Hello, Men of Mount Bethel Church,
You may have been one of the 40 or so men who engaged in our Builders Men’s Ministry last fall focusing on Tony Evan’s devotional – Kingdom Man. Or, maybe you heard about it. We had meaningful fun together getting to know each other better, mixing with different age groups, and growing in our closeness to God. After receiving some valuable feedback from our men, we are ready to launch our next gathering this coming Tuesday, February 15, from 7-8:30pm in the Chapel at Mount Bethel Church.
So the night will look like this — 7:00pm to 8:30pm:
- Opening – Get Together
- What scripture truth are we exploring tonight?
- Small Group Discussion around the table.
- Application to the Life of a Man
Want to prep for this Tuesday, February 15, 7:00pm discussion / study?
Here’s how:
A. Read the passage from I Peter 1:1-5
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hopethrough the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
B. Read these paragraphs of application of the 1 Peter 1:1-5 scripture
Living Hope Trumps False Hope Any Day!
What did you get for Christmas last month? Do you remember? Do you recall who gave you each gift you received? I am sometimes surprised at how quickly I forget who gave me what gift. You? I am usually very thankful at the time, but how soon I move on. Were any of those gifts life-changing or hope-inspiring? No, I am not taking on the role of Mr. Scrooge or the Grinch that stole Christmas. I am simply, profoundly struck by the living hope that I have in Jesus Christ and in no other gift, person, or power.
My wife and kids/grandkids have been so kind over the years to give me wonderful gifts and make my heart happy…mostly because the gifts were given in love. I enjoy the gifts, I use the gifts, I eat some of the gifts…food items, of course. But the greatest gifts I have received don’t change my life any more than my gifts to them change theirs. I hope they are blessed by my gifts to them as I am by theirs to me.
The greatest gifts I receive are time spent with them, phone calls, videos, texts, emails, and any and all other ways I can either see, hear, or be with them. I have hope that I will see them again, and perhaps even spend a few days with them since our kids are scattered across the USA. I have hope that Carol and I will spend many more years together enjoying being friends, lovers, and brother/ sister in God’s family here on earth.
The idea that any of the things mentioned thus far will give me eternal, ultimate, or living hope is short-sighted and false. I am going to enjoy these wonderful gifts from God while I am here on earth for as long as I can, but I have a greater hope, a permanent hope,… a living hope.
In my position as a minister of the Gospel, which is a calling from God to help spread the Good News of Jesus to as many people in as many places for as long as possible, I am now recognizing that the greatest gift I have been given is the sure hope, the living hope that will not die, of an eternity with God in heaven secured for me by Jesus Christ. That hope is a living hope that cannot “perish, spoil, or fade”. (I Peter 1: 3-5— Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.)
Did you catch that? No matter what happens to me or to this world system, my living hope is permanent because of what Jesus did for me and is procured by grace through faith. He keeps my inheritance safe and secure. I don’t keep it. You don’t keep it. Jesus keeps it. That, my friend, is living hope….not dead hope, hopeful hope, maybe hope. He offers Living hope. Do you have living hope? Jesus already came once, already died once for all, already rose again victorious over sin and death, and now offers eternal life to you and to me.
What I am saying to you is that every other form of hope, or all other things for which we hope will come and go; but Jesus and His promises are in an entirely different category. Jesus is real. Heaven is real. Forgiveness is real. Sin is real. Eternity is real. Hell is real. Spending eternity someplace is real for each person. Do you have living hope? Don’t wait. Living hope in Jesus Christ is for you. He is for you. He is coming back. That, friend, is sure hope and living hope.
C. Look over these few questions we’ll discuss around the table
- Lean In: Finish these sentences: “I sure hope our country will….” “Who do you know who seems to have lots of hope?” What makes men happy or fulfilled? What gives men hope?
- Look Down: What gifts do you see listed in this passage in 1 Peter 1:1-5, and how would those gifts bring hope or not?
- Look Out: Where have those men, you watched in life, looked to find real hope for a successful, happy life? How did their hope work for them? Did they find hope and was it lasting or temporary? Without mentioning a name to others, think of someone you know who has been hopeless at times. What made them hopeless? Did they find hope? How?
- Look In: In what ways do you currently or have you looked for happiness and found success and hope? Were you ever more hopeful than you are now? Are you still hopeful? Where does your hope originate? Is your hope living and secure for here and hereafter?
- What could we as men do to help other men and boys find real hope for their future? What is the difference between helping them find a living hope or a dead/dying hope?