Leader Guide
This weekend we talked about money and how to navigate it the way Jesus intended. Jesus talked about money often. He knew the love of it was a trap and causes many of the issues and problems in this world. Let's look at what the Bible teaches about the wrong desire for money over God.
What you will need: A Bible or your Bible app, a notebook, pen, and highlighter. The verses highlighted below are linked so that you can easily access them during your study time.
Jump Start
Leaders: This section is designed to get discussions started, examine God’s truth, and apply it to our week. Life Group leaders should not assume everyone in their group is a Christ follower. Because they are taking part in a Life Group, they must have some openness to knowing more, exploring. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work and let Him lead you as well.
1. Read 1 Timothy 6:9-10. At what point does money turn into a problem in this scripture? What does “craving” money seem to cause?
Leaders: Money itself is not evil, we need it to survive and take care of our needs, but when it turns into your primary pursuit, it can cause pain and hurt. Keeping God first is the right priority, as we learned last week.
2. Tithe. Read Matthew 23:23 (NLT), Genesis 4:3-7. Jesus confirmed tithing was important but what was most important? What was the issue with Cain’s offering? Consider the difference between Cain’s offering and Abel’s offering.
Leaders: Trusting God with the first ten percent of our income is established in God's word, from the Old to New Testament. However, the most important issue is the condition of our heart with our money. God should be our priority. Cain gave “an” offering and Abel gave the “firstborn”. God just wanted his best and our best.
3. Generosity. Read Luke 14:13-14, Matthew 5:42. To whom are we called to be generous? What is God trying to teach us about our finances? How can our generosity impact God’s Kingdom?
Leaders: God calls us to go above and beyond the tithe, by being generous to those less fortunate, not expecting anything in return. It isn’t our job to judge the people begging from us. While we shouldn’t be foolish with resources, neither should we be stingy with them. Our treasures are not here on earth but in eternity. This can be a hard concept to grasp and requires the Holy Spirit to show us and help us to see the needs of others and not just ourselves.
4. Contentment. Read 1 Timothy 6:6-8. Consider why godliness and contentment is “great gain?” Why is contentment so hard in our culture today?
Leaders: When we realize that everything, we have been given is God’s, it will free us from holding on so tight. We cannot take anything with us when we leave this world. Ask God to give us the ability to be thankful and happy with what we have.
Action Step: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the next steps on your journey with tithing, generosity and contentment.
Deeper
What can we learn from the rich young ruler that approached Jesus asking what he must do to have eternal life? Let's look at how his wealth seemed to be his priority.
5. Read Matthew 19:16-19. What was the young man looking for? What was Jesus's response?
Leaders: The young man seemed to be doing all the right things, but here we see that Jesus was looking at the heart.
6. Read Matthew 19:20-22. Consider what Jesus was trying to get the young man to see about himself. Why did the man leave sad?
Leaders: This story is not about working to earn salvation. This was a heart issue. The young man was not willing to give up his possessions to follow Jesus. His possessions were his priority. We must trust Jesus with everything and surrender it all to Him, it's all His anyway.