CHAPTER 1
Session 1
Even There
God's All-Reaching Love
(Prevenient Grace)
I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
(Psalm 139:7-10)
LEADER PREP
Session Goals
Through this session's discussion, participants will:
• Explore the concept of prevenient grace;
• Discover the ways God has been seeking them;
• Receive the truth that God knows, is everywhere we go, made us unique, and can handle all of our ugly;
• Be real before God and receive God's grace.
Preparation
• Read the first chapter, "Even There: God's All-Reaching Love: Prevenient Grace," in A Grace-Full Life by Jorge Acevedo and Wes Olds.
* Read through this session outline in its entirety to familiarize yourself with the material being covered.
* Read and reflect on the following Scriptures: 1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 8:3-4; Psalm 139; Isaiah 59:1; Matthew 6:25-30.
* Have a markerboard or large sheet of paper available for recording group members' ideas.
* Have a Bible, paper for taking notes, and a pen or pencil available for every participant.
What You Will Need
• A Grace-Full Life DVD and DVD player
• Stick-on nametags and markers (if needed)
• Slips of paper and pens
• Extra Bibles
SESSION OUTLINE
Gathering (3 minutes)
Hand out nametags and markers, and ask participants to write their names and wear the nametags for the session. Welcome the participants and remind them that you will be spending the next four weeks exploring a life of grace. When you are ready to begin the session, pray the opening prayer below or a prayer of your own.
God of Grace, we thank you for your incredible, unbelievable grace that seems too good to be true! Thank you for knowing us, for being with us, and for loving us so much that you can handle every bit of who we are. Open our eyes to see what it looks like to live a gracefull life. May we grow closer to you and to one another as we study your Word. Amen.
Warm Up (5 minutes)
Hand out slips of paper and pens. Ask participants to write on their slips a definition of prevenient grace. They can write an actual attempt at a definition, if they are familiar with the concept, or can make up something. Place all the papers in a basket. Then, read aloud some of them and ask for comments on the definitions. (You might have participants rate each definition on a scale of one to five, based on how accurate they think each definition is.) After reading aloud the definitions, tell participants that prevenient grace is the "even there" grace with which God seeks us, woos us, and draws us to God — and that's what you'll be exploring in today's discussion.
Video (12-14 minutes)
Play the Week 1 video segment on the DVD.
Group Discussion (30-35 minutes)
More discussion points and questions have been provided than you will have time to include. Beforehand, select those you want to cover, and place a check mark beside them. Page numbers from the study book are provided for reference.
1. David's stargazing caused him to soul-gaze and consider an amazing reality that many of us are either unaware of or too busy to ponder. (See Psalm 8:3-4.) The God who put the stars in outer space and put our sun and moon in place cares for you and me. We call God's constant love and care for us grace. Grace is the reality that the Creator of the universe deeply cares for and loves each and every one of us (page 23).
* Read aloud Psalm 8:3-4. What, do you think, was David feeling when he wrote these words?
* When have you been lost in wonder that the Creator of the universe knows you by name?
2. We have a God who is like a daddy anxious to care for the needs of his children. Jesus tells us to "look up" at the birds of the air and "look out" at the flowers of the fields. These are living witnesses to the gentle care and tender love of God. These are nature's testimonies of God's grace for you and me (page 24).
* Read Matthew 6:25-30. What is Jesus talking about when he compares us to birds and flowers?
* When or why is it difficult for you to believe that God will take care of you?
* Would you say that you live your life as though you believe that God is good and will care for you? Why, or why not?
3. Your life — your very breath — is a gift of God's grace. God created the heavens and the earth, and God lovingly placed you in the midst of it all (page 24).
* Read aloud 1 John 4:8. What does this verse say about God?
* What does it mean that God is love?
* How would your life be different if you lived out a belief that all of life is a gift of grace?
4. The good news of Jesus is that we don't have to climb our way into heaven. Heaven has come to us. God is a missionary God who is on an all-out search-and-rescue mission for all people everywhere and in every time who are made in God's image (page 48-49).
* Read Luke 19:1-10. Who was Jesus on a mission to reach?
* When have you experienced feeling like God was on a mission to reach you?
* How have you been a part of God's missionary work to reach others?
5. Every person on this planet is crazy about Jesus. They just don't know it yet! So, God is on an all-out search for us. That is prevenient grace. God is "even there" when we don't know it or expect it (page 24).
* What is your reaction to the statement that every person on the planet is crazy about Jesus but just doesn't know it yet?
* When did you discover that Jesus is crazy about you?
* How does your life tell others that you are crazy about Jesus?
