REALLIFE STUDY GROUP

“Destiny Shockers”

 

ICEBREAKER:  Name one of your favorite actors or actresses?

 

CONFESSION: Since God used broken, limited and flawed people in the Bible I know He can use me.  I choose to be God’s vessel, His weapon, His instrument, His tool, His hands extended, His servant, His child, His friend, His temple, His bride and His body.  I will shock my world and do something great by God’s grace. 

 

DEFINITIONS:  Shock: to be surprised or caught off guard; something that jars the mind or emotions as if with a violent unexpected blow. 

 

OUTLINE:  It was a shock when God...

·        Used a prostitute named Rahab

·        Used a murderer named Moses

·        Used an adulterer named David

·        Used a deceiver named Jacob

·        Used a terrorist named Paul

·        Used a betrayer named Peter

·        Used a doubter named Thomas

·        Used a pouter named Jonah

·        Used a weeper named Jeremiah

·        Used a foreigner named Ruth

·        Used a liar named Abraham

·        Used some barren women named Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Hannah

·        Used a man of unclean lips named Isaiah

·        Used a slave and an ex-convict named Joseph

·        Used a teenage girl named Mary

·        Used a drunkard named Noah

·        Used an exiled man named John

·        Used a fatherless young man named Timothy

·        Used a lion and a bear to prove a future king

·        Used a donkey to talk to a disobedient prophet

·        Used a whale to save a drowning prophet

·        Used a colt to carry a conqueror

·        Used a swarm of bees to kill a giant

·        Used a fish to pay Jesus’ taxes

·        Used a Lamb to save the world

·        Used a pack of dogs to devour an evil queen

·        Used a raven, a scavenger, to feed a prophet

·        Used a scapegoat to carry the sins of His people

·        Used a dove as a symbol of His peace with mankind and the affirmation of His Son

·        Used His son named Jesus who spat in a man’s eyes, walked on water, walked through a wall, read their minds, fed a multitude with on little boy’s meal, healed incurable diseases, ascended through air, calmed the wind and waves, turned water into wine, raised the dead, cast out demons, made blind see, deaf hear, mute talk, lame walk, appeared and disappeared, predicted the future, exposed hypocrisy.

·        Used a young man, a sling and a stone

·        Used a young maid and a tent peg to kill an evil king

·        Used a skinny, little, long haired man, and a jawbone of a donkey to kill a thousand Philistines who also killed a lion with his bare hands

·        Used a man named Elijah to call fire down from Heaven and to outrun a chariot

·        Used a man named Gideon, some trumpets and some broken lamps and 300 men to intimidate, annihilate and totally route an army of thousands

·        Used a man named Shamgar and a stick used to prod cattle to kill 600 enemy soldiers

·        Used an Ark in the water and a colorful arc in the sky to remind mankind of His judgment and mercy

·        Used a man named Joshua with the faith to command the sun to stand still so he could have enough daylight to win a battle

·        Used a man who stuttered to represent Him before the highest level of human authority in the known world at that time

·        Used the anointed bones of a dead prophet to raise a dead man

·        Used a widow with just two mites to sacrifice the largest gift in all of Israel

 

TEXT:  1 Corinthians 1:27; Proverbs 20:29; Isaiah 54:1-3; Matthew 12:42; Jeremiah 30:17 (Question #5) will explain why I chose these verses)

 

STUDY GROUP QUESTIONS:

1.    Describe something that is still shocking about people or society no matter how old you get.  It’s still shocking when I hear that people ____________________.

2.    What is the most shocking thing that you have read in the Bible?

 

3.    From the list above, what is the most shocking truth we can learn?

a.    God uses people that religious people would think He would have discarded, therefore He can use me.

b.   God uses strange weapons sometimes; therefore there is something at my disposal or in my possession that He can use.

c.    God will even use animals when humans won’t make themselves available or disobey.

d.   God is teaching us to think outside the box and to stop limiting His ability. (The only place Jesus did no miracles was where people did not believe)

e.    God sees giving different than we do.  He looks at the size of the sacrifice and the obedience as opposed to the size of the actual gift or offering, therefore my offering can make a difference.

f.     _______________

4.    Why do you think it was shocking to the people in Nazareth that God used Jesus of Nazareth?

5.    Describe a limitation or flaw in your life that the enemy has tried to use to intimidate or keep you from allowing God to use you.

a.    You’re too young or too old

b.   You’re not smart enough or have been too foolish

c.    You’re just not strong enough

d.   You’re not as gifted as others

e.    You’ve made too many mistakes

f.     You’re too poor, you have nothing to offer

g.    You’re nothing but an outcast, nobody cares about you

h.    _______________

6.    If you were to shock yourself, your family, your community or the world and do something really great what would it be?  (Run for office, go on a missions trip, overcome a weakness or fear, forgive an offence, write a book, start a business, get in shape, share my faith with someone, help someone in need, etc.)e H

 

PRAISE REPORTS & PRAYER REQUESTS: