Session 5: The Power of the Resurrection
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PREPARATION
Read Scripture and background information. Reflect on the questions in the participant's book. Review links suggested in the lesson outline below.
Train of Thought
The mission of the church — to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world into the kingdom of God — is the same today as it was in Jesus' day, even though the world has changed significantly. The church cannot serve today's world out of the paradigm of the previous generation. We need leaders who will move the church into position to make disciples in the new cultural reality. A primary work of leadership is to design the appropriate disciple-making systems.
Desired Outcomes
As a result of this session, participants should be able to:
- Understand the primary task of the church.
- Visualize the spiral flow as an image for continuous improvement in the church.
- Understand that just one or two sub-optimized processes in our local congregations can adversely affect our whole ministry.
Lesson Supplies
EXPLORATION AT GROUP SESSION
Total time: 50 minutes
Light the candle while saying, "Come Holy Spirit and light our way." Invite prayer partners from Session 4 to talk together about their prayer experience and work toward the goal of developing a new practice.
Alternate Opening:
Light the candle, saying, "God is with us in the flow of time from our memories to the present time." Focus on Luke 24:6-8. The women were challenged to remember; then they remembered Jesus' words; and the memory brought new understanding. Memory is a gift of God to humans. FaithQuest has introduced new language and new ways of thinking about the church that may challenge the status quo for participants. For others, FaithQuest may be a breath of fresh air, bringing new possibilities to people ready for change. Pause for a few moments so that all participants can remember earlier times in your congregation. Read Luke 24:6-8 to open your group session. Then ask, "What words and actions do you remember that help us understand what is happening in our church right now?" In this passage, the angel visitors reminded the women that previous words pointed to the new reality. How can the FaithQuest participants remind the congregation that memory holds a key to the present reality? The flow of time from memory to present reality illustrates the key concept of "flow" in this lesson.
Bible Study Focus Verses: Luke 8:4-8
Before reading these verses aloud, prepare the group by asking half the people to focus their attention on what the job of the sower is. Ask the other half to hear — with imagination — where God is in these verses. Tell them you'll read the verses twice, allowing some silence for reflection between the two readings. Invite people to close their eyes if it helps them concentrate.
Begin by reading the verses, then allow two minutes of silence. Follow by reading the verses a second time.
While the second group listens, ask the first group what they heard about the job of the sower. Allow time for several responses, getting beyond first thoughts and impressions. This sower neither waters, plows, weeds, nor harvests. Ask the second group for their reflections and insights about the presence of God. God multiplies the yield in the fertile soil; and despite the sower's best efforts, success occurs only 25% of the time.
Call the group's attention to Jesus' explanation of the parable in verses 11-15. What insight does this add to the sower's role? To God's part?
Transition to Our Time
"A Reflective Moment Along the Way" on page 43 invites participants to focus on the mission and task of the church. Ask, "In what ways do we sow the seed of God's word in our daily lives?" and "In what ways do we sow the seed of God's word through the church?"
Click here for a biblical example of spiral flow and learning over time.
DISCOVERY — APPLYING IDEAS TO THE CONGREGATION
Total time: 45 minutes
Discussion Questions (30 minutes)
Figure 5A on page 45 and the handout with this session are two illustrations of primary task. Make sure that the group understands the primary task of the church. There is a common tendency to separate the four aspects of the primary task into four tasks. Every committee, class, task force, and individual needs to pay attention to all four aspects of the primary task.
Spend time reflecting on the ways that your congregation engages in the primary task. Refer to figures 5B and 5C to discuss how the primary task in the faith-forming-community paradigm differs from the primary task in the activity-center paradigm. Many times we are good at performing one or two aspects of the primary task but not the others. Unless all aspects of the primary task are performed well together, the system is sub-optimized.
Feedback & Evaluation (5 minutes)
Ask, "What have we learned in our time together? What questions do you have?"
Sending Forth (10 minutes)
Recall the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). Jesus' words to Martha remind us that we can be worried and upset by many distractions. Churches that function as activity centers have many distractions from the primary task of making disciples of Jesus Christ in order to transform the world.
Encourage prayer partners to continue praying for each other. Close by praying together the prayer on page 41.
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