6. God has the capacity to look past the externals and into the core of who we really are. Theologians call this God's omniscience, which is God's capacity to know everything that there is to know. Some might see this as frightening, but David, in the Psalms, saw it as comforting (page 26).
* Read aloud Psalm 139:1-4. Do you hear anxiety or comfort in these words from David?
* How does it feel knowing that God knows each of us well and has eyes on us wherever we are?
* How does God's knowledge of you give you a sense of security?
7. David declares that neither the heights of heaven nor the depths of hell are beyond God's reach. This echoes the prophet Isaiah, who said, "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save" (Isaiah 59:1a). Theologians call this God's omnipresence, which is God's capacity to be everywhere. God is persistent, tireless, and lovingly resolved to convince us to recognize and respond to God's grace (page 29, 31).
* Read aloud Psalm 139:5-12. What is David saying about God's knowledge of him?
* Have you ever tried to "outrun" God? How did you discover that you can't?
8. Like a master craftsman, God shaped, formed, and fashioned every one of us. As the Apostle Paul wrote, "We are his workmanship" (Ephesians 2:10a KJV). God made you, and that's why God is on an all-out search for you! (page 32).
* Read Psalm 139:13-18. How does knowing that God made each of us with purpose and creativity affect how you live and approach life?
* What do these verses say about the love and affection God has for us?
9. God is not afraid of our "ugly." In the middle of the raw stuff of our lives, God pursues us. The story of the Bible is God's gigantic search-and-rescue mission for humanity (page 34).
* Read Psalm 139:19-22. When have you experienced feelings similar to those David conveys in these verses?
* Read Romans 8:38-39. What level of "ugly" is too much for God to love you?
* Read Psalm 139:23-24. Where does David end up after discovering that God knows everything about him, made him uniquely, and sees him wherever he is?
10. Wrap up group discussion with these questions:
* What stood out to you in your study this week?
* What new insight did you gain about what it means to live a gracefull life?
Closing Prayer (3-5 minutes)
Close the session by taking prayer requests from participants and leading the group in prayer. As you progress to later weeks in the study, encourage members to participate in the closing prayer by praying aloud for each other and the requests given. Remind participants to pray for one another throughout the week.
CHAPTER 2
Session 2
Even Now
God's Soul-Saving Love
(Justifying Grace)
As God's partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God's kindness and then ignore it. For God says,
"At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you."
Indeed, the "right time" is now. Today is the day of salvation.
(2 Corinthians 6:1-2)
LEADER PREP
Session Goals
Through this session's discussion, participants will:
• Explore the concept of justifying grace;
• Learn or remember that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory;
• Receive the truth that God calls our names and wants to be our friend;
• Be real before God and receive God's grace.
Preparation
• Read Chapter 2, "Even Now: God's Soul-Saving Love: Justifying Grace," in A Grace-Full Life by Jorge Acevedo and Wes Olds.
* Read through this session outline in its entirety to familiarize yourself with the material being covered.
* Read and reflect on the following Scriptures: Luke 19:1-9; Romans 2:23; 8:1; 2 Corinthians 6:1-2.
* Have a markerboard or large sheet of paper available for recording participants' ideas.
* Have a Bible, paper for taking notes, and a pen or pencil available for every participant.
What You Will Need
• A Grace-Full Life DVD and DVD player
• Stick-on nametags and markers (if needed)
• Extra Bibles
Session Outline
Gathering (3 minutes)
Hand out the nametags and markers, and ask participants to write their names and wear the nametags for the session. When it is time to begin, pray the opening prayer below or a prayer of your own.
God of Grace, we thank you for your saving grace! Thank you for seeking us out, knowing that we will fall short, and loving us even still. Teach us what it means to live a grace-full life. May we grow closer to you and to one another as we study your Word. Amen.
Warm Up (5 minutes)
Tell the group your conversion story. You may have had a life-changing, mountain-top experience that brought you into a relationship with Christ, or you may have grown into your faith slowly over the course of your life. Regardless, talk about how and why you are a Christian and when or how you felt the assurance of God's grace. Or if you prefer, invite a group member in advance to share his or her conversion story.
Then ask participants to think about their own stories. Remind them that there isn't a "right way" to come to Jesus, that he forgives and calls us friends whenever and wherever we find him.
Video (12-14 minutes)
Play the Week 2 video segment on the DVD.
Group Discussion (30-35 minutes)
More discussion points and questions have been provided than you will have time to include. Before the session, select those you want to cover, and put a check mark beside them. Page numbers from the study book are provided for reference.
