Small Group Study/Discussion Guide for Christian ChurchesBased on the NOOMA “Rich” Welcome People Explain the Format
Explain briefly what the One Campaign is all about. Open in Prayer
Explain that in a few moments, the group will watch a short film and that afterwards they will discuss some of the implications of the film. The discussions should be in small groups of maybe 5-8 people each, to give each person an opportunity to share. If that means breaking a large group into smaller ones, do so after the film has been viewed together.
The Need You may have heard the statistics...they’re staggering…frightening…almost unbelievable… One billion people in the world live on less than one dollar per day Surprised? Disturbed? A little angry and confused maybe?
The Dilemma Our Christian faith teaches us that when God created the world, it was “very good.” Our faith also teaches us that Jesus is Lord of all creation. If we’re honest, we have to admit that there is a vast disconnect between the world as God intended it to be, and the world as we see it today. Surely, if God is so good, and rules over His creation, He could put a stop to this. Surely, if He is everything our faith claims He is, then He can provide the money, the food, the medicine, the clean drinking water, to save the multitudes the world over from the suffering they endure every day of their lives… So why doesn’t He? Indeed, if God created the world to be good, and if Jesus is truly Lord of all creation, then why do we see so much poverty and disease all around us? These are legitimate questions…questions that demand answers…but suppose for a moment that God has provided everything needed to rid the world of poverty…and so much more…
How did we ever get to where we are today? Because God loves His creation and has not left us to fend for ourselves, we do have answers. We have answers because God has revealed Himself to us in so many ways…through His creation, through Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, and through His written word, the Bible. The Bible tells us of God’s work in human history. If we understand the Bible, we not only understand why there is poverty and suffering in the world, but we also get a glimpse of God’s answer to these and other problems all around us. In the beginning, God created the world and it was very good (Genesis 1:31a). As God created the world, people were intended to live in perfect harmony with Him and with others. There was no sin, no death, no disease, no suffering…no poverty. Humanity fell, and as a result of its sin, all of creation was under a curse (Genesis 3:17-19). Sin wreaked havoc on God’s good creation, bringing death, disease, and poverty, which, in turn, led to the presence of people who lived on the fringes of society, people who were not able to care for themselves. From the beginning, God demonstrated a special place in His heart for the marginalized (Psalm 10:17-18). God chose a man, Abraham, and promised to bless him, making his offspring into a great nation. God further promised that through this nation, Israel, He would bless the world (Genesis 12:1-3). As God’s chosen people, Israel was to represent God on Earth, and was to care about those things that God cared about. They were to provide for the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29; Deuteronomy 15:11) and they were to seek justice and defend the rights of those who could not do so themselves (Psalm 82:3-4). Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, came to earth as a humble servant (Matthew 20:28), giving humanity hope and salvation. In Jesus, the Kingdom of God broke into our world, and people got a picture of what all of creation will be like one day when God restores all things to Himself. Jesus spent much of His time on earth with the poor and oppressed – serving them by loving them…feeding them…healing them. Jesus challenged His followers to love God, and to love others as themselves. He even said that at the final judgment, His true followers would be known by how they treated the outcasts – the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the prisoner (Matthew 25:31-40). The church was established to represent Jesus on earth and to point the world to the day when God will restore His good creation (Matthew 24:14). Like Israel, we are blessed not for ourselves, but in order to bless others (Ephesians 2:10). When God’s Kingdom comes in its fullness, all will be made right. There will be no sin, there will be no death, no disease, no poverty (Revelation 21:1-5).
