Brief GIG Teaching Guide by Dan McWilliams - Ministry Exchange (MX)

GIG (God Investigative Group) Teaching Guide
By Dan McWilliams

John 3:1-16 The Greatest Search

. Icebreaker: Share about # siblings, where you lived growing up, and how your birth order affected you.(This question is to get people talking and to build community) . Going Deeper: Describe what has been your spiritual journey and where you are currently (This can relate more to the theme of the passage) . Read the Passage . What can we learn about Nicodemus? (Why does he come at night?) What is his spiritual state? . Jesus’ response seems out of the blue.Why does Jesus respond like he did? (He read Nicodemus’ mail and began to address his needs and questions.) . How did Jesus and Nicodemus differ in their ideas of what “born again” means? What does it mean to be born again? (hint: start with what it is to be born) . What images come to mind when you hear that phrase? . Optional definitions: What is the Kingdom of God? The serpent in verse 13 (see Numbers 21:4-9)? . What does the wind analogy mean? (hint: you can’t see the wind but you can observe it effects of blowing leaves and bending trees) . What is Jesus stated purpose in verse 16? What happens to those who believe in Jesus? To those who don’t? . What is Nicodemus’ response to Jesus? How is his response similar to how others might respond today? . Application (This should help people reflect and/or challenge them to obey in a practical way—-based on, “Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether is teaching is from God.”-Jn7:17): How would you compare your own search for God compared to Nicodemus? More straightforward? More intellectual? What is one step you can take to seek out Jesus?

John 2:1-22 The Wedding at Cana and Clearing out the Temple

. Icebreaker: What’s something that happened this week that you didn’t expect? . Warm-up: what will your wedding be like? . Does it surprise you that Jesus shows up at a wedding? . What is the problem at the wedding? (Note: huge deal if host runs out of wine. Hospitality and saving face are crucial elements in eastern culture). . What happens? How much wine was made? What is wine like? . What do you think of the fact that Jesus used these jars used exclusively for religious purposes in order to make the wine? . How do you think the hosts felt about inviting Jesus to the party? (gets at why Jesus did this miracle: to serve the hosts and keep them from losing face) . To the temple: What did Jesus find at the temple? And what does he do about it? . Why was he so ticked off? . How does he answer their interrogation? What is he saying about himself? (Hint: he equates himself with the temple. He is the new temple). . What do we learn about Jesus from these two accounts? How does he overturn what we might expect from the son of God, or a great religious leader? (At a party, where you would think he would be judgmental of what’s happening there, he makes more wine; then at the temple, where you might think he would feel at home and affirm what was happening, he acts in violent judgment). . How does Jesus different than you thought of him? . Application: Share a personal story of how you ran out of wine in your life and how Jesus filled you up with the best wine.then ask, What area of your life are you experiencing your wine running out and your need to invite Jesus to help? . What do you need to do to invite Jesus and “obey whatever he tells you to do?

Mark 4: Parable of the Soils

. Icebreaker: Tell us about an interest that you know a lot about. (ie piano, politics.) . Warm-up: Describe a time in your life when you were especially open to learning new things. . Read Mark 4:1-9 . What did you hear? What leads you to believe this is something we should not blow off as a simple farming story? . Compare the four soils and what happened to each. . What soil are the followers of Jesus? What does it look like for them to be fertile soil? . What does it look like for us to be fertile soil? . What happens to the hard-hearted? How does this describe some of the people in the audience who heard this story? . Describe students who would be like each of the first three soils: shallow soil, hard soil, thorny soil. . Which type of soil best describes you? . How has God’s word been sown in you? . What steps can you take to be more like good soil?

Matthew 13:44-46 The Pearl and the Treasure

. Icebreaker: What kind of activities did you do in high school and to what type of clique did you belong? . Warm-up: What kinds of collections have people had (ie stamps, baseball card, etc.) . How are these two vignettes similar and how are they different? What motivates them? . What’s it like to find a treasure? . Why would a pearl collector give up her whole collection for the one pearl? Isn’t that crazy? . How is the kingdom of God like a treasure? . What kinds of response does it evoke upon finding it? . We are told all our lives to be “well-rounded”.what do you think of Jesus’ call to put all our eggs in one basket? Isn’t this crazy? Why do this? What would this look like in our lives? . How have we experienced the kingdom of God like this? . Application: Where are you in the seeking process? Starting to search, starting to find, found it, responding?

