We hinder the work of God with hypocrisy . Hypocrisy

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WEEK 3 HYPOCRI SY DANNY A ND ERSON

hypocrisy

We hinder the work of God with pretending

Hypocrisy is

.

to be something that you are not.

“Among young outsiders, 84% say they personally know at least one committed Christian. Yet, just 15% thought the lifestyles of those Christ followers were significantly different from the norm.” David Kinnaman God wants to use your life to

bring

others

to faith in Him.

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 Hypocrisy

pushes

away

people

from faith.

“When Christians behave badly, or fail to behave well, we are making Christianity unbelievable to the outside world.” C.S. Lewis. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ... Philippians 1:27 No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.” Romans 2:24 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy… 1 Peter 2:1 How do we get rid of hypocrisy? 1. Get real

.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. Hebrews 4:13 2. Get

perspective

.

When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” Luke 19:5 3. Get

better

.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.” Matthew 15:18-20 There are people waiting for your manner of life to match what you say you believe. Audio and video messages are available at eclife.org under “RECENT MESSAGE” on the home page.

WEEKLY BIBLE READING ONE YEAR NEW T E S TA M E N T

Hebrews 1:1-14

Hebrews 2:1-18

M O N D AY

T U E S D AY

this week

october 30

october 31

november 1

WEDNESDAY

T H U R S D AY

Hebrews 4:1-16

november 2 WEEKLY MEMORY VERSE

S U N D AY

Hebrews 3:1-19

Hebrews 5:1-14

Hebrews 6:1-20

F R I D AY

S AT U R D AY

november 3

november 4

november 5

Philippians 1:27

Hebrews 7:1-17

Small Group Questions Continued What steps will you take this week to close the gap between what you do and what you say you believe? For Group Discussion

Answer these questions prior to your Small Group meeting this week.

Introduction Hypocrisy is pretending to be something you are not. Unfortunately, Christians are notorious for hypocritical behavior. The perception many people have is that Christians say one thing but make the conscious decision to live differently. As Christ-followers, God’s desire is to use our lives to bring others to faith in Him, but if hypocritical behavior is present in our lives, it will hinder God’s ability to use us. How do we rid our lives of hypocrisy? Discussion Questions 1. Read Matthew 5:13-16 and Philippians 1:27. God wants to use our lives to bring others to faith in Him, but often times our manner of living reveals a gap between what we do and what we say we believe. In general, where have you seen hypocrisy among Christians? What affect has that hypocrisy had on your life or the lives of others you know?

OUTREACH: GROUPS IN ACTION OUR CHURCH

Ask your small group leader about serving opportunities at Emmanuel. We need help with the host team, in the Children’s Ministry, on the production team and on student ministries teams. OUR COMMUNITY

As a group, think about skills, talents and passions you are able to use together, such as helping a single mom with yard work, visiting a nursing home to spend time with the residents, or repairing a vehicle for someone who can’t afford to pay. Start discussing and praying about ways you can help meet the needs of those around you. OUR WORLD

Start praying and planning for your opportunity to be a part of an Emmanuel team who travels to support one of our mission partners. For a list of our Global Mission Partnerships and the dates for upcoming trips, go to eclife.org/next-steps/serve/global/.

2. The first step in getting rid of hypocrisy is to get real – to be transparent. Read 1 Peter 2:1. In your opinion, what keeps Christians from being transparent? Read Hebrews 4:13. At this point in your spiritual journey, where do you have a tendency to “fake it”? Where is the gap between the way you live and what you say you believe? Why is there a gap between what you do and what you say you believe? What benefit does it provide for you?

Action Step 3. The second step in getting rid of hypocrisy is to get perspective. Consider what you know about the gap in the way you live and what you say you believe. Use one word to describe how you think God currently views you. Read Luke 19:1-10. Just as with Zacchaeus, God knows what we’ve done, but chooses to embrace us with love and compassion. How would our hypocrisy be diminished if we chose to accept the view God has of us? 4. The third step necessary to close the gap between what we do and what we say we believe is to pursue inner transformation. Read Matthew 15:18-19. What are some ways you can create space in your life that will give God access to work on your heart?

Fill in the blanks below for this upcoming week. My action steps are . I’m accountable for

, and their action steps are .

My memory verse is This coming week, I’m praying for:

.