Gift & Worth, Part 3

by | Messages | 0 comments

The first letter we have written to the earliest followers of Jesus has a surprising message for us. This week we see the way Paul confronted external measures of worth imposed by people within the church in Galatia and explore how we are still tempted to rely on our own symbols of status and worth today.

Discussion Questions for Gift & Worth (Galatians) Part 3 | September 16, 2018 | Click here for a printable version.

Key Bible Passage: Galatians 2:1-14

Discussion

  1. If you were at church this past Sunday, how did it feel to celebrate communion differently? What hesitations did you have? How did it challenge your thinking?
  2. The message described how three key things gave Jews a sense of identity at the time of Paul: holidays, food restrictions, and circumcision. Do you find this hard to understand? Discuss how could these three practices could become wrapped up in identity and worth and what perspective Jews might have developed toward Gentiles who did not share these practices.
  3. What are the key symbols of status or worth in our culture? Make a list of ten options and then rank which three you think are most influential.
  4. If you’re willing, share with your group the areas where you struggle the most with your own sense of worth. How do you feel shame or weariness from trying to establish your worth?
  5. In Antioch and at Corinth, the community’s criteria of worth were exposed at shared meals. Where or how are our criteria of worth exposed in our culture?
  6. If actions speak louder than words and reveal what we truly believe about our worth (and others’ worth), what are you feeling challenged to tangibly do differently this week?

Moving Forward

Share something you will do differently this week with your group and discuss how you will encourage one another to do what you committed to.

Stream/download/play the song You Say (Lauren Daigle) every morning this week to help you remember where you find your true worth.

Consider celebrating communion as a group the next time you meet. Discuss what kind of meal you could prepare/share that would symbolically thank God for his gift of Jesus and proclaim a new criteria of worth.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download