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7 Stupid to Mess Things We Do Up Our Lives.
seven stupid things A STUDY
THROUG H
PERSONAL WISDOM GUIDE
DR. BEAU ADAMS
PROVERB S
seven stupid things PERSONAL WISDOM GUIDE
DR. BEAU ADAMS
Copyright 2016 by Community Bible Church ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Published by Community Bible Church Copyright and use of the curriculum template is retained by Brett Eastman. Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW LIVING TRANSLATION®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 and 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. ISBN 9781945589386 Printed in the United States of America
 
SevenPERSONAL Stupid Things WISDOM GUIDE INTRODUCTION BY BEAU ADAMS 04 USING THIS WORKBOOK (Read this first) 06 OUTLINE FOR EACH SESSION 07 09 Part 1: Wisdom with my friends Stupid Thing: Following the wrong crowd 22 Part 2: Wisdom with my mind Stupid Thing: Believing we know it all 30 Part 3: Wisdom with my body Stupid Thing: Choosing immorality 40 Part 4: Wisdom with my time Stupid Thing: Allowing myself to become lazy 50 Part 5: Wisdom with my money Stupid Thing: Living in debt 61 Part 6: Wisdom with my words Stupid Thing: Refusing to control my tongue 71 Part 7: Wisdom with my emotions Stupid Thing: Failing to control anger APPENDICES Frequently Asked Questions 82 Small Group Agreement 86 Small Group Calendar 87 Spiritual Partners 88 Memory Verse Cards (Clip and Review) 89 SMALL GROUP LEADERS 91 Hosting an Open House 92 Leading for the First Time 93 Leadership Training 96 Prayer and Praise Report 97 Small Group Roster 98 Notes
BEAU ADAMS
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Thanks for being part of a group at Community! I hope this focus on God’s wisdom for living impacts you as much as it did me. We have all done things we regret, but God is forgiving and loving. He is faithful to help us get back on our feet and get moving in the right direction. I encourage you to be open and supportive with others in your group as you seek God’s wisdom for friendships, families and all of life’s challenges. I am praying that God will use this study to bring people closer together as we experience God’s work in our lives and look for opportunities to reach out to others. I am praying for God’s powerful presence in your group and in your life!
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Using This Workbook
(Tools to Help You Have a Great Small Group Experience!)
1.
Notice in the Table of Contents there are three sections: (1) Sessions; (2) Appendices; and (3) Small Group Leaders. Familiarize yourself with the Appendices. Some of them will be used in the sessions themselves.
2.
If you are facilitating/leading or co-leading a small group, the section Small Group Leaders will give you some experiences of others that will encourage you and help you avoid many common obstacles to effective small group leadership.
3.
Use this workbook as a guide, not a straitjacket. If the group responds to the lesson in an unexpected but honest way, go with that. If you think of a better question than the next one in the lesson, ask it. Take to heart the insights included in the Frequently Asked Questions pages and the Small Group Leaders section.
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4.
Enjoy your Small Group experience.
5.
Pray before each session—for your group members, for your time
6.
Read the Outline for Each Session on the next pages so that you
together, and for wisdom and insights.
understand how the sessions will flow.
Outline of Each Session A typical group session for the “Seven Stupid Things” study will include the following sections. Read through this to get a clear idea of how each group meeting will be structured:
WEEKLY MEMORY VERSES. Each session opens with a Memory Verse that emphasizes an important truth from the session. This is an optional exercise, but we believe that memorizing scripture can be a vital part of filling our minds with God’s will for our lives. We encourage you to give this important habit a try. The verses for our seven sessions are also listed in the appendix.
INTRODUCTION. Each lesson opens with a brief thought that will help you prepare for the session and get you thinking about the particular subject you will explore with your group. Make it a practice to read these before the session. You may want to have the group read them aloud.
SHARE YOUR STORY.
The foundation for spiritual growth is an intimate connection with God
and His family. You build that connection by sharing your story with a few people who really know you and who earn your trust. This section includes some simple questions to get you talking—letting you share as much or as little of your story as you feel comfortable doing. Each session typically offers you two options. You can get to know your whole group by using the icebreaker question(s), or you can check in with one or two group members, your spiritual partner(s), for a deeper connection and encouragement in your spiritual journey.
