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A Future with Hope Mission Fund Campaign

Three Simple Questions Bible Study Curriculum

GROUP WORKBOOK


Table of Contents Session 1 Who Is God? ................................................................................................ 3

Startup ............................................................................................................................ 3Bible Study ..................................................................................................................... 4Book Review .................................................................................................................. 8Takeaway ..................................................................................................................... 11

Session 2 Who Am I? ................................................................................................. 13Startup .......................................................................................................................... 13Bible Study ................................................................................................................... 15Book Review ................................................................................................................ 16Takeaway ..................................................................................................................... 19

Session 3 Who Are We Together? ............................................................................ 20Startup .......................................................................................................................... 20Bible Study ................................................................................................................... 20Book Review ................................................................................................................ 25Takeaway ..................................................................................................................... 27

Session 4 A Future with Hope .................................................................................. 28Startup .......................................................................................................................... 28Bible Study ................................................................................................................... 28Book Review ................................................................................................................ 31Takeaway ..................................................................................................................... 32


Session 1 Who Is God?

Startup Who is God? How would your neighbors, coworkers, or relatives answer? Check off up to five responses you think that group of people might have. Or, if they would say something entirely different, there’s blank space at the bottom. ___ Caring Parent ___ One who knows me thoroughly ___ Creator ___ Protector ___ Demanding Parent ___ Redeemer ___ Friend ___ Rewarder of good deeds ___ Inspirer of artists ___ Someone far off in heaven ___ Judge ___ Someone to pray to in times of need ___ Law-giver ___ Spirit that flows through everything ___ Life Force ___ The idea of something beyond ___ Old man with a long beard ___ Ultimate Truth Other: _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________


Who is God? What do you think? Check off up to three responses that would reflect the main ways you understand God. ___ Caring Parent ___ One who knows me thoroughly ___ Creator ___ Protector ___ Demanding Parent ___ Redeemer ___ Friend ___ Rewarder of good deeds ___ Inspirer of artists ___ Someone far off in heaven ___ Judge ___ Someone to pray to in times of need ___ Law-giver ___ Spirit that flows through everything ___ Life Force ___ The idea of something beyond ___ Old man with a long beard ___ Ultimate Truth Other: _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

Bible Study

In what two places is Paul “reasoning” with people? Acts 17:16-17

_______________________________________________________________________ How would the people in those two places be different? _______________________________________________________________________


_______________________________________________________________________ Do you think his message would change as he moved between those two places? How? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Background It was Paul’s practice to visit the local synagogue whenever he came to a new town. He was, after all, a Jewish rabbi with a great resume, and he could preach from the Hebrew Scriptures, showing how Jesus fulfilled prophecy. Not only would he convince many Jews about Jesus, but there were also a number of Gentiles who liked to attend synagogue services. They were known as God-fearers, and many of them were eager to hear Paul’s message, as you might expect. But Paul didn’t stay in the synagogue. He went out to the marketplace and talked with whoever happened to be there. These would include people of all different religions or none at all. These people wouldn’t know or care about the Hebrew Scriptures. If Paul talked about Jesus as the Messiah, the Lamb of God, or the Suffering Servant, it wouldn’t mean anything to these Athenians. He had to find a different way to tell them about Jesus.

What did the philosophers think about Paul’s marketplace message? Acts 17:18

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How does Paul begin? What does Paul say about the Athenians? Acts 17:22-23

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What specific altar did he find in Athens? _______________________________________________________________________ Background There are various theories about this altar and why it was there. Some say the city was spared from a plague and wasn’t sure which of its gods had saved them. Others say they just wanted to make sure they hadn’t left any gods out. We don’t have historical evidence for any of these theories, but the matter is open to speculation. How does Paul use this altar to make his case? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Let’s take a moment to transfer this message to our own world. Paul says he had walked through the city and had seen their “objects of worship.” Verse 16 calls them “idols.” If Paul walked through our town today, shopped at our malls, surfed our Internet, what “objects of worship” do you think he might find? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Do you think people “worship” these things as substitutes for the God they don’t know yet? _______________________________________________________________________

What do we learn here about God? Acts 17:24-28

_______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________


_______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Why are those two sentences in quotation marks? _______________________________________________________________________ Why would he quote poems rather than Scripture? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

