Element3 Church

Breaking Ground

What was your favorite extracurricular activity in middle or high school? Why? Consider playing music, sports, hobbies, clubs, etc. 

The Dig

This Sunday, Pastor Scott continued our series The Art Of by exploring the spiritual disciplines of giving & generosity. 

First, consider how you’ve been taught about giving, generosity, & charity in your time at Church. What reasons have you been given for these practices? Were these disciplines explained or defined as being about simple rules or something deeper? Has your understanding of them changed over the course of your life? 

Where have you seen giving, charity, & generosity engaged by Christians in healthy ways? How about unhealthy ways? What distinguishes between healthy from unhealthy teachings on giving?  

Next, read Matthew 6:1-4 & James 2:14-17. Here, we find two essential New Testament passages concerning the Christian practice of giving. In Matthew 6, Jesus upholds generosity as a spiritual practice that’s meant to transform the giver, while James focuses on the tangible aid that healthy generosity must provide for its recipient. 

What positive, spiritual impact should practicing generosity, giving, & charity have on the giver? Consider things like detachment from wealth, rewiring mindsets of scarcity, learning to look beyond oneself, etc.

What positive impact should practicing generosity, giving, & charity have on the receiver? How does this become a natural expression of a healthy Christian faith? 

Reflect on your own spiritual health as seen through your practice of giving, generosity, & charity. 

Where are you currently practicing giving, generosity, & charity as a regular spiritual discipline? How is this shaping you to be more like Jesus? 

Where do you need to lean into practicing giving, generosity, & charity in a new way? How might this help you grow spiritually in this next season?

 

Coming Out of the Hole

Take time to reflect on the Sunday sermon & how this week’s teaching might speak into your daily life.

• How would you define generosity & charity? What purpose do they play in the spiritual life?
• Based upon your previous answer, where are you currently practicing these spiritual disciplines on a regular basis? How has this impacted your relationship with God & others?
• What’s one, additional act of generosity, charity, or service that you could adopt this winter? What changes will this require you to make to your normal schedule & what’s the first step that you need to take to make this happen? 

Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through each week’s teaching. Share your experience with your growth group next week!

Additional Resources*

The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard

Matthew by Stanley Hauerwas

Christ & Culture by Stanley Hauerwas

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Peculiar People by Henry Clapp

Coming Up This Week:* 

Sunday, November 19th: Join us next Sunday for week 3 of our new series The Art Of! 

* Please see mye3.org for details.