Outreach Promises, Excerpts from Group Discussion Guide

Excerpts from Outreach Promises

Appendix 1: Group Discussion Guide

General Guidelines

Setting and size. Outreach Promises can be discussed in any group of any size: Bible classes at church, small groups meeting in homes, evangelism and mission committees, as well as groups of men, women, and youth. The study can last either 7 or 8 sessions.

Goal and audiences. The goal is to encourage Christians to share their faith and support mission outreach. Participants may include folks who seldom witness, as well as people active in evangelism. All will benefit from outreach promises.

Leader's role. Formal teaching and lecturing are not required. The leader should seek an apprentice or co-leader. Duties include:

Recruit people to participate in the study.
Schedule meeting times and locations.
Assign a "host" to prepare refreshments.
Direct discussion, using the study guide for each chapter.
Establish an atmosphere of communication and caring.
Keep the conversations on track and moving along.
When possible, permit discussion in groups of about four.
Plan for learning to occur in the mind, spirit, and will.
Allow the Holy Spirit to direct the discussion.
Promote prayer both during sessions and between them.

Agenda and discussion. First, allow time for the group to gather and converse informally. Second, discuss the assigned chapter. Third, share prayer topics relating to Christian outreach, and then be sure to pray. Exactly how much time you devote to each of the three components will depend on your total time available. The following is a healthy balance: Gathering 10% of the available time; Discussion 60-70%; Prayer 20-30%.

Study Guide for Chapter 1

Possible variations for starting the course:
If participants do not receive the book and read Ch. 1 ahead of time, you may elect to devote two sessions to Ch. 1. If so, read and discuss Sections A and B in class the first week. Then assign Sections C, D, and E for the second session. In this case, the course will last 8 sessions rather than 7.

Goals:

1. To promote group cohesion and honest communication.

2. To value sharing the gospel with lost people.

3. To clarify one's present role(s) in witnessing and mission.

4. To identify outreach doubts, fears, and discouragement.

5. To begin to desire God's cure for our outreach paralysis.

A. Informal conversation.

B. Discussion of Chapter 1.

1. Open with prayer.

2 Do you know people with multiple sclerosis or another debilitating ailment? What might they think of a treatment which relieved their symptoms?

3. In what ways do we experience outreach paralysis?

4. What remedy does the author propose? (See p. 8.)

5. What is your initial reaction to this proposed remedy?

6. Discuss the definitions in Section B. Determine your group's level of understanding and agreement about these points.

7. In pairs, share responses to questions in Section B, Part 2.

8. Use questions in the text to discuss Sections C, D, & E.

C. Prayer.

Assignment for next session:

1. Either read Ch. 2 or read Ch. 1, Sections C, D, & E.

2. Respond to the discovery questions in the text.

Study Guide for Chapter 2

Goals:

1. To promote group cohesion and honest communication.

2. To distinguish the three categories of prophecy.

3. To value the unique features of outreach prophecy.

4. To instill curiosity to mine the vein of outreach prophecy.

5. To desire to fulfill outreach prophecy, by the Spirit's power.

A. Informal conversation.

B. Discussion of Chapter 2.

1. Open with prayer.

2 Has anyone here ever been inside a mine? What is it like?

3. Refer to the illustration on page 17. What does the author mean by this diagram?

4. Have you every experienced the wonder of the messianic prophecies? What is your opinion of them?

5. Did you enjoy playing the Psalm 22 Game? What lessons did you learn by playing it?

6. To fulfill God's ongoing outreach prophecies is called an honor. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

7. How important is end times prophecy to you and your church?

8. Which of the three categories of prophecy is emphasized most in your church?

9. Are you eager to begin mining the Bible's vein of outreach prophecy? Why or why not?

10. At the end of each section of this chapter is a suggested "action step." Comment on an action you took.

C. Prayer.

Assignment for next session:

1. Read Chapter 3.

2. Respond to the discovery questions in the text.

Study Guide for Chapter 7

Goals:

1. To discuss ways to develop and use outreach promises.

2. To design personal strategies for using outreach promises.

3. To design team strategies for using outreach promises.

4. To resolve, with God's help, to implement our strategies.

A. Informal conversation.

B. Discussion of Chapter 7.

1. Open with prayer.

2 Through what steps must a hypothesized medical cure proceed before it can be considered a safe and reliable remedy?

3. Review the ten steps for experiments in Section A? Are you willing to follow them? Why or why not? What might occur if you were to do so with some other Christians? (See John 14:12-14.)

4. In regard to Bible knowledge, do you consider yourself more like an amateur rock hound or a professional geologist? What steps will you take to continue to mine outreach promises?

5. Brainstorm ways to use outreach promises in your church.

6. What steps will you take to provide a steady dose of good stings in your church?

7. A picture is worth a thousand words. Does this maxim hold true with artistic renditions of outreach promises? Give examples.

8. Whether you are an artist or not, what steps will you take to develop works based on outreach promises?

9. How much do you value the promise "It is finished"? How much do you value the promise "It is done"?

10. Do the visualizing exercise "What you see" in Section E. Share responses to the discovery questions there.

11. Design personal and group strategies to use outreach promises. Don't skim over this. It is the key to the future. You may even decide to continue meeting to pursue this goal further.

C. Prayer.

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