Weekly LessonWeek of: 10/12/14

Series: #dontjudgeme if you don’t know me

Theme: Expect the Unexpected

Text: Judges 3:12-17 (NLT)

***Remember to listen to this week’s sermon, review the Sermon Notes Sheet and complete

the discussion questions before attending your Connection Group.

Introduction: In his book No Future with Forgiveness, Desmond Tutu describes the miracle of a peaceful South Africa after apartheid. The miracle involved the choice not to ignore past atrocities, but rather to provide the opportunity for oppressors to publicly confess their misdeeds, to make reparations to victims, and to be forgiven without punishment. Tutu calls this process “restorative justice.” Only by forgiveness, Tutu proclaims, will there be a livable future, for South Africa and for the world.

The entire book of Judges communicates the disastrous consequences of each generation’s failure to worship and serve God alone. For each generation, God raises up “judges” to effect deliverance rather than punishment. This recurring pattern in the book of Judges demonstrates that God practices “restorative justice”, the only kind of justice that makes a future possible for a sinful people, like Israel and us.

This week's sermon and Connection Group lesson will look at funny story about how God uses, Ehud, a “left-handed” judge to deliver a “left-handed” people from a “little fat calf” named Eglon.

GROUP LESSON DISCUSSION

1. What new insight(s) or understanding(s) did you gain from this week’s sermon? What insights do you believe will be of greatest benefit to you and your relationship with Millennials? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. When in your experience have you seen God using unexpected people and/or unpredictable means to do great things?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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3. Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NLT). Think of what or how you were when God called you. In what ways are you “left-handed”? How does this humble you?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On your tombstone would it say, ‘Here lies a “left-handed” deliverer like Ehud’ or ‘Here lies a “little fat calf” like Eglon’?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Whenever followers of Christ begin to grow complacent there is a risk of ending up like Eglon—fat and complacent in his privileged position. What are some of the things we can start to take for granted as privileged followers of Christ?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In what ways might you have grown into a “little fat calf” in your walk with Christ? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Read 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 (NLT). Obesity is not merely a result of eating too much but a result of exercising too little (expending too little energy). How might our personal commitment to reaching Millennials and the “unchurched” keep us from becoming spiritually obese? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you see Millennials as a “left-handed” deliverer God is using to rescue the church from its fatness? Or do you see the Millennial generation as a privileged “little fat calf” that needs to delivered by the “two-edged sword” (the Word of God) wielded by the church?

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Closing Prayer: Pray together as a group thanking God that he has already saved you and blessed you in the most unexpected way. And that each will become ambassadors to the most unexpected recipients of God grace in your workplaces, neighborhoods, and families.

This Week’s Memory Verse:“And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.” 2 Corinthians 5:18 (NLT)

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