True FasT: Hope For a Broken World€¦ · VIDEO CLIPS After you’ve opened in prayer, gone...

True FasT: Hope Fora Broken WorldSmall Group Materials

THe 58: pledge

I WIll…

•EmbracethetruthsofIsaiah58inpracticalways-today.

•Confrontindifferencetowardthepoor,whoaredearlyloved

byGod.

•Sharethemessageofhopeandpossibility,pointingout

progressandchallenginglowexpectations.

•LivetheTrueFastofIsaiah58throughactsofpersonal

sacrificeinwhateverwaysIcan.

•Inviteotherstojoinmeinliving58:sothatwemight“spend

ourselvesonbehalfofthehungryandsatisfytheneedsofthe

oppressed.”

•Unitewithotherstobuildanunprecedentedmovementto

bringanendtoextremepovertyinourlifetime.

•Celebrateaswemakeprogress,rejoicingineverylife

impacted.

•Live58.

Signed_______________________________Date____________

AllsessionsarethepropertyofLive58.

AllScripturequotations,inthispublicationarefromtheHOLYBIBLE,

NEWINTERNATIONALVERSION®NIV®Copyright©1973,1978,1984,

2011byBiblica,Inc.®.Usedbypermission.Allrightsreservedworldwide.

The“NIV”and“NewInternationalVersion”aretrademarksregisteredin

theUnitedStatesPatentandTrademarkOfficebyBiblica,Inc.®.Useof

eithertrademarkrequiresthepermissionofBiblica,Inc.®.

ACkNOWLEDGEmENTS

Ourthankstothewriters,editors,coordinatorsandproducerswhomade

thiskitpossible

•BonnieBelzer

•karlaColonnieves

•HopeForti

•CathyHillyard

SpecialgratitudetoScottLeeandEmilyRogersatLuxCreative

(theluxcreative.com),RicSiebenat7StoryProductions,LLC

(7storyproductions.com),andHerbWetzelatPressOn!

([email protected])

True FasT: Hope Fora Broken WorldSmall Group Materials

TaBle oF ConTenTs

Foreword i

Introduction ii

HowtoUseThisStudy iii

parT oneWEEk1:The FalseFastandSpiritualPoverty 2

WEEk2:ANewkindofFast:HopeforaBrokenWorld 10

WEEk3:FreedomfromOppressionToday 17

parT TWoWEEk4:God’sDesignforWorkandmoney 25

WEEk5:LovingYourLiteralNeighbor 32

WEEk6:God’sResponsetoInjustice 40

Appendix:ActionListforSmallGroups 46

PrintablememoryVerseCards 56

ForeWord

SacrificeisonewordthatmarkstheGospel.“ForGodsolovedthe

worldthatHegaveHisonlySon…”Sacrificemeans,“togiveup

somethingyouloveforsomethingyoulovemore.”Asapastor

livinginthesuburbsofkaty,Texasmylifehasbeentoooften

markedbythepursuitofcomfort,convenienceandconsumption

thanconscioussacrifice.

Neverbeforehasthecallbeensocleartoleavemylifeof

unconsciousconsumptionandtakeGod’shopeandhealingto

abrokenworld.Live58isourgeneration’scalltounprecedented

collaborationtobringhopetothosesufferinginextremepoverty.

Isaiah58isawakeupcalltoeveryfollowerofJesuslongingfor

thekingdomofGod.Butwhatcanoneperson,onechurch,one

communitydotomakeadifference?Usethissmallgroupmaterial

toengagetheScriptureandyourquestions.Begintofast,pray,give

andshout.Togetherwecanseeamovementofsacrificetoend

extremepoverty.

Dr.JerryEdmonson,LeadPastor

TheFellowshipatCincoRanch,katyTexas

i FOREWORD

InTroduCTIon

WebelievethatsmallactsoffaithfulnessalignedwithGod’sheart

canbringhopetoabrokenworld.Comelearnmoreaboutthe

Live58movementthroughthissmallgroupdiscussionexperience!

WehopethisjourneytounderstandingGod’sheartforthepoor

willopenyoureyes,heartsandmindstothepossibilitiesGodhas

instoreforthosewhochoosetoanswerHiscalltoendextreme

povertybylivingoutIsaiah58.

ChristianityTodaystated,“Untilrecently,58wasjustanumber.

[Now,itisa]symbolofjusticeandpossibility.”Weencourageyouto

explore“living58”anddiscussthehope-fueledpossibilityofending

extremepovertyinourgeneration.Canitbedone?Whoneedsto

beinvolved?WeareengagingChristians,churchesandnon-profit

organizationsinacollaborativeglobalmovementoffasting,prayer,

givingandshouting.Weseektomovethemindsetofindividuals

andchurchesfromuninformedpessimismofthisglobalproblemto

informedhopefulness.

Wearemakingprogressagainstextremepoverty—andthrough

unprecedentedunity,wecanmultiplyourimpactforGod’s

purposes!

LET’SGETSTARTED.

TheLive58Team

INTRODUCT ION ii

HoW To use THIs sTudy

Thankyouforchoosingtostartyourjourneytowardunderstanding

God’sheartforthepoor.Wedesiretohelpyoubeginlivingoutthe

principleswearecalledtoinIsaiah58.

Wewishwecouldsitwithyounowandsay“Thankyou!”in

person.Wealsowishwecouldhearanyquestionsyoumighthave

aboutwhatthesethreetosixweekswillrequireofyou.

Sinceweareunabletodoso,wecompiledastep-by-stepguideto

helpyoufacilitateachurchclass,campusstudy,neighborhoodsmall

group,casualmeetingswithagroupoffriendsorevenapersonal

study.You’llfindeverythingyouneedtogetstartedinthisguide.

Ifyou’releadingagroupbutdon’tthinkyou’rethe“leadingtype,”

don’tworry!Thiskitisdesignedtosimplyhelpyougettheballrolling

andfacilitatediscussionsothateveryonecanlearnmore.

Ifyouneedfurtherhelpthanwhat’sprovidedinthisguide,send

[email protected].

susTaIned TransForMaTIon: groWIng TogeTHer as a CoMMunITy Thisvisionofsmallgrouplearningandactionlendsitselfto

sustainedtransformation.Becauseyouarelearningandtaking

actionasafamily—whetherbiologicalorspiritual(seemoreonthe

intergenerationalnatureofthisstudyattheendofthissection)—we

don’texpectthisTrueFasttobeshort-livedora“camphigh.”These

conceptsofcompassion,mercy,justiceandfreedomwillbeginto

coloryourentirefaith,andyourdailyactionswilllookdifferent

becauseoflife-on-lifementorship.

iii HOW TO U S E TH I S S TUDY

Sustainedtransformationmeansthatourfamilies,prayerlife,

communitiesandmissiontripswillallhavedeepermarksofGod’s

heartforcompassion.Whenyoulearntogetherasagroup,youare

abletosharewitheachotherthethingsGodhaslaidonyourhearts

toaccomplish.Attheendofthisstudy,checkouttheappendix

“ActionListforSmallGroups”tocontinuethejourney.

HoW Many people?Trytomaintainagroupofnomorethan12members.Ifyouhavea

largergroup,createsmallerbreakoutgroupsduringdiscussiontime

toincreaseparticipationanddialogue.

HoW Many Weeks?Wesetthisstudyuptobeusefultomanydifferentchurches,

dependingonhowtheystructuresmallgroups.Foryour

convenience,we’vedividedthestudyintotwoparts.

Somechurchesmightwanttofocusona3-weekjourneyto

coincidewithasermonseries.Thefirstthreelessonsfocuson

Isaiah58(“PartOne”)andcanstandontheirownasacomplete

study.TheintrotoPartOnegivesahistoricalandbiblicalcontext

forthesethreelessons,whichseparatesIsaiah58convenientlyin

threesectionsofstudy.

Forchurchesorgroupswhowanttotakepartinamore

comprehensivestudy,wesuggestcompletingbothPartOneand

PartTwo,combiningthefirstthreelessonsonIsaiah58withthe

lastthreelessons.Thisway,youwillalsoincorporatejusticeand

povertythemesfromotherpartsofScripture,andexperiencealocal

outreachsession.Thisgivesyouawell-roundedsix-weekbiblical

studytospringboardintoactiononbehalfofthepoor.However,

eachsessioncanstandaloneifyouchoosetofocusonasingle

lessonforaclass,youthgroup,orsermononaspecifictopic.

HOW TO U S E TH I S S TUDY iv

lesson oVerVIeWEachsessioncanbecompletedinaboutanhour.Sessionsare

designedtoprovidetimefor(suggestedtimes):

•Openingprayer

•Scripturereadingsandmemoryversepractice(5-10minutes)

•Videoclip(s),upto20minutespersession(10-20minutes)

•“GainingInsight”readinganddiscussion(20-25minutes)

•“GettingInvolved”actionstepsdiscussion(5-10minutes)

•ClosingPrayer

Feelfreetotakelongeronanydiscussions.Weencourage

youtousethisstudyasaguide,butfeelfreetoexploredeeper

discussiononanyonesegmentifyourgroup’sheartbeatpicksup

duringaspecificconversation.

