Main Point

Who are you bringing to Easter at Faith Promise?

Hint: The answer is not your Aunt Sally who already goes to “That Other Church.”

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Start the Conversation

Faith Promise distributed “egg” door hangers with service times for our Easter services this week. Are you going to egg or have you already egged someone’s house for Easter? Did you enjoy the door hanger idea?

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Introduction

This week we saw a sermon that Pastor Chris recorded on location in Jerusalem, the City of God. He spoke about the thing that should be our fuel to invite those who don’t know Christ — HELL. As a church, we are praying for 20,000 people to attend one of our 40 Easter services. We are expecting 850 baptisms this year as we impact people and they turn to Christ.

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Encountering God through Bible Study

Read Luke 16:18-31.

1. This is the story of Lazarus and the rich man. The story gives us the name of Lazarus but never tells us the name of the rich man. Have you ever thought about that? Why do you think that is?

2. Think of the life Lazarus must have endured. Does it give you a new perspective when you think of the challenges you face?

3. Think again on Lazarus and the rich man. Are there times when you fail to invite or offer to help those with financial or worldly success because you are more comfortable serving the poor?

Gehenna is the location where this week’s sermon was recorded. According to Wikipedia, “Gehenna, from the Hebrew Gehinnom, is a small valley in Jerusalem and the Jewish and Christian analogue of hell. The terms are derived from a place outside ancient Jerusalem known in the Hebrew Bible as the Valley of the Son of Hinnom.” It is also called the garbage dump and valley of drums. Pastor Chris shared about the history of the name “valley of drums.” Pagans sacrificed their children to Molech at Gehenna, and drums were played to drown out the cries.

4. Gehenna is a way to depict Hell. Can you think of ways that we experience distractions that drown out God?

5. Close your eyes for 5 seconds. Think of the people in your immediate circle. Now imagine Jesus came back tonight. How many of those people don’t know Christ? How many of those people would spend eternity separated from God?

6. How can you invite them to church in a friendly, not hitting them in the head with a Bible kind of way?

Read 2 Kings 23:10.

7. In Gehenna, some worshipers of Molech sacrificed their children — literally killed their children — in the fire. Do you think there are modern-day ways that children are “sacrificed” to idols without killing them physically?

8. Can you think of ways to help and protect our youth?

9. Can you think of ways to keep your flame burning so that the message of Christ is loud in your life?

10. If Christ returned today, are you certain you would go to Heaven?

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Embrace others in Biblical Community

Pray that we are on fire for God. Pray that our desire to know God more and to share Him with others is with us day and night. Pray that we continually make a dramatic impact in East Tennessee by sharing the gospel.

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Expand God’s Kingdom

What are your Easter plans? At which services are you serving? Whom have you invited? Whom are you going to invite? Are you sharing on social media? You could share now as a small group!

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Leader Notes

We encourage groups to try the Discovery Bible Method as an alternative to these discussion questions. You will find details for this Bible study method here. For this week, please study either Matthew 7:21-23 or 2 Kings 23.

1. Some thoughts about names: When we accept Christ into our hearts, our names are written into the book of life. That is what keeps us from Hell after we die. Perhaps the rich man didn’t have a name after he died because his name was never written in the book of life. We don’t want our loved ones to become nameless vague memories. We want them written in the book of life.

7. Children are sacrificed in many other ways. Children are a gift from God, and they need parents. Parents give up their children to drugs, traveling, drinking, and many other things. We are all probably in some small ways of allowing idols into the lives of our children.