New in 2011 - Life Groups – Six Week Adult Education Programs Designed for Balanced Spiritual Formation.

Life seldom happens in neat, tidy ways. It tends to come at us like a story; full of unexpected twists and turns, laced with adventure, wrought with difficulties and danger, but always meant to be experienced within the context of community. And yes, we recognize that there indeed is a Villain in the story, but there is also a Hero-redeemer fighting for us and battling for our hearts. The truth is, the way we process these events will dictate what we ultimately believe about God and our role in the drama.

Story also brings with it a sense of the unknown. The words of Isaiah 42 sound off very clear as we make decisions of faith and trust while navigating the unfamiliar paths that God summons us into. In the journey we will walk through many different stages; east to west, north to south. We will draw conclusions; some accurate, some terribly wrong. Our hearts, the area of our inmost being, will be deceived at times while at other times they will serve as the vehicle through which God speaks to us.

Life Groups second offering ---- Kingdom

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Old Testament Scripture foretells of a King who would come to rule and a kingdom that would last forever. It describes this King in great detail and causes us to yearn to follow Him. It illustrates His kingdom in terms of beauty and power. It paints the kingdom inside of time, yet somehow just beyond. When Jesus walked the earth, He was heralded as that King. But He had the audacity to tell those around Him that the kingdom was already in their midst. Most people were not willing to accept the mysterious kingdom Jesus offered. But the mystery of the kingdom continues to call out to us. It compels us to keep seeking, keep asking, and keep knocking, with the promise that in doing so, the door will be opened to a world beyond our dreams.
This episode explores Kingdom by looking at six foundational aspects:

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As you explore these areas, I pray that God will call you to enjoy His presence and to be involved in His kingdom work together.

Steve Gladen, Saddleback Church
General Editor

Scene 1                     Week 1                     is entitled                     Replacement God

EVERY KINGDOM HAS A KING AND EVERY KING HIS SUBJECTS. Kingdoms throughout human history have been devastated by impure, imperfect, self-obsessed kings and dictators. Consider the lives and nations ruined by Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Ghengis Khan, and more recently Adolph Hitler and Saddam Hussein. But when subjects are guided by and under the protection of the pure, perfect, people-centered True King, God Himself, they can be sure their best interest is in mind and will know they are uncomfortably safe while living their life adventure. The Israelites had this perfect King on earth, but due to a series of sad circumstances, they began to long for a human king, a fallible leader with skin and bones.

Scene 2                     Week 2                      is entitled                      The King’s Character

ONCE WE KNOW THE CHARACTER OF THE KING WE SERVE, WE ARE MORE PRONE TO FOLLOW HIM FAITHFULLY. What lies before you in this conversation is an understanding of the God to whom you can entrust your life. Some of you will find yourselves stunned by descriptions of God’s character that you have set aside or have never known; others will be enamored by the seemingly contradictory God who serves up ultimate grace as well as ultimate power. All of us must wrestle with who God really is, not who we want Him to be, wish He were, or the stereotypes we have otherwise embraced.

Scene 3                      Week 3                      is entitled                     Metaphors

UNDERSTANDING THE LARGER STORY DEMANDS A SHARING OF KINGDOM PRINCIPLES AND EXPECTATIONS. Jesus did just that. He often spoke in parables. He elegantly and powerfully used figurative language that caused His teaching to come alive. Often, He began, “The kingdom of heaven is like ... ” to remind us of what was and is most important to Him. There were those who chose to hear but not listen to Him, however, just as there are today. Some of us, like the Pharisees, may misinterpret or misrepresent these ideas of our Savior. But when the King Himself communicates what His kingdom is, it would be wise for His subjects to listen intently, discuss intelligently, and come to conclusions that reflect His perspectives.

Scene 4                     Week 4                     is entitled                     The King’s Subjects

THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO THE KINGDOM IS BEST NAVIGATED BY THE WORDS OF GOD. It is the King’s desire that no one “perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV). Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3, NIV). Jesus is going to return to take those who are part of His kingdom to be with Him forever. The question is, who are the King’s subjects?

