Hey Gang,
Back in our old classroom @ 9:50 AM
We continue in our series called Oneness Embraced
Oneness Embraced Book by Tony Evans
Click Here to Read the Book
Hey everybody, I have purchased the ebook for you to read above, if you’d like to read along with the study - just click on the link above for the book.
Week 4: Oneness Embraced – Discussion Guide
Outline Session 4: God is the Ultimate Independent
FOCUS: To define myself as a Christian first and to
recognize that I as a Christian must have God’s/Christ’s concerns utmost
whenever I make decisions, including when I vote.
Tony Evans’ Video highlights:
- Humpty Dumpty revisited
- The failure of government intervention in
bringing people together across racial/class lines
- We have allowed the politics of man to divide
us racially.
- Political parties cannot usurp the roles that
the people of the Kingdom of God have been uniquely called to.
- Joshua met the Captain of the Host of the Lord
- Joshua 5:13-15
- God is not committed to Republicans or
Democrats, but to Himself, to His Kingdom.
- We must not allow the politics of men to
interfere with the program of God.
- The government of this nation was wrong, and
the church authorized its wrongness. The unity of God’s people is critical for
the well-being of the nation.
- The example of abortion and cradle-to-grave
belief
- God wants us to define ourselves by His
Kingdom. America needs the glory of God, not merely the votes of politicians
and voters. If God is working for you, it really doesn’t matter who you elect.
- Political affiliation of the Christian must be
second to our commitment to Christ.
For Group Time
Icebreakers:
- Have
you had any conversations this week with someone of different race? How did it
go?
- When
did you first vote? What was your
experience?
Discussion Questions Session
3:
1. Which
of the key points of this message stick out to you?
2. Was
there anything in this video that challenged you or convicted you?
3. Read 2
Chronicles 5:11-13 and Joshua 5:13-15.
For each:
a. What
was going on?
b. How did God (or His representative) respond?
4. How did
you feel when Dr. Evans said that “It is time for God’s people to make the
statement that their party is second to their faith and their political
affiliation is second to their commitment to Christ”? What makes that challenging?
- How can you have a discussion with another person who differs from you in political ideology and still honor God?
- What
is the cost to the advancement of God’s Kingdom if we don’t unite?
Self-Reflection: Do I regularly (or ever) make comments
(face-to-face or on social media) that reflect an allegiance to my political
party over my Christian faith?
Challenge:
Reconciliation begins with listening. Talk with some of your friends who are
from different cultural and/or racial backgrounds. Spend time listening to your
friend’s story, ask questions. Allow God to use you as an agent of active
reconciliation.
We look forward to our continued discussion on this very important topic.
Hope to see everyone this Sunday!!
In His Love,
David & Susan
Teachers' Notes:
Click Play to Watch
Week’s
Focus:
Problem
Statement:
· Our
racial situation is broken.
· We’ve
depended on the government & politicians to solve the problem.
· This
is a problem that only God and the church can solve.
Solution:
· We
need an overarching kingdom agenda to unite us.
· I must
define myself as a Christian first.
Outline:
What
shapes our convictions and values?
· We
don’t understand how people from different cultures think.
· What
causes us to be divided –> when we are unwilling to recognize differences
|
Can you see how people who have different backgrounds
and experiences can have different convictions & priorities? |
1. Experiences
2. Relationships
and
3. Awareness
of Reality
· Not
aware of truth
· People
want to define their own truth
· There
is no “white truth” & “black truth”
· Holy
Spirit reveals God’s objective truth to us
· Ignorance
(lack of knowledge of something)
· Examples
of being ignorant - things we have not been taught, or exposed to
· Paul
Revere & Wentworth Cheswell – Paul rode west, Wentworth rode north. (p35)
· George
Liele – 1st American foreign missionary – 1770’s – African American
· The
SBC was formed over the issue of slavery in 1845 ()
· The
1st SB Seminary was founded in Greenville, SC by 4 slave owners.
Slavery right before the Civil War (1860)
· South
Carolina - Population 703,708 / 402,406
Slaves (57%)
South
Carolina had the highest percentage of slaves of any state.
· USA –
33 states - Population 31,443,322 / 3,953,762
Slaves (13%)
The
lack of awareness can divide us.
· Being
willing to listen and hear would bring us closer together.
· Diversity
in the body of Christ can help be a check and balance
God
and political allegiances.
· Is God
for us or against us? (Joshua 5) Proper view of the relationship between God
and political parties
· Can we
understand why White and Black Christians generally lean toward different
parties?
Political
Landscape
Which topics are high priority for most white Christians?
Which
topics are high priority for most black Christians?
No
party fully represents God’s views on all issues
Christians
prioritize issues differently
We’ve
let political parties divide the Kingdom of God
We as
Christians shouldn’t fit nicely into political boxes
Read 2 Chronicles 5:11-13 and Joshua 5:13-15. For each:
·
What was going on?
·
How did God (or His representative) respond?
Is God a Republican or a Democrat?
Joshua
5:13-15
Background:
· Joshua:
Appointed commander of Israel
· Joshua
has been doing reconnaissance on Jericho as the God had commanded. (He is doing
the Lord’s work)
Who
was the commander of the army of the Lord?
How
did the Lord respond?
If
Joshua was doing God’s work, why did the Lord answer with “no” (ESV) or
“neither” (NIV)?
How
should we view God’s relation to political parties? To Nations?
The
question is not if God is on our side, but are we on God’s side?
Should
we feel “at home” more with:
a)
people who share our faith but not our
politics?
or
b)
people who share our politics but not our
faith?
How
can you have a discussion with another person who differs from you in political
ideology and still honor God?
How
did you feel when Dr. Evans said that “It is time for God’s people to make the
statement that their party is second to their faith and their political
affiliation is second to their commitment to Christ”? What makes that challenging?
How
can you have a discussion with another person who differs from you in political
ideology and still honor God?
What
is the cost to the advancement of God’s Kingdom if we don’t unite?
Self-Reflection: Do I regularly (or ever) make comments
(face-to-face or on social media) that reflect an allegiance to my political
party over my Christian faith?
Challenge: Reconciliation
begins with listening. Talk with some of your friends who are from different
cultural and/or racial backgrounds. Spend time listening to your friend’s
story, ask questions. Allow God to use you as an agent of active
reconciliation.
