DISCUSSION GUIDE
© 2016 by Paul Tripp Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. 7214 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19135 www.paultripp.com/plus 215-338-4000 plus@paultripp.com If you are a Plus Member on PaulTripp.com, you are permitted to make an unlimited number of copies of this PDF Discussion Guide for yourself, your family and/or your Bible Study or small group. Any reproduction, distribution or sharing of the Jonah video files outside of your small group gathering without written permission is strictly prohibited. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
-2-
GREETINGS, Thank you for signing up for Paul Tripp Plus and downloading this bible study. As I read through the book of Jonah for what seemed like the one millionth time, God opened my eyes to new spiritual realities while reminding me of old spiritual truths that I had been neglecting. I pray he will do the same in your heart and life!
HOW TO USE THIS STUDY You can employ the eight (8) video sessions and this accompanying Discussion Guide in any way you see fit, but, I designed it with two purposes in mind: Individual: This material makes for a great personal devotional. Each video is brief - less than 10 minutes - so you can watch the lesson and spend the following minutes working through the content provided in this Discussion Guide. Small Group: If you’re going to use this material in a group, I suggest scheduling four gatherings to complete this curriculum. I also strongly believe that the group discussion time is more important than the video lesson, so spend at least twice as many minutes discussing each lesson after you watched the video. For example:
GATHERING 1 7:00pm - 7:05pm: Discuss Opening Question for Lesson 1 7:05pm - 7:15pm: Watch Lesson 1 7:15pm - 7:45pm: Discuss Lesson 1 7:45pm - 7:50pm: Discuss Opening Question for Lesson 2 7:50pm - 8:00pm: Watch Lesson 2 8:00pm - 8:30pm: Discuss Lesson 2 Leaders: on the following page, I have more instructions on how to facilitate a gathering. God bless, Paul David Tripp
-3-
LEADERS, Thank you for being willing to facilitate this study on Jonah. I believe that these 48 Old Testament verses summarize a biblical worldview, and God has chosen for you to help your brothers and sisters develop more accurate vision. How exciting! As the facilitator, your role is both similar and different to those participating. You should pay close attention to the material and listen with a humble heart, because God wants to teach you things. At the same time, it’s your role to lead others and be available to give counsel, advice and wisdom. Here are some recommendations for you to keep in mind as you lead: • Watch all eight video lessons and follow along with the Discussion Guide in advance of your first group gathering; having a full understanding of Jonah before this study begins will allow you to facilitate more effectively. • Agree on a start and end time and honor it; four 60 to 90-minute gatherings should provide ample time to finish this study. • Facilitate each gathering, asking questions and encouraging participation. Solicit answers from multiple participants; don’t let the same person answer every question. For some questions, it might be appropriate to ask everyone, but don’t force anyone to answer. • Allow time for participants to answer, rephrasing the question when necessary. Avoid answering questions yourself; contribute, but don’t dominate. • Affirm everyone’s participation and allow “questionable” responses to remain uncorrected. Rejecting answers, or allowing others to reject answers, can result in an environment of timidity and reduce honesty among participants. Often, a “questionable” or “faulty” answer will be corrected over the course of time. • Lead with transparency and vulnerability, and others will follow. Remember, there’s nothing that could ever be exposed about us that Jesus hasn’t already covered. We have confidence to admit moral failure and cry out for help. • Adjust as necessary. If you believe that skipping certain questions or spending an entire lesson on one question in particular will benefit your gathering, do so. There are multiple discussion questions for each lesson, and my assumption is that you won’t be able to ask all of them in each lesson without rushing. This guide is merely a template, so select questions you believe are most relevant. -4-
LESSON ONE DISCUSS BEFORE WATCHING Why did God choose for the book of Jonah to be included in the Biblical canon? What purpose do you think it serves for Christians today?
WATCH LESSON ONE The Worldview of the God of Grace
8 minutes, 21 seconds
DISCUSS AFTER WATCHING 1. Apart from the Bible, what else contributes to your worldview? 2. In what ways did you forget or ignore the existence of the God this week? How would you have acted differently if you weren’t a God-amnesiac? 3. In what ways are you experiencing the brokenness of your culture and the sin of others? How are you responding when that brokenness splashes into your life? 4. Where is God calling you to live for something bigger than your life? How are you responding to His invitation?
-5-
LESSON TWO DISCUSS BEFORE WATCHING Share a moment from your past when you felt God calling you to do something difficult, but instead of responding in faithful obedience, you chose another course of action.
WATCH LESSON TWO Running from the God of Grace
8 minutes, 30 seconds
DISCUSS AFTER WATCHING 1. How is your culture living under the deceit by sin? In what ways are you more like them than unlike them? 2. Reflect on your conversations from last week. What words did you speak under the delusion that your life belonged to you? Do you need to seek forgiveness from the person who heard those words? 3. In what ways have you closed your eyes to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the people around you? How can you be used by God to meet these needs later this month? Be specific. 4. What is God calling you to do today that you are resisting? Why do you think this call is such a struggle for you?
-6-
END OF PREVIEW To unlock the entire Discussion Guide and the 8 video sessions that accompany this study, become a Plus Member on PaulTripp.com today!
PAULTRIPP.COM/PLUS