Part 11 (1/2)

Questions for Discussion 1. When have you, as part of a group, faced a challenge so enormous that it caused the group to grow close? With what group of people are you facing a challenge right now, and how could you team up with them to face it?

2. What creative teamwork stories or opportunities have you heard that are like the microfinance story about Jose in Rio and Thomas in London? Do you know of anyone doing great work like this or responding to other areas of need? How do people get started making such innovative connections?

3. Consider traditional methods of helping people that also require teamwork. Have you ever been involved in these kinds of efforts? What was the impact on those in need? What did you learn from the experience?

4. ”Those who suffer belong to all of us.” How can you and the people closest to you lend a helping hand to those who suffer?

Ideas for Action * ”None of us can do what all of us can do.” Become a part of something bigger than yourself. Tackle a very large project that you could not do alone by finding out what your church is already doing. It may not be what you would do on your own, but you will make a broader and deeper difference than if you worked alone.

* There are many ways to partner with a team that is already in tune with and actively responding to people's needs. Consider your own area of giftedness, and select a ministry that could use your talents to help others.

* Gather your neighbors to brainstorm needs in your area. Develop a plan of action that you can accomplish as a group.

CHAPTER 6: OPEN YOUR DOOR; OPEN YOUR HEART.

Questions for Discussion 1. Do you know someone who is a great example of hospitality? What makes that person seem hospitable?

2. How are you currently using your home as a tool in helping others? How could you make your kitchen, your backyard, your living room, or even your dorm room into a place of intentional hospitality?

3. What keeps you from inviting others into your home? How could you remove those barriers? In what ways do you too often listen to the ”Martha Stewart voice” and miss the point of hospitality?

4. Read each of the following pa.s.sages about hospitality: Acts 16:15, 34; Acts 21:8; Acts 28:2, 7; Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 5:10; t.i.tus 1:8; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:910; and 3 John 1:8. How should we view hospitality in light of these verses?

5. Name some people you would like to invite into your home soon. Set a time in the next two weeks to open your door to one or more of these people.

Ideas for Action * Start a routine of hospitality in your life so it is always happening. Designate one meal a week as your ”hospitality meal,” and always plan to have people over. For example, you could invite friends every week to watch a ball game-an open invitation to enjoy your hospitality and your television. Or prepare a pot of soup every Sat.u.r.day night. Set up a hospitality station on your front porch or in your driveway, and serve bowls of friends.h.i.+p to your neighbors.

* Intentionally include others at your special family events. Invite a single person over for Christmas Eve dinner. Have a family in need join you for Thanksgiving, or take the turkey and have the meal in their home. On Mother's Day celebrate some of the older women in church who never had children or whose children are far away. Keep an eye on individuals who sit alone or have yet to make friends in your church, and invite them over for a meal (even if you get take-out food on the way home).

CHAPTER 7: SEE THE NEED; TOUCH THE HURT.

Questions for Discussion 1. ”Human hurt is not easy on the eye.” Tell of a time you encountered suffering that was painful to observe. Describe a time you were hurting and someone made you think he or she really saw you.

2. What does it communicate to people in need, especially those who are not beautiful, when you look directly at them, into their eyes?

3. Take note of each meaningful touch you find in the following miracles of Jesus: Matthew 9:2022; Mark 1:4045; Mark 7:3235; Luke 8:5155; Luke 13:1113; John 9:17. Did Jesus need to touch people to heal them? Why do you think some form of touch was part of each healing?

4. Peter and John gave more than the money the crippled beggar asked for in Acts 3. What resources do you have-beyond money-that you could give to people in need?

5. For Peter and John the strategy of kind eyes meeting desperate ones and strong hands helping weak ones unleashed a miracle of G.o.d. How could you live out this strategy?

Ideas for Action * Take time this week to look people in their eyes. When you talk to someone you know is needy, maintain eye contact with him or her much longer than you normally would. Reflect on how this helps you really see people's needs in a new way. It will have greater impact if you keep a journal or write a summary at the end of the week, describing how this experiment affected your perspective.

* This week, go out of your way to visit a person in need. When someone you know is in the hospital, visit that person to show you care. Go to a nursing home this week to extend a compa.s.sionate touch to others. Start by shaking people's hands or giving them an appropriate hug. Ask if you can pray for them, and lay a hand on their shoulders (you could even pray silently if you feel more comfortable doing so). As you head home, reflect on how meaningful the visit was. Also, consider how you feel after these visits, compared to how you felt on the way there.

CHAPTER 8: PERSECUTION: PREPARE FOR IT; RESIST IT.

Questions for Discussion 1. How do you feel when you hear stories about heroic martyrs such as Necati or stories about horrible persecution around the world? In what ways does it put your own difficulties into perspective?

2. In societies with religious freedom, we may not experience persecution, but we may experience spiritual opposition from critics, accusers, family members, professors, cla.s.smates, coworkers, and others in our daily lives. As you read that list, does it remind you of a situation that led you to silence your beliefs?

3. How do you think Peter felt in John 18:1518, 2527? Have you ever failed to speak out in the face of pressure or persecution? On the other hand, when have you been like Peter before his accusers in Acts 4:513-ready to speak the truth boldly in the face of pressure or persecution?

4. What habits have you developed in order to spend time with Jesus so you can linger long and often in his presence? How could such habits help others realize you have been with him?

5. In what ways should spiritual disciplines develop boldness in a believer?

Ideas for Action * Pray for the persecuted church. Become more knowledgeable about church freedom in a country you already have a connection with, and pray for the believers there to be strong in their faith. Stay current on the news about the church in that country.

* Rally your church to pray for persecuted believers by setting up a special prayer vigil or by partic.i.p.ating in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Consider buying a large world map for your home or church and having family or church members write prayers on Post-it notes and place them on the appropriate country.

CHAPTER 9: DO GOOD, QUIETLY.

Questions for Discussion 1. The Acts 5 story of Ananias and Sapphira is an intense one. The consequences of their early church conspiracy were grave-literally. However, Max asks, ”Was that really necessary?” What do you think?