This week’s bulletin YouVersion Bible App Listen to the podcast of this week’s message on Spotify
Small Group Guide:
Open with prayer.
Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?
If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.
In this portion of God’s Word, the Israelites are preparing to go into the promised land. They send two spies who meet a woman named Rahab. When the king of Jericho hears about these spies, he demands that Rahab hand over them over. The easy thing to do would have been to obey the king. Rahab, though, doesn’t feed into the fear that her culture had about the Israelites. Instead, she acts out of faith, and hides the spies. By taking a look at Rahab’s story, we get a practical example of what it looks like to live fearlessly in a fear-driven world.
Joshua 2:8-11
Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
- 1. Don’t feed into fear
Joshua 2:2-5
And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.”
- 2. Be willing to stand against sin
Joshua 2:17-20
The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18 Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. 19 Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. 20 But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.”
- 3. Hold onto God’s promise of salvation
Discussion Time:
- Rahab could have chosen to take the “easy way” out, and hand the spies over to the king of Jericho. Instead, she acted out of faith, and hid the two spies. However, if she would have taken the “easy way” out, she would have been destroyed with the rest of the city. Because she acted out of faith, though, she was saved. Have you ever tried to take the easy out on anything in your life instead of doing what God wanted you to do? How did it turn out for you? What lessons did you learn?
- Read Joshua 2:8-11. Here Rahab makes it clear that the entire city, after hearing what God had done for the Israelites, is terrified of what He is capable of. Instead of feeding into this fear though, Rahab, after hearing about what the God of Israel has done, comes to faith. How can you, in your life, avoid feeding into fear, and instead grow your faith in God?
- Read Joshua 2:2-5. Rahab stood against the king of Jericho. It was a risk that could have ended up poorly for her, but she decided to take it because of her faith. In your life, or around you, is there any sin that you need to stand up against?
- Read Joshua 2:17-20. Here, Rahab and the spies work out a plan where, when Israel goes to defeat the city, they will see a red cord, and save Rahab and her family. Similarly, when we put our faith in Jesus, His blood has covered us and we are saved. Rahab would have held onto the promise of the spies, and that they would save Rahab and her family from destruction. What would it look like, in your life, to hold onto God’s promise of salvation?
- What is your biggest take away about how this passage affects your life? How can your small group keep you accountable to accomplishing this?
Prayer Time:
Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.
Staying Missional:
Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:
Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?
What’s next?
Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?