Israel had strong leadership under Moses and Joshua during the exodus, and later under David and Solomon in the monarchy. In both eras there was a strong human leader who represented God and ruled society on the basis of divine law. But in these intervening years, the Israelites lived in a “spiritually pluralistic” society. Due to Israel’s various failures, the society of Canaan was a mixture of pagan and believing peoples. There are many parallels between that situation and ours today. Largely due to the failures of the church, believers in the West find themselves living in a religiously pluralistic society. Individual Christians work and live among a great variety of gods–not only those of other formal religions, but also the gods of wealth, celebrity, pleasure, ideology, achievement.

Christians reading Judges today must ask: how can we be sure to follow God rather than the idols of our society and neighbors? How can we renew ourselves when we fail or fall?

In Engaging Post-Christian Culture: Our Mission in a New Context, groups will explore the postmodern, post-Christian and post-American world, where the church no longer exists at the center of society.

There was a time when most people grew up attending church, Christians held influence in the public square and America was still thought of as a “Christian nation.” This is not so anymore. We live in a post-Christian context. And while Christians could bemoan this reality, it’s not all bad news. The end of the Christian America dream is the beginning of a new opportunity.

In this Q Society Room experience, groups will be challenged to explore the dynamics of a post-Christian society and re-imagine the opportunities that exist for our mission in a new context.

This is a great resource in preparing to study any book in the New Testament.

This is a great commentary set to use as a resource for your small group.

The link below will take you to a site to purchase the whole set, but you can purchase individual commentaries for the book you are studying.

If you are looking for a good commentary to help with your small group study, Will Pavone and the small groups team recommend the following site. 

http://www.bestcommentaries.com/

A good free commentary resource by Dr. Constable can be found at:

http://www.soniclight.com

As we prepare you for a three-week “Spring” break we wanted to answer two more important questions: “What will my small group do during this three week break?” and “What will the midsized community for leaders look like?”

What will my small group do during this three-week break? The following are three options:

1. Your group does not formally meet while you attend the midsize community Bible study for three weeks.
2. Your apprentice leads the group while you attend the midsize community Bible study for three weeks.
3. Your group meets in a format that doesn’t require your leadership such as a prayer and praise night; a night of service; a movie night, etc.

What will the midsized leader’s community look like?

1. The leader’s midsized community Bible study will meet from 3:30-5:00 PM on Sunday 3/27, 4/3, and 4/10.
2. It will be an interactive time where we will work through the book of Philemon in order to understand the meaning of the text and how to apply it.
3. As we study Philemon we will discuss practical tips for your leadership in terms of studying the Bible, preparing a lesson and facilitating good discussions in your small group.
4. We will have times of prayer and fellowship together.

Can’t wait to take a break with you!