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Parable of Talents - Matthew 25: 14 - 30

Schedule

6:50        Prayer for all people serving on Thursday

705-720  Worship

720-740  Game

740-830  Bible Study

830-840  Prayer

840-845  Response Hymn

845-900  Announcement


Game

Please answer the following questions → Betty has the questions :p

Split the team up to play a 16 cell puzzle (More people in the group with more points)

Announcing the passing teams and the winning team..

Split people into groups (based on how many people are in the group), make sure there are teams members from each team


Bible study - parable of talents (Matthew 25: 14-30)[]

Goal:

1. God has given us different talents based on who we are, we need to do our best. We will be rewarded based on our effort. We are all held responsible for what we have been given, and we need to face God in the end

2. Reflection: Have we been utilizing our talent for God? What can we do?


1. What was the game about?? (10 min: 7:40 - 7:50)

Self-introduction

Leader explain how the story and the game relate to each other at the high level

  • each team -> one servant.

  • each member -> one type of talent

  • Some teams have more people while some have less -> you are given different talents

  • Betty is the Master giving the tasks to do

Sharing:

- How well did your team use the talents?


2. Book & Look (25 min: 7:50-8:15, 6 min for 2.1 - 2.3)[]

Read Matthew 25:14-30

- Draw attention to the fact that the money was divided based on their ability

- Heaven is illustrated as …????

- Background information:

  • v18:  挖地埋藏財寶是古代中東人的習慣,因為那時戰爭多,敵人或土匪來了,會把財寶拿走。 這僕人埋藏財寶在地裏,表示他不相信主人會回來,或是當成很久之後才需要擔心的事。

  • V24 (沒 有 種 的 地 方 要 收 割 , 沒 有 散 的 地 方 要 聚 斂 ,): 古代中東的成語,形容主人的苛刻。


2.1 Understanding the story

Q: Mapping the story to what Jesus is trying to say:

  • Who are the servants? -> everyone (not just Christians), When Jesus is back, he will judge everyone. (Acts 17:31: For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”) ** Talk about the Gospel if needed

  • Who is the Master? -> Jesus

  • Which period are we in now? Jesus with us, going away, away, or came back? -> Jesus is away

  • What does the money represents? -> All we have. We have been talking about our talents today.


2.2 Looking at the good servants (servants with 5000 and 2000):

Q: What kinda people are they? What characteristics do you see in them? How did they use their talents?

  • They are 良善又忠心 (They didn’t kept some of the money for themselves!)

  • 了解主的心意,因为拿钱去做买卖

  • They did it right away, 顺服 听主的话

  • 担负更多责任 而且有信心,对自己能力的信心,

  • 有聪明头脑,靠生意赚钱


Q: Why do both of them receive the same reward? Didn’t one make more than the other?

享受主人的快乐, 因为两个仆人尽最大的能力做到最好


Summary: Be like them, understand what God wants us to do and utilize our gifts, so that we have the good actions (which corresponds to our faith)


2.3 Looking at the lazy servant (servant with 1000):

Q: What kinda person does the servant with 1000 represent? What characteristic do you see? How did he use his talents (or not)?

  • 不清楚主人的心意

  • 懒惰-找理由不去工作 又恶又懒惰, slacking off, thinking that the master isn’t coming back : yes, Jesus is coming back even though it has been long like in the parable

    • 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 - For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

  • The servant blames the master for giving him less and thus couldn’t do much


Q: What was the outcome of this servant?

  • Didn’t get to party together (not having the eternal life) 被丢在黑暗里, 地狱是黑暗的,而天国不会黑暗.

  • God took away his “money” i.e., talents


Summary: God looks into our heart and knows if we have done our best. If we are just blaming God and finding excuses, God knows!!


2.4 V28-29

Q: What does v28-29 mean, practically?

  • If we don’t use our talents for God and have no actions corresponds to our faith, are we really believers? All we have is just the “faith” which will not count for anything in the end (not a real faith) → correspond to Jing’s question

  • If we don’t use our talents, then God will take it away. On the other hand, if we don’t practice our skills, it just deteriots. If we use our skills, then it gets even better each time. E.g. Say I’m good at organizing events. If I keep organizing activities for God, then my organization skill gets better cause I use it and God will bless my skill too. If I don’t organize events, then my organization skill deteriorates and God will take this blessing away from me too.

3. Lesson (5 min: 8:15 - 8:20)[]

Q: What does the parable mean? What did you learn?

  • God has given us different talents based on who we are, we need to do our best. 发挥主给我们的恩赐,尽自己最大的努力去服侍主

  • God rewards us based on our effort and we should utilize our gifts for God

  • Act now! Not waiting forever or thinking that we can do nothing

  • 一个组有很多不同的才能, 有很多才能的反而没有施展出来 有的是尽全部的心意去做

    • When we have lots of talents (like the team with lots of people), we may use it greatly for God or use it only for ourselves?

    • When we have little talents (like the team with few people), we may just slack off and not use it all thinking that we cannot do much. Or we may still use it faithfully for God.

  • 恩赐可以越来越多 5000-100000

  • 主的恩赐一定要用,神期望我们全心全意的去用上, 不用又恶又懒

  • 懒惰的仆人: 没好好运用1000 导致1000也被主人夺走

4. Application Questions (10 min: 8:20 - 8:30)[]

Q: 比喻是指在行动上根据上帝的恩赐去做吗?

  • 不管恩赐大小,但是一定要尽全力去做到最好


Q: Have you ever been jealous of other people’s gift (talents)? What do you do? If someone you know has this question/problem, what would your advice be?


Q:不知道自己的恩赐和才能怎么办?

  • 在经历人生的过程中,遇到困难或者不顺心,主会给我们心意

  • 客观的其他人可以知道你的恩赐,自己通过做事情

  • Spiritual gift inventory

Q: 这个比喻跟天国有什么联系?

  • 有寻求神的旨意 和不寻求的旨意

  • 不知道神的心意 就要去寻求

  • 知道了神的心意 就要尽力去做到最好


Q: Which servant do you identify yourselves with? Are you gonna act immediately with what God has given to you so that you will be excited for God return and present to Him your good work? Or like the 3rd servant?


Q: What are the little things you can do?


Q: Have you been utilizing your talents for God?

Q: 小组里有不信主的同学: 主的心意是什么

  • 2000恩赐能做5000吗?--- 全心的去做

  • 怎么样为主去做工?


Q: 怎么把福音带出来?

A: 神会回来


Game的意义:

Additional material:

http://occcc.org/Chinese/Notes/101024_Che.html

http://executableoutlines.com/pa/pa_17.htm

http://www.ccbiblestudy.org/New%20Testament/40Matt/40CT25.htm


小组长: Jeremy(Bowen), Betty (Mia), Jim (Numbers), Jessie (Vivian), Desmond (Gavin), Jason

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