Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us at the next Sunday worship service:
In-Person
9:00am & 10:45am,
Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Week 4 Questions For Northstar Groups

 To Do Good Is To Be Rich

Introduction: The How To Be Rich series is all about being good at being rich. If you live in America you are probably in the top two percent of the world in income and every standard of living measure. It is one thing to review all the statistics and data that prove we are rich, and actually feeling that we are rich. That may be due to the narrow definition or perspective we have on what being rich really means. In this week’s message, we discussed that being rich does not begin and end with money. We can be be rich in “good deeds” as demonstrated in the Good Samaritan story found in Luke 10: 25-37.

Something To Talk About:
We are rich and it is time we start acting like it. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 says, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” The truth is there are many ways to honor God. We can honor God by going to church, doing our daily devotional, and tithing, to name a few. But, the best way we can show that we love God is by loving other people. Loving others shows we care about what God cares most about – people. The story of the Good Samaritan illustrates that point.The first two people that passed by the injured man were professional religious guys that were too busy or couldn’t be bothered to help. As a professional religious guy myself, I am none to pleased with those two. And even though a Samaritan helping a Jew was unheard of due to decades of hate and prejudice, this Samaritan took pity on the man and helped him. He saw a need and acted on it. He was rich in good deeds.

Discussion Questions:
1. James 2:18 (NLT) says, Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.  What does that verse say to you about good deeds?

2, In the message, I said that “my good deeds should point to God, not me.” How does that affect how we should look at good deeds?

3. I also said that “my good deeds must help others and not hurt them.” While there are no guarantees, how can we make sure that our actions will do more good than harm?

4. Finally, I said that ”my good deeds should glorify God through His church.” What steps can we take to ensure our good deeds point to God through the local church?

5. Are there areas to match up your spiritual gifts with serving opportunities at Northstar? Do you understand your spiritual gifts? If not, please  consider taking the Ministry 301 class.

6. If you see a need this week, are you willing to so something about it? How can we become more aware of need?

Take One Thing Home With You:
Doing good deeds is not without risk. It was risky for the Samaritan to do what he did. He too could have been robbed on this dangerous road. He had no guarantees that the wounded man would recover. And because he put no limits on the man’s recovery, he had no idea what it would ultimately cost him. What if the man once recovered was not grateful? This is the kind of love Jesus wants, good deeds without any strings.