Subject: CBSM weekly SS small group leaders email

Hey CBSM SS Small Group Leaders!

Everything you need for this Sunday to lead a life-application discussion for Christ is up on the blog (www.storylineframework.com). There you will find the sermon in written form, the mp3, my sermon notes, etc. Those should be the big helpers for you. Actually, the NUMERO UNO big helper for you is that you personally read the chapters for yourself! God’s Word always trumps everything else.

The quick summary of the study: “GET SMART” is about the book of Proverbs. The book of Proverbs was primarily written by Solomon to one of his sons in order to give him wisdom in order to rule in a godly and biblical way. The book is all about having the knowledge and the wisdom of fearing the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is all over this book! Jesus is the Lord (Rom 10:9). Jesus is wisdom calling out in the street (Prov 1, Prov 8, 1 Corinthians 1:24, 30). Jesus is the name of the Son of the Holy One (Prov 30:4). Fearing the Lord means to have a biblical and worshipful awe, adoration, and reverence. So Proverbs is teaching us to gain as much knowledge as we possibly can. Then on top of that, we need to grow in wisdom. While knowledge is facts and information, wisdom in the skill in which we biblically apply that knowledge to our every day lives, decisions, and choices. We gain all knowledge with Jesus as the center of it all, and we use all wisdom with Jesus as our motivation.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: What is your goal this week as a small group and as individual Christians to read Proverbs on a daily basis and to prepare for both Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings?

What is one of the dumbest things you’ve ever done (like Pastor Chip in Buffalo Wild Wings) that you should have used more wisdom.

How would you connect the book of Proverbs and its theme of teaching us knowledge and wisdom in the fear of the Lord with our DNOW Weekend…and our need to know the culture but live for Christ in the culture with wisdom? (Matthew 10:16)

Who is the author of Proverbs, what is his background, and what makes him an authority to be able to write on wisdom to God’s people? (1 Kings 3 and 4)

What happened in the garden of Eden that had to do with wisdom? How did Satan tempt Adam and Eve? Why did Eve fall for it? What does the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil have to do with wisdom today? (Genesis 3) Like Adam and Eve: where do teengers today try to get their wisdom to live a better life…other than God and His Word?

What questions do you have from Pastor Chip’s sermon this last Wednesday night?

Read Proverbs 1:2-6. Talk about each of these verses, and everything you you will be able to learn this month through your Scripture reading, the Wednesday night preaching, and your Sunday morning small groups as we study Proverbs.

Read Proverbs 1:7. What does “fear” mean here? How might it be different for a believer and unbeliever? Who is the Lord here? What does he mean by knowledge here? What does it mean that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge?

How would you answer a friend who asked, “Am I supposed to fear God?”

Read Proverbs 8:1-4. Who is this wisdom crying out? Read 1 Corinthians 1:18- 25. Who is THE wisdom of God? Who is calling us to live in His wisdom? Remember, Jesus is the “WAY” of all life (John 14:6).

Read Proverbs 9:10. What is the difference in WISDOM here and KNOWLEDGE in Proverbs 1:7? Define knowledge. Define wisdom. How are they different? How do they work together?

Read Proverbs 30:1-6. Is verse 4 specifically speaking of Jesus? If so, why is it important that we see Jesus as the point of Proverbs and wisdom? What if he’s not? What difference would that make?

Think about wisdom and the gospel. How wise do you think God is to design the gospel in the way that He did. How much wisdom must a sinner have to call on Christ? Is that really the wisest choice a sinner could make with his or her life? Where would their wisdom come from in order to call on Christ?

Think about issues we brought up on Wednesday night like divorce, dead beat dads who can’t communicate with their kids, adultery in marriage, etc. How do habits in teenagers lives today lead to such deep sins later on? How can you protect yourself from turning out a destructive person in the future?

In what ways have you picked-apart your life this week in order to live more wisely for Jesus? Have you picked yourself apart by identifying where you are gaining your wisdom for life? Have you picked apart your day and what all you do? Have you picked apart your relationships and friendships? Have you picked apart your conversations? Have you picked apart your thoughts? What prayer requests can you think of to pray for yourself, your small group, and CBSM specifically from this lesson as a whole?

Your SS small group should be centered around these three questions which your students should be able to answer from their reading, their attendance on Wednesday, and their previous knowledge of the passages. I would encourage you to give EQUAL TIME to each of the questions! So save time to talk much about Jesus and life application! Or you can just go through the story and intermix Jesus and life application all the way through.

Question 1: What is the story of the passages?

Question 2: How do the passages point us to Christ?

Question 3: How do the passages apply to our lives?

Yes, we need to ask these questions every Sunday because we want them to be thinking these three simple questions for every devotion, for every sermon, for every conversation, etc. These are the big 3!

Can you ask other questions? Absolutely you can! In fact, I would encourage you to think of some good application question that would apply specifically to your group. These questions will be much different for the 7th grade girls than the 12th grade guys!

Here is a general outline of your class that I think would be very beneficial! 1. Listen: Let your class talk a few minutes and just listen to them, listen to their weekend, listen to their lives, listen to their week… listen to their hearts. 2. Prayer: Ask for prayer requests before you start the discussion. 3. Accountability: Ask your class if they did their Bible reading, how their prayer life went this week, who they’ve witnessed to, and about their relationship with Christ. 4. Discussion: Ask the BIG 3 QUESTIONS along with other questions that sparked in your mind during your reading. Don’t be afraid if they get off track a little. Listen to where their minds and conversations are going, and try to take a wide facilitating turn back to the Word. 5. Prayer: Ask for prayer requests again, but this time ask them to be specifically from what you’ve studied and discussed that morning. Ask how yall can be praying for each other, and how yall can be praying for the student ministry through the passages. And take time to pray together!

That should easily take up 45 to an hour. If you have any questions…please let me know! Feel free to refer back to this email often. Let me know if you have any helpful suggestions for the rest of the teachers. I’m also attaching a commentary on the book of Judges in case you need it for more answers!

Only by His grace, Chip www.storylineframework.com