“Rich” Based on what the speaker said, what are your initial reactions to the message in the film? Do you believe that America has been blessed? Has the American church been blessed? How do you know? “All that we have is a gift.” Do you truly view everything we have as a gift from God? Why or why not? “God made us for so much more than just enjoying our stuff…God gives for a reason.” Take an inventory of what you have – your relationships, your money, your material possessions, your talents. Take an inventory of the American church…the resources, the land, the freedom we enjoy. Do you believe that God gave us all that we have for a reason? If so, what is that reason? “In the Bible, when God blesses somebody, when God gives to them, it’s so that they’ll bless and give to others.” What does it mean to be a blessing to others? Is this an option for the believer, or for the church of Jesus Christ? In light of the statistics we read at the beginning, how can we use our gifts to bring blessing to people suffering in poverty? How can we, the American church, bless children dying of malaria in Africa? “…when we do the commands of God, when we do good deeds, we’re helping to repair and restore the world.” What does the speaker mean when he says that in doing our good deeds, we are helping to repair and restore the world? How can our good deeds help to repair the brokenness in the villages of Africa? “This is about something much, much bigger than just giving to the latest cause…this is about how we view the world…and how we view our stuff…this is about what you and I truly believe about what we have…do I really believe that everything I have is a gift and that I have this divine responsibility to give, to share, to spread it around? Do I really believe that the way we’re commanded to live is the best possible way to live?” When the speaker says that this is about more than just writing a check, what is he saying? How does this line up with what Jesus said about the way we are to live our lives as His followers in a broken world? Do we have a divine responsibility to share what we have? Do we have a divine obligation to care for dying children half a world away? “But when Jesus talks about His followers, He talks about people who are generous, people who clothe the naked, take food to the hungry, take water to the thirsty, people who visit the prisoner, people who invite the stranger in, people who give their time, people who give their energy, people who give their money.” Is Jesus talking about using our good works to get to heaven? Or is He saying something much deeper about the very lifestyle a believer is to live? Are we prepared to answer one day for what we did to alleviate the incessant pain endured by our brothers and sisters across the globe? “You and I are told, every day in a thousand ways, that we need bigger, better, and more, and that what we have, it isn’t good enough. We’re told buy this, consume that, get this, and then, we’ll be happy.” In what ways does our culture tell us that we need bigger, better, and more? What does our culture promise us if we do so? How does this line up with the messages we hear in many churches across America today? What would Jesus say about such a message? The speaker quotes 1st Timothy 6:17-19, which says, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” How do Paul’s words line up with the messages our culture preaches? What does Paul mean by a “life that is truly life?” Is Paul calling us to live countercultural lives? Does Jesus call us to this same kind of countercultural life? How can us living countercultural lives make a difference in the lives of AIDS orphans in Africa? Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” What would it look like if the American church took Jesus’ and Paul’s words seriously and began to see our possessions and our wealth as gifts that God wants to use to bless the world? What would the church look like? What would Africa look like? What would our world look like? What impact might that have for eternity?
Back to the Original Problem We can question God all we want…we can shake our fists at Him and demand answers to all our questions, legitimate as we may believe them to be…but if we want to be honest, and if we want to be the people He has called us to be, and live the life He has called us to live, we need to ask a new question: If we, the church in America, who have been blessed so abundantly by our heavenly Father, have enough wealth, food, medicine, and expertise to share with the poor and the sick…then why do we see so much poverty and disease all around us? Consider this for a moment. There are millions and millions of people in our world who live in extreme poverty. But God, in His mercy, has provided the poor with what they need. God has provided meals for the hungry, healing for the sick, clean water for those who have none. God has provided families for orphans, clothing for the naked, justice for the oppressed. God has provided the blessings for the entire world, and He has put them in the hands of the church. And He has put them in our hands not for our use, but for His…in order to reach across the oceans and into the cities and villages, bringing hope…bringing healing….bringing life…to those who have nothing.
The Call We know the life Jesus calls us to live. We know the need. We can even understand the connection between the two intellectually, but what can we really do about the billions who suffer? How can we possibly prevent the unnecessary deaths of thousands of people…children…every day? We can start by becoming more aware of the depth of the problem of poverty…and its effects. We can educate ourselves, and others. We can give sacrificially of our resources to organizations that are committed to eradicating poverty. We can give generously of our time to work alongside those who labor to free people of the bonds they live with every day of their lives. And we can speak up…loudly...boldly, incessantly…joining countless others who have been touched and are horrified by the desperate plight of our brothers and sisters in Africa, and around the world. Proverbs 31:8 tells us, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” We can do this by contacting our representatives and senators in Washington, DC, encouraging them to continue to fight poverty and disease around the world…to support legislation that will make a real difference, and to allocate additional aid in order to make our whole world…God’s world, a better place for all….and not just for the privileged few. Can it really make a difference, though? Yes, it can… • Since 2001, United States bilateral aid to Africa has more than tripled. So much has been done…and is being done…and yet so much more is needed. If God’s people will respond to His call to love our neighbors, to speak up for those who have no voice, to share our wealth with those who are needy, and to take seriously His calling on us to bless others with the gifts He has given us, then we will make a difference…and poverty and its devastating effects can finally be banished to where they belong...the history books… Won’t you start today? For more information, please visit www.one.org. |