GIVING-UNLOCKING THE HEART OF GOOD STEWARDSHIP
SUPPORT MATETRIAL FOR SESSION FIVE- WHAT IS A BIBLICAL LIFESTYLE
CONNECT
OPTION ONE- VIDEO CLIP FROM A BEAUTIFUL MIND
Show the video clip from A Beautiful Mind (DVD will be provided)
http://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/a-beautiful-mind/all-my-reasons
In this Clip from A Beautiful Mind a brilliant mathematician whose life has been ravaged by schizophrenia finally reaches
the culmination of his life’s work. Despite being on the verge of greatness at an early age, it takes him to very late in life
to win the Nobel Prize. Here in his acceptance speech he states that his greatest discovery is the love of his wife. While
many would assume that his greatest discovery is the mathematical theory that got him the Nobel Prize, he came to
understand that there was something greater at work in his life.
A Biblical Lifestyle when it comes to money and possession can be difficult to define and often gets mischaracterized.
Some will say that God wants us to be happy and blessed and we should have whatever we can get and enjoy it. Others
will claim that to follow Christ requires us to sacrifice and give up everything. For them, a life of poverty is the closest
thing to godliness. However, neither of these views is completely accurate.
A Biblical lifestyle is not about sacrificing everything or having everything it is about pursuing the right thing. John Nash
in the movie came to realize that the most important thing was love. He realized that this was the greater discovery.
Following Christ can take many paths when it comes to money and possessions, but all of the paths come down to one
direction, pursuing the better thing.
OPTION TWO- DISCUSSION CAN BE USED WITH OR WITHOUT VIDEO CLIP
1.
2.
3.
EXPLORE
Share a story about a time you pursued something with a lot of effort only to find it wasn’t what you really
wanted.
Would you say the Christian life is more about enjoying God’s blessings or sacrificing for God’s glory?
How does your view of following Christ shape how you handle money and possessions?
DOES JESUS CALL US TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING
Use the scriptures from #2 in the book to identify what Jesus said about giving up possessions.
1.
2.
What are the recurring themes of these passages?
What do these passages lead us to believe about what Jesus wants us to do?
Use the scriptures from Question #3 to present a different perspective.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Did the people in these passages give up everything?
Would they be described as generous?
Did their actions glorify God?
What truth can we infer from this collection of passages about how God wants us to relate to our
possessions and money.
STRATEGIC LIVING
Read Matthew 13:44-46 to talk about living strategically for the Kingdom
1.
2.
3.
Are these parables about sacrifice or acquisition?
What did each person in the parable come away with? What did they give up?
Did they get something more valuable or less valuable than what they gained?
TRANSFORM
CLOSING DISCUSSION1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What things have you pursued in life?
Have you gained more than you gave up by pursuing these things?
What things have you sacrificed for Christ?
What have you gained through these sacrifices?
How would your life be different if you saw it as pursuit of the right thing versus giving up the wrong things?
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Complete Session 6 in the book before next Sunday.