Big Idea

Retro - Suit Yourself Short Guide

Big Idea:
The world says, “Get all you can get for you,” but Jesus says, “Live justly and generously for Me.”

Key Verse:
Luke 19:1‐9 (The Message)
Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the
head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way—
he was a short man and couldn't see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a
sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by. When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up
and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home." Zacchaeus
scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him.
Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, "What business does he have getting
cozy with this crook?" Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically,
"Master, I give away half my income to the poor—and if I'm caught cheating, I pay four times the
damages." Jesus said, "Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of
Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost."

The Scoop:
Zaccheus is our 80’s guy. He would’ve been right at home in the decade of corporate raiders and wealth.
His name means “pure” or “just” but Zaccheus was neither. As a tax collector, he made his money by
cheating, gouging or extorting it out of people. Perhaps the worst thing about how he acquired his wealth
was that he was a traitor. It didn’t matter to him that he ripped off his fellow Jews. Money mattered to
him. But when he meets Jesus, something happens. Notice Jesus’ words: “Today is salvation day in this
home.” Zacchaeus didn’t become generous in order to earn his salvation. Rather, justice and generosity
flowed out of Zacchaeus as a result of getting to know Jesus.

1. In the 80’s, it was okay to brag about being a “material girl” (or boy). Think about people’s
perception of materialism in today’s culture. How does our era compare or contrast with that of
the 80’s?

2. The interesting thing is that God doesn’t just call us to not be greedy. As stated in the Big Idea,
He calls us to live just and generous lives and care for the poor. What is the difference? And why
is this distinction important?

What’s Next? (take home/further processing/application)
What is one step you can take in your life this next week to live more generously? Some ideas include:

• Choose something you own but don’t really need, sell it, and give the money to someone in need.
• Commit some of your money and your time to a worthy cause and set up a time to serve there.
• Give money or a gift anonymously to someone you know in need.
• Intentionally spend some time with someone whom you know is ostracized/marginalized, and listen to them and share your story with them.

Retro - Find Yourself Short Guide

Big Idea:
The world says, “Find yourself in you,” but Jesus says, “Find your identity in Me.”

Key Verse:
Genesis 32:22-31 (The Message)
…Jacob stayed behind by himself, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man
saw that he couldn't get the best of Jacob as they wrestled, he deliberately threw Jacob's hip out
of joint. The man said, "Let me go; it's daybreak." Jacob said, "I'm not letting you go 'til you
bless me." The man said, "What's your name?” He answered, "Jacob." The man said, "But no
longer. Your name is no longer Jacob. From now on it's Israel (God-Wrestler); you've wrestled
with God and you've come through." Jacob asked, "And what's your name?" The man said, "Why
do you want to know my name?" And then, right then and there, he blessed him. Jacob named
the place Peniel (God's Face) because, he said, "I saw God face-to-face and lived to tell the story!"
The sun came up as he left Peniel, limping because of his hip. (This is why Israelites to this day
don't eat the hip muscle; because Jacob's hip was thrown out of joint.)

The Scoop:
Jacob is the quintessential 70’s kind of guy. The Bible shows from birth that he was a do-whatever-it
takes-to-get-what-he-wants kind of guy. Jacob’s name literally means “heel grabber” because he grasped
the heel of his older brother as they were being born, thus foreshadowing his character. The plot of
Jacob’s story begins, then, when he swindles his brother out of his inheritance. Consequently, Jacob flees
for his life from his brother over their dispute, and he reaches the end of his rope. The night before he
has to meet his brother, he has one of the most mysterious encounters with God in the entire Bible.
Not surprisingly, Jacob keeps insisting that God bless him, and while God does choose to bless him, it does not come cheap. Jacob gets two key things that he hadn’t bargained for: a name change and a
permanently dislocated hip. His new name is Israel and he walks with a limp.

1. In what thing today do you most find your identity?

2. In what ways has God given you a “new name” or a “limp?” That is, how has God changed
something noticeable about who you are as a result of following Him?

3. If your friends were asked today to describe who you are, what are the top 2-3 words you think
they would use?

What’s Next? (take home/further processing/application)
After answering question 3 above, what is one quality that you want God to develop as part of your “new
identity in Him,” something that would become obvious to those around you? Maybe it’s to be a more
generous person, a good listener, someone who constantly encourages others, etc. Choose a quality,
share it with someone, and ask God to begin developing this in you.

Retro - Free Yourself Short Guide

Retro
Week One – The 60’s: Free Yourself
The BIG Idea Team, Individual and Family Study Guide
Please take time to run through this study guide with your team, on your own or with your family so that you can further apply and process the BIG Idea.

Big Idea:
The world says, “Be your own authority,” but Jesus says, “Make me your Lord.”

Key Verse:
Matthew 8:5-13 (The Message)
As Jesus entered the village of Capernaum, a Roman captain [Centurion] came up in a panic and said, "Master, my servant is sick. He can't walk. He's in terrible pain." Jesus said, "I'll come and heal him." "Oh, no," said the captain. "I don't want to put you to all that trouble. Just give the order and my servant will be fine. I'm a man who takes orders and gives orders. I tell one soldier, 'Go,' and he goes; to another, 'Come,' and he comes; to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." Taken aback, Jesus said, "I've yet to come across this kind of simple trust in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know all about God and how he works. This man is the vanguard of many outsiders who will soon be coming from all directions—streaming in from the east, pouring in from the west, sitting down at God's kingdom banquet alongside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then those who grew up 'in the faith' but had no faith will find themselves out in the cold, outsiders to grace and wondering what happened." Then Jesus turned to the captain and said,
"Go. What you believed could happen has happened." At that moment his servant became well.