HEAR GOD’S STORY. In this section, you’ll read the Bible and listen to teaching, in order to hear God’s story—and begin to see how His story aligns with yours. When the study directs you to, you’ll pop in the DVD and watch a short teaching segment. You’ll then have an opportunity to read a passage of scripture, and discuss both the teaching and the text. You won’t focus on accumulating information but on how you should live in light of the Word of God. We want to help you apply the insights from scripture practically and creatively, from your heart as well as your head. At the end of the day, allowing the timeless truths from God’s Word to transform our lives in Christ should be your greatest aim.
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STUDY NOTES. This brief section provides additional commentary, background or insights on the passage you’ll study in the Hear God’s Story section.
CREATE A NEW STORY God wants you to be a part of His Kingdom, and to weave your story into His. That will mean change. It will require you to go His way rather than your own. This won’t happen overnight, but it should happen steadily. By making small, simple choices, we can begin to change our direction. This is where the Bible’s instructions to “be doers of the Word, not just hearers” (James 1:22) comes into play. Many people skip over this aspect of the Christian life because it’s scary, relationally awkward, or simply too much work for their busy schedules. But Jesus wanted all of His disciples to know Him personally, carry out His commands, and help outsiders connect with Him. This doesn’t necessarily mean preaching on street corners. It could mean welcoming newcomers, hosting a short-term group in your home, or walking through this study with a friend. In this study, you’ll have an opportunity to go beyond Bible study to biblical living. This section will also have a question or two that will challenge you to live out your faith by serving others, sharing your faith, and worshiping God.
FOR ADDITIONAL STUDY. If you have time and want to dig deeper into more Bible passages about the topic at hand, we’ve provided additional passages and questions, which you can use either during the meeting, or as homework. Your group may choose to read and prepare before each meeting in order to cover more biblical material. Or, group members can use the additional study section during the week after the meeting. If you prefer not to do study homework, this section will provide you with plenty to discuss within the group. These options allow individuals or the whole group to expand their study while still accommodating those who can’t do homework or are new to your group.
DAILY DEVOTIONS. Each week on the Daily Devotions pages, we provide scriptures to read and reflect on between sessions. This provides you with a chance to slow down, read just a small portion of scripture each day, and reflect and pray through it. You’ll then have a chance to journal your response to what you’ve read. Use this section to seek God on your own throughout the week. This time at home should begin and end with prayer. Don’t get in a hurry. Take enough time to hear God’s direction.
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Part 1:
Wisdom with my friends
Stupid Thing: Following the wrong crowd Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105
Psychologists tell us there are actually two kinds of peer pressure: positive and negative. We’re all familiar with negative peer pressure. Since we were kids we’ve been warned to resist the pressure to drink, do drugs, and make other bad choices. But positive peer pressure is just as real. In fact, researchers have found that when people spend time with a group that works hard in school or on the job, exercises together, or even worships and studies the Bible together (like the group you’re in now!), they are more likely to value the same things. We are all unique individuals, but this research means we are also influenced by who we spend time with, and we’ll see in this week’s study that the Bible tells us exactly the same thing. As we begin our study of the wisdom of Proverbs and what it teaches us about life, we’ll look at why we so often follow the crowd, and how we can follow God’s way instead.
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Share your story Each of us has a story. The events of our life have shaped who we are. God knows your story, and He intends to redeem it, and to use every struggle and every joy to ultimately bring you to Himself. When we share our stories with others, we give them the opportunity to see God at work. When we share our stories, we also realize we are not alone. We realize we have common experiences and thoughts, and that others can understand what we are going through. Your story can encourage someone else, and telling it can lead to a path of freedom for you and for those you share it with. Open your group with prayer. This should be a brief, simple prayer, in which you invite God to give you insight as you study. You can pray for specific requests at the end of the meeting, or stop momentarily to pray if a particular situation comes up during your discussion. Before you start this first meeting, get contact information for every participant. Take time to pass around a copy of the Small Group Roster on page 97, a sheet of paper, or one of you pass your Study Guide, opened to the Small Group Roster. Ask someone to make copies or type up a list with everyone’s information and email it to the group during the week. Then, begin your time together by using the following questions and activities to get people talking.
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• What brought you here? What do you hope to get out of this group?
• Tell the group about a time, perhaps as a child or teenager, when you were tempted to follow the crowd.
