Needy People 07 Oct 18

(Message 3) “You’re so needy!” Have you ever said that or thought it? Maybe it’s been said to you. How do we relate to needy people in a way that honors God, but keeps us from being drained? Join us as we find a way to constructively relate to needy people and address our own neediness. #relationshipleeches

How to give strategically:

Be generous
Be discerning
Be healthy

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Key Scriptures from the Message

2 Corinthians 9:6-9; Luke 6:38; Acts 3:1-10; Mark 1:35-37; Matthew 5:1-3; Psalm 70:5; Acts 17:24-28

Start Reading.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Mark 1:35-37 NIV

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Galatians 6:7-8 NIV

But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; Lord, do not delay.
Psalm 70:5 NIV

Start talking. Find a conversation starter for your group.

Dogs or cats, which are overly needy? Prove it by sharing examples.
What do you think some deeper issues might be for people who come across as overly needy?

Start thinking. Ask a question to get your group thinking.

Read Mark 1:35-37. How was Jesus giving his disciples exactly what they needed? If Jesus is God, why did he ever need to get away to spend time with his Father?
Discuss why spiritual neediness is acceptable neediness?
Why is it important to keep your spiritual health in mind when you’re determining your ability to be generous?
Share some ways that you can stay filled up, or refill when you have been drained (by needy people, life, etc.)

Start studying. Think back to the message.

Why isn’t endless giving always the correct answer? Discuss the statement, “You can’t say ‘yes’ often if you don’t say ‘no’ occasionally.” How does it make you feel to say no? How did you come to feel this way?
Discuss the difference between giving a hand-out and giving a hand-up.
What does it mean to “give with boundaries”?

Start sharing. Discuss the questions to create openness.

We all experience some kind of need. Which area of your life is most impoverished? How can you allow God to meet you there?
Read Psalm 70:5. Share a story of when you or someone else tried to play God’s role of deliverer. What would you do differently now?

Start doing. Commit to a next step and live it out this week.

What do you need to change in order to better love people who have needs? What actions will you take to trust God with your needs?
What are some ways you can be generous to the needy that might not involve giving money?
Read 1 Timothy 6:18 and Proverbs 22:9. What are some of the benefits of being generous?
What are some next steps you can take to be generous, discerning and healthy as you give strategically?

Start praying. Be bold and pray together.

Have someone in your group pray through the requests in your prayer journal.
Ask God to guide each group member to apply all that you have studied together to their own lives and to guide them to their next step. Remembering that we are all overly needy for God, His grace, His presence, and His love. Ask God to teach us to live depending on Him and not on someone else or something else.

Start digging.

For further study go to: “If Jesus was God, how could He pray to God?”

Here’s another helpful reference: “How can there be subordination/hierarchy in the Trinity?“