Luke 15: 11-end The Lost Son

. Icebreaker: Share about losing something important to you then finding it. . Warm-up: What’s your relationship with your father like? How could it be better? . In effect, what is son saying to his dad? . How would your parents respond if you did similar thing? . What happens to this guy? (Cultural clue: Jesus is painting a picture of worst possible son in Jewish terms: rejects his family, goes to Gentile land where there are pigs, rejects God by living a sinful life, poverty, etc.) Paint a picture of wild life in today’s terms (ie going to Vegas.) . Describe his turning point. . How does the father respond? . How would he be able to notice his son while so far away? And what do you think of his bold and shameless love for his son? . Core cultural clues about the items presented: -Best robe: the father’s own gown, worn only for special occasions of honor -Family ring: the seal to do family business. A credit card with no credit limit -Sandals: worn only by family members, slaves went barefoot -Fattened calf: food used only rarely for an honored guest. . How would you describe the father? What is most attractive to you about him? . What is Jesus saying about what God is like? Following Jesus is like the most touching homecoming and the best party we could imagine.What is one practical way you can respond to this invitation to come home to your waiting father?

Luke 9:18-26 A Cost/Benefit Analysis of following Jesus

. Icebreaker: If you asked other students, who do you think Jesus is, what would they say? Good teacher, Son of God.? . Warm-up: What would you say, on this continuum? Myth A Mere Man A Great Man A Man from God God as Man
(__(_(__(_( . Describe the dialogue with Jesus and the disciples. How are the disciples perception of Jesus different, and why? . Why does Jesus tell them not to say anything? What’s he predict about his own destiny? . In Jesus’ day, the cross was a symbol of suffering, pain, humiliation, even death. It was the electric chair used by Rome for capital crimes. What does this mean about the lifestyle that Jesus is calling his followers to? . What are the two choices? What does it mean to save your life? To lose it? Why would we choose to lose our life? . You’ve heard the phrase, “You can’t take it with you.” How does verse 24 amplify that statement? . According to Jesus you can’t be a closet Christian. What happens if you are? . Summarize what Jesus asks of his followers in this passage. What are the benefits of following Jesus? (hint: we lose are life not b/c we are masochistic, but because we gain life)! . Share a story of something difficult that you gave up (or are in the process of giving up) and the rewards you are finding by “losing your life.” . What is the most difficult thing for you to give up? How does this passage encourage you toward giving that up?

Mark 2: 1-17 The Falling Roof

. Icebreaker: What was the best thing about your weekend/break? . Warm-up: What is the most you have ever done to get to a concert? . How would you paint this scene if you were a movie director (sights, sounds, emotions, colors, camera angels)? Why so many people there? . What do you think of what the friends do? What do you think the hosts felt about it? . What motivated them? How did Jesus “see” their faith? How faith expressed in their actions? . A lot of people talk about “having faith,” a kind of ambiguous phrase: what or who do you have faith in and what affect does that have on your life?.How does this text define what it means to have faith? (hint: it is active, it means taking risks, and its object or goal is Jesus)! . What do you think of Jesus’ response? How not what they came for? Judging by Jesus’ reaction to the paralytic being let down, what did he see as the paralytic’s biggest need? Does all the humankind share this need? . Why were the teachers of the law ticked by what Jesus said? . What does Jesus rebuke them for? (hint: Not that they are questioning Jesus’ statement, but that they are not expressing their questions: “why do say in your hearts.?” Point: Jesus does not have a problem with our doubts or cynicism, but he wants us to come to him with them.

Which is easier to say? Of the two options, which will be easier to say?
(of course it is easier to pronounce forgiveness b/c that cannot be
verified. Healing is another matter)

What does his healing mean he can do? (hint: might need to define Son of
Man: try to do it without the Old Testament. A humble and veiled way to
refer to himself).

Anyone can say that they forgive another person for the wrongs committed
against them. But Jesus is not doing that here. He is forgiving this guy
for all the wrongs he ever committed against God and others. What do you
think of that?

What needs motivate people to look for God? You?

How do people need forgiveness? Share about a time in your life when you
realized that you had a deeper need for forgiveness. How would you r life
change if you knew that Jesus forgave you? (talk about how this impacts
others by using your story or a movie like “Pay it Forward”)

Other Great Passages

Luke 23-Jesus’death John 11-Raising Lazarus
John 20-Resurrection John 14: 1-14-Way, Truth, Life
John 4-Samaritan Woman Mark 10-Rich Young Ruler
Acts 2-Early Church
Luke 5:1-11-Calling of Peter
Mark 2-A day in Jesus’ life