters, we’ve been able to see how even in a specific area like food offered to idols, the greater implications are profound because they challenge us with how we are living in our world as set-apart people for God. Ultimately, Paul wants the church to understand that in all areas of life, we are to be missionally reaching the world. Everything about us is evangelistic by the very nature of our being. • •

What is your understanding of evangelism? What is the hardest elementfor you when it comes to evangelism (sharing your faith with people, knowing how to connect people to Jesus, being trained to properly share my faith, confidence, busyness, feeling like your faith is disconnected from culture)?

2. In vv. 14-22, Paul gives the church of Corinth an answer to their primary question regarding how believers should engage food offered to idols. This answer falls in line with Paul’s push for the Corinthian church to think missionally. He wants the church in all spheres of life to be missionally reaching the lost and broken. This comes with risk. Paul recognizes that we need to have boundaries to protect ourselves from idolatry since we are reacing a lost and broken world filled with idolatry. Ultimately, if we come close to crossing that boundary, Paul wants us to “flee from idolatry”. • • •

What is idolatry (anything that displaces Jesus as the primary source of our worship)? What do you think are the primary idols we have in our culture? What boundaries do you have in place to protect yourself from falling into idolatry?

3. In vv. 23-33, Paul lays out his conclusion regarding the issue of food offered to idols in 3 sections: a basic principle (vv. 23-26), a practical example of how this principle can be applied (vv. 27-30), and a grand conclusion with deeper theological implications (vv. 31-33). Once again, in each section, we see Paul’s focus on how we are called to be missional in all spheres of our life. • •

What is the basic principle Paul outlines for the Corinthian church? How do you apply this basic principle in your life? How do you see that basic principle applied in Paul’s practical example of a dinner party in vv. 27-30?

4. Paul ends in vv. 31-33 by providing a deeper theological principle “do all to the glory of God,” which for Paul is inextricably linked to our missional purpose of reaching the lost and broken with the Gospel. Paul’s end point is that we are all evangelists by the very nature of being the people of God. Read 2 Corinthians5:18-20:

2016 South Delta Baptist Church

Straight Talk





Since we are all part of “the ministry of reconciliation” and“ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us”, which involves every area of our life, how might this change the way we think of evangelism (generally, people think evangelism is a gift and therefore, if they don’t have the gift, it’s something that they are not good at/not their primary focus of serving God) How can we begin to engage people in spheres outside the church (Be creative and consider that “God making his appeal through us” means that God will use who you are and your passions/hobbies/intersts to make that appeal)?

Spend time as a community group grappling with how individually and corporately we can best reach our culture and the lost and broken for Christ. Read this quote below to spur on discussion. End in prayer. Quote from, The Shaping of Things to Come (pg 136): As part of the redemption of all aspects of life we should be actively interpreting movies, literature, pop-culture, experiences, the new age and the like. They can be redeemed and directed to the glory of God. It is precisely these things that have elements of human searching and yearning in them that must be correlated to the mind and heart of God if they are to be redeemed. This is exactly what Paul was doing in Acts 17 in his speech on Mars Hill. He was highlighting to the Greek philosophers that the search going on in their own writings was a legitimate one. He then directed them to the resurrection of Jesus. We have to be able to name the name of Jesus in the midst of the search going on in our day—it is our missional responsibility! If we don’t, who will? Or do you believe that we have nothing to say about art, culture, and the search for meaning? Acting redemptively will require that we are in the midst of it all trying to buy back some of the lostness in the name of Jesus.

2016 South Delta Baptist Church

Straight Talk