Session 1

Even There

God's All-Reaching Love

(Prevenient Grace)

I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
(Psalm 139:7-10)

LEADER PREP

Session Goals

Through this session's discussion, participants will:

• Explore the concept of prevenient grace;

• Discover the ways God has been seeking them;

• Receive the truth that God knows, is everywhere we go, made us unique, and can handle all of our ugly;

• Be real before God and receive God's grace.

Preparation

• Read the first chapter, "Even There: God's All-Reaching Love: Prevenient Grace," in A Grace-Full Life by Jorge Acevedo and Wes Olds.

* Read through this session outline in its entirety to familiarize yourself with the material being covered.

* Read and reflect on the following Scriptures: 1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 8:3-4; Psalm 139; Isaiah 59:1; Matthew 6:25-30.

* Have a markerboard or large sheet of paper available for recording group members' ideas.

* Have a Bible, paper for taking notes, and a pen or pencil available for every participant.

What You Will Need

• A Grace-Full Life DVD and DVD player

• Stick-on nametags and markers (if needed)

• Slips of paper and pens

• Extra Bibles

SESSION OUTLINE

Gathering (3 minutes)

Hand out nametags and markers, and ask participants to write their names and wear the nametags for the session. Welcome the participants and remind them that you will be spending the next four weeks exploring a life of grace. When you are ready to begin the session, pray the opening prayer below or a prayer of your own.

God of Grace, we thank you for your incredible, unbelievable grace that seems too good to be true! Thank you for knowing us, for being with us, and for loving us so much that you can handle every bit of who we are. Open our eyes to see what it looks like to live a gracefull life. May we grow closer to you and to one another as we study your Word. Amen.

Warm Up (5 minutes)

Hand out slips of paper and pens. Ask participants to write on their slips a definition of prevenient grace. They can write an actual attempt at a definition, if they are familiar with the concept, or can make up something. Place all the papers in a basket. Then, read aloud some of them and ask for comments on the definitions. (You might have participants rate each definition on a scale of one to five, based on how accurate they think each definition is.) After reading aloud the definitions, tell participants that prevenient grace is the "even there" grace with which God seeks us, woos us, and draws us to God — and that's what you'll be exploring in today's discussion.

Video (12-14 minutes)

Play the Week 1 video segment on the DVD.

Group Discussion (30-35 minutes)

More discussion points and questions have been provided than you will have time to include. Beforehand, select those you want to cover, and place a check mark beside them. Page numbers from the study book are provided for reference.

1. David's stargazing caused him to soul-gaze and consider an amazing reality that many of us are either unaware of or too busy to ponder. (See Psalm 8:3-4.) The God who put the stars in outer space and put our sun and moon in place cares for you and me. We call God's constant love and care for us grace. Grace is the reality that the Creator of the universe deeply cares for and loves each and every one of us (page 23).

* Read aloud Psalm 8:3-4. What, do you think, was David feeling when he wrote these words?

* When have you been lost in wonder that the Creator of the universe knows you by name?

2. We have a God who is like a daddy anxious to care for the needs of his children. Jesus tells us to "look up" at the birds of the air and "look out" at the flowers of the fields. These are living witnesses to the gentle care and tender love of God. These are nature's testimonies of God's grace for you and me (page 24).

* Read Matthew 6:25-30. What is Jesus talking about when he compares us to birds and flowers?

* When or why is it difficult for you to believe that God will take care of you?

* Would you say that you live your life as though you believe that God is good and will care for you? Why, or why not?

3. Your life — your very breath — is a gift of God's grace. God created the heavens and the earth, and God lovingly placed you in the midst of it all (page 24).

* Read aloud 1 John 4:8. What does this verse say about God?

* What does it mean that God is love?

* How would your life be different if you lived out a belief that all of life is a gift of grace?

4. The good news of Jesus is that we don't have to climb our way into heaven. Heaven has come to us. God is a missionary God who is on an all-out search-and-rescue mission for all people everywhere and in every time who are made in God's image (page 48-49).

* Read Luke 19:1-10. Who was Jesus on a mission to reach?

* When have you experienced feeling like God was on a mission to reach you?

* How have you been a part of God's missionary work to reach others?

5. Every person on this planet is crazy about Jesus. They just don't know it yet! So, God is on an all-out search for us. That is prevenient grace. God is "even there" when we don't know it or expect it (page 24).

* What is your reaction to the statement that every person on the planet is crazy about Jesus but just doesn't know it yet?

* When did you discover that Jesus is crazy about you?

* How does your life tell others that you are crazy about Jesus?

6. God has the capacity to look past the externals and into the core of who we really are. Theologians call this God's omniscience, which is God's capacity to know everything that there is to know. Some might see this as frightening, but David, in the Psalms, saw it as comforting (page 26).

* Read aloud Psalm 139:1-4. Do you hear anxiety or comfort in these words from David?

* How does it feel knowing that God knows each of us well and has eyes on us wherever we are?

* How does God's knowledge of you give you a sense of security?

7. David declares that neither the heights of heaven nor the depths of hell are beyond God's reach. This echoes the prophet Isaiah, who said, "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save" (Isaiah 59:1a). Theologians call this God's omnipresence, which is God's capacity to be everywhere....