Winter 2019Growth Group Study

Winter Growth Group Study“Many times, we have configured in our minds who God should save and who God shouldn’t save based on how comfortable I am with engaging them.”1

As a congregation, we have been thinking about how Jesus is God’s global initiative. We have considered the ways in which God has initiated a global project of salvation in and through Christ Jesus. And, as the people of Jesus, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be part of that global initiative.

This study on the Book of Jonah will help us further consider the global scope of God’s mercy and salvation. The prophet Jonah had a rather narrow view as to who God should or would save. This book of the Bible shows us how God desires all people to come to know His love and mercy.

Knowing the peace and the power of the cross means that our lives – just like the people of Nineveh – are powerfully transformed by God.

1 Eric Mason2

Session OverviewSession Verses Central

TeachingSession I(Video #1) Jonah 1:1-3 God loves

‘unloveables’Session II(Video #2) Jonah 1:4-6 God pursues usSession III(Video #4)

Jonah 1:17-2:10

God calls us to repent

Session IV(Video #7) Jonah 4:1-4 God abounds in

mercy

RightNow MediaThe videos for this study are available at www.rightnowmedia.org. If you need help accessing this platform, then please contact the church office.

Additional LearningWe are not studying the entire book of Jonah in this winter Growth Group study. There are additional video segments that are available for you to explore on your own. Consider using the information below to help guide your study of God’s Word on your own.

Video Additional Learning

Video #3 -Explores Jonah 1:7-16

Video #5 -Explores Jonah 3:1-5

Video #6 -Explores Jonah 3:6-10

Video #8 -Explores Jonah 4:5-11

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Session I: Jonah 1:1-3GETTING STARTEDMake sure everyone knows each other. Have all participants tell about a time they made an incorrect assumption about something or someone. What happened? What did you learn? Have someone offer up a prayer for God’s blessing on the study.

WATCH VIDEO #1 RightNow Media

(The Book of Jonah – Eric Mason)

DIG INRead Jonah 1:1-3 and discuss the following questions:

What are some words you could use to describe Jonah’s response to God’s call?

How does Jonah’s response compare to the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8)

Have you ever responded to a difficult ‘call’ from the Lord? If so, what happened?

It is significant that Jonah is “going to Tarshish” (Jonah 1:3). Read the following verses and discuss why it’s significant that Jonah flees to Tarshish:

1 Kings 22:48 Psalm 48:7 Isaiah 23:14 Ezekiel 27:25-26

God called Jonah to go beyond Israel’s borders. The thought of proclaiming God’s Word to the Assyrians in Nineveh was too much for Jonah to comprehend. Yet, Jonah was not the only prophet to serve outside of his homeland. God called Elijah to go to Zarephath (part of Sidon) and proclaim God’s Word there. Read 1 Kings 17:8-24 and discuss:

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Both Jonah and Elijah were called to go beyond their borders. How did their responses differ?

How did Elijah, in the words of Eric Mason, “put theology ahead of sociology”?

How might we be vulnerable to making Jonah’s same mistake in our own lives?

Read Acts 8:1-3. God chose Saul (later known as Paul) to be a tremendous leader in the early church. How is Saul similar to the Assyrians? That is, in what ways were both Saul and Assyria ‘unloving’ toward God and God’s people?

In the video we heard, “If God responded to us like we respond to other people…none of us would have been saved.” Read Psalm 53:3 and Romans 3:23. Why is it important to recognize we are all sinful and broken people?

Jesus had compassion on wayward, sinful, and rejected people. Read the following verses and discuss how Jesus shows love for so-called unloveables:

Mark 2:13-17 Matthew 9:36-38 Luke 7:36-39,44-50

WRAPPING UPBe sure to thank your hosts and begin planning a service activity and fellowship event. Share prayer requests and close with a time of prayer together.

Prayer Requests

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Session II: Jonah 1:4-6GETTING STARTEDMake sure everyone knows each other. The video that you will soon watch introduces the idea of “divine interruptions.” Why does the word “interruption” usually have a negative connotation? When might an interruption be a good thing? Have someone offer up a prayer for God’s blessing on the study.

WATCH VIDEO #2 RightNow Media

(The Book of Jonah – Eric Mason)

DIG INRead Jonah 1:4-16. In these verses, a lot of things are being thrown around. Look at the following verses and identify what is being “hurled” or “thrown”:

1:4 1:5 1:12 1:15

In Jonah 1:4, we hear that, “the ship threatened to break up.” Discuss the following questions:

In what ways did Jonah but his trust in the ship? Luther’s Small Catechism defines an idol as

something that we, “fear, love, and trust in.” What idols did Jonah have?

What things might we put too much confidence in? How might we know if we are putting too much confidence in something or someone other than God?

Jonah was living below his identity by running away from God’s call. Read the following verses and discuss what they say about living up to who God has called us to be in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthian 1:26-316

Galatians 5:13 Philippians 3:13-14

In Jonah 1:5, we hear that Jonah is fast asleep in the midst of the storm. The captain of the boat instructs him to, “Arise, call out to your god” (Jonah 1:6). Read the following verses and discuss how the word ‘arise’ points to God compassionately pursuing his people:

Isaiah 60:1-3 Mark 5:40-42 Ephesians 5:13-15

As you are comfortable, please consider the following and discuss with the group. (If you are not comfortable sharing, use these questions for personal reflection this week).

