Leader’s Guide The week of February 8, 2015 By Jason Bernick Minister of Spiritual Formation This week’s leader’s guide is designed to help you further understand the historical background of Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. Please take time to read the leader’s guide in order to get a helpful understanding of the Ephesian history. The Ephesian history during Paul’s time in Ephesus will help you understand and digest Paul’s language in this encouraging letter. The guide includes an added bonus study. The added bonus study can be done privately or used to help you disciple others one-­‐on-­‐one in your group. Use the “Warm Up” and “Review” from the leader’s section during your group session. The “Current Message Series” from the church bulletin, along with an expanded version of the study titled “Beyond the Weekend,” is included in this packet. If your small group is doing the sermon series study, we ask that you follow the “Beyond the Weekend” section for your small group study. It will expand the weekend message from Chris and open applicable dialogue in your group. Background Ephesus was home to the Temple of Artemis. It was the largest and most extravagant temple in the world. Visitors, business traders, and religion seekers from around the world would pilgrimage to Ephesus to see the great goddess Artemis at her temple. The vast agora (shopping mall) at Ephesus hosted sales of fine linen, perfumes, marble, cedar, garments from all the corners of the Roman Empire, wine and oils from vineyards from across the world, the finest of slaves, and anything else man could dream of. It would bring traders from around the planet. These traders would travel to Ephesus, meet this goddess Artemis, and be taken by her massive and glorious temple. Ephesus was a host to the world every day. The worship of Artemis was similar to the temple worship in other Roman cities, but at the Temple of Artemis, the worship was more intense. Remember, Ephesus had her baby dump, and many of these babies were female. These babies were taken and sold as slaves and into prostitution. Ironically, the primary god of Ephesus was Artemis, and Artemis was the goddess who protected women and virgins. In Ephesus, Artemis’ watchful protection of women was violated daily. The sin against these women, since they were Ephesian women, was counted against the whole city. Every day, the city of Ephesus was in desperate need of forgiveness. All visiting and local traders and citizens’ of Ephesus were required to seek forgiveness for the community’s sin. This was done by hiring a seer (a possessed witch/slave under hallucinogenic influence who told you the future and your sin – see Acts 16:16-­‐24 for Paul’s experience in Philippi), and bringing a sacrifice to the Temple of Artemis. This worship process was of the occult and wicked. It was much more than a wicked worship experience; it was big business to the economy, including the payment of multiple seers, purchase of sacrifices, hand-­‐ held gods, temple trinkets, and temple taxes, which amounted to a large-­‐scale fortune in a population size of Ephesus. If there had been another way to be truly forgiven other than the astronomical expense of the occult practices of Artemis, it would have been welcomed! Beyond the expense, there was never a fulfillment in the worship of Artemis – only a dark hole of brief escape, punctuated by regret, financial debt, and the consequences of the occult. The Temple of Artemis The temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was the largest structure in the Roman Empire. The acoustics were such that the worship experience would ring throughout the city. Below are two images. The image on the left is the Parthenon in Athens. Take a good look. It was an enormous structure taking over the city view! The image on the right is the comparative of the footprints of the Parthenon and the Temple of Artemis. Four Parthenons could fit in one Temple of Artemis! Now look at the picture of the Parthenon. Just imagine a structure four times its size in ancient Ephesus. This temple drew people into worship. Only the worshipper left unfulfilled, unforgiven, and lost in a dark world.
Added Bonus Study 1. Read Psalm 63. Discuss anything that jumped out at you.
2. Psalm 63:1. What would it look like for you to earnestly seek God? 3. Psalm 63:1. When was a time that you felt like God was far way? Did it feel like being in a desert? 4. Psalm 63:1. When was the last time you were unable to sleep? Were you awake and pondering life issues? What would it look like to meditate on the Lord in the night? 5. Psalm 63:8. How do you think it would look to cling to God, earnestly seeking Him? 6. In just a few words, describe David’s love for God. Pray for each of your members, specifically that your souls would “cling” to God. 7. How did David’s experience of God’s forgiveness reveal itself in this Psalm? Small Group Leader’s Warm-­‐Up Let’s get everyone talking! Get your group warmed up and communicating. Keep if fun and light! Remember, no more than 10 minutes in the warm-­‐up, so watch the clock! True and False Have everyone write down three things about themselves, which other members in the group could not possibly know. Two of these things should be true, and one should be false. Have each person read the three “facts” about themselves. After this is done, have everyone vote as to which of the three is not true. There are usually surprises when you do this activity. The activity is not about becoming a good liar, but is simply a fun icebreaker that helps the group and leaders get to know more about each other. Small Group Review Now is the time when we review our last week’s sermon study. Last week, the topic was redemption. The past few weeks, we have been discussing a culture that had lost its identity in baby dumps, slavery, and an economy that fed off lost people. Take a few minutes. Read Ephesians 1:1-­‐6. What key words stuck out to you in the passage? Do you remember your discussion points from last week? Think about the slave trade in the agora. We know how this would have affected the slaves, but how do you think it would effect the common shopper? I asked you to read the crucifixion account in Luke. Tell us about your redemption price. There is an interesting point in 1 Peter 1:18-­‐21. Jesus was chosen. What was He chosen for, and what difference does this make in your life? Use the empty space below to write down any information gleaned from the review discussion that you can pray for in the group. Listen well, especially to discussion about the difference Jesus’ choosing makes in our lives. Participant’s Guide
