Beginner's Guide - Week 4

INTRO VIDEO

INTRODUCTION

8 MINUTES

INTERACTIVE: Getting to Know You

Before we jump in today, I want everyone to stand up and find a partner. Here’s the catch: Your partner needs to be someone you don’t know very well or don’t know at all!

For the next few minutes, I want you to ask your partner questions about themselves. Try to really get to know each other in the time you have together. Feel free to use the questions on the screen to get your conversation started! [Three minutes on the clock.]

Conversation Starter Questions

• What’s your favorite thing to do?

• What’s your favorite movie?

• What TV show do you love?

• What school do you go to?

• What type of music do you listen to?

• What’s your favorite food?

• Do you have any siblings?

Okay, time’s up! Everyone return to your seats.

So how did you do? Do you feel like you really got to know your partner? Did you feel like you wanted to learn more, but didn’t know what to ask? Sometimes it’s easy to get to know someone new. But other times, as an introvert, learning about someone or something new doesn’t always come so easy, does it?

It’s kind of like school! Not every subject is easy for all of us to understand right away. Sometimes it takes a question or two to really get it. Trust me, I felt that way a lot in school!

TELL A PERSONAL STORY

· When I was a student, school always seemed so easy for me, but I will tell you, I really struggled with Chemistry. It was all I could do to make sense of all the elements and equations. Through the first nine weeks, I was barely passing.

· I remember getting my report card and I did not want to show my parents. I just knew they were going to be mad at me, but I showed my dad and he asked me one question, “What’s going on?” I told him that I thought I was getting it, but I guess I wasn’t. Then he asked one more question, “What are you going to do about it?” And that was it. I didn’t get in trouble. Instead he left it to me to fix.

· I remember going back to school that next week still wondering what to do. Then I heard my teacher, Mr. Lehman, say something that I had never heard him say before. He said, “Are there any questions?” Ok… he probably said something like that before, but this is the first time that is hit me and guess what, I raised my hand.

· That one experience opened the door for me to start the process of really learning chemistry. By the time the year was done, I had pulled my grade up to an A.. all because I paused to ask a question.

· I was so excited about chemistry that I decided to take it my first semester in college and I pulled a hard fought C. I really missed Mr. Lehman!

We’ve all been there, right? Unless you’re a super genius, you’ve probably encountered at least one subject in school that has been really hard for you to understand. Some of us get so frustrated when that happens that we decide to quit trying. We decide we’re never going to get it, so what’s the point in trying to learn it?

But others of us decide to keep going. These are the ones that if they can’t understand something on their own, they start asking questions. Just like you learned in getting to know someone new today, your questions are important! They have a way of helping you learn new things. Sometimes we wait for someone else to ask questions for us so it doesn’t look we don’t have all the answers! Isn’t it funny how we have no problem showing off the stuff we know in class, but the minute we aren’t sure about something, we hesitate to ask? It’s almost like we think our questions make us look bad in some way.

TENSION

4 MINUTES

Honestly, some of you probably feel the same way here at church sometimes! You come here to learn about God and maybe even try to connect with Him in a new way. But so much of what we talk about leaves you feeling less like you’re growing in faith and more like you’re not sure about faith.

In other words, you have questions!

Maybe you show up at church and really want to understand this whole faith thing, but none of it feels logical. I mean, the whole world created in seven days? Snakes that talked? Sick people being healed? Sure, those sound like a cool stories, but to you, they just don’t make a lot of sense. You’ve got questions and maybe even doubts about some of the things we talk about here at church. But you feel like you can’t speak up and actually ask them.

Why? Well, for some of you, you’re worried that asking those questions might make you look bad. To your small group, your Small Group Leader, or even to God. After all, a person who has faith and comes to church every single week wouldn’t ask questions, right?

Others of you might not want to ask your questions because you think they’re dumb. Maybe you think the things you aren’t sure about are things you should already know. And you probably think you’re the only one asking those questions. You don’t want to look silly by speaking up and actually asking them, right?

Or maybe you’re not asking simply because you don’t know who to ask! You want to have a conversation about some of the doubts and questions you have when it comes to this whole faith thing, but you’re just not sure who to talk to about it all.

No matter where you are with all this faith stuff or what kinds of questions you might have, let me let you in on a little secret: You’re not the only one. Yes, that’s right. Big or small, we’ve all got questions when it comes to our faith. And honestly, that’s not a bad thing at all. If learning about and connecting with God is the most important thing we can do in our lives (and I think it is!), then I think we have to ask those questions! It’s part of the process!

TRUTH

4 MINUTES

A great place to start learning about and connecting with God is through an incredible Book that documents the relationship between God and humans: the Bible! There’s a book in the Bible called Mark, and in it, we get a picture of what God is looking for when we try to connect with Him. After being questioned by the religious leaders of the time about what was the most important thing in our faith, Jesus replied with these words:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30 NIV, emphasis added).