• Whether your group is new or ongoing, it’s always important to reflect on and review your values together. A Small Group Agreement with the values we’ve found most useful in sustaining healthy, balanced groups can be found on page 86. We recommend that you choose one or two values, ones you haven’t previously focused on or have room to grow in, to emphasize during this study. Choose ones that will take your group to the next stage of intimacy and spiritual health.
• If your group is new, welcome newcomers. Introduce everyone. You may even want to have name tags for your first meeting.
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• We recommend you rotate host homes on a regular basis and let the hosts lead the meeting. Studies show that healthy groups rotate leadership. This helps to develop every member’s ability to shepherd a few people in a safe environment. Even Jesus gave others the opportunity to serve alongside Him (Mark 6:30-44). Look at the FAQs in the Appendix for additional information about hosting or leading the group.
• The Small Group Calendar on page 87 is a tool for planning who will host and lead each meeting. Take a few minutes to plan hosts and leaders for your remaining meetings. Don’t skip this important step! It will revolutionize your group.
Watch the DVD Use the Notes space provided on pages 98 to record key thoughts, questions and things you want to remember or follow up on. After watching the video, have someone read the discussion questions in the Hear God’s Story section and direct the discussion among the group. As you go through each of the subsequent sections, ask someone else to read the questions and direct the discussion. 12
Hear God’s Story Read Proverbs 1:10-18.
10 My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! 11 They may say, “Come and join us. Let’s hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent! 12 Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave; let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death. 13 Think of the great things we’ll get! We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take. 14 Come, throw in your lot with us; we’ll all share the loot.” 15 My child, don’t go along with them! Stay far away from their paths. 16 They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder. 17 If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away. 18 But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. • What are some ways that sin can be enticing? What lies does Satan tell us so that we’ll follow him?
• What is the payoff or reward that the sinners offer? (verse 13)
• What temptations in your life ended up only being fun in the short-term?
• What is the irony of choosing a path opposed to God’s ways? (verse 18)
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Study notes Most people know Jim Lovell as the lead astronaut for the Apollo 13 mission to the moon, but he began his career as a pilot in the Navy. As a young pilot, Lovell experienced some tense moments during a night flight when his jet’s navigation system failed. There were miles of blackness and ocean between him and the aircraft carrier he was supposed to land on, yet he could not rely on any of the familiar technology he used for altitude, distance, direction, speed, or vision. As his jet sped though the darkness, Lovell made an unusual decision. With the navigation system completely shut down, he also turned the cockpit lights off, surrounding himself with total darkness. He held the jet steady and hoped the blackness of the night would help him see the lights of the landing strip on the aircraft carrier. Miraculously, his decision paid off. A few minutes after darkening the cockpit, he saw a bright glowing trail in the water that led to... his aircraft carrier. He found out later that hundreds of thousands of tiny sea creatures which illuminate in the dark had churned to the surface of the water in the wake of the mighty Navy ship. By following this glowing path, Lovell successfully piloted his plane back to the safety of the landing strip. We can depend on all kinds of things to help us navigate our lives, but the opinions of others and the customs of our culture will not always lead us in the right direction. We have all faced times when we feel like our navigation systems have gone dark. God promises to light our pathways and lead us in the right direction as we follow him.
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Create a new story God wants you to be part of His kingdom, and to weave your story into His. That will mean change by going His way rather than your own. This won’t happen overnight, but it should happen steadily. By starting with small, simple choices, we begin to change our direction. The Holy Spirit helps us along the way by giving us gifts to serve the body, offering us insights into scripture, and challenging us to love not only those around us but those far from God. In this section, talk about how you will apply the wisdom you’ve learned from the teaching and Bible study. Then think about practical steps you can take in the coming week to live out what you’ve learned. • Why is it so difficult to turn our back on negative influences? Why is it so important to feel included and accepted?
• Pastor Beau mentions different kinds of gangs that people want to be part of, but the church should be THE group that everyone wants to join and where everyone is welcome. What are some ways you could help our church grow toward this vision?
• What does it mean to fear God? How does fear of God and respect for his ways help us make better choices?
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• Do you have friends who sharpen you and make you better? If not, what are some ways you could begin cultivating this kind of friendship?
