Friendship: Living a Connected Life
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About this ebook
Brett Eastman
Brett Eastman has championed small groups and leadership development at both Saddleback and Willow Creek Community Church over the past decade. He is president and founder of LifeTogether, and one of the authors of the Silver Medallion winner Doing LifeTogether, the adult curriculum published by Zondervan.
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Friendship - Brett Eastman
Friendship
Life Together Resources
Building Character Together series
Authenticity: Living a Spiritually Healthy Life
Friendship: Living a Connected Life
Faith: Living a Transformed Life
Service: Living a Meaningful Life
Influence: Living a Contagious Life
Obedience: Living a Yielded Life
Doing Life Together series
Beginning Life Together
Connecting with God’s Family
Growing to Be Like Christ
Developing Your SHAPE to Serve Others
Sharing Your Life Mission Every Day
Surrendering Your Life to God’s Pleasure
Experiencing Christ Together series
Beginning in Christ Together
Connecting in Christ Together
Growing in Christ Together
Serving Like Christ Together
Sharing Christ Together
Surrendering to Christ Together
0310249910_bct_friend_int_0003_002ZONDERVAN
Friendship
Copyright © 2007 by Brett and Deanna Eastman, Todd and Denise Wendorff
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.
ePub Edition January 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-57137-7
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-24991-7
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible: New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked MSG is taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered as a resource to you. These are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other —except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgments
Read Me First
SESSION 1: David and Jonathan — Friends for Life
SESSION 2: Ruth and Naomi — Connected through Loss
SESSION 3: Jesus and Peter — Faithful Friends
SESSION 4: Philip and the Eunuch —Interrupted for God
SESSION 5: Paul and Barnabas — Conflict Management
SESSION 6: Elijah and Elisha — Friends and Mentors
APPENDIX
Frequently Asked Questions
Small Group Agreement
Small Group Calendar
Personal Health Plan
Sample Personal Health Plan
Personal Health Assessment
Serving Communion
Leading for the First Time
Leader’s Notes
Small Group Roster
About the Publisher
Share Your Thoughts
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It’s been quite a ride ever since our first series was published back in 2002. Literally thousands of churches and small groups have studied the LIFE TOGETHER series to the tune of over two million copies sold. As we said back in our first series, By the grace of God and a clear call on the hearts of a few, our dream has become a reality.
Now, our dream has entered the realm of being beyond all that we could ask or imagine.
To see thousands and thousands of people step out to gather a few friends and do a Bible study with an easy-to-use DVD curriculum has been amazing. People have grown in their faith, introduced their friends to Christ, and found deeper connection with God. Thanks to God for planting this idea in our hearts. Thanks to all of those who took a risk by stepping out to lead a group for six weeks for the very first time. This has been truly amazing.
Once again, a great team was instrumental to creating this new series in community. From the start back at Saddleback with Todd and Denise Wen-dorff and Brett and Dee Eastman, the writing team has grown. Special thanks to John Fischer, yes, THE John Fischer, for writing all of the introductions to these studies. Also, thanks to our LIFE TOGETHER writing team: Pam Marotta, Peggy Matthews Rose, and Teri Haymaker. Last, but not least, thanks to Allen White for keeping this project on track and getting the ball in the net.
Thank you to our church families who have loved and supported us and helped us grow over the years. There are so many pastors, staff, and members that have taught us so much. We love you all.
Finally, thank you to our beloved families who have lived with us, laughed at us, and loved us through it all. We love doing our lives together with you.
READ ME FIRST: OUTLINE OF EACH SESSION
Most people want to live a healthy, balanced spiritual life, but few achieve this by themselves. And most small groups struggle to balance all of God’s purposes in their meetings. Groups tend to overemphasize one of the five purposes, perhaps fellowship or discipleship. Rarely is there a healthy balance that includes evangelism, ministry, and worship. That’s why we’ve included all of these elements in this study so you can live a healthy, balanced spiritual life over time.
A typical group session will include the following:
0310249910_bct_friend_int_0009_004CONNECTING WITH GOD’S FAMILY (FELLOWSHIP). The foundation for spiritual growth is an intimate connection with God and his family. A few people who really know you and who earn your trust provide a place to experience the life Jesus invites you to live. This section of each session typically offers you two options: You can get to know your whole group by using the icebreaker question, or you can check in with one or two group members — your spiritual partner(s) — for a deeper connection and encouragement in your spiritual journey.
0310249910_bct_friend_int_0009_006GROWING TO BE LIKE CHRIST (DISCIPLESHIP). Here is where you come face-to-face with Scripture. In core passages you’ll explore what the Bible teaches about character through the lives of God’s people in Scripture. The focus won’t be on accumulating information but on how we should live in light