EXTRA! Ideas for Adults – Thrive: Living on Purpose – Session 5

2 days ago 8

Date: September 29, 2024

Purpose Expressed

The Point: We fulfill our purpose as we serve others in love.

Get Into the Study

Read this before Question #1: When has helping someone else with a project been fun?

If you are looking for a creative solution to a nagging problem, ask children to help. LEGO China created an initiative in 2024 called “Little Hands, Big Creations.” The project seeks to highlight children’s creativity by presenting them with a problem to solve. Not only does it drive attention to their products, but it hopes to inspire the country’s youngest builders.

Recently, LEGO China asked a question on social media: “What would you do if there’s a traffic jam?” After receiving numerous entries, they highlighted Xiao Ke’s solution. She is an 8-year-old girl who drew her answer on paper. The company loved it so much that they brought the “Long-legged Car” idea to life. Her drawing showed a vehicle rising above the traffic with extendable legs and moving past the rush hour.

It must have been amazing for her to see her concept come to fruition when a team of people took great detail to build it out of LEGOs. “To execute Xiao Ke’s Big Idea, LEGO China collaborated with expert builders and the LEGO Jiaxing factory model team. Over 30 people were involved, 700+ hours and 200,000+ LEGO bricks were used, to transform Xiao Ke’s drawing into a tangible life-sized LEGO model.”

After the first one, they recreated it in stores all across China. Group projects aren’t always the most fun endeavors, but this project, working with others to bring a little girl’s dream to life, seemed a joy to do. For more information, visit https://campaignbriefasia.com/2024/07/10/lego-china-turns-kids-ideas-into-into-giant-lego-model-window-displays-nationwide/

Get Into the Study [Option from the Adult Leader Guide]

In advance, play a video clip illustrating generational differences. Then ask Question #1.

Study the Bible

Read this story before Question #5: How can we make service to others—both inside and outside the church—our priority?

Christopher Boyd was driving through Vancouver recently when something alarmed him enough to stop the car and get involved. The 29-year-old saw a man and a woman walking together, but their positioning seemed off. After putting the car in park, he approached the situation and asked if the woman was OK.

The man asked Boyd to leave and said they were a couple. The woman remained quiet. It concerned Boyd enough to get close enough to see the man was wearing a mask. “At that point, Boyd retreated, running back to 12th Avenue to flag down others for help as he feared the man may have a weapon.”

While Boyd sought more help, he was concerned that the lady probably assumed she was being abandoned. Eventually, he had a party of three willing to approach the perpetrator. He dropped his knife and ran away from the situation. The woman was unharmed, and police later apprehended the attacker. When asked why he did it, Boyd replied, “You jump in and you help people because that’s what it’s all about. You’ve got to be there for people.”

We often don’t want to get involved in situations that could endanger us. This woman’s safety was contingent upon someone else’s risk. There are needs all around us. One of the most significant ways to show Christ is by inconveniencing yourself to serve someone else. For more information, visit: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/robbery-samaritan-trio-stop-theft-knife-attack-mount-pleasant-1.7317257

Travis Agnew is a disciple of Jesus, husband to Amanda, dad to the Agnew 3, and Lead Pastor or Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. He loves writing about faith and family at travisagnew.org.

Additional Questions

Icebreaker

What are the benefits of serving under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit?
Who are some of the biggest role models in your life? What did you learn from them?
How do you feel about group projects as opposed to working alone?
When have you participated in a group project that went really well?
When has helping someone else with a project been fun?

Galatians 6:1-5

What does it mean to help carry another’s burdens?
Why is it important for us to not compare our work to the work of others?
Why is humility so important when believers try to help restore someone who does wrong?
What are some of the burdens people are carrying in our society?
What are some practical ways for us to carry each other’s burdens as followers of Jesus?
How can we navigate the apparent tension between verses 2 and 5?

Galatians 6:6-8

What are the present and future benefits of serving others according to the Spirit?
When is a time that you’ve served, and felt that you were the one blessed by the experience?
How has serving others blessed you?
What are some ways we “sow” in our lives as believers in Jesus?
Where do you see fertile soil for sowing in the Spirit?

Galatians 6:9-10

How is love foundational to serving others?
How can we make service to others – both in and outside of the church – our priority in life?
How can we cultivate a heart that actively looks for God-given “opportunities” to serve?
Who is someone you know who has delighted in serving the Lord?
How can believers remain sensitive to needs of people within and outside the church?