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BROKEN: Broken Bank Accounts

Daily devotionals have been prepared to accompany the First Quarter Series, BROKEN.  They are available at the Welcome Center or online at www.gpbrokenstudy.blogspot.com.  The following questions can be used as a weekly recap in a small group setting or as a personal study aid for the sermon preached by Senior Pastor, Tommy Dove, at the Grace Place on Sunday, February 26, 2017.  Past sermons are available offline at www.nashvillechurch.com.   Click on “Media” and then “BROKEN” to view the video.

Small group members are encouraged to bring their completed daily devotionals to their weekly group sessions to share their BROKEN discoveries with their group.  For more information on participating in a Life Group study, contact Pastor Jon Green.

Weekly Warm-up:
What was your last big purchase?
How do you recycle, repurpose or reuse?
What can you do to promote good stewardship of things?

Watch Weekly Video: (optional)


Weekly Overview: (skip if video is used)
It is not polite to talk about money.  Really?  Maybe that is why so many people have broken bank accounts.  The Bible talks a great deal about money including many examples of people who were broken because of money.  Not broken as in broke but broken as in broken relationships with God. 

Let’s talk about the couple who were killed by their love of money – Ananias and Sapphira.  They were members of a caring church.  They enjoyed Peter’s preaching.  They probably had a small group meeting at their house but greed caused a crack in Ananias and Sapphira’s relationship with God.   Many in their church had donated income from the sale of property to the needy in the community.  Ananias and wife, Sapphira, wanted to be seen as generous, too, but when they sold property, they kept some of the money and then lied about it.  The love of that money caused them to break a sacred trust.

God wants to see how trustworthy we are with the blessings we have been given.  Do we treasure things and use people or treasure people and use things?  God wants to trust you with all the treasures!  Jesus is plain about where our priorities should be.  We don’t have to worry about broken bank accounts when we have treasures in Heaven.

Weekly Discussion Questions: (Italicized questions come from daily devotional)

Read Luke 16:10-13.  (Read it in The Message, if available.)

What does it mean to be a slave to money?
How does God know He can trust us with more?
How can you use what you currently have to honor God?

Read Acts 5:1-11

What was the reason that they were struck down?
How did this event affect the church?
How could being eager for money cause one to wander from the faith?

Read Matthew 6:19-21

Why was Jesus concerned about us storing up earthly treasures?
What kind of true riches do you desire?
What material things do you need to be content?
What changes do you need to make to lessen your desire for more things?

Prayer:
Pray a prayer of thankfulness for your blessings.
Pray for contentment.
Pray for the needy in your community. 

(Remember our neighbors who visit our weekly food bank.) 

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