1. If the seasons of grace were to be compared to a couple's relationship, God's prevenient, "even there" grace would be the season of dating. It's the work God does before we say "yes" to God. God's soul-saving, justifying, "even now" grace allows us to respond to God's proposal for a relationship that God has been pursuing with us since before we were even aware of it (page 43).
* How has God pursued you?
* What experiences of God have made you want to say, "Yes," to a relationship with God?
* How have you answered God's "proposal"?
2. Some people become followers of Jesus in what we call a "light switch" experience. One moment the person is not a follower of Jesus. Then in an instant, like a light switch being flipped on, the Holy Spirit reaches that person and he or she says, "Yes," to Jesus. Others become followers of Jesus in a "dimmer switch" experience. A dimmer switch allows you to slowly increase the brightness of a light. When you click the knob on, the light is very dim. Then, as you turn the knob, the light shines brighter and brighter (page 43, 45).
* Read aloud Acts 9:1-31. Describe the Apostle Paul's conversion experience.
* Read Luke 24:13-35. How was the disciples' awareness of the risen Christ like a dimmer switch?
* Would you describe your conversion as more of a light switch or dimmer switch? Why?
* Why, do you think, do people respond to God's "even there" grace in different ways?
3. There have been times when we both have started to subtly believe and live a lie that says we can "get our salvation" the old-fashioned way — by earning it! Many people, intentionally or unintentionally, trust in a "performance plan" approach to finding salvation and lasting peace (page 46-47).
* When have you acted as though you had to earn your salvation and work your way into God's favor?
* Read about the "goodness scale" on page 47. Why, do you think, do we sometimes judge our goodness against others?
* Read Romans 2:23. How does Paul feel about a "goodness scale"? Who, according to Paul, would pass the goodness test?
4. God desires our friendship. Together friends can think through problems and situations and make better judgments than they would individually. Friends usually bring out better versions of each other because people behave better when they know their friends are observing (page 50).
* Read Luke 19:1-10. What can we assume about the number of friends Zacchaeus had?
* What is significant about Jesus noticing Zacchaeus in the tree and calling him by name?
* How did Jesus express to Zacchaeus that he wanted to be his friend?
* How has Jesus reached out to you in friendship?
* How has Jesus been a friend to you?
5. God offers us forgiveness. The good news of God's love through Jesus is that God's grace finds us — even now! What happens when we say "yes" to Jesus as our Savior is that our position before God changes. When we accept the gift of forgiveness of our sins, we become "justified." That means that — when God looks at you and me, covered by the blood of Jesus that has the power to wash away sin — God does not see our sin (page 56).
* Why was the crowd annoyed that Jesus wanted to spend time with Zacchaeus?
* Maybe, on the goodness scale, we aren't complete scoundrels like Zacchaeus, but why do we nonetheless need God's forgiveness?
* How have you known the power of God's forgiveness in your life or seen it at work in someone else's life?
6. God wants to give us a future. Short on friends and short on forgiveness, Zacchaeus was also short on a future. He had no sense of purpose or destiny except to grow richer and become more and more lost in his loneliness, shame, and sense of meaninglessness. This one encounter with Jesus changed all of that. Having been welcomed by God as Jesus entered his home and life, Zacchaeus experienced new life. His empty soul was filled with purpose. (page 58).
* How did Jesus give Zacchaeus a sense of purpose and a future?
* God rewrote Zacchaeus's story; how has God been rewriting yours?
7. The notion of God's love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against our every instinct. Most worldviews, whether religious or secular, offer ways for us to earn approval and find forgiveness. Only Jesus dares to make God's love unconditional by taking it upon himself to atone for our sins. When we realize this, understanding that we don't have to strive to win God's favor or earn God's grace, we truly have reason to celebrate (page 60-61)!
* Why is God's no-strings-attached love such a difficult concept for us?
* Why is God's grace a reason to celebrate?
* How has God's grace changed your life?
8. Wrap up group discussion with these questions:
* What stood out to you in your study this week?
* What new insight did you gain about what it means to live a grace-full life?
Closing Prayer (3-5 minutes)
Close the session by taking prayer requests from participants and leading the group in prayer. Encourage members to participate in the closing prayer by praying aloud for each other and the requests given. Remind participants to pray for one another throughout the week.
CHAPTER 3
Session 3
Even More
God's Character-Shaping Love
(Sanctifying Grace)
My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit — not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength — that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
(Ephesians 3:14-19 The Message)
Leader Prep
Session Goals
Through this session's discussion, participants will be encouraged to:
• Explore the concept of sanctifying grace;
• Discover that God's ongoing, sanctifying grace continually transforms us;
• Receive the truth that God never runs out of grace for us;
• Be real before God and receive God's grace.