Somegroupsmaychoosetoincludeanextendedtimefor

catchingup,takingpersonalprayerrequests,andgettingtoknow

eachother.Thisworkswellaseveryonearrivesorafterthesession

iscomplete.Itoffersaninformalopportunitytolearnabouthow

eachsessionisaffectingtheparticipants.

OPENINGPRAYER

Openeachsessionwithprayer.Wedidnotincludeasuggested

openingprayer.Havedifferentgroupmembersvolunteertopray

eachtime.

SCRIPTUREREADINGS

Thenextsectionofeachlessonwillincludetheselectedpassage(s)

fortheweek’sreading.Consideraskingmembersofyourgroupto

readtheScripturesintheirpreferredversions.Hearingitseveral

timeswillsetthetoneforeveryone.

v L I V E 5 8 TOOLk I T

mEmORYVERSE

We’veprovided1–2versesformemorizationoutofeachweek’s

Scripturereading.memorizingtheseversesthroughouttheweeks

ofstudywillhelpkeepGod’semphasisatthetopofeachgroup

member’smind.Seethelastpagesofthisbookforaprintablecard

foreachweek’sversesothateachpersonhasacopyinhand.

VIDEOCLIPS

Afteryou’veopenedinprayer,gonethroughtheScripturereadings

andreviewedtheweek’smemoryverse,pressplayontheweek’s

videoclips.mostsessionsincludearelevant,briefclipfrom58:The

FilmandaninformativesermoncliponthepassageofScriptureor

thepovertyproblemandrelatedtoeachweek’slesson.

“GAININGINSIGHT”READING

Eachweek’slessonsectionisdesignedtorecapwhatyoulearnedin

theScripturereadingsandvideoclips,aswellasaddextrainsight.

Usethisasaspringboardforyoursessiondiscussion.

SESSIONDISCUSSION

Rememberthatweplannedthesequestionstocirclebackto

theScripturereadingsand“GainingInsight,”incorporatingany

additionalconceptsfromtheclips.Theyexisttotieeverything

togetherand,ifyou’reafacilitator,totakesomeofthepressure

offyou.

Readeachquestionaloudandallowtimeforgroupmembersto

processthequestion.Don’tbenervousifthereisn’tanimmediate

response;agoodruleofthumbistowait10secondsbefore

HOW TO U S E TH I S S TUDY vi

breakingthesilence.Thediscussionmayebbandflow.Some

questionswilligniteinvolvedandpersonalresponses,andothers

maynotelicitanyresponse.Inthecaseofnoresponse,rephrase

thequestion,skipit,orcomebacktoitlater.

Personalreflectionwillhappenthroughoutthesessionandin

theweekfollowing.Encouragegroupmemberstowritedownkey

pointsoftheirlearningandcommitments—possiblytosharewith

thegroup—duringthistime.

GETTINGINVOLVED:ACTIONSTEP&SUPPLEmENTAL

ACTIVITYFORkIDS

ThefinalaspectofeachlessonisGettingInvolved.makeaneffort

todoeachone,asweoftenneedtoworkwithourhandsbeforewe

canfullyunderstandthemessageinourheartsandheads.Wehave

offeredgeneralactionstepstoincludeallgenerationsineachpart

ofthisstudy.Ifyourgroupincludesfamilieswithyoungchildren,

wehaveprovidedabonussectioneachweekdesignedspecifically

forthekids.

CLOSINGPRAYER

Wrapupyourtimewithprayer.Usethesuggestedprayerforeach

lessonasyourguide.

vii L I V E 5 8 TOOLk I T

TIps For FaCIlITaTors

• Beforeeachgroupmeeting,familiarizeyourselfwiththe

themeandflowoftheweek’slesson.Perhapsyou’llwantto

watchtheclips,thinkthroughyourownanswerstodiscus-

sionquestions,orbrushuponthememoryverse.

• Spendsometimeinprayer.AsktheHolySpirittoleadyouas

youfacilitateyourgroupsession.

• Don’tforgettobreathe!Enjoyyourgroupandspendtimeon

prayerrequestsanda“check-in”timetobuildcloserela-

tionships.keepthegroupconnectedbyusingtoolslikethe

GettingInvolvedsectionattheendofeachlesson.Discuss

howparticipantsincorporatetheirnewawarenessintotheir

lifestyles.Seekoutindividualinterestsandseehowyour

groupmightcontinueinaspecificunifyingdirectionof

takingactionbyselectingaprojectatLive58.org/projects.

Seetheappendix“ActionListforSmallGroups”formore

ideasonhowtotakeactioninadditiontotheGetting

Involvedsections.

InTergeneraTIonal learnIng: HoW To InVolVe THe enTIre CHurCH FaMIlyWedesignedthisjourneytojointhegenerationstogether.The

intergenerationalsetupwelcomeselders,professionals,college

students,youthgroupers,parentsandtheirkidstodialogabout

povertyissues.

Wevaluethisintergenerationaldesignbecausewebelieve

eachperspectivewillbringrich,freshinsighttothegroup.From

HOW TO U S E TH I S S TUDY viii

thekindergartner’sinterpretationof“TheGoodSamaritan”tothe

grandmother’smemoryofthestateofchurchcharityinthe1950s,

bringingallagestogetherwillhelpyourgrouplearnandgrow.

Simplyput,welearnbetterwhenweallshareourconcernforthe

poor.(Ofcourse,nothingstopsagroupofsimilarly-agedpeople

fromfullyexperiencingthisstudy!)

Thisbringsupapracticalquestion.Howcanakindergartener

learnfromthesametextandvideosasanadult?Whilewriting

thisstudy,wedefinitelydidnotwriteitatthe“readinglevel”ofthe

averageyoungchild.Someofthevocabularywillbedifficultfor

youngergroupmemberstounderstand.Thisisallonpurpose.

SOmETIPSFORENGAGINGTHEkIDSINYOURGROUP:

• Askthemtorecitethememoryversealongwiththerestof

thegroup.

• Beforejumpingintodiscussionofthevideoclips,askfor

reactionsfromthechildren.Whatdidtheylearn?Whatwould

theyaddtowhatthevideosaid?

• Iftheyareoldenoughtoreadthelesson,havethemcircle

wordstheydon’tunderstandandmakeitpartofeachsession

todefinethesewordstogether.Theymightevensurpriseyou

withabetterdefinitionthanmostoftheadultshadbefore.

• EncouragethemtotakepartinGettingInvolvedattheendof

eachlesson,especiallywiththeSupplementalActivity

forkids.

ix L I V E 5 8 TOOLk I T

Over 2,500 years ago, Isaiah spoke and wrote vital

messages to the nation of Israel as he served in the king’s

court in Jerusalem. The fundamental theme of the book is

salvation, and he shares that people can count on God’s

promise to restore and deliver them. The book of Isaiah

tells the story of this restoration and salvation.

The first 39 chapters of Isaiah deal with the law

and government, as well as the shortcomings of God’s

people. However, compassion and love are introduced

from chapter 40 on. Isaiah 58 is a perfect example of the

prophet informing the Israelites that they are not acting

correctly, how God wants them to live and the promises of

God if they do what He asks.

Let’s study Isaiah 58 in three parts to help us focus on

what honors God and to explore the wonderful promises

that follow our acts of faithfulness.

parT

1

W e e k o n e

T H e F a L s e F a s Ta n d

s p I r I T u a L p O v e r T y

“ you cannot fast as you do today and expect your voices to be

heard on high.”

Isaiah 58:4

FacilitatorNotes:Thislessonisdesignedtohelpyourgroup

understandthecontextofIsaiah58.ItshowshowGodisnot

pleasedbyhypocrisyandfalseworship.Israelseemstohave

beenfullofhypocriticalworshippers,butarewesodifferent

today?Thiscausesspiritualpovertyinourselvesandinothers.

sCrIpTure readIngsISAIAH58:1–5

“Shoutitaloud,donotholdback.

Raiseyourvoicelikeatrumpet.

Declaretomypeopletheirrebellion

andtothedescendantsofJacobtheirsins.

WEEk ONE 2

Fordayafterdaytheyseekmeout;

theyseemeagertoknowmyways,

asiftheywereanationthatdoeswhatisright

andhasnotforsakenthecommandsofitsGod.

Theyaskmeforjustdecisions

andseemeagerforGodtocomenearthem.

‘Whyhavewefasted,’theysay,

‘andyouhavenotseenit?

Whyhavewehumbledourselves,

andyouhavenotnoticed?’

“Yetonthedayofyourfasting,youdoasyouplease

andexploitallyourworkers.

Yourfastingendsinquarrelingandstrife,

andinstrikingeachotherwithwickedfists.

Youcannotfastasyoudotoday

andexpectyourvoicetobeheardonhigh.

IsthisthekindoffastIhavechosen,

onlyadayforpeopletohumblethemselves?

Isitonlyforbowingone’sheadlikeareed

andforlyinginsackclothandashes?

Isthatwhatyoucallafast,

adayacceptabletotheLord?”

DIGGINGDEEPER

• Isaiah59

•matthew6:1-8

3 L I V E 5 8 TOOLk I T

MeMory VerseISAIAH58:4

Yourfastingendsinquarrelingandstrife,

andinstrikingeachotherwithwickedfists.

Youcannotfastasyoudotoday

andexpectyourvoicetobeheardonhigh.

