Date: November 12, 2017
John: Single-Minded Focus
The Point: Christ-centered living chooses to exalt Christ, not self.
Get Into the Study
Use the following information to supplement Question #1.
Begin by sharing this news item:
Celebrities are often hired as spokespeople for various products. And they can make a lot of money simply by endorsing a product. Here’s a recent list of just a few of the high-paying celebrity endorsement deals:
* Actor, filmmaker George Clooney earns about $5.7 million a year (almost $62 million total) as the spokesperson for Nespresso (coffees and coffee makers).
* Singer, songwriter Beyonce has earned about $50 million as a spokesperson for Pepsi products.
* Singer, songwriter Taylor Swift has earned about $26 million as a spokesperson for Coca Cola products.
* NBA star Lebron James signed a lifetime contract as a spokesperson for Nike in 2015; the contract is estimated to be worth $1 billion.
* Actor Brad Pitt has earned $7 million as a spokesperson for Chanel perfume.
* Boxer George Foreman earned about $150 million as the spokesperson for Foreman grills.
Say: It’s unlikely anyone would pay us to be a spokesperson for a product they are trying to sell. But maybe there is a product you believe in enough to be a spokesperson for the item. Then call attention to Question #1 and invite the group to respond.
Information for this post was gleaned from here:
http://www.greeningz.com/entertainment/highest-paying-celebrity-endorsement-deals/
— Donna McKinney wrote this Leader Extra. Donna is retired from a career with the federal government of the United States. She is a veteran Bible study group leader living in North Carolina.
Get Into the Study – Option
As a follow up to the discussion of Question #1, show a short video clip of a notable person from IAmSecond.com. The persons in these videos do a good job of making much of Jesus and seeing themselves in light of His greatness. Use the video to help with the transition to The Bible Meets Life. [This optional idea is from page 130 of the KJV Adult Leader Guide.]
Study the Bible
Use the following information to supplement Question #4.
Psychological Science journal published a study earlier this year that suggests that people around the world are becoming more individualistic over time. The researchers examined 51 years’ worth of data collected from 78 countries. They use the word “individualistic” to describe how independent, self-reliant, and self-centered people are. The study notes that as a society shifts toward individualism, there is a lack of empathy – where people care about themselves and their own welfare, but don’t really cares about others. This individualism encourages a “me first” attitude, making it harder for people to see the needs of others who are less fortunate.
Say: There would seem to be plenty of evidence that many people have adopted a “me first” attitude. Then call attention to Question #4 and invite the group to respond.
Information for this post was gleaned from here:
— Donna McKinney wrote this Leader Extra. Donna is retired from a career with the federal government of the United States. She is a veteran Bible study group leader living in North Carolina.
Additional Questions
Icebreaker
What are some of the ways we display what we like most?
When have you gone out of your way to promote a team, product, or business?
How can others tell what’s important to you?
John 1:26-30
John proclaimed Jesus as the “Lamb of God.” How would you explain that name for Jesus to someone new to Christianity?
Who has pointed you to Jesus?
What obstacles might prevent us from pointing others to Jesus?
John 1:31-34
What have you seen that confirms Jesus is who He claims to be: the Son of God?
How has God used your story to communicate the truth about Jesus to others?
How has encountering Jesus transformed your life?
In what way can you reveal Christ to others this week?
John 3:26-30
What steps can we take to glorify Jesus in our daily lives?
How can you give Jesus the place of prominence He deserves in your life today?
What are some symptoms of a life that is self-focused?
Member Extra
Share the following with your group members as either a devotional before the group study or as a follow-up devotional:
Trading Binge Watching for Something Better
Video
Here’s a brief five-minute teaching video about this session: Second Nature, Session 5.
While reading the message from Lynn Pryor last Sunday with my group of Senior Citizens we were shocked to see an ad following the message for “Gay Senior Dating Sites”. As Conservative Christians we discussed this matter in detail. We made a couple of conclusions concerning this:
No.1 This ad was inappropriate for Sunday School material PERIOD!
No.2 We have decided to look elsewhere for material unless you can provide us with an acceptable reason for us not to.
My class of 19 people were generally concerned with messages you are allowing on your site.
Loretta, WordPress runs the engine/software on which my blog resides, and unfortunately, I have no control over any ads that may appear. When I asked WordPress about this last year, they told me the choice of ads is based on the search history and viewing habits of the one reading the blog. (FaceBook does the same thing, sending unique ads to each person based on what the computer thinks the viewer likes.)
I do not support anything to do with the homosexual lifestyle, because the Bible allows no room for such behavior. The Bible calls it sin, so therefore, I do too. And the same truth goes for the ministry I am a part of: LifeWay Christian Resources.
Bible Studies for Life stands with you on the issue of homosexuality, and we thank you for letting us be a part of your Bible study each week.
I will take your answer to my class. I am sorry to see that you have no choice in ads. That in itself is a concern to the Senior Citizens in my class. As they appear on your page they do not present the appearance you would like.
You are correct: the ads are a concern. But as others pull up the same blog post, they will see different ads—if they see an ad at all. (WordPress seems to be sporadic.) The ads are targeted to different readers, not to the blog post itself.
Loretta, I took one more step. I just upgraded what I pay WordPress for hosting my blog. (This is my personal blog; it does not belong to LifeWay.) The upgrade removes all ads from my blog. It’s worth it to spare my faithful readers the offensive ads.
Thank you for making me aware.
We all have choices on what ads will run…. its based on what WE look at on the internet. Or at lease SOMEONE on our computer. So perhaps look at it as a measure of accountability. Someone that saw this was looking at something that gave the advertiser reason to believe you would want to see it. Careful casting stones to Mr. Pryor. My hats off to him for responding in such a loving with such a strong accusation hurled toward him.
Have y’all changed the name of your web site. I’ve never had any trouble getting on the extra with biblestudiesforlife.com/extra until the last 3 weeks and it takes me several tries and Google to finally find it. I noticed when I get on the name is blog.lifeway.com.
Judy, we’ve made no changes, but let me suggest you bookmark this page: BibleStudiesforLife.com/AdultExtra
I find that some of the information that is listed for Session 5 doesn’t correlate with what is actually in the PSG. Such as the reference to page 99 and 104 of the PSG and the questions referenced therein. Am I missing something? In my PSG, Session 5 runs from 126 to 135 and the questions referenced are not in this study.
Sorry, Amy, for the confusion. EXTRA! is shared by four Leader Guides: Adult, KJV Adult, Young Adult, and Senior Adult. The EXTRA! ideas are intended to work with all groups. In this case, the writer referenced one of the Leader Guides, but we have corrected the information and removed the confusing page numbers.
Thank you for using EXTRA! and letting Bible Studies for Life be a part of your Bible study.