He's Just That Into You, pt. 2

February 22, 2009

Opening:
Last week we had a discussion about our experiences of feeling loved (and unloved). We looked at several passages that assured us that God loves us. This week we want to find out what difference knowing and embracing God’s love can make in our lives. Ask yourself in this discussion, “Do I really believe in the promise of John 3:16?”

Digging Deeper:
John 3:16 can be broken down into four simple movements:

• God loves…
• God gave…
• We believe…
• We live…

Discuss each- how did God show his love? Use examples from the Old Testament, New Testament, and your life.

What did God give? What did it really cost? Why was there such a high price to pay? This part of the conversation should focus on the “atoning sacrifice” of Jesus. Why a sacrifice? Why Jesus? Why did if have to happen this way?
Read 1 John 4:7-12. How dies this help us to understand the effects of sin and the sacrifice of Christ.

What does belief actually look like? Where do trust and faith fit in? Does this make it all seem too easy for us? Why is belief so important to God?

What does eternal life mean? Really, examine the implications of God’s promise of eternal life.

Closing:
Ask yourselves, “What do I really make of this promise? Is there eternal life in Jesus, and if so, what does that mean for our present life in Jesus?” And of course, pray for one another.

___
1 John 4:7-12
⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son^b]">[b] into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for^c]">[c] our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

He's Just That Into You, pt. 1

CONNECTION GROUP QUESTIONS
February 15, 2009

Opening:
A fun start would be to share some Valentine memories- vote for who has the best and worst story!

Another fun start would be to listen to the song “Yellow,” by Coldplay.

Yellow - Coldplay
Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah they were all yellow,

I came along
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called yellow

So then I took my turn
Oh all the things I've done
And it was all yellow

Your skin
Oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
you know you know I love you so
You know I love you so

I swam across
I jumped across for you
Oh all the things you do
Cause you were all yellow

I drew a line
I drew a line for you
Oh what a thing to do
And it was all yellow

Your skin
Oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
you know for you i bleed myself dry
For you i bleed myself dry

Its true look how they shine for you
look how they shine for you
look how they shine for you
look how they shine for you
look how they shine for you
look how they shine
look at the stars look how they shine for you



Digging Deeper:
Some find it hard to believe that God is love. Others find it had to believe they are lovable. Where do you fall? What experiences have shaped your beliefs in this regard?

Read Psalm 139:1-16.
Does this frighten you, or thrill you?
Do you want to be this close to God, or would you prefer a more distant relationship?
What does this tell us about God?
What does this teach us about ourselves?
What does it mean to be fearfully and wonderfully made?
What does it mean that God has ordained all the days for you?

Read Zephaniah 3:17.
The heart of this series is try to grasp, or even experience, this biblical teaching- God is really THAT into you. He is with you, loves you, delights in you, and saves you, he even sings over you.
Have you longed for this love? Have you experienced this kind of love?
What do you long to hear from God? What is the song He is singing over you?

Closing:
Encourage each other with some “whispers.” What do you want to tell each other? Spend this time in prayer with God and with one another, sharing some of those things we long to hear; we need to hear.

Psalm 139…

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."