VIdeo ClIp noTes:

gaInIng InsIgHTSometimeswethinkwearedoingwhatisrightbeforeGod,but

wefindourselvesstuckinwhatwecall“spiritualpoverty.”Welack

integrityandhonestyinourfaith,andthiscreatesabarrierinour

relationshiptoGod.WewonderwhyGoddoesn’tlisten,whyHe

doesn’tanswerourprayers,whyHeseemstobefaroff.Thiswasn’t

justaproblemfortheIsraelites;manyofusintheChurchtoday

canrelate.

Isaiah58:1–5showsusapeoplewhobelievethattheirfasting—

simplygivingupfood,spendingtimeinworship,andperforming

expectedrituals—ispleasingtoGod.But,astheScripturestates,

theyarenotlivingouttheirfaithbutinsteadoppressingothers,

WE Ek ONE 4

fightingwithoneanother,andignoringjusticetowardthepoor

despitetheirownpleasforjustice(wewillexplorethismore

nextweek).

OnechapterafterIsaiah58—chapter59—continuestogivea

pictureofspiritualpovertyandhowitrelatestothe“falsefasting”

ofIsaiah58.Aftersolongofthisfalsefast,theIsraelitesfound

themselvesinthefollowingsituation.Readverses9-11below.

so justice is far from us,

and righteousness does not reach us.

We look for light, but all is darkness;

for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.

Like the blind we grope along the wall,

feeling our way like people without eyes.

at midday we stumble as if it were twilight;

among the strong, we are like the dead.

We all growl like bears;

we moan mournfully like doves.

We look for justice, but find none;

for deliverance, but it is far away.

Thiswordpicturepaintsacommonimageofablindbeggar,or

otherwisepoorordisadvantagedperson.Whenwethinkofmaterial

poverty,weoftenthinkofinaccessiblenecessitiesandunattainable

suppliesorsupport.Thesameistrueofspiritualpoverty.A

personmightbegroaningfortruthorloveorpeace,butitseems

impossibletoreach.

Spiritualpovertymeansbeingfullofdarkness—orcompletely

emptyofeverything—ratherthanfulloflightandgoodness.Jesus

proclaimsthisinmatthew6:22–23.


“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your

whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your

whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is

darkness, how great is that darkness!”

John Climacus, a seventh-century Christian monk wrote, “pride is poverty of the soul, which imagines itself to be rich, and being in darkness, thinks it has light.”

sessIon dIsCussIon QuesTIons

1.IdentifythemainplayersinIsaiah58:1–5.

a.Whoistalkinginverses1–2?

b.Whoisbeingtoldto“Shoutitaloud”?

c.Whoare“mypeople”and“TheDescendantsofJacob”?

d.Whoisthe“we”inverse3?

2.Inyourownwordsdescribewhat’sgoingoninthese

fiveverses.

WEEk ONE 6

PERSONALREFLECTIONqUESTIONS

1. Canyouidentifyareaswhereyouractionsarebasedmore

onshowmanshipratherthanconvictionsoftheheart?If

so,whataresomewaysthatyoucanshiftyourintentions?

Looktomatthew6forexamples.Feelfreetokeepyour

answerpersonal.

2. HowdoyouseethespiritualpovertyofIsaiah59:1-4and

matthew6:1-8inyourselforyoursurroundings?

geTTIng InVolVedSometimeswethinkoffastingasgivingupfood.Thisisthe

traditionalmeaning.However,Isaiah58:4revealsakeyelement

aboutfasting:ItdoesnotpleaseGodorhealoursoulsifit“endsin

quarrellingandstrife.”Therefore,wecanseethatfastingisnotjust

aboutgivingupfoodbutalsoaboutgivingupselfishnessandstrife

withotherpeople.Ifwegiveupfoodbutactoutofhateorspite(or

hunger!),itisnota“TrueFast.”


Taketimeeachdaythisweektopracticefastingfromquarrelling

andstrife.Thinkaboutthememoryverse(v.4)asyouconsiderhow

youcanletyourloveforGodlineupwithkindnesstowardothers

ratherthanburyingitinemptyactionsandfalsefasts.Applywhat

youarelearningthroughthepersonalreflectionquestionsabout

habitsofselfishness,bitternessorinsincereworshipyouwantto

workoutofyourlife.ThisisthefirststepinlivingouttheTrueFast

ofIsaiah58.Listthesehabitsbelow.

PREPARINGFORNEXTWEEk

GotoSurvive125.orgtoplayashortsimulationgamethatwalks

youthroughthelifeofsomeoneinextremepoverty.Thisactivity

willchallengeyoutothinkaboutwhatyouwoulddoinpoverty

situationswhereyouneedtomakedecisionsbetweenonerisk

overanother.Itmayseemlikeyoumustchoosebetweentwobad

options.Formanypeopleinextremepoverty,thereisnotadecision

filledwithhopeorfullofconfidence—onethingisalwaysatthe

mercyofanother.

Usethetimespentplayingthegametothinkaboutwhichoneof

the10problemsandsolutionsofextremepovertyisyourpreferred

areaoffocus(learnmoreatLive58.org/causes).Withsomany

projectstohelpandpovertyissuestoprayfor,yourabilitytochoose

onetostartwithwillhelpkeepyoufromfeelingoverwhelmed.

WEEk ONE 8

SUPPLEmENTALACTIVITYFORkIDS

makeachartofexamplesofaTrueFastand“FakeFast.”Drawa

verticallinedownthemiddleofasheetofpaper.Labeltheleft

side“TrueFast,”andwriteordrawwaysofworshipandspiritual

disciplinethatpleaseGod.Labeltherightside“FakeFast,”and

matchthingsfromtheleftwithanactionthatwouldmakethat

effortfullofprideorsinratherthansomethingJesuswoulddo.

Checkoutmatthew6:1–4and6:16–18,andtalkaboutitasa

groupbeforeyougetstarted.Jesusgivesusagoodguidelinein

thesepassages.

ClosIng prayerFather,thankYouforgivingusaclearpictureofYourcharacter

throughoutScripture,particularlyinIsaiah58.Youhelpus

understandwhatweshouldcareaboutandhowwecanbetruly

eagertoknowYourways.WeaskforYoutotakefromusany

hypocriticalactionsorlifestylesandreplacethemwithincreasing

abilitytoliveYourTrueFast.Amen.


WEEk TWO 10

W e e k T W o

a n e W K I n d O F F a s T — H O p e F O r

a B r O K e n W O r L d

He has shown you, O man, what is good.

and what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8


understandtheproblemsofextremepovertyandtheabilityof

theChurchtoendextremepovertywhilelivingtheTrueFast.

We’llnotonlytalkaboutbiblicalreferencestopovertybutalso

updatedfactsandfiguresonprogressagainstpoverty.

sCrIpTure readIngsISAIAH58:6–8

IsnotthisthekindoffastingIhavechosen:

toloosethechainsofinjustice

anduntiethecordsoftheyoke,


tosettheoppressedfree

andbreakeveryyoke?

Isitnottoshareyourfoodwiththehungry

andtoprovidethepoorwandererwithshelter—

whenyouseethenaked,toclothethem,

andnottoturnawayfromyourownfleshandblood?

Thenyourlightwillbreakforthlikethedawn,

andyourhealingwillquicklyappear;

thenyourrighteousness[a]willgobeforeyou,

andthegloryoftheLordwillbeyourrearguard.

mICAH6:8

Hehasshownyou,Oman,whatisgood.

AndwhatdoestheLordrequireofyou?

Toactjustlyandtolovemercy

andtowalkhumblywithyourGod.

DIGGINGDEEPER

*Ephesians2:1-10

*James1:22-25

*Titus3:3-8

MeMory VerseISAIAH58:6

IsnotthisthekindoffastingIhavechosen:




andbreakeveryyoke?

WEEk TWO 12

VIdeo ClIp noTes:

gaInIng InsIgHTWelearnedlastweekthattheTrueFastrequiresmorethanjust

givingupfoodorspendingtimeinworship—italsomeans

cultivatingaheartattitudethatshowsGod’smercyandloveinstead

ofstrifeandhate.

Thisweek,verses6and7challengeourdefinitionoffastingonce

again.Fastingwasnottosimplybethequietadditionofhumility

andprayerbutalsotheproactivefreeingofoppressedpeople,

interveningwhensomeoneisgoinghungryorcoldornaked.Thisis

thefastGodhaschosenforHispeople.

Whilewewillalwayshaveresponsibilitytofindmoreways

torelieveoppressionorpaininthelivesofthosearoundus,one

measurablegoalofhelpingthepoorisendingextremepoverty.

WhilesomepeopleuseBibleversestosaythatGodsaysthisisan

impossibility(Deut.15:11,mark14:7,Luke12:8),weseeinthestatistics

belowthattherearesomeformsofpovertythathavealreadybeen

reducedbysustainablesolutions.ThisisanoblegoaloftheChurch

tobreakthecycleofextremepovertyasmorepeoplebecome

educatedaboutthewell-roundedsolutionsneededtoaddressthe

rootcauses.


Whenlookingatthefacts,wecaneasilyseethat,whileterrible

povertystillexists,thenumberofcasualtiesfrompreventablecauses

continuetodecrease.

DIDYOUkNOWABOUTTHEPROGRESSAGAINSTPOVERTY?