The week of February 8, 2015
By Jason Bernick
Minister of Spiritual Formation
1. Beyond the Weekend Out of the Darkness of Bitterness and into the Light of Forgiveness (Adapted from www.matthewwest.com/the-­‐stories/the-­‐story-­‐forgiveness)
From Renee Napier On May 11, 2002, a 24-­‐year-­‐old drunk driver, Eric, killed one of my twins, Meagan, and one of her friends, Lisa; both girls were 20 years old. This was devastating for all three families involved, and countless friends that mourned the loss of these precious girls. But this is also a story of forgiveness and healing. My family and Lisa’s family chose to forgive Eric. We even appealed to have his 22-­‐year prison sentence reduced to 11 years. Since March 29, 2004, I have traveled all over the country telling this story to thousands of people, mostly teenagers. I always talk about forgiveness, because we have learned how powerful it is for everyone. Eric told me he has his eternal salvation because of Meagan and Lisa. I show him via video in my presentations, and will soon have him as an inmate, standing with me, a living, breathing example of the dangers of drunk driving, but also of the power of forgiveness. In Philip Yancey’s book “What’s So Amazing about Grace?” he describes forgiveness as an unnatural act. I could not agree more. He writes, “I never find forgiveness easy, and rarely do I find it completely satisfying. Nagging injustices remain, and the wounds still cause pain. I have to approach God again and again, yielding to him the residue of what I thought I had committed to Him long ago. I do so because the Gospels make clear the connection: God forgives my debts as I forgive my debtors.” Forgiveness makes little sense, as long as we are the ones being asked to forgive. It goes against everything we feel inside when we are the wronged party. And being the flawed humans we are, we do have our limits. However, when we are the ones in need of forgiveness, well, isn’t that quite a different story? C.S. Lewis wrote, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” Let us always be mindful of our own deep and endless need for forgiveness, and grateful for the limitless forgiveness that is extended to us through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Let us be grateful that He did not wait for us to make the first move. “For God demonstrates his great love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8.)” He initiated forgiveness of our sins, and in doing so, released its healing power into the lives of all who accept. In the observational questions this I week, I am providing four links to stories of forgiveness. Please bring a device which allows you to access the stories in your small group. Discuss the emotions and biblical truths in each of the stories. 2. Pray Begin this time in prayer, thanking the Lord for the gift of His Word, and asking for His Spirit to guide your study. Pray for everyone in your group by name.
3. Observational Questions (30 Minutes) Stories of Forgiveness Consider the following verses. Watch the videos (as best you can with a smart phone, tablet, or computer; click on or right-­‐click to open hyperlink) and discuss the history of the verses and how we should respond to the scriptures. How did Sarah, Bruce, Andrea, and Jake respond to the scriptures? Matthew 6:14-­‐15; Isaiah 43:25; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 1:13-­‐14; Romans 5:6-­‐8 1. Sarah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBfAsla86Ko 2. Bruce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q74J9fMiT9M 3. Andrea:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SvAfRC0iqg&list=PL
8_3V6tetS_mR5r1Fz1JDYYboIpBtlvBH&index=3 4. Jake:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BotF8PjxOIU&list=PL8_
3V6tetS_mR5r1Fz1JDYYboIpBtlvBH&index=2 4. Reflect and Apply (20 Minutes, from the bulletin)
5. Serve and Go (10 minutes)
Serve – Go helps develop ministry and leadership through missional activities. Serve is INSIDE the church, and GO is outside the church. These activities can be done as a group or individually. Be encouraged to seek opportunities as a group! Message Five: “Forgiveness” 1. Read Ephesians 1:3-­‐14. Discuss any new thoughts you have after a month of study in this passage. What have you learned? What is new? What has been challenging? 2. Read Ephesians 1:7. We have focused much on the baby in the dump or the slave on the auction block. We have thought about how they would respond to being chosen, redeemed, adopted, and forgiven. How would the slave trader or the father who dumped the baby respond to Paul’s message? 3. How do you feel when the baby dumper or slave trader is forgiven? Do they deserve forgiveness in spite of their crimes? 4. Chris referred to Mark 2:1-­‐12. Take a few minutes and read the text. 5. In Mark 2:5, Jesus said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” How would you have responded if Jesus said that to you? 6. What is your greatest need? Does Paul’s message to Ephesus and Jesus’ response to the paralyzed man change your view of your greatest need? If so, how? Week Five (Make a specific plan to serve and go) There are many service opportunities at The Branch Church! Check out our website at http://www.thebranchchurch.org/serve. You will find these tabs to click on in order to get involved. Find an area where you would like to volunteer, and serve our King while loving on others in the church. 6. Beyond the Weekend (10+ minutes) 1. Take prayer requests (write them down). 2. Open up for all to have the opportunity to pray. 3. Leader, please close out prayer requests in the group by praying for our media teams.