Who is the “man he has appointed”? Acts 17:29-31

_______________________________________________________________________ Take a peek at verse 32 and see how people responded. Do people still respond to Jesus that way? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________


Book Review We’re being led through these questions by United Methodist Bishop Rueben P. Job in his book Three Simple Questions. You are invited to read a chapter of this short book for each session of this Bible study, but we’ll also quote pertinent passages here and discuss them. In answering this first question—“Who is God?”—for ourselves, Bishop Job writes, “each of us names our God by our actions—by how we choose to live. . . . Even agnostics and atheists follow some person, some value, some principle, some thing, or some overarching goal that determines the direction of their lives.” Do you think this is true? How do people “name” their God by the way they live? How do our actions indicate the kind of God we believe in? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Bishop Job refers to a book from the 1950s entitled Your God is Too Small. He adds, “I am forced to admit that, all too often, I . . . have been content with a god too small to be of any real consequence.” What does he mean by that? How could our God be “too small”? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ From Three Simple Questions (pp. 17-18)


Far too often we are content with a god too small to be Creator of all that exists. We are content with our own form of a “tribal god” that belongs to us rather than a God who belongs to no one but who gives love, grace, and blessing to everyone. Far too often we are content with a god too tame and domesticated to shake us to the very roots of our being and send us out of worship trembling in awe and amazement, clearly headed in a radical and countercultural direction. Far too often we are content with a god who offers a band-aid for our wounded souls rather than the God of radical mercy, justice, and love—who forgives our sins and wipes them away just as soon as we offer that same forgiveness to those who may have wronged us . . . Far too often we are content with proclaiming and following a god who is too unexciting to capture the minds and hearts of a world seeking healing for its deepest wounds, peace for its incessant wars, direction for its future, and companionship for its deep loneliness. Far too often we are content to follow a god we can order around, insisting that our will be done . . . Far too often we forget . . . that this loving God is a just God . . . Far too often we do not hear the simple call of Jesus, “Follow me,” and we become lost in following lesser gods. As you look at your own life, are any of these seven “far too oftens” true of you? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Which one of them is MOST true of you? _______________________________________________________________________ What can be done about this? How could each of us improve on this in our own lives? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________


Are there things we can do as a group, or as a church, to help one another encounter God in better, bigger ways? Like what? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ What do you think would happen if every Christian in this church (or in this community, or in this state) changed their “too small” view of God in any of these seven ways? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ . . . How would that affect the way we reach out to our community? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ . . . How would that affect the way we alleviate suffering in our region—say, for those still recovering from superstorm Sandy or a similar disaster? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ . . . How would that affect the way we interact with international ministries? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________


Takeaway Maybe, right here, right now, we could start a conversation with God, committing ourselves to prayer and Bible study around this question. Lord, who are you? “Getting to Know You” Prayer Lord, I want to know who you really are. ___________________________________________________________ Far too often, I’ve been content to worship a small god. I want you to show me more. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ [Grab any of these comments and develop them.] *I’ve seen you as a “tribal god” just for people in my group. Please show me the broad array of people you love. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 1 John 2:2 *I’ve tried to tame you, Lord. Please shake me. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Acts 4:31 *I’ve treated you simplistically as a quick fix for problems. Show me the full extent of the transformation you want to achieve. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________


2 Corinthians 5:17 *I’ve treated you as unexciting. Please show me your amazing self. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Romans 8:11 *I’ve ordered you around. Please use me to do your will. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Matthew 6:10 *I’ve forgotten about justice. Please show me how much it matters to you. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Micah 6:8 *I’ve followed false gods. Please lead me into your truth. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Psalms 25:4-5 As I get to know you better, let my behavior show it . . . in these ways . . . ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ To you be all the glory. Amen.


Session 2 Who Am I?