• From2001–2011,theestimatednumberofpeopleinfected

withHIVhasdecreasedby20percent(thesharpestdeclines

being42percentintheCaribbeanand25percentinSub-

SaharanAfrica).

• From2005–2011,thenumberofAIDS-relateddeathshas

droppedbyabout24percent(2.3milliondeathsin2005to1.7

milliondeathsin2011).

• Between1990and2011,theworldwideinfantmortalityrate

decreasedby41percent.

• Estimatesin2010indicatelessthanhalfasmanypeoplelive

attheglobalpovertyrate($1.25perday)ascomparedtothe

1990rate.

Greatprogresshasbeenmadetowardsendingextremepoverty,but

wehavetoaddressmultipleissuestosolvethewholeprobleminour

generation.Wehaveworktodo!19,000childrenstilldieeachday

frompreventablediseaseandpoverty.

1UnitedNations.“ThemillenniumDevelopmentGoalsReport2012.”2012.PDFfile.2UnitedNations.3UnitedNations.4UnitedNations.

WEEk TWO 14


1.Usingverses6–7asaguide,whatareGod’sexpectationsofus

regardinga“TrueFast”?

2.Regardingverse7,whoareyoumostcalledtoserve?The

globalpoor,thelocalpoor,yourfamilyoranothergroup?

Why?

3.HowdoyouthinkthatGod’swordsintoday’sreadingsrelate

tothediresituationofthoseinextremepoverty?

4.DiscussyourexperienceofplayingSurvive125overthelast

week.Howdidyoumakedifficultchoiceswhenpresented

withthelife-or-deathoptions?Wereyouableto“survive”and

whatdecisionpathledtoyoursuccess?


5.Ofthequotesandstatisticsaboutextremeglobalpoverty,

didanysurpriseyoumorethanothers?Wereyouawareof

therecentprogressmadeagainstpovertyandhowdoesthis

awarenessaffectyou?


1.Onascaleof1–10,wheredoyoufallinbelievingthatthe

Churchcanhelpdecrease—evenend—extremepoverty?Do

youbelievethatthisistheChurch’sresponsibility?Listideas

ofhowtheChurchcanservethepoorglobally?markyour

answeronthescalebelow.

1 | | 10Notachance! Youbetterbelieveit!

geTTIng InVolVed Gotopage54oftheappendixforthelistof“Actionstohelpyou

identifywithandlearnaboutpoverty.”Haveyourgroupdiscuss

theoptionssoeachpersonorfamilycanselectanexperiential

activitytodoforoneweek.Also,spendtimethinkingabouthow

thistasteofpovertyaffectedyoupersonallyandhowitfallsshort

ofsimulatinglivinginextremepoverty.Bereadytodiscussitwith

yourgroupnextweek.

WEEk TWO 16


Inadditiontohavingyourgroupchooseanactofsolidaritywith

thepoor,checkoutourfreeebookTheGivingTableandfindone

wayyoucanfeed,clotheorsheltersomeonethisweek.WhileThe

GivingTableisdesignedforfamilies,anyonecanparticipate.The

mainpointofeachactivityistogiveyourbest—nottheleftovers—to

peopleinneed.Thiscanapplytoourfamilies,neighborsinpoverty

andtheextremelypoorfamiliesandindividualsaroundtheglobe.

FindtheebookatLive58.org/giving-table.

ClosIng prayerFather,wearelearningtoseethepainandsufferingofthisworld

andtorespondtoitwiththeTrueFast,notasuperficialone.Please

helpusnotonlytobethankfulbutalsotofaithfullyprovidefood,

shelter,clothingandsupporttoeachpersoninneedwhomwecan

help,includingourownfamiliesandneighbors.Helpustogiveour

besttothoseinneedaswerepresentYoutotheworld.Amen.


W e e k T H r e e

F r e e d O m F r O m O p p r e s s I O n T O d a y

“... if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy

the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the

darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”

Isaiah 58:10


understandhowoppressiongoesagainstthedesignofGod.

Thisweekhelpsyourgroupgrasptherealityofmodern-day

slaveryandhelpsthemevaluatetheirownlivesforoppressive

tendencies.GodisneartotheoppressedbecauseHehas

compassionontheirsituation.

sCrIpTure readIngsISAIAH58:9-14

Thenyouwillcall,andtheLordwillanswer;

youwillcryforhelp,andhewillsay:HereamI.

“Ifyoudoawaywiththeyokeofoppression,

WEEk THRE E 18

withthepointingfingerandmalicioustalk,

andifyouspendyourselvesinbehalfofthehungry

andsatisfytheneedsoftheoppressed,

thenyourlightwillriseinthedarkness,

andyournightwillbecomelikethenoonday.

TheLordwillguideyoualways;

hewillsatisfyyourneedsinasun-scorchedland

andwillstrengthenyourframe.

Youwillbelikeawell-wateredgarden,

likeaspringwhosewatersneverfail.

Yourpeoplewillrebuildtheancientruins

andwillraiseuptheage-oldfoundations;

youwillbecalledRepairerofBrokenWalls,

RestorerofStreetswithDwellings.

“IfyoukeepyourfeetfrombreakingtheSabbath

andfromdoingasyoupleaseonmyholyday,

ifyoucalltheSabbathadelight

andtheLord’sholydayhonorable,

andifyouhonoritbynotgoingyourownway

andnotdoingasyoupleaseorspeakingidlewords,

thenyouwillfindyourjoyintheLord,

andIwillcauseyoutorideintriumphontheheightsof

theland

andtofeastontheinheritanceofyourfatherJacob.”

ForthemouthoftheLordhasspoken.

DIGGINGDEEPER

• Isaiah59

•matthew6:1-8


MeMory VerseISAIAH58:9b-10

“Ifyoudoawaywiththeyokeofoppression,

withthepointingfingerandmalicioustalk,

andifyouspendyourselvesinbehalfofthehungry

andsatisfytheneedsoftheoppressed,

thenyourlightwillriseinthedarkness,

andyournightwillbecomelikethenoonday.

VIdeo ClIp noTes:

gaInIng InsIgHTOneofthemostheartbreakingwayspovertymanifestsitselfis

inslavery.58:TheFilmshowsafamilytrappedinbondedlabor,

workinginaquarrytopayoffanimpossiblegrowingdebttothe

quarryowner—their“owner.”Localpovertybringsmanyexamplesof

slaveryaswell,especiallyinhumantrafficking(ahugeissueinother

countriesaswell).

GodusesIsaiahtotellIsraelto“doawaywiththeyokeof

oppression”becausethiskindofbondageisnotGod-honoringin

WEEk THRE E 20

ourhumanlives.Slaverybreaksourheartssoeasilybecauseitbreaks

God’sheart—andwearemadetofeellikeHedoes.

WhereGodsays,“YouaregoodbecauseImadeyoutobelikeme”

(Genesis1:26-31),aslave-ownerandoppressortakesadvantageofthe

poorandsays,“Youaremine.Yourpurposeismyprofit.”

Humilityistheoppositeofoppression.Liftinganotherpersonup

istheultimateformofhumility,andhumilityistheonlywaytodo

awaywithoppression.Amazingly,humilityisalsothekeytoliving

theTrueFast.We’reonourwayfromahypocriticalfasttoafastthat

giveslightandlife!


1.WhatisthemaindifferencebetweenGod’sresponsetoIsrael

inverse3(Week1)andHisresponsetoIsraelinverse9–10?

2.Reviewtoday’sScripture,circlingall‘If’statementsand

underliningall‘Then’statements.


3.Shareaboutthepovertyexperienceyouchosetodothisweek

(selectedfromtheAppendix).Howwereyouaffected?What

wastheoneverseintoday’sreadingofIsaiah58thatgaveyou

themostmotivationtolovethoseinpoverty?

4.HowdoyouseehumilityasathemethroughoutIsaiah58?

Whatisatangibleexampleofhumility?


1.IsthereaspecificpromiseofGodinverses8–14thatspeaksto

yourheartmorethanothers?Why?

2.quarryownersarenottheonlyoppressorsinthisworld.

Oppressionexistsintheeverydaylivesofthoseinyourgroup.

Thinkofwaysyoumayhaveexperienceddebt,enslavement,

orlifeunderthethumbofanunjustruler.

WEEk THRE E 22

geTTIng InVolVedThinkbacktoplayingtheSurvive125game.Wasthereacertain

aspectofpovertythatbrokeyourheartmorethanothers?Wasit

thelackoffood,scarcityofcapital,theeffectofnaturaldisasters,

inaccessibleeducationorbondedlabor?GotoLive58.org/causes

tofindourAlliancePartnerswhoworkonsolutionstoeverykind

ofpovertyaddressedinthegame.Then,followthestepsinthe

Appendix(“ActionListforSmallGroups”)tochooseagroupproject

toplayasignificantroleinalleviatingextremepoverty.


CheckAmazon.comoryourlocallibrarytofindbooksonheroes

likeHarrietTubman,WilliamWilberforce,FrederickDouglas,or

HansandSophieScholl.Forolderkids,GaryHaugen’sJustCourage

includesdozensofstoriesofmodern-dayabolitionists.Besureto

involvethekidsfromthegroupinresearchingandchoosingthe

causeareaforyourgroupproject.