• Take a look at the Circles of Life diagram below and write the names of two or three people you know who need to know Christ. Commit to praying for God’s guidance and an opportunity to share with each of them. Perhaps they would be open to joining the group. Share your lists with the group so you can all be praying for the people you’ve identified.
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• Think of someone you can begin going deeper with in an intentional way. You might choose a person in this group or someone else in your life, such as a family member, a roommate, a college buddy, or a neighbor.
• How will you incorporate the Bible into your life this week? Can you commit to spending time in daily prayer or study of God’s Word (use the Daily Devotions section to guide you)? Tell the group how you plan to follow Jesus this week, and then, at your next meeting, talk about your progress and challenges.
• Stack your hands just as a sports team does in the huddle. Commit to taking a risk by going deeper in your group and in your relationships with each other.
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• Ask your group members how you can pray for them this week. Invite everyone to share, but don’t force the issue. Be sure to write prayer requests on your Prayer and Praise Report on page 96.
• Close your meeting with prayer.
For additional study If you feel God nudging you to go deeper, take some time before the next meeting to dig into His Word. Explore the Bible passages related to this session’s theme on your own and jot your reflections in a journal or in this study guide. A great way to gain insight on a passage is to read it in several different translations. You may want to use a Bible app or website to compare translations. Read James 4:1-4. • This is a pretty bold passage! How does this teaching from James complement this week’s study from Proverbs 1?
• If we want something, what is the way we should seek it?
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• What does it mean to be a friend of the world?
Read James 1:12-15. • What is our reward for choosing God’s way?
• Where does temptation come from? Why does God allow it?
• Temptation (feelings and thoughts) lead to sinful actions, which lead to death. Think about times you have given into temptation. How did you feel? What steps do you take now to avoid straying from God’s path in those areas of your life?
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Daily Devotionals DAY 1 Read Mark 12:29-30.
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’
REFLECT:
How does living this way make it easier to choose the things of God? What is one
way you could begin loving God more this week with your heart, soul, mind, or strength?
DAY 2 Read Proverbs 25:26.
If the godly give in to the wicked, it’s like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring.
REFLECT: God can forgive and redeem all things, but this verse is teaching us about the consequences of sin. When we choose to give in to sin, we are “polluting” the beauty he wants to create in our lives.
DAY 3 Read Hebrews 4:15.
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
REFLECT: Of course we will never be perfect like Jesus, but it’s a good reminder that no matter what temptation we experience, Jesus faced it first, and successfully turned his back on it.
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DAY 4 Read Psalm 46:1.
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
REFLECT: When the wrong crowd beckons us to leave the right path, we are not alone. God is our constant help. Ask him to give you his strength in the challenges you face.
DAY 5 Read Jeremiah 10:7.
Who would not fear you, O King of nations? That title belongs to you alone! Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like you.
REFLECT: As we close this week, take a few minutes to reflect on the greatness of God. The more we know him and fear him, the less appealing sin becomes!
DAY 6 Use the following space to write any thoughts God has put in your heart and mind about the things we have looked at in this session and during your Daily Devotions time this week.
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seven stupid things
God wants the absolute best
for your life, and His Word is a treasure map for finding it. Sadly, we often fail to follow the map. We either ignore it, thinking we have a better way, or we avoid it because His plan simply seems too hard.
PERSONAL WISDOM GUIDE
In Seven Stupid Things We Do to Mess Up Our Lives, Beau Adams identifies seven of the biggest mistakes we make when we turn away from God’s instruction. He then offers insights from scripture-all illustrated with examples from real life--to point us back to God’s path. With practical teaching focused on the wisdom of Proverbs, this Bible study will help your group tackle tough topics and apply the Bible to real life while deepening relationships with God and with one another.
Study guide intended to be used with the DVD
Part 1: Stupid Thing:
Wisdom with my Friends Following the wrong crowd
Part 5: Wisdom with my Money Stupid Thing: Living in debt
Part 2: Wisdom with my Mind Stupid Thing: Believing we know it all
Part 6: Wisdom with my Words Stupid Thing: Refusing to control my tongue
Part 3: Wisdom with my Body Stupid Thing: Choosing immorality
Part 7: Wisdom with my Emotions Stupid Thing: Failing to control anger
Part 4: Wisdom with my Time Stupid Thing: Allowing myself to become lazy
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