Startup Who are you? Relationships ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Role ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Abilities ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Personality ___________________________________________________


___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Past and Future ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Physical Characteristics ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 3 Things to Share? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________


Bible Study

What does it say about us? Genesis 1:26-27

____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ What do you think it means to be made in God’s image? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

What does this tell us about our identity? Romans 3:23-24

____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Who’s included in the “all” in this verse? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ What has God done about this situation? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ This verse 24 has three huge words in it: justified, grace, and redemption. What do these words mean to you? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________


____________________________________________________________________

Have you ever experienced that sort of thing in your own life? Romans 7:19

____________________________________________________________________ Have you ever experienced that “testifying” of the Spirit? How? When? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ What does that mean to you, that you are God’s child? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

Book Review

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making, faint, and ready to say farewell to it all? . . . whoever I am, thou knowest, O God, I am thine! How would you describe Bonhoeffer’s emotional state when writing this poem? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Do you think it’s a sign of weakness to wonder about your true identity, to doubt what others say about you? ____________________________________________________________________


____________________________________________________________________ Do you think God knows our identity better than we do? If that’s true, how does it make you feel? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have also decided to stick to love. For I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems. . . . I’m not talking about emotional bosh. . . . I’m talking about a strong, demanding love. . . . I have decided to love. How would it affect your life if you decided to identify yourself as a person who loves? How would it affect those around you? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ How can we distinguish a “strong, demanding love” from “emotional bosh”? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________


Walter Brueggemann

Prayer involves “the reception of identity . . . so that we do not forget who we are and who we are called to be.” How does prayer do that? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

Bishop Job goes on to say, From Three Simple Questions (p. 46)

We rise from prayer transformed because we have been intimately involved with the One who not only gives us life but also transforms our lives, while leading us further and further into that grand design that God has for each of us. Prayer helps us know who we are and where we find the nurture, comfort, guidance, courage, and strength to live as children of God—bringing love, justice, peace, and reward. The reward is knowing who we are and claiming our inheritance as children of God . . . Is that what happens when you pray? Why or why not? Is there any secret to praying like that? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________


Takeaway

Macrina Wiederkehr

Remind yourself often, “I am pure capacity for God.” What does that mean to you? What’s “capacity”? How can God fill us up? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ How are we “filling up” with God? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ How are we “pouring God out” to others? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:14-19


Session 3 Who Are We Together? Startup What brand names do you like to buy? Do you have certain favorites—in cars, peanut butter, shampoo, electronics? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Why do you like these brands? What makes you choose one over the other? Quality? Price? Their commercials? Their reputation? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

Bible Study

According to this, what is the defining characteristic for Christians? John 13:34-35

_____________________________________________________ Do you think that’s really the way it is now? Do people associate Christians with love? If you took a random sampling of 100 Americans and asked them for one word to describe Christians, how many would say “loving”? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Do we tend to make love a priority in the church? Or do we focus on other things as our main characteristics? _____________________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________ What do you think that would look like, if all the churches in America—or even just the churches in New Jersey—became known for their love? What kind of difference do you think that would make? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

In this trance, what was Peter being asked to do? Acts 10:9-14

_____________________________________________________________________ How did he respond? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Why would this be a problem for him? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Imagine having a dream in which a voice from heaven told you to go and rob a bank. What would you think, what would you say, what would you do? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________


How did God respond to Peter’s objection? Acts 10:15-20

_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Is there any significance to the fact that this happened three times? _____________________________________________________________________ What was the meaning of this vision? What did it have to do with the messengers at the gate or the centurion who sent them? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Do we face any decisions like that in the modern church? Is it easier to be a faithful-but-small club or to reach out to others who are different from us? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ If we Christians are characterized by the love of Jesus, how can we show his love to these “outsiders”? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________


Which group does he seem to be talking to? Ephesians 2:12-13

_____________________________________________________________________ What does he say about their past life—Before Christ? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ What has changed for them? _____________________________________________________________________

What has Jesus destroyed (v. 14)? Ephesians 2:14-18

_____________________________________________________________________ What has Jesus created (v. 15)? _____________________________________________________________________ To whom has he “preached peace” (v. 17)? _____________________________________________________________________ How do you think the people of the Ephesian church would have responded to this? With applause? With protests? Or with questions? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________


How is the church described here? Ephesians 2:19-21

_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ What are we built upon? _____________________________________________________________________ Think about your home (or your workplace, or our church). How many different materials were used in the building of it? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________


Book Review

To say that I am a Christian is really quite simple, but to live as a faithful follower of Jesus is another matter. Taking seriously the message of Jesus can be frightening and foreboding, because in my honest moments I know that on my own I cannot live the way of love that Jesus taught and lived.