The Scoop:
The 60’s were an amazing mixture of hope and cynicism. Everyone talked about changing the world, but the assassinations of JFK, MLK, RFK, and the atrocities of the Vietnam War led to an overall mistrust and rejection of authority. A popular bumper sticker of the time stated “Question Authority,” but “reject all authority” is what the words really meant. A new generation of baby boomers didn’t want to be what their parents were, nor have what their parents had. Dr. Spock (not the Star Trek guy, the child psychiatrist) told parents to be permissive and let their kids go their own way. “Free love,” drug experimentation and the psychedelic music were represented by Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles. The cover of Time Magazine in April 1966 read “Is God Dead?”

1) What do you think causes people to dislike or to rebel against authority?

2) A centurion was a powerful military man, yet he humbly subjected himself to the “authority” of Jesus.
In your opinion, who are some of the humblest leaders alive today (either famous, or “everyday leaders”) that you know personally? Why do you think they are this way?

3) Is there any connection between the ideas of “faith” and “submission to authority”? If so, what is it?

What’s Next? (take home/further processing/application)
Think about the areas of your life where you know that you are choosing to rebel against what God wants for you. Identify one other person with whom you can share about that. Have him or her hold you accountable to submitting to God and following what He wants for you.

Retro - Free Yourself Group Guide

Big Idea
The world says, “Be your own authority,” but Jesus says, “Make me your Lord.”

Introduction
The 60’s were an amazing mixture of hope and cynicism. Everyone talked about changing the world, but the assassinations of JFK, MLK, RFK, and the atrocities of the Vietnam War led to an overall mistrust and rejection of authority. A popular bumper sticker of the time stated
“Question Authority,” but “reject all authority” is what the words really meant. A new generation of baby boomers didn’t want to be what their parents were, nor have what their parents had. Dr. Spock (not the Star Trek guy, the child psychiatrist) told parents to be permissive and let their kids go their own way. “Free love,” drug experimentation and the psychedelic music were represented by Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles. The cover of Time Magazine in April 1966 read “Is God Dead?”
Ice Breaker
What are some of your favorite memories of the 60’s or where do you see 60’s influences today?

“I Fought the Law…” (Bobby Fuller Four, 1965)
1. What do you think causes people to dislike or to rebel against authority?
2. Share a story of a time when you purposely went against authority.
3. Have there ever been times in your life when you were thankful for authority? Share why that was.

READ Matthew 8:5-13 (The Message)
As Jesus entered the village of Capernaum, a Roman captain [Centurion] came up in a panic and said, "Master, my servant is sick. He can't walk. He's in terrible pain." Jesus said, "I'll come and heal him." "Oh, no," said the captain. "I don't want to put you to all that trouble. Just give the order and my servant will be fine. I'm a man who takes orders and gives orders. I tell one soldier, 'Go,' and he goes; to another, 'Come,' and he comes; to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." Taken aback, Jesus said, "I've yet to come across this kind of simple trust in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know all about God and how he works. This man is the vanguard of many outsiders who will soon be coming from all directions—streaming in from the east, pouring in from the west, sitting down at God's kingdom banquet alongside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Then those who grew up 'in the faith' but had no faith will find themselves out in the cold, outsiders to grace and wondering what happened." Then Jesus turned to the captain and said, "Go. What you believed could happen has happened." At that moment his servant became well.

4. A centurion was a powerful military man, yet he humbly subjected himself to the “authority” of Jesus. In your opinion, who are some of the humblest leaders alive today (either famous, or “everyday leaders”) that you know personally? Why do you think they are this way?

5. This is the only time recorded in the Bible when Jesus was “taken aback” by someone.
He actually seems impressed, even blown away. Of all the people Jesus encountered in
His life, why do you think this centurion amazed him so much?

6. Is there any connection between the ideas of “faith” and “submission to authority”? If so, what is it?

“I Did It My Way” (Frank Sinatra, 1968)

7. Why do you think God chose to give people the freedom to choose whether to follow Him or to rebel against Him? In other words, why didn’t He assert his authority and force us to obey Him?

8. One reason we often resist authority is because we associate it with a loss of personal freedom. Yet the Bible consistently explains that when we choose to submit to God, we find true freedom. Freedom from what? How do you think that submission to God can lead to a life of freedom?

9. Facing his crucifixion, Jesus wrestled with the decision of whether or not to submit to God’s plan for Him. But ultimately he uttered these words: “Not what I want. What do you want?” (Luke 22:42). Has there ever been a time when you uttered these samewords and submitted to God’s plan for you? Share that story.

What’s Next
Think about the areas of your life where you know that you are choosing to rebel against what
God wants for you. Identify one other person with whom you can share about that. Have him or her hold you accountable to submitting to God and following what He wants for you.