So what did Jesus say? It’s all about love! When we try to connect with God, the most important thing is to love Him with our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Well, part of loving God with our minds is taking the time to learn about Him—to ask the questions we have as a way to grow our faith in Him. You see, learning about God is a way to connect with God. And part of learning is asking!

It’s a lot like the activity we did earlier. You partnered up with someone you didn’t know, and you were challenged to get to know them. You came in here today not knowing anything about your partner. But you’re leaving here knowing more about them. You’re leaving here with a start of a new relationship. Why? Because you connected with them by learning about who they are.

You might be thinking, “Well, it’s easy to get to know someone who is standing right in front of me. But it’s a whole other story when it comes to God! How am I supposed to learn more about Him when I have so many questions? I don’t even know where to start.”

The good news is we’re not the only ones who have had questions about God and all this faith stuff. The Bible is actually full of people who spent a lot of time questioning the things they heard about God. In fact, when Jesus was on Earth, He spent a lot of time teaching and answering questions people had about who He was and the message He had for the world.

In the book of John—a book written by one of Jesus’ closest followers—we get a glimpse at a time when Jesus was doing just that—answering a lot of questions. He was speaking to a group of people who had question, after question, after question about all kinds of things. These people were called the Pharisees, and they had a lot of trouble believing everything Jesus said about who He was and what He’d come to do. They’d spent their lives following a bunch of rules and laws of religion—rules and laws that Jesus seemed to be changing or challenging with everything He said. So needless to say, these guys had questions!

They wanted to know how it was possible that Jesus could be both God and man. They wanted to know who His father was. They wanted to know what He meant by some of the things He said would happen to Him on Earth. They wanted to know who He really was.

What’s interesting about this exchange is that Jesus never shut them down. The more questions they asked, the more answers He gave. He wasn’t afraid of their questions. It doesn’t seem like He got mad or frustrated that they asked. He knew they were trying to trick or trap Him—to catch Him unable to give an answer. Still, He didn’t refuse to answer. Instead, He kept on talking with them. He kept answering. He wanted them to truly learn, understand, and believe that He was exactly who He said He was—the Son of God!

Towards the end of this exchange, Jesus simply said this:

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NIV).

I love this verse because it’s so important for our faith! Maybe you’re struggling right now because you feel like your faith is being held back or limited by the questions you have. But I think it’s just the opposite! The more you pursue what’s true, the more you understand what is true. That’s what Jesus is talking about here!

If we want our faith to grow, we have to ask those questions. We have to learn. We have to use our minds to discover what’s true about God. And when we do, we’ll find the freedom to grow in our faith. You see, your faith doesn’t have to be based on feeling alone. In fact, it shouldn’t be! Feelings change all the time. But what’s true about God? That never changes! And that means you can have faith because of what you’ve questioned and learned to be true.

Remember, learning about God is a way to connect with God. It’s a way to love Him with our minds. It’s a part of the process. We’re never going to have all the answers to all of our questions, but that’s not the point. The point is to grow in our relationship with God and connect with Him. And part of that process is learning and asking questions. Because when we pursue what’s true, Jesus promises us that we’ll find more freedom to keep going and growing in our faith.

APPLICATION

1 MINUTE

So what do we do with all the questions we have about faith, and God, and all this Jesus stuff? Well, I think the best thing we can do is actually start asking them!

This week, pick one area of your faith where you wish you knew more. Maybe it’s a specific story in the Bible that you’ve heard about, but don’t really understand. Or maybe it’s a characteristic of God that you want to know more about. Maybe it’s an event from Scripture that you aren’t sure you truly understand or even believe. Or maybe it’s a habit like prayer that you don’t totally believe works. Whatever it is, focus on just one part of this whole faith thing you aren’t sure about, and ask your questions. Get them out of your head. Maybe write them all down in one place.

Then, take a step toward pursuing what’s true and learning more about that area of your faith this week. Maybe talk to your Small Group Leader or read a little more in your Bible about it. Or maybe just simply pray that God would show you how you can learn more about what you aren’t sure of. You can even talk to someone a little older and further along in their faith journey about your questions and doubts—someone who will help point you to what’s true!

And just see what happens! I promise that you aren’t the first person who has ever asked those questions, and you certainly won’t be the last! The more you learn about God and discover what’s true about Him, the more freedom you’ll find as you grow and connect with Him.

LANDING

1 MINUTE

Remember, learning about God is a way to connect with God. So don’t be afraid to dive in, ask questions, and start learning more about what’s true.

And as I close this message today, I want you to think about this: What’s one question you have about God?

Let’s pray.