Instant Small Group: 52 Sessions for Anytime, Anywhere Use

By Mike Nappa

It's been a crazy day at work, the house is a mess, and you have nothing in the refrigerator--and you're hosting your small group tonight. How can you possibly get a lesson ready in the midst of your chaotic life? Easy. Just open Instant Small Group.

This no-preparation-required teaching resource provides a year's worth of engaging, transforming, and easy-to-lead discussion guides for adult small groups. All 52 studies are "open and go" for those who, for whatever reason, don't have the time or energy to prepare. They can be used by anyone in the group--not just the leader--and are perfect for road trips, retreats, coffeehouse conversations, or even as personal devotionals. Bonus callouts with discussion-specific teaching tips, brief Bible background information, and add-on ideas are included, as well as an appendix titled "20 Tips for Dynamic Discussions."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781441232168

Mike Nappa

Mike Nappa is an award-winning, Arab-American author and editor of Christian books and ministry resources. He holds a master's degree in English and a bachelor's degree in Christian Education, with an emphasis in Bible theology. He is a contributing writer for Crosswalk.com, Christianity.com, Beliefnet.com, and TheGospelCoalition.org. Mike served in ministry for years and co-authored a number of books with his wife, Amy, before losing her to cancer in 2016.

Book preview

1

God, our father

While he was still a long way off, his father saw him.

Luke 15:20

Theme: God, our Father

Scripture: Luke 15:11–32; Psalm 68:5–6

1. The nickname committee called! People have so overused traditional father names like papa, daddy, and pops, that the world has almost run out. What are some brand-new nicknames people could use for their fathers during this unexpected shortage? Give an elevator pitch for your best idea.

Small Group Tip: For Extra Fun

If you have access to paper and pencils, you could also have group members write out their answers to question 1 Hangman-style, with blanks in place of letters for others to guess. This will make small group feel something like a game night, which can be a nonthreatening way to help adults relax and begin to open up with each other.

2. The Bible repeatedly describes God as a father. Why is that significant?

Have group members read Luke 15:11–32.

3. What’s the first thing that strikes you about the father in this parable? Explain.

4. The father in this passage is an obvious representation of God the Father—and this story was told by Jesus, God’s Son. What secrets about the nature of Father God do you see Jesus revealing here?

5. Some say that the father in this parable is passive, permissive, and absent from his son’s life—and that God the Father is the same in real life. Do you agree or disagree? Defend your answer.

6. Which is more significant: (a) that the father let the son leave, or (b) that the father welcomed the son back? Explain.

Backseat Bible: Luke 15:11–32

According to Jewish custom at the time, by asking for his inheritance early the son in this parable was delivering a terribly harsh insult to his father. He was basically saying, Dad, I wish you were dead already.[1]

Have group members read Psalm 68:5–6.

7. What’s the first thing that strikes you about the Father in this passage? Explain.

8. In what ways does the Father in Psalm 68:5–6 resemble the father in Luke 15:11–32? And why is that important?

9. Think about your current life situation. How do you need God to be your Father today?

10. What are ways that you can come home to your heavenly Father this week?

Small Group Tip

Encourage group members to be specific in the way they answer Open Life questions. Also, instruct people to wait a minute or two in silence before answering. This will give them an opportunity to think through their responses a bit before having to talk.

Small Group Tip

Consider the option of having group members share their Open Life answers with a partner instead of with the whole group. This might be especially helpful if yours is a newly formed small group.

     Afterward, have partners pray together in pairs to close the session.

2

Jesus, God’s Son

Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16

Theme: Jesus, God’s Son

Scripture: Matthew 16:13–20; John 1:1–5, 14–18

1. If you were to interview ten people and ask them, Who is Jesus? you’d likely get ten different answers. What are ten ways you might expect people to answer that question today?

Small Group Tip: For Extra Fun

If you have the time and the courage, send group members out in pairs to a public place (like a mall or outside a coffee shop). Have them actually interview people, asking the question, In your opinion, who is Jesus? Have pairs report back on the responses they receive.

2. Why is it important to decide exactly who Jesus is? Or is it important to do that? Explain.

Have group members read Matthew 16:13–20.

3. What do you think Jesus was trying to accomplish by asking the question he did?

4. At the time Jesus asked this question, there were already many opinions about his identity. Today there is often startling unanimity about historical/religious figures—except Jesus. Why can’t anyone seem to agree about him?

5. Jesus clearly indicated that Simon Peter’s understanding came to him directly from God. What does that mean for you and me today?

Backseat Bible: Matthew 16:13

It’s interesting to note that Caesarea Philippi was the place where Jesus stopped to ask Who do people say the Son of Man is? That region had only recently been renamed Caesarea Philippi (after its new Roman rulers). For hundreds of years prior, the area had been known as Panion, which means Sanctuary of Pan, a place dedicated to honoring the pagan god associated with nature.

     This means that when Jesus asked the question to clarify the truth of his deity in the eyes of his disciples, they were all standing in a centuries-old worship sanctuary of a false god.[2]

Have group members read John 1:1–5,