Untethered: Week 3

Untethered: Part 3
Week of September 4

Welcome!

We are so happy to be together in fellowship and growing in faith this week! Core Groups are structured a little differently this year. Each week our groups will use the same scripture as the sermon to unpack and discuss. The guide is based on the scripture not the sermon.; We will use that scripture as our basis for discussion in learning (the head) , personal growth (the heart) and real world application (the hands) creating our new outline: Head, Heart, and Hands (you can also consider it this way, think, feel, act)..

We will also encourage each group to enjoy an ice breaker each week, especially early on as your group comes together. This will give all group members the chance to think in a new way, possibly be silly, laugh, and get to know one another on a new level; we think even the longest standing Core Groups deserve the chance to grow in this way.

Opening Prayer: Dearest God, we thank you for bringing this group of individuals together to grow together in your word. We pray that you be with us as we laugh, learn, and grow together tonight and in this core group season. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Ice Breaker: What’s the most out-of-character thing you’ve ever done?

The Head:
Scripture: Luke 6:45-47

Verses 45-47 read: “A good person produces good from the good treasury of the inner self, while an evil person produces evil from the evil treasury of the inner self. The inner self overflows with words that are spoken.
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and don’t do what I say? I’ll show what it’s like when someone comes to me, hears my words, and puts them into practice.”

These verses are at the end of a controversy, where the disciples picked grain to eat on the sabbath; and later Jesus healed on the sabbath. The Rabbi's had made an extensive list of dos and don’ts for the sabbath and the Pharisees argued that Jesus and his disciples were breaking the law. Jesus asked a basic question. “Is it legal on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” When we get to verse 45, we see Jesus making a statement about the good and bad that is inside a person’s heart.

• Why is Jesus focusing on what is in a person’s ‘inner-self,’ or in other words, ‘in a person’s heart’ in response to breaking a religious law? Does this affect your understanding of the religious ‘rules’ you were taught or assumed as you grew in your own faith?

The Heart: 
Jesus does not mince words here. In fact, he’s quite blunt.

• How would you feel if Jesus asked you the question that he asks in verse 46, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and don’t do what I say?
• Do you see hope in the last verse? Why/Why not?  “I’ll show what it’s like when someone comes to me, hears my words, and puts them into practice.”    

The Hands - A Call to Action:
This week, take some time to pray, journal, or even call or text with a friend about the good you find in your heart, the growth you’ve seen over the past year, and even some of the ‘not so pretty’ things you are struggling with such as resentment or hurt.

• When you do one of these things, journal or simply think of the scripture we read. How have Jesus’s unequivocal words left you feeling? Are you feeling indifferent, convicted, conflicted or even defensive? Why?