ClosIng prayerFather,YoucreatedusinYourimageandYouwantustolivethat

imageoutandbefreefromoppression.Weprayforallthosewho

areinslavery—toviolentpeopleandtosin.Providemercyforevery

personwhofeelshopelesstoescapefromtyranny,andgrantalife

offreedomtowalkinYourlikeness.Guideustotakemeaningful

actionforthepoorandmakeoureffortshonoringtoyou.Amen.

Over 2,500 years ago, Isaiah spoke and wrote important,

vital messages to the nation of Israel as he served in the

king’s court in Jerusalem. The fundamental theme of the

book is salvation, and he shares that people can count on

God’s promise to restore and deliver them. The book of

Isaiah tells the story of this restoration and salvation.

The first 39 chapters of Isaiah deal with the law

and government, as well as the shortcomings of God’s

people. However, compassion and love are introduced

from chapter 40 on. Isaiah 58 is a perfect example of the

prophet informing the Israelites that they are not acting

correctly, how God wants them to live and the promises of

God if they do what He asks.

Let’s study Isaiah 58 in three parts to help us focus on

what honors God and to explore the wonderful promises

that follow our acts of faithfulness.

part

1

While Isaiah 58 is a great place to start to understand God’s

heart for the poor, the rest of scripture can expand our

knowledge of how to look at money, charity, service and

Jesus’ own love for the poor. Continue on for the following

three weeks to learn from the book of proverbs, the

gospels and other prophets like Isaiah!

2parT

2


W e e k F o u r

G O d ’ s d e s I G n F O r W O r Ka n d

m O n e y

“rich and poor have this in common:

The Lord is the maker of them all.”

proverbs 22:2


developabetterthoughtprocessforhelpingthepoor.Ifwe

wanttoseeGod’sheartforthepoor,weneedtoalsograsp

God’spurposeformoney,wealthandwork.Thislessonis

highlyapplicabletothedailylifeofeachparticipant,asworkis

somethingeachpersonengagesinoravoidsinsomeway.

sCrIpTure readIngsPROVERBS11:24–26

Onepersongivesfreely,yetgainsevenmore;

anotherwithholdsunduly,butcomestopoverty.

parT

WEEk FOUR 26

Agenerouspersonwillprosper;

whoeverrefreshesotherswillberefreshed.

Peoplecursetheonewhohoardsgrain,

buttheyprayGod’sblessingontheonewhoiswillingtosell.

PROVERBS13:11

Dishonestmoneydwindlesaway,

butwhoevergathersmoneylittlebylittlemakesitgrow.

PROVERBS22:2

Richandpoorhavethisincommon:

TheLordisthemakerofthemall.

Thegenerouswillthemselvesbeblessed,

fortheysharetheirfoodwiththepoor.

PROVERBS30:7–9

“TwothingsIaskofyou,Lord;

donotrefusemebeforeIdie:

keepfalsehoodandliesfarfromme;

givemeneitherpovertynorriches,

butgivemeonlymydailybread.

Otherwise,Imayhavetoomuchanddisownyou

andsay,‘WhoistheLord?’

OrImaybecomepoorandsteal,

andsodishonorthenameofmyGod.

DIGGINGDEEPER

*Proverbs22:1-23

*Proverbs16


MeMory VerseParticipantsmaychooseoneoftheabovepassages.Writeout

yourselectedProverb(s)here:

VIdeo ClIp noTes:

gaInIng InsIgHTGodhasplentytosayaboutmoney.Infact,moneyisoneofthemost

commontopicsmentionedintheBible.Sometimes,Godreminds

usthatmoneyisnotthemostimportantthing,especiallycompared

with“treasureinheaven.”Inotherareas,weseethatwealthcanbean

indicatorofaperson’sdiligence,hardworkandwisdom.

moneycanbeusedforgoodorforevil.Peoplewhohavelots

ofmoneycanuseittoloanortogivewiselyinordertoempower

thepoorandliftthemoutofpoverty.Buttherichcanalsousetheir

moneytoexploitthosewhodon’thavemuch.

WEEk FOUR 28

TheclipfromTheFilmshowskirstyfindinganewappreciation

forlifewhenshestepsoutsideofhernormal,affluentsurroundings.

Sheseeswhatpeoplelivinginornearextremepovertycan

appreciate.Shefindsthatherownapparentwealth—whichmanifests

itselfinburdensomeandunnecessarydebt—doesnotbringthe

characterorjoythatahardworking,diligentlifecanbring.kirsty

realizesthattheappearanceofriches,orevenlivinginadeveloped

nation,canmakeherpoor.

Aswelearnthroughthevideoclips,weneedtobewiseabout

approachingpovertywithourcheckbookfirst.Seeingpoverty

asaproblemtosolvewithdonationscandehumanizethepoor

bydevaluingtheirabilityandGod-givenneedtowork.Itcanbe

dangeroustoseethepoorashelpless.Thisisnotatheologyof

povertythatreflectsGodorHisplanforhumanbeings.

microenterprise,asdemonstratedinthevideocliptoday,

providesanexcellentsolutionforfamiliesandcommunities

strugglingtoescapepovertybyfuelingsustainablesmallbusiness

andgrowingtheirlocaleconomy.

sessIon dIsCussIon QuesTIons 1.Howdoyourdailyworkresponsibilitiesshapehowyouthink

aboutmoney?(Thisisnotjustaboutjobsatanofficeorinthe

fieldbutalsodaily,unpaidworkaroundyourhome,withyour

family,andinyourtimeserving.)


2.WhatdoyouthinkSolomonmeanttoconveywhenhewrote

Proverbs22:2?Howhaveyouwitnessedthisinyourownlife

orinthelivesofthosearoundyou?

3.InProverbs,wegettheideathatdebtandlendingcan

bedangerous.Howdoesthisapplytotheproblemsand

solutionsofpoverty?Istherearightwaytogivealoan?(Hint:

ThinkbacktoWeek3andalsotothevideosshowntoday.)

4.Howdoestheideaofthe“dignity”ofthepoorandtheirability

andneedtoworkchangehowyouviewthem?


1.Haveyoueverseenyourselfasa“superman”figureto

thepoor?Basedontoday’slesson,doyouthinkthisisan

appropriateordistortedrelationship?Howcanwehelp

appropriately?

WEEk FOUR 30

2.Whatarewaysthatyoucanbejustorunjustinyourdaily

work?

geTTIng InVolVed Asyou’relearningmoreandmore,thisisagreattimetoshare

58:TheFilmwithafriendoutsideyourgroup.GotoLive58.org/

watch-the-filmtostreamordownloadthedocumentary.Ifyou

wantdiscussionquestionsandhostingideas,downloadtheFilm

ShowingGuidefromLive58.org/churchinthe“GettingStarted”

tab.AfterwatchingTheFilm,yourfriendmaywanttojoinyouin

completingtheprojectyoubeganlastweek.Whatagreatwayto

growthemovement!


Asagrouporonyourown,considerhowyouwouldliketoearn

moneyasanadult.Whatdoyoulovetodo?Whatareyourskills?

Howwillajobhelpyoubecomethepersonyouwanttobe?

ChooseoneoftheProverbsfromthisweek’sreadingtohelpguide

youtowardthisgoal.Proverbsisfulloftipsandwisdomforlife:

fromschool,tofriendship,tothinkingaboutwhatyouwanttodoas

yougetolder.

Afterthinkingaboutthesequestions,comeupwithaway(asa

group)tomakemoney.You’llbeworkingoutyour“entrepreneurial”

muscles,whichmeansyou’reorganizingandoperating

businessventures.


Someideas:

•Takingcareofsomethingorsomeone,e.g.pet-sitting

• Offeringservicesaroundthehome,e.g.rakingleaves

• Creatingandsellingsomething,e.g.runningalemonade

stand,havingabakesaleoragroupgaragesale

WHATAREYOURIDEAS?

maybeyoucanbeliketheentrepreneursyousawinthefilm.Agreat

microenterpriseentrepreneurusesthemoneygainedonvarious

things:providingforfamilymembers,payingbackaloan,buying

householditems,savingforthefuture,investinginnewbusiness,

andgivingtootherpeopleinneed.

WHATARESOmEOTHERTHINGSYOUCOULDUSETHE

mONEYFOR?

ClosIng prayerGod,thankyouforgivinghumanstheabilitytoworkandmake

money.Thankyouforallpastandpresentmaterialprovisionin

ourlives.Pleasehelpusunderstandhowtobalancehowmuchwe

give,spendandsave—tohandleourmoneyinawaythathonors

You.Helpusfindwaystobefaithfulworkersandfairemployers,

andtotakeactionsothattheworldcanbetterreflectYourdesirefor

workerstoearnandreceivetheirpay.Amen.

WEEk F I V E 32

W e e k F I V e

L O v I n G y O u rL I T e r a L n e I G H B O r

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and

with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your

mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

luke 10:27


rememberthepeopleinpovertyinyourneighborhoodand

community.Itisthesimpleconceptofshowingmercy—likethe

GoodSamaritan—asneedsarise.

sCrIpTure readIngsLUkE10:25–37

OnoneoccasionanexpertinthelawstooduptotestJesus.

“Teacher,”heasked,“whatmustIdotoinheriteternallife?”