From Three Simple Questions (pp. 64-65)

. . . As my courage evaporates and my faith is exposed in its weakness, I realize that I cannot live on my own the faith I profess. Then, like a fresh burst of wind, the realization breaks in upon me: I am not asked to do this on my own! I am asked to follow Jesus, and that means not only to do and be what Jesus calls me to do and be, but also to accept the power and presence of God to make me more than I am and enable me to live as a beloved child of God. What’s the difference between saying you’re a Christian and living as a faithful follower of Jesus? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Do you ever find it “frightening and foreboding” to take Jesus’ message seriously? What is Bishop Job expressing in those first two paragraphs? Is he just being humble, or is he experiencing genuine self-doubt, or what? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ What perspective does he find in that last paragraph? Is that something that you have discovered too? How? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________


How can we work together with other people who are just as weak, selfish, and sinful as we are? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ The book talks about three major things the church does together: Prayer, Worship, and Service. These aren’t the only things a church does, but it’s a helpful breakdown of key activities. If we truly seek to become a church branded by the love of Jesus Christ, how will it affect what we do in these three areas? . . . in our Prayer together? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ . . . in our Worship together? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ . . . in our Service together? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________


Takeaway Questions for my prayer time this week _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ A Prayer from Three Simple Questions (p. 69) Tender Shepherd, Gather us together as your flock, Defend us from division, Save us from sin, Lead us in paths of righteousness, justice, peace, unity, and love, Help us to discern wisely and well your will and way, And grant us grace to follow faithfully Wherever you may lead us, For we are yours And want to follow you alone. Grant us grace to do so, we pray, In the Name and Spirit of Jesus Christ, Who taught us to pray . . . [And now let’s join together in the Lord’s Prayer]


Session 4 A Future with Hope

Startup What’s your favorite place? ______________________________________________________________________ And what it is about that place you love so much? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ We’re going to be talking about several different places in today’s session. The Jersey Shore. . . . slammed by Superstorm Sandy Africa . . . a malaria epidemic What can we do to help?

Bible Study

Who was teaching the church at Antioch? Acts 11:25-26

______________________________________________________________________ Why do you think Barnabas went looking for Saul/Paul and brought him back to teach there? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________


______________________________________________________________________

What did the prophet Agabus predict? Acts 11:27-30

______________________________________________________________________ How did the Antioch church respond? ______________________________________________________________________ Do you think the church’s response had anything to do with good teaching they were getting? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

He’s actually telling the Corinthians about how much some other churches gave. How does he describe the Macedonians’ generosity?

2 Corinthians 8:1-5

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ How do you think the Corinthians felt about this? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________


How are we NOT supposed to give? 2 Corinthians 9:7-8

______________________________________________________________________ What kind of giver should we be? ______________________________________________________________________ Is verse 8 really saying that God will pay us back for whatever we give? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

When Christians give to help those in need (especially other Christians), what happens?

2 Corinthians 9:12-15

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Some charitable organizations—even Christian groups—are known for manipulation and coercion in their fund-raising. They justify it by pointing to all the money raised and all the needs met. Based on 2 Corinthians 9, what would Paul say about that? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________


Book Review

. . . how shall we live in this broken, wayward, and wounded world? Each of us is so small, weak, and easily distracted and disoriented by the power of the culture and the false gods that seek our allegiance, promising such stunning and shiny rewards that, when examined, are revealed to be empty—nothing but a sham or a scam. What, then, can we do?

From Three Simple Questions (p. 74)

We can remember who God is, who we are as individuals, and who we are together as part of God’s entire human family. We know we cannot do everything to change the world, but we can, by God’s grace, each do our part. . . . What “false gods” is he talking about? What are these promised, but empty, rewards? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________


Takeaway As you seek to “do your part” in addressing the needs of a “broken, wayward, and wounded world,” you might be prompted to pledge some money to the “A Future with Hope Mission Fund Campaign.” The Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church is seeking to raise 12 million dollars— $7 million to rebuild homes, communities, and churches damaged by Superstorm Sandy $2 million to provide assistance for the malaria epidemic in Africa $3 million to reinvigorate the ministry growth of local churches in this conference The title for this capital campaign comes from a great passage in Jeremiah.

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes . . .

Jeremiah 29:11-14 NRSV

It was written to Jews who had been forced from their homes and carried into exile. The prophet assured them that God had not given up on them. This project aims to bring the same message to many who have suffered greatly. When people of faith reach out in love, those sufferers will glimpse “a future with hope.”

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