Mens Group June 15, 2015

Take Home Message

Jesus is the well and only He can quench our 'thirst.'
Outline
A. Prayer and opening remarks
B. Mark Hall from Casting Crowns: Address to the Graduating Class of 2012
C. Discussion
D. Prayer Requests and Prayer
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A. Prayer and opening remarks
1) Plan for this evening
2) Scripture Reading - See separate sheet.
3) Prayer
B. Mark Hall from Casting Crowns: Address to the Graduating Class of 2012
C. Discussion
1) Mark mentioned that many of us say that we want to do big things for God. He
said that he didn't quite get that. Then he posed a provocative question, "Who had
the bigger ministry, Billy Graham or the guy who drove the church bus that used
to drive him to church every week?" He then concluded by positing that doing
big things for God is simply using the gifts that God has given you, blooming
where you are planted, and pointing people to God. Have you ever wanted to do
"big things for God?" What are your thoughts about what Mark said? Does this
change your idea of what it means to be doing big things for God?
2) Mark claims that many of us go to Jesus looking for 'super water' or 'magic Jesus
dust.' We want Him to sprinkle it all over our own plans and stuff thinking that
this will solve all of our problems. He says that this particularly manifests itself
in our thinking that if only God would change some aspect of our situation, then
life would be good. (Ex. New job, new friends, new church, etc.). He then points
out the problem with this thinking. He claims that if you are empty in your
current situation, then you will still be empty in your new situation even though
you are looking to your new situation to fill you. He points out that the new
situations that we are looking to in order to fill us, were never meant to do that.
He then posits that our problem is not in our situations, it's in us, and it's all
spiritual. He concludes by pointing out that only Jesus can fill our emptiness and
complete us. During the course of showing this, Mark pointed out that when we
are spiritually thirsty and not looking to Jesus to fill us, we will go to something
else, even things that we would never have dreamed of going to(An example
could be pornography), in order to quench the thirst. Have you ever seen this
process worked out in your life? Can you provide an example? How many of our
problems are truly the result of us being thirsty and not going to Jesus to be filled?

3) Mark points out that Jesus didn't call you to find the right job or the right person
to marry. Instead, He called you to know Him and to make Him known. He then
says that God asks you to draw from Him and that He promises that as you draw
from Him, you'll be full wherever you go. As one of his examples, he says that if
you enter marriage full, then you will pour into your spouse rather than sucking
the life out of them if you enter into it empty. What do you think about this point
that he was making? Do you agree with him? If not, what don't you agree with?
Lastly, are you fulfilling this calling to know God and make Him known, or are
you focused on a different 'calling,' a calling that may not even be from God?
4) Near the end of his talk, Mark talked about the importance of not allowing the
wrong things to define us. He focuses on our work and says that we should never
allow our work to become our identity. He points out that we are not our jobs.
For example, he claims that instead of saying that you are a banker, you should
say that you are a disciple of Christ who happens to do banking for a profession or
work. What are your thoughts about this? Have you ever found yourself defining
yourself by the work that you do?
5) To conclude his speech, Mark encourages us to do three things: a) Guard your
time with Jesus; b) Seek community; and, c) Remember that you are a fountain
and not a pond. He summarizes by saying that as you are soaking Jesus in and are
in your community, pour everything that you have into the people around you and
don't forget that Jesus is the well. Go to Him alone to be filled. Are you currently
doing these three things? Are you quenching your thirst with Jesus or are you
looking to other things to quench it?
D. Prayer Requests and Prayer
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