“WhatiswrittenintheLaw?”hereplied.“Howdoyoureadit?”

Heanswered,“‘LovetheLordyourGodwithallyourheartand


withallyoursoulandwithallyourstrengthandwithallyour

mind’;and,‘Loveyourneighborasyourself.’”

“Youhaveansweredcorrectly,”Jesusreplied.“Dothisandyou

willlive.”

Buthewantedtojustifyhimself,soheaskedJesus,“Andwhois

myneighbor?”

InreplyJesussaid:“AmanwasgoingdownfromJerusalem

toJericho,whenhewasattackedbyrobbers.Theystrippedhim

ofhisclothes,beathimandwentaway,leavinghimhalfdead.

Apriesthappenedtobegoingdownthesameroad,andwhen

hesawtheman,hepassedbyontheotherside.Sotoo,aLevite,

whenhecametotheplaceandsawhim,passedbyontheother

side.ButaSamaritan,ashetraveled,camewherethemanwas;

andwhenhesawhim,hetookpityonhim.Hewenttohimand

bandagedhiswounds,pouringonoilandwine.Thenheputthe

manonhisowndonkey,broughthimtoaninnandtookcare

ofhim.Thenextdayhetookouttwodenariiandgavethemto

theinnkeeper.‘Lookafterhim,’hesaid,‘andwhenIreturn,Iwill

reimburseyouforanyextraexpenseyoumayhave.’

“Whichofthesethreedoyouthinkwasaneighbortotheman

whofellintothehandsofrobbers?”

Theexpertinthelawreplied,“Theonewhohadmercyonhim.”

Jesustoldhim,“Goanddolikewise.”

DIGGINGDEEPER

*1Peter1:22-23

*1Peter4:8-11

MeMory VerseLUkE10:27-28

Heanswered,“‘LovetheLordyourGodwithallyourheartand

withallyoursoulandwithallyourstrengthandwithallyour

mind’and,‘Loveyourneighborasyourself.’”

“Youhaveansweredcorrectly,”Jesusreplied.“Dothisandyou

willlive.”

VIdeo ClIp noTes:

gaInIng InsIgHTSometimesitseemseasiesttocareaboutthepeopleweseein

picturesatadistance.Wehaveabasicknowledgeoftheirdeepest

needs—water,food,education,protectionfromdisease—andhave

givenourhard-earnedtrustanddollarstoestablishedorganizations

whoarehelpingsolvetheseproblems.Thesepeoplelookdifferent

fromusandhavenowhereneartheaccesstohelpwehaveathome,

sowelabelthemas“thosemostinneedofourhelp.”

WEEk F I V E 34


However,goodintentionsliketheseoftenmissaveryimportant

aspectofrelationshipwith“thepoor.”Whilegivingtohelpful

organizationsdoesreducethelethaleffectsofextremepoverty,

givingwithoutrelationshipcanhinderthespiritualandrelational

growthofthegiver.manyofusbegintoseethesefellowhuman

beingsas‘projects’inneedingtobefixed.

Sometimes,themostimportantthingistogooutofourwayto

meettheneedsofothersthatariseinourday-to-daylives.TheGood

Samaritanwasaforeignerwhobecameawareofaneedofanother.

Hedidnotignorethediresituationbutinsteadstoppedhisown

planstobandageup,carrytosafetyandhelprestoretohealththe

manhefoundonthesideoftheroad(whoothersignored).Heacted

usinghisownresources,timeandenergyprovidingimmediaterelief

toapersonnotfromhisownculture.Healsopromisedthecaretaker

thathewouldfollowupuntilthemanwasfullyrestoredtohealth

usinghisprovisions.Thisisagreatsnapshotofaselflessexpression

ofcompassion.

RememberthelastlinefromIsaiah58:7reads,“Isn’tthisthe

fastIchoose…tonotignoreyourownfleshandblood?”Theability

tolovethepoorstartswiththeabilitytolovepeopleinourown

communities—ascloseasourownfamilies.

sessIon dIsCussIon QuesTIons 1.Inaprevioussession,youchoseaprojecttoworkoninan

areaofextremepoverty.Howdoyouthinkwhatyoulearnin

thatprojectcantranslatetohelpingyourneighborlocally?

2.“TheGoodSamaritan”isoneofthemostpopularBiblestories.

EventhosewhorarelyreadtheBibleorattendchurchare

familiarwiththeconcept,ifnotthestoryitself.Assuming

youhavealongfamiliaritywiththisparable,howhasyour

understandingofitchangedovertime?WasittoldinSunday

Schooldifferentlythanhowyouunderstanditfromreading

ittoday?

3.JesusendstheparableinLuke10:37withthecommand;“Go

anddothesame.”Whatisonewayyoucanshowmercy

thisweek?

4.Whyaredailyhabitsofmercyimportanttodevelopinga

sincereloveforthepoor?

5.Whatisonewayyoucanclosethegapbetweenyourselfand

theglobalpoor?Listseveralwaystohelpyoustopseeing

“them”asagroupofpeopleoraprojectandinsteadgetto

knowandlovetheindividual?

WEEk F I V E 36



1.CompareIsaiah58andtoday’sreadingfromLuke.What

similaritiesdoyouseeinGod’srebuketotheIsraelitesand

Jesus’answertothe“expertinthelaw”?

2.Whatdoyouthinkisthemainpointoftheconversation

betweenJesusandthe“expertinthelaw”intoday’sreading?

geTTIng InVolVed Togetherwithyoursmallgroupand/orfriends,considerneeds

withinyourlocalcommunity.Thenfindalocalministryor

organizationtoteamupwithtoserveaspecificneed.Asyouserve

yourcommunity,beintentionalinengagingwiththepeopleyou

comeintocontactwith:learntheirnames,strikeupconversations,

shareyourlifewiththemandallowthemtosharetheirstory

withyou.

Afteryourserviceactivity,cometogetherasagroupagain

toreflectonyourexperience.Howcanyoufollowupwith

relationshipsyoubuiltwhileserving?Whatsimilaritiesdidyou

noticeinservinglocallyasopposedtogivingglobally?Howcan

youapplywhatyoulearnedinservingyourlocalcommunityto

howyougivetoandservethoseinextremepoverty?Howcanyou

beconsistentinyourservicetothepoorstrivingforasustained

lifestylechange?

WEEk ONE 38


PutonaplayorskitusingthestoryJesustoldinLuke10:30–35.The

storytalksaboutharmingthetravelerwitharobberyandbeating.

Italsodescribeshowastrangerstoppedtohelpthisinjuredman,

givingvaluabletimeandresourcestoserveanother.Canyouthink

ofotherformsofmistreatmentyou’velearnedaboutandaddthem

tothestory?Canyouthinkofawaytoretellthestoryinamodern-

daysetting?

ClosIng prayerLord,openoureyesthisweektothepeopleweseeeverydaywho

needourhelp.Ifwe’vebecomenumbtotheirneeds,giveusfresh

eyesandnewcompassion.Wefindthesepeopleinneedwithinour

ownhomes,neighborhoods,churchesandcities.Pleasehelpus

becomeawareoftheneedsofthosearoundustoserveour‘literal’

neighbor.Helpusidentifywiththeneedsofthosegloballyina

morepersonalway.Whenwecomeacrosssomeoneinneed,letus

takeactiontoservewithcompassionandwithouthesitation.Amen.

W e e k s I x

G O d ’ s r e s p O n s e T O p O v e r T y

a n d

I n J u s T I C e

“The spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and

recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the

Lord’s favor.”

luke 4:18-19

FacilitatorNotes:Thislessonisdesignedtohelpyourgroupsee

thefull-circlevisionfromOldTestamentprophecytoaplace

intheNewTestamentwhereJesusfulfillsthatprophecy.Asa

Christ-centeredmovement,Live58values—aboveallelse—Jesus’

perspectiveofthisfightagainstallkindsofpoverty.

WEEk S I X 40


sCrIpTure readIngsLUkE4:16–20

HewenttoNazareth,wherehehadbeenbroughtup,andonthe

Sabbathdayhewentintothesynagogue,aswashiscustom.He

stooduptoread,andthescrolloftheprophetIsaiahwashanded

tohim.Unrollingit,hefoundtheplacewhereitiswritten:

“TheSpiritoftheLordisonme,

becausehehasanointedme

toproclaimgoodnewstothepoor.

Hehassentmetoproclaimfreedomfortheprisoners

andrecoveryofsightfortheblind,

tosettheoppressedfree,

toproclaimtheyearoftheLord’sfavor.”

Thenherolledupthescroll,gaveitbacktotheattendantandsat

down.Theeyesofeveryoneinthesynagoguewerefastenedon

him.Hebeganbysayingtothem,“Todaythisscriptureisfulfilled

inyourhearing.”

ISAIAH61:8-9

“ForI,theLord,lovejustice;Ihaterobberyandwrongdoing.In

myfaithfulnessIwillrewardmypeopleandmakeaneverlasting

covenantwiththem.Theirdescendantswillbeknownamongthe

nationsandtheiroffspringamongthepeoples.Allwhoseethem

willacknowledgethattheyareapeopletheLordhasblessed.”

