Catch up on how things have been since the last time your Impact Group met. Allow anyone new to introduce themselves. Then ask group members to:
Ask for a volunteer to read Luke 12:13-21 to the group, praying a short prayer that – however much they’ve come to know Jesus, they’d get to know him better as a result of your time together.
If you’re not gathered in person, the leader should project the video for the group through sharing their screen. If you’re using Zoom, make sure you have optimized your screen share for video.
Suggested questions to help your discussion:
If your group comprises only Christians, you might like to ask this optional question:
When God labels the man in the parable a ‘fool’, he is not saying that he is lacking in intellectual ability – in fact, to have been as successful as he was, the man would probably have been very intelligent. The word ‘fool’ refers to the man’s senselessness. As Proverbs 1:7 says, only a fool would willfully ignore the Creator and live in opposition to him and his ways.
Jesus teaches about the need to be ‘rich toward God’ at the end of a parable designed to rebuke a man who wanted Jesus to command his brother to share the inheritance from their father. Jesus’ parable warns of the spiritual hazards that go with a greedy mindset built around acquiring wealth.
So being rich toward God means having a mindset unlike the man in the parable:
Jesus teaches along a similar line Matthew 6:19-21 in the Sermon on the Mount.
Read the next section of Jesus’ teaching in Luke’s Gospel – Luke 12:22-34.
When it comes to money and possessions, worry acts as an overwhelming fear that there won’t be enough for the future. Meanwhile greed causes an insatiable hunger for more.
Jesus’ parable has taught us that material resources can’t ultimately bring life. Now he explains how we can be freed to be generous: in God, we have everything we need.
Reflect personally on the parable. You might like to use these questions:
Ask a few group members to pray in the light of your discussions. You could also share other prayer needs.
You may have people in your Impact Group who are less familiar with Jesus and his teaching. They may have been struck by elements of Jesus’ parable.
Confirm the time that you’ll meet next week, and ask someone to close your time together in prayer.
Taking it further – links you might like to share with your Impact Group
Matt Maher’s song Lord, I Need You is a wonderful reaffirmation of looking to Jesus for what he alone can provide.
Paul Tripp teaches on The Principle of Eternity (3 minutes) – and draws out the implications for the choices we make today, particularly in the area of relationships.
The third session of John Mark Comer’s How to Unhurry (10 minutes) is a practical guide to living simply. You can also hear Comer teach on the parable of the rich fool.
Judith Holmes from Tearfund’s Not Another Black Friday gives help on not getting caught up in the waves of consumerism around us.
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