Scene 5                     Week 5                      is entitled                      Kingdom Now!

MANY PEOPLE ARE WAITING FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO COME. But there’s no need to wait—the kingdom of God is present wherever the revealed will of God is obeyed. Every minute of every day you are capable of living out a slice of God’s kingdom in the place where you are. When you follow a biblical directive, hear His voice, follow His guidance, or do what Jesus would do, you are giving those around you a sense of what the eternal kingdom will be like. Living a kingdom lifestyle allows others to discover how their smaller story fits into God’s larger story. This in turn often leads to their lives, as well as God’s creation, being redeemed.

Scene 6                      Week 6                      is entitled                      Paradise Finally!

EVERY HUMAN HEART CRAVES PARADISE. We all long for our journey to end in God’s sovereign territory, a kingdom where God once again reigns, redemption has come, and He has restored all that ever was back to His original plan. We yearn to be free of the Enemy and all that accompanies his dominion: tears, pain, sickness, war, and death. Our hearts dance with delight imagining a reuniting of fathers and sons, husbands and wives, and friends whose earthly journeys ended before our own. And someday, a day like no other, Jesus is coming back to extradite the Enemy, reunite us with those we have loved, and lead us to our eternal paradise. And best of all, His kingdom will never end.

Each class will incorporate Bible Study, relevant video clips, and life experience to equip us to Connect/Grow/Serve/Go*

*Connect/Grow/Serve Go © 2010 LifeWay Christian Resources

 

Life Groups first offering----Formation

Each week is a different “Scene”,  in the “Episode”,  entitled Spiritual Formation.

Scene I –      Week 1 is entitled             Purpose.

Many Christians are not aware of the ways they’ve been formed and for what purposes their spiritual formation can serve. Not only does God redeem our personal stories, but He asks us to trust Him as He works through our stories in the lives of others. Using Gideon as an example of someone who doubted his own abilities and purpose, someone who has bought into the “my mess is too much for God” lie, this experience will help group members begin to see that they have been created for and are being transformed into more than what they’ve become.

Scene II-       Week 2 is entitled             Enemy

Because evil in the world can be disorienting, we often mistake lies for the truth, failing to identify the real enemy—the Villain—in our stories. This lesson is important because it will help group members identify the Villain, his origins, and how this contributes to our spiritual deformation.

Scene III-      Week 3 is entitled             Redemption

Even as we are spiritually formed, we still make some poor decisions, experience failure, and both break hearts and have our hearts broken. But Jesus’ mission as He describes it in Luke 4 promises to buy it all back. Knowing how redemption is alive in group members’ formation gives greater clarity and a capacity to live the sort of life God had in mind when He created us.

Scene IV-      Week 4 is entitled             Atonement

As we do life together, we cannot help but make mistakes along our formative journeys. While emotional and mental paralysis and passivity contribute to a reclusive “hunker-down” mentality, Christ’s atonement opens the door to deep change, a constitutional makeover. This transformation empowers us to move on, continuing our spiritual pilgrimage into greater Christlikeness.

Scene V-        Week 5 is entitled             Mystery

We tend to default to the common life we see everyday—our routes to and from work, the people in our various communities, and daily routines. We have a tendency to be drawn into our own stories and battles while unaware of a Larger Story behind the spiritual veil—the veil that separates the physical world from the spiritual one—where there is a very real battle being fought for our hearts.

Scene VI-      Week 5 is entitled             Community

This lesson is about the ways that community figures into your spiritual formation. God exists in community eternally. God created community in the original family and said that it was good. Jesus chose community as the vehicle for His mission. Community continues to be the best context in which Jesus’ mission of healing and restoration takes place.

Each class will incorporate Bible Study, relevant video clips, and life experience to equip us to Connect/Grow/Serve/Go.