Have you ever tried to run away from something that you felt God was calling you to do?

What “storms” has God sent into your life? How have they affected your relationship with Him? Were you angry with God or did you turn to God in faith?

Do you think God miraculously intervenes in daily life today as he did with Jonah?

WRAPPING UPBe sure to thank your hosts and solidify a service activity and fellowship event. Share prayer requests and close with a time of prayer together.

Prayer Request

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Session III: Jonah 1:17-2:10GETTING STARTEDMake sure everyone knows each other. Discuss the following question: What makes something a counterfeit? Is deception a necessary feature of a counterfeit? Have someone offer up a prayer for God’s blessing on the group’s time together.

WATCH VIDEO #4 RightNow Media

(The Book of Jonah – Eric Mason)

DIG INRead Jonah 1:17-2:10. In verse 17, we read, “And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah.” Jonah 4:6-8 discusses God appointing a plant, worm, and wind to do His work. Read the following verses and discuss the contrast between the obedience of humans and the obedience of the rest of creation:

Isaiah 1:3 Numbers 22:22-31 Isaiah 44:23, 49:13, 55:12

This section explores the topic of repentance. The Greek word for repentance is ‘metanoia’ and it means receiving a new mind or having a change of mind. Discuss how the following verses depict repentance:

2 Timothy 2:22-26 Acts 26:19-20 2 Corinthians 7:8-10

In the video, Eric Mason says that Jonah’s prayer is full of “a whole bunch of I, Me, and My’s.” Discuss the following:

Do you agree with Mason that Jonah’s prayer focused more on himself and not enough on God?

Read Psalm 51:1-12. In what ways is David’s prayer of repentance similar to Jonah’s prayer? In what way are these prayers different from one another?

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Read Nehemiah 1:4-7. How is Nehemiah’s prayer different than Jonah’s prayer?

It is very important to note that Jonah’s prayer in the belly of the fish is filled with references to the Psalms (i.e. Psalm 18:6, 42:7, 31:22, 107:5, 118:14).

How is it that Jonah is able to recall the Psalms while he is in this situation?

What does this tell us about Jonah’s knowledge of Scripture?

How can our practice of daily Bible reading prove to be vital when we are in desperate situation like Jonah?

What Bible verses have you memorized and recall in times of trouble?

How has Bible reading produced fruit in your life?

Discuss: Why can it be so hard for us to admit our need for God? How can others help us to flee from counterfeit repentance? How does God use the people around us to bring us to true repentance?

WRAPPING UPBe sure to thank your hosts. Share prayer requests and close with a time of prayer together.

Session IV: Jonah 4:1-4GETTING STARTED

Prayer Requests

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Make sure everyone knows each other. Discuss the following questions: What is the most dramatic movie you have ever seen? What made the movie so dramatic?

WATCH VIDEO #7RightNow Media

(The Book of Jonah – Eric Mason)

DIG INRead Jonah 3:1-5. After a short detour, Jonah finally gets to Nineveh and proclaims God’s Word to the people there. Discuss the following:

Looking at Jonah 3:4, in what ways is Jonah proclaiming a message of God’s judgment and wrath?

In what ways is Jonah proclaiming a message of God’s mercy and salvation? That is, how many days until God enacts this wrath?

Read Jonah 3:6-10. The people of Nineveh – all the way up to the king – repented of their sins. And God had mercy on them. Discuss the following:

Who are some unlikely recipients of God’s mercy and salvation in the Bible?

o Consider the following: Exodus 18:1,10; Luke 23:39-43; Matthew 15:21-28

What does it say about God that He would (a) warn the people of Nineveh and (b) relent from the destruction?

In what ways is God the hero of the Book of Jonah?

Read Jonah 4:1-4. Discuss the following: How does Jonah’s response to God’s mercy contrast

with the words of Jesus in Luke 15:7 It appears, based on Jonah 4:2, that Jonah was

reluctant to go to Nineveh because he knew God would have mercy on them. What does this reveal about Jonah?

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In what ways might we be like Jonah? How would we know if we are falling into Jonah-like behaviors or thinking?

“Bitterness is powerful. It’s a powerful sin. It’s the fermenting of unforgiveness and anger…you know you’re in a bad place when you want God to destroy people.” (Eric Mason)

Agree or disagree? Read Luke 9:51-56. Why did Jesus rebuke James

and John for their request? Theologians talk about how wrath is God’s ‘alien

work’ whereas mercy is God’s ‘proper work.’ What does this mean? How does the Book of Jonah show this distinction?

How does the Book of Jonah connect to the theme of Jesus: God’s Global Initiative?

WRAPPING UPBe sure to thank your hosts. Be sure to continue caring for one another and meet as a group to share Christian life together. Share prayer requests and close with a time of prayer together.

Notes

Prayer Requests

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