Leader Guide
This weekend in the message we talked about how our culture does not always line up with biblical principles. However, God has called believers and non-believers to live together. Let’s look at what Jesus said about this in the parable of the wheat and weeds.
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. Share an experience you encountered with your job, kids' school, or a situation, not lining up with God’s Word? What's the biggest change in culture that you have seen?
2. Satan has a presence in the world. Read Matthew 13:24-28. Who is the enemy in this parable? Do you give the enemy too much credit at times? What do weeds and wheat represent? How can we stay alert to the enemy’s attack?
Leaders: The enemy in this parable is satan and the weeds and wheat represent people in the world. The world and people are imperfect. Satan is real but at times we blame him for everything. We do quite well on our own, making wrong choices or following our own fleshly desires.
3. Believers must exist with non-believers. Read Matthew 13:29-30. What did Jesus want them to do with the wheat and weeds? How does that indicate we are to live together with everyone? Who is the judge that will take care of everything in the end?
Leaders: We are not just to accept Christ and then live in isolation. We are to live together in this world. We are all created by God, and he loves the world and gave His Son for it. We are to be together and share Christ’s love with others as we go about our lives.
4. Stay rooted. Read Colossians 4:5-6, John 15:5. How are we to talk and carry on conversations with others? If you stay rooted and attached to Jesus what will be the results? What fruit have you seen in your life from abiding in Jesus?
Leaders: God ask us to use the most of our time and to be gracious when we share with others. The Holy Spirit will give you the wisdom you need. To do this we have to stay firmly connected to Jesus. We cannot do anything without Him. We can guard ourselves by staying rooted in God, by making good choices about what we let into our minds and homes.
Action Step: This week make a commitment to daily abide, daily walk, daily seek, daily submit to Jesus. Keep coming back and stay rooted in Him. This is the only way we can make a difference in this world.
Deeper
5. Read 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. How did Paul live his life? Consider how Paul thought about the lost (weeds) in his time on earth?
Leaders: Paul was so radically forgiven and changed by what Christ did for him. He was on a mission to share with the world about this Jesus he had met.
6. Read Ephesians 3:14-21. According to this scripture, what can you see about Paul that helped him abide so closely to Christ?
Leaders: Paul humbled himself, kneeled before the Father, and realized he created all people. He understood how powerful the love of Christ was. That love had changed the whole course of his life.