DIGGINGDEEPER

• Isaiah61:1-3

• Luke4:14-30

MeMory VerseLUkE4:17–19

“TheSpiritoftheLordisonme,

becausehehasanointedme

toproclaimgoodnewstothepoor.

Hehassentmetoproclaimfreedomfortheprisoners

andrecoveryofsightfortheblind,

tosettheoppressedfree,

toproclaimtheyearoftheLord’sfavor.”

VIdeo ClIp noTes:

gaInIng InsIgHTAgooddeedperformedoutofmereguiltortofillaquotaismore

forthe“benefit”ofthegiver,notthereceiver.Trulycompassionate

actionscomefrompeoplewhowanttoseelastingchangeand

continualimprovement.Thismeansseeingpeoplethroughtothe

end,beingatruefriendandbeingopentochangingone’sown

perceptions.Welearnedthisthroughthisentirestudy,beginning

withIsaiah58andcontinuingthroughProverbsandthegospels.

WEEk S I X 42


Jesusisabeautifulexampleofthis.Hefulfillstheshouting

ofIsaiah58(whichwesawinWeeks1–3)andthepromiseofHis

cominginIsaiah61.HebringsIsraelandHisChurchintoafuller

understandingofbreakingtheyokeofoppressionandsetting

thecaptivesfreefrombothphysicalandspiritualpoverty.Oneof

themostimportantwayswecanfollowinJesus’footstepstoset

theoppressedfreeistoknowandlovewhoHeisandreplicatehis

actionsandattitudetowardsothers.AsweseeJesusmoreandmore

asGod’sultimatemercy,wearemoreabletobecomelikeHim.

dIsCussIon QuesTIons 1.Discussyourlocalserviceactivityfromlastweek.Whatdid

youlearn?

2.Whodoyouthinkarethepoor,captives,blindandoppressed

towhomJesusrefersinverse16?

3.Jesussaid,“Todayasyoulisten,thisScripturehasbeen

fulfilled.”WhatdoyouthinkHemeant?

4.Overthepastfewweeks,we’velearnedaboutmanywaysthe

Bibleaddressespoverty.Whatconceptaffectedyoumost?


1.HowdoesJesusbreakyourownyoke(s)ofoppression?

2.Whatareyoumostexcitedaboutchanginginyourlifesothat

youcan“spendyourself”onbehalfofthepoor?

geTTIng InVolVed Decideonalonger-termprojecttoselectasagroup.Explorethe

rootcausesofpovertyprovidedatwww.Live58.org/causes.Choose

tojoinourGlobalImpactTour(Live58.org/tour)orcreateyourown

projectaddressingaspecificpovertyprobleminyourareaofinterest

-whereyouwanttohavethemostimpact.

WEEk S I X 44


•HostaGlobalImpactDinnerforyourneighborsandfriends.

Show58:theFilm,serveamealusingingredientsanda

recipefromadifferentcountry.Sharethepurposeofyour

groupprojectandinvitethemtoparticipateinsupportingthe

project.WatchhowtheDrakefamilydoesthisbyclickingon

the‘SuccessStories’tabtowatchabriefvideoinouronline

ResourceCenterwww.live58.org/church.


Helpselecttheprojectorcomeupwithanactionplanforraising

moneyonyourown.Trainingkidstogiveupsomethingthey

love(fasting)forsomeoneelseisapowerfullesson.Clickonthe

“SuccessStories”tabonourChurchResourceCenter(Live58.org/

church)andwatch“FastChampion:SarahandkateVideo”forideas

fromotherkids!

ClosIng prayerGod,weknowthatthefullpurposeandlifeoftheworldissummed

upintheWord—Jesus.Heislifeandlightandfleshandspirit,and

HefulfillseveryprophesymadefromIsaiahuntilnow.Jesus—the

Victor—setsusfreefromtheoppressionofdeathandloosensour

chainsandburdens.WeprayforHiscompassionandHisSpiritas

weseektodothesame.

a p p e n d I x :

a C T I O n L I s T F O r s m a L L G r O u p s

Asyoumovethroughthisstudy,yourcommunitywillexperience

arangeofemotionalandmentalreactions,fromshocktohope,

fromguilttomotivation,fromsadnesstojoy,fromdesperationto

empowerment.

Live58existstobringoutalifestyleofhope,motivation,joyand

empowermentafterthedevastatingdiscoveryoftheoppressionof

thepoor.Weofferthefollowinglistoftangiblestepstoguideyou

throughtheprocessofdiscoverytoaction.

sTep one - sTraTegy For aCTIonFirst,yourgroupwillneedtodecideonateamworkstrategyfor

action.Youhavethreeoptions.

OPTION1:DIVIDEINTOSmALLTEAmS

Yourgroupdividesintosmallerteams;eachteamtakesona

differentproject.

Youhaveseveraldifferentoptionshere,suchasteamingupby

familyunitorcouple,pairingupsingles,ormixingagegroups.

A P P END I X 46


OPTION2:GROUPCOLLABORATIVEPROJECT

Theentiresmallgrouptakesactiononthesameprojectandcourse

ofaction.Werecommendyouselectonelocalandoneglobal

outreachgoal.

Cometogethertoconsidertheinterestsofeachindividualand

voteonaprojecttodoasagroup.

OPTION3:COmmUNITYPROJECT

Theentirechurchorcommunitytakesactiononthesameproject(s)

workingincollaboration.

Haveeverylifegroupwithinthechurchteamuponthesame

project–werecommendselectingonelocalandoneglobalfocus

inyourareasofinterest.Yourchurchmayalsowanttoparticipate

inanactofsolidaritywiththoselivinginpoverty.Thisexercise

mayallowGodtoopenyoureyesandhearttothesufferingofthose

livinginpovertyandchallengeyoutotakestepstostandagainstit.

Tryeatingonlessthan$1.25perdayperfamilymember(Ideasfor

mealsinclude:oatmeal,cornmeal,orriceandbeans)orsleeponthe

floorforaweek.manymoreideasintheActionListonpage52.

FORANYOFTHEOPTIONSLISTEDABOVE:

Visitwww.Live58.org/projectsforvarioushighlightedprojectsor

choosetojointheGlobalImpactTourprojectofthemonthtobuild

awarenessandinterestaroundliving58.Eachmonth,theGlobal

Impacttourfocusesonadifferentcountry,povertyissueand

world-classprojectfromoneoftheLive58Alliancepartners.This

onlinetourinvitesChristianstofast,prayandgivetogethertofight

extremepoverty(Live58.org/tour).

sTep TWo - CHoose a goalAfteryoudeterminehowtodivideandconquer—oruniteand

conquer!—youneedtochooseyourendgoal.Thisisameasurable

outcomeforyourproject.Someprojectsareaccomplishedthrough

fundingtheworkofouralliancepartners(oranorganizationof

yourchoice),butothersrequiredirectinvestmentoftimeand

skilledefforts.

Takealookatexistingprojectsbybrowsingour“Projects”page

(Live58.org/projects)whichisseparatedbyalliancepartner.Each

ofourpartnersprovidesasustainablesolutiontooneaspectof

extremeglobalpoverty.Youcanreadmoreabouteachsolutionon

our“Causes”page(Live58.org/causes).

•CHOOSEACAUSE

Haveeachgroup(team,smallgrouporchurch)decideontheir

preferredcause.Beginto“own”thechosensolutiontopoverty

soyoucantakemeaningfulactionasagroupandhavean

impact.Seeingalltheproblemscombinedcanseemlikean

overwhelming,insurmountableproblem.Whenwebeginto

learnaboutandeffectchangeinjustonearea,wefindhopeaswe

watchpeoplereleasedfromthecycleofpovertyandseeGodat

workthroughustorestoreothers.

•CHOOSEAREGIONANDSPECIFICNEED

Afterchoosingacause,groupscanchooseaspecificregionof

theworldandsub-categoryasthegoalforgiving.Forexample,

underthemicroenterprisecausearea,agroupmightchoose

todonatetowardsewingmachinesforentrepreneursinthe

DominicanRepublic.

A P P END I X 48


•CHOOSETHEDOLLARAmOUNTANDLENGTHOFPROJECT

Next,chooseagoalamountfortheproject.Thisiswherethe

projectneedstobequantifiable.Afamilymightdecidetoraise

orcollect$100overthecourseofthreeweeks/months.Asmall

groupofeightto10peoplemightdecidetoaimfor$1,000overthe

courseofthreeweeks/months.Achurchmightchoosethegoalof

$5,000forthedurationoftheproject(threeweeks/months).

NOWWRITEOUTYOURGOAL:

Our__________________________[team,smallgroup,church]

willraise$____________tofund__________________________

[specificneed]in________________________________[region].

sTep THree - Course oF aCTIonFinally,choosethreecoursesofactiontohelpyouachieveyour

project.Wesuggestchoosingthreedifferenttypesofaction,each

onewithadifferentobjective:

• Tofundtheselectedprojecttobenefityourglobalneighbors

addressingoneoftherootcausesofpoverty.

• Toidentifywith(orlearnabout)peoplewholiveamuchmore

needylifethanyourown.

• Tobuildrelationshipswiththoselivinginpovertyinyour

owncommunity(yourliteralneighbors).

Eachofthesetypesofactionsareextremelyimportanttoawell-

roundedresponsetopovertyandagodlyheartofcompassion.

