How to Love Your Friends: Revelation 21

 

Study Guide for Week of May 15, 2022 

This Week's Scripture:  Revelation 21

Crossroads Community Group Guide

A. Welcome: Welcome everyone, especially new people, and read aloud the purpose of your group.

B. Purpose: Our purpose is to spread the Kingdom of God. We do this by multiplying groups of people who care for each as God's family. We begin by inviting new people to our group and building them to be followers of Jesus. Each person here has the potential to be empowered to start and be the leader of a new group and spread God's kingdom.

C. Worship Time: Spend a few minutes singing a worship song. Here is one you may want to use: Come Now is the Time to Worship  (or pick your own YouTube video that shows the lyrics.)

D. Video Message                                                                   

       

E. Upcoming Events: Crossroads Website        

F. Review:

1. How did you do with what you wanted to apply from last week?
2. Who did you invite to the group for this week?

G. Opening Question (an icebreaker - a simple question to introduce the main theme):

• Which friends or family members would you like to see come to follow Jesus?

H. Background Information for this study: 

This a Revelation that jesus gave to the Apostle John showing him (and us) what will take place in the future. These verses show to final state of mankind. This is what happens right after the great judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).

As you brek these verses down ask yourself, "How should we live now in view of what is going to happen?" Ask yourself why it is important to reach your friends with the message of salvation. 

Lets look at 3 Big Picture Themes from Revelation chapter 21:   

Big Picture Number One: This World Will Come to an End – Verses 1 
Big Picture Number Two: Jesus is Making a New World of Pure Joy for All Who Thirst for Him. Verses 5-7 
Big Picture Number Three: Those Who Choose Not to Thirst for Jesus Will Go to Eternal Hell - Verse 8 - end

I. Verse Outline: Key Points to Discuss

       1. Big Picture Number One: This World Will Come to an End – Verses 1 

• Key Concept: Live now knowing this world will end.  

• Key Verse: Isaiah 55:2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. 

• Community Group Application: We pray for friends, family and acquaintances to wake up and realize that this world will end.

 

2. Big Picture Number Two: Jesus is Making a New World of Pure Joy for All Who Thirst for Him. Verses 5-7 

• Key Concept: Jesus makes everything new – salvation – transformation resurrection – new bodies – new heaven and new earth   

• Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 

• Community Group Application: We pray for friends, family and acquaintances to be thirsty for Jesus   

3.    Big Picture Number Three: Those Who Choose Not to Thirst for Jesus Will Go to Eternal Hell - Verse 8 -27

• Key Concept: The last judgment determines and therefore naturally leads on to the final state of those who appear before the judgment seat. Their final state is either one of everlasting misery or one of eternal blessedness (Louis Berkhof) 

• Key Verse: Romans 1:28-29a Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. 

• Community Group Application: We pray for friends, family and acquaintances with urgency understanding the consequences of not following Jesus.

J. Word: Read the scriptures above. Read it in smaller portions aloud together several times. (The goal is for everyone to understand the Bible story or verses by retelling them in their own words; keep at it until everyone knows the story or verses.)

1. What key (important) words do you see in these verses?

2. Tell in your own words what happens in these verses.

3. What are the details?

4. What jumps out at you and catches your attention?

5. What details can you add to what others in the group have said?

K. Discuss the following general questions together. (The goal is to use these general questions to guide a discussion. The leader should not speak for more than 30% of the time; let the group discover what God is saying to them.)

1. What catches your attention in these verses?

2. What new thing did you discover in the story or verses that you did not know before?

3. What did you learn about God (Father, Jesus or Holy Spirit) from the story?

4. What do you learn about people from the story?

5. What important lessons for us do you see in this story?

 
L. Commitment - Obedience - Application

(This is the key - have everyone answer this question.) 

1. What specifically will you commit to apply in your life from this study? 

M. Prayer Time:  Break up into smaller groups of 3-4 - groups of the same sex           

1. Pray for your group to multiply.
2. Ask each other how you are doing spiritually.
3. Pray for the needs of the members of the group.

N. For Next time: Ask each person the name of someone they will invite to the group for next week.