Craig Groeschel - #Struggles Bible Study Guide: Following Jesus in a Selfie-Centered World

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(general editor)

ZONDERVAN

#Struggles Study Guide

Copyright 2015 by Craig Groeschel

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ePub Edition October 2015: ISBN 978-0-310-68472-5

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible. Copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked The Voice are taken from The Voice Bible, copyright Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice translation, copyright Ecclesia Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Craig Groeschel is represented by Thomas J. Winters of Winters & King, Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Cover design: Dual Identity

Cover photography: svetikd / iStockphoto

Interior design: Denise Froehlich

First Printing August 2015

Contents

Group Size

The #Struggles video study is designed to be experienced in a group setting such as a Bible study, Sunday school class, or any small group gathering. To ensure everyone has enough time to participate in discussions, it is recommended that large groups break up into smaller groups of four to six people each.

Materials Needed

Each participant should have his or her own study guide, which includes notes for video segments, directions for activities and discussion questions, as well as personal studies to deepen learning between sessions.

Timing

The time notations for example (17 minutes) indicate the actual time of video segments and the suggested times for each activity or discussion. For example:

Individual Activity: What I Want to Remember (2 minutes)

Adhering to the suggested times will enable you to complete each session in one hour. If you have a longer meeting, you may wish to allow more time for discussion and activities. You may also opt to devote two meetings rather than one to each session. In addition to allowing discussions to be more spacious, this has the added advantage of allowing group members to read related chapters in the #Struggles book and to complete the personal study between meetings. In the second meeting, devote the time allotted for watching the video to discussing group members insights and questions from their reading and personal study.

Practice

Each session ends with a suggested application activity for group members to complete between sessions. Although the activity is completed outside of the group meeting, its a good idea to read through the practice before concluding the meeting to clarify any questions and to make sure everyone is on board.

Facilitation

Each group should appoint a facilitator who is responsible for starting the video and for keeping track of time during discussions and activities. Facilitators may also read questions aloud and monitor discussions, prompting participants to respond and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate.

Personal Studies

Maximize the impact of the curriculum with additional study between group sessions. Every personal study includes reflection questions, Bible study, and a guided prayer activity. Youll get the most out of the study by setting aside about thirty minutes between sessions for personal study, as well as additional time to complete the weekly practice activities.

Ebook Instructions

In this ebook edition, please use your devices note-taking function to record your thoughts wherever you see the bracketed instructions [Your Notes] or [Your Response]. Use your devices highlighting function to record your response whenever you are asked to checkmark, circle, underline, or otherwise indicate your answer(s).

The Struggle with Comparisons

All day long we are bombarded with messages that seek to persuade us of two things: that we are (or ought to be) discontented and that contentment is only one step away: use me, buy me, eat me, wear me, try me, drive me, put me in your hair.

John Ortberg, Love Beyond Reason

Welcome!

Welcome to Session 1 of #Struggles. If this is your first time together as a group, take a moment to introduce yourselves to each other before the group activity. Then lets begin!

Group Activity: Devices Out and Down (2 minutes)

The #Struggles study explores how things like new technology and social media can complicate age-old struggles such as comparison, envy, jealousy, greed, and a variety of addictions. The goal is to learn biblical values that can help us restore balance in our lives and address any unhealthy overreliance we might have on technology. As a starting point, try taking a break from technology for the duration of your group meeting.

1. Take out your phone, tablet, or any other electronic device you may have with you. Turn it off or place it in airplane mode. (The only exception here and in all remaining sessions is for those who are using an ebook version of the guide and need their device to participate in the study. If so, put the device in airplane mode and use it only to access the guide.)

2. Set your device face down in the center of the room (if you are sitting in a circle), or at the front of the room (if you are sitting in rows). Ideally, you should be able to see your device but not be able to reach it.

3. Continue with the remainder of the group meeting. Rest assured that you will retrieve your device after closing prayer at the end of the session!

Video: Recovering Contentment (10 minutes)

Play the video segment for . As you watch, use the outline provided to follow along or to take additional notes on anything that stands out to you.

Notes

The more we compare, the less satisfied we are.