NEXT - 2024
PRAY TO START
OPENING QUESTION:
In his talk Jeremy described three beliefs that innoculate our culture against a belief in God.
Selfism: - The belief that ‘I’ am the most important person and my needs matter most.
Feel-good-ism: The belief that i should feel good all of the time, or at least as much of the time as is humanly possible.
Freedom- ism: The belief that any limitations or restraints placed on me are a bad thing.
How would each of these beliefs shape how somebody views and spends their money?
READ THE FOLLOWING TWO ACCOUNTS:
READ LUKE 18:18-27
18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
1 What stands out to you from this account?
2. The first of the 10 commandments is ““You shall have no other gods before me.” (exodus 20:3) How does Jesus expose the mans failing in this area?
3. Why would Jesus say that it hard to the point of impossibility that a rich person would enter the kingdom of God?
READ LUKE 19:1-10
He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
DISCUSS
1. What similarities can you see between these two accounts?
2. What differences can you see between these two accounts?
3. Why in both stories, is giving away money to the poor the test of whether Jesus has been fully understood?
4. In these stories, one wealthy person keeps his wealth and is sad, another gives it away and is joyful. How does this challenge the assumptions of our culture when it comes to wealth?
APPLY
1. Does the idea of giving your money away make you happy, sad, stressed, angry, something else?
2. Have you seen the Gospel change how you view and spend money? If so, in what ways?
3. When was the last time you looked carefully at your earning and spending, and prayerfully decided how much you should be giving away?
To start thinking through this topic in more depth - consider doing this 20-day devotional as a group to encourage each other to grow in intentional generosity.
PRAY THAT GOD WOULD BE GIVING US A HEART OF GENEROSITY.