Sinceitisimportanttoexperienceallthreetypesofactions,try

choosingonefromeachlistbelow.Again,eachteam,smallgroup

orchurch(whateveryoudecidedinstepone)willwalkthrough

thethreechosencoursesofactiontogether.Youarealwaysfreeto

supplementwithmorethanthreechoices.

Inadditiontoourlist,haveagroupbrainstormsessionto

[email protected]!

Wewanttocelebratewithyou,witnessyourimpactandprogress

againstpoverty!Yourself-reportingcouldbefeaturedonour

websitetohelpfuturesmallgroups.

ACTIONLISTTORAISEFUNDS

Actions/faststofundorspreadthewordaboutaglobal

povertyproject

• Eatonlessthan$1.25perfamilymember.Donatewhatyou

saveonfoodtowardyourimpactproject.

• Hostaglobalimpactdinnerandinviteyourneighbors.Show

58:TheFilm,serveamealusingingredientsandarecipefrom

yourproject’scountry,shareaboutthepurposeofyourproj-

ect,andinviteyourneighborstodonatetowardtheproject.

WatchhowtheDrakefamilydoesthisunderthe“Success

Stories”tabinourChurchResourceCenter

(Live58.org/church).

• Don’tdriveforaweek.Trytowalkorrideabikeifpossible.

Givewhatyousaveongastowardyourproject.

A P P END I X 50


• Don’tuseanyhairorbodyproducts,makeuporhairappli-

ances.Givewhatyousaveonproductstowardyourproject.

• Hostagroup-wideyardsale.Givewhatyouearntoward

yourproject.

• Cutbackoncellphoneexpensesandextras.Contributewhat

yousavetowardyourproject.

• Evaluatethepercentageofyourincomeyou’vebeengiving,

andtrytoreachastretchgoal-doubleortripleitforyour

projectforgreaterimpact

• Ifanyholidaysarecomingup,‘fast’fromtypicalcelebrations

andgifts,andputthemoneyyouwouldhavespenttoward

yourproject.CheckoutPencil-InPoverty:HolidayEdition

(Live58.org/pencil-in-poverty-holiday-edition)for

creativeideas.

GROUPIDEAS:

ACTIONSTOHELPYOUIDENTIFYWITHANDLEARNABOUT

POVERTY,ASWELLASCHALLENGEYOUROWNLIFESTYLE

(EXPERIENCEPOVERTYIDEAS)

•Sleeponthefloorforaweek.

•Trytoeatonlessthan$1.25perfamilymember.

•Onlytakeacoldspongebathforaweek.

•PlaySurvive125(thepovertysimulationgame)atwww.Live58.

org/survive125

•‘Fast’fromtechnology.

•‘Fast’frommoviesandtelevision.

•Useyourvacationtimeandbudgettotakeatripwithyour

chosenalliancepartnertoseeasolutiontopovertyinaction.

Canyoumakethistripatimetolearnaboutyourspecific

projectoronelikeit?DownloadthefreeebookPencil-In

Poverty(Live58.org/pencil-in-poverty)tolearnwhichpartners

offertrips.Thisimmersionisoneofthemostinvolvedand

impactfulwaystobecomeanadvocateforthepoor.

•Banthephrases,“I’mstarving!”“I’mbored!”and“Ineed!”from

yourhousefortwoweeks.Formoreonthis,seetheBonus

IdeasinthefreeebookTheGivingTable

(Live58.org/giving-table).

A P P END I X 52


•Goona“riceandbeans”fast.Foranideaofhowthiscanwork,

checkouttheblogpost“IsYourWholeChurchonthisDiet?”in

ourChurchResourceCenter(Live58.org/church)blog.

•Buyfairtradeitemsandworktohaveasimplerlifestyleas

aconsumer.Checkoutthefreee-catalogEthicalEssentials:

Spring/SummerCatalog(Live58.org/ethical-catalog)forideas

andplacestoshop.Wealsohaveablogpostaboutfamilies

whobuywiththepoorinmind,andhowtheysucceedatthis.

Fairtradehasbeendefinedastheexchangeofgoodsbased

onprinciplesofeconomicandsocialmercy.Itisasustainable

andsystemicapproachthatgivespeopleindependenceand

dignitythroughtheirworktobreakcyclesofpovertywithin

theircommunity.

•Switchrolesinyourhomebetweenprovidersanddependents

tounderstandabitofwhatcouldhappenifproviderscould

notprovidebecauseofpoverty.Foradayoraweek,seewhat

happenswhentheprovidersdependonthedependents.

kidsmightberesponsibletocook,buygroceries(withtheir

ownmoney),clean,comfort,etc.Formoreonthis,lookatthe

activity“ParentalProvisionRequired”inthefreeebookThe

GivingTable(Live58.org/giving-table).

GROUPIDEAS:

ACTIONSTOSERVEYOURLOCALNEIGHBORS

•Giveyourbestmaterialdonationstothehomelessshelter

ratherthanyour“backofthepantry”ingredients.Formoreon

thisseetheactivity“ThePantryisFull,ButThere’sNothingto

Eat”inthefreeebookTheGivingTable

(Live58.org/giving-table).

•Serveatafoodpantry,homelessshelterorsoupkitchen.

•Packbackpackswithnewschoolsuppliesandgivethemaway

tochildrenwhomaynothavewhattheyneedtosucceed.

•Asagroup(team,smallgrouporchurch)committotutoring

kidsafterschool.Experience(andstudies)showsthatkidswho

haveinterested,lovingadultsintheirliveswillexcelandare

morelikelytobreakthecycleofpoverty.

•Spendanafternoonusingyourtalentsatanursinghome.

Sing,paintnails,brushhair,shareacomicbook,givehugs,

listentostories,telljokes,haveatalentshow—becreative!

•Cleanupyardsforsinglemoms,next-doorneighbors,or

theelderly.

A P P END I X 54


HoW WIll you lIVe 58?Thisjourneyhasbeenfullofdiscoveries,surprisesandsome

challengesthathavehopefullyopenedyoureyesandhearttothe

plightofthosewholiveinthethroesofpovertyandinjustice.

THISJOURNEYDOESNOTENDHERE.

GodhascalledeachofustoliveouttheTrueFastoutlined

inIsaiah58.

Wepraythatyousensethecallonyourlifetochoosetolive

differentlybecauseofwhatyounowknow.Wewantthechurchto

awakentoaddresstheneedsofthepoorandjoinHismissionto

takeHismessageofhopeandhealinginChristtoabrokenworld

livingineveryformofpoverty.Wewantyoutojoinustobring

hopetothosesufferinginextremepovertyintheworldtoday,to

giveupwhatweloveforsomethingwelovemore…seeinglives

eternallychangedandglorifyingGodaswejourneytogether.

GodhasadeepdesireforeachofustousethegiftsHehas

providedusandourresourcestorescuethosewhocannotrescue

themselves.Hecallsustospeakupforthosewhoarevulnerable

anddonothaveavoice.[noparagraphbreak]Beapartofthe

solution!Engageinthebattleagainstpoverty.

So,howwillyouliveoutIsaiah58?

WeencourageyoutoFast,Pray,GiveandShout!

LET’SLIVE58!

MeMory Verse Cards

“Youcannotfastasyoudotodayandexpect

yourvoicestobeheardonhigh.”

IsaIaH 58:4

“IsnotthisthekindoffastingIhavechosen:




andbreakeveryyoke?

IsaIaH 58:6

“Ifyouspendyourselvesinbehalfofthehungry

andsatisfytheneedsoftheoppressed,thenyour

lightwillriseinthedarkness,andyournightwill

becomelikethenoonday.”

IsaIaH 58:10

APP END I X 56


Richandpoorhavethisincommon:

TheLordisthemakerofthemall.

proVerBs 22:2

Heanswered,“‘LovetheLordyourGodwithall

yourheartandwithallyoursoulandwithallyour

strengthandwithallyourmind’and,‘Loveyour

neighborasyourself.’”

luke 10:27

“TheSpiritoftheLordisonme,becausehehas

anointedmetoproclaimgoodnewstothepoor.

Hehassentmetoproclaimfreedomforthe

prisonersandrecoveryofsightfortheblind,

tosettheoppressedfree,toproclaimtheyearof

theLord’sfavor.”

luke 4:18-19

“never before has the call been so clear to leave my life of unconscious consumption and take god’s

hope and healing to a broken world.”-pastor Jerry edmonson, The Fellowship at Cinco ranch

InTrueFast:HopeforaBrokenWorld,you’llfindsixweeksofeasy-to-usesessions,basedonengagingvideoclipsandstirringScripture.

parT one is a study of Isaiah 58 and can stand alone for groups needing a short-term series.

WEEk1:TheFalseFastandSpiritualPoverty WEEk2:ANewkindofFast:HopeforaBrokenWorld WEEk3:FreedomfromOppressionToday

parT TWo is a study of proverbs and the Gospels, designed to build on the first three weeks.

WEEk4:God’sDesignforWorkandmoney WEEk5:LovingYourLiteralNeighborWEEk6:God’sResponsetoInjustice

FeaTures:• Detailed Facilitator Guide

• Discussion Questions

• “Getting Involved” Action Steps

• Printable Memory Verse Cards

Live58.org

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