Make enough copies of the My Integrity handout (pack item 18) for each group
member to have his or her own if you plan to use it.
Check Your Motives (Zech. 7:1-7)
As an introductory activity, ask:
What do you call people who are not what they appear
to be?
Explain why you agree or disagree with this famous
quote by Socrates? "The first key to greatness is to be in reality what we
appear to be."
Read the following article: (Challenge learners to discover how some
make a living by not appearing to be who they really are.)
These shoppers assess eateries, stores' service
They sneak in without being noticed, they perform their
clandestine operations in broad daylight, and they leave before ever making
an impression. Who are these silent workers? Ninjas? Spies? Batman? No, they
are mystery shoppers, and chances are they've been to your favorite store or
restaurant.
Mystery shopping, which has been around more than 50
years, sends anonymous shoppers into service-oriented business to see
whether company policies are being followed.
One of those workers is Judy, who asked that her last
name not be used to protect her anonymity, which is vital in the mystery
shopping industry. Judy has been a shopper for 10 years, but for the last
four, it has been her full-time job.
She said she is always checking to see how long it
takes for the employees to greet her, if they promote specials and
complementary products – such as a tie for a shirt. She said she's
especially a stickler when it comes to courtesy.
But even with her experience, Judy said there is still
more to learn about mystery shopping, which is one of the reasons she was
attending the Mystery Shopping Providers Association educational
conference in Grapevine, Texas.
The conference serves as a way for shoppers, who are
largely independent contractors, and companies to network. It also gives
shoppers a way to get their gold certification, a voluntary qualification
that makes them more attractive to prospective employers.
The industry started as a way to check on employee
integrity in the retail and restaurant industries. It has evolved into a way
to see if companies are actually treating customers as well as they think
they are, he said. This practice amounts to a roughly $800 million industry
involving 1 million to 1.5 million shoppers (although many of them only shop
occasionally).
There are a lot of misconceptions about mystery
shopping – mainly that it exists to rat out employees. "Mystery shopping is
there to be a positive process," Director of Mystery Shopping Providers
Association John Swinburn said. "Oftentimes mystery shopping is there to
reward people."
Reb Henry, president of Dallas-based mystery shopping
company Feedback Plus, said shoppers are encouraged to never reveal their
identity as a mystery shopper, even if they're being accused of such by the
employees.
"They're just told to say, 'I don't know what you're
talking about, I don't even know what a mystery shopper is,' " he said.
Mr. Henry said the most common clients are retail
stores, banks and restaurants, but all sorts of industries use them. It's an
industry that neither Mr. Swinburn nor Mr. Henry see coming to an end
anytime soon because companies always need feedback. "They'll always want to
measure their performance, and that's what we do," Mr. Henry said.
Source: Sridharan, Vasanth. “These shoppers
assess eateries, stores’ service,” Dallas Morning News, July 7,
2007. Full article available at
www.dallasnews.com.
Say: Let’s examine what Zechariah says
about people whose words, actions, and thoughts don’t line up.
Enlist a volunteer to read aloud Zechariah 7:1-7 as
learners look for how the Lord questioned the sincerity of the people of Judah
who recently had returned from the Babylonian captivity.
Ask:
What question did the Bethel delegation ask? (Note
the people were in the process of rebuilding the new temple. The people of
Judah had made a practice of fasting in the fifth month to mourn the burning
of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple. Since they were rebuilding the
temple, they wanted to know if they should continue or end this particular
fast.)
What was the Lord's reply through Zechariah?
What did the Lord, speaking through Zechariah, imply?
Remind adult learners that “the heart of genuine fasting
is the spiritual experience of seeking God, not just the physical act of
abstaining from food for some other reason” (Leader Guide, p. 96) Point out that
in verse 7, God reminded the people that He had asked the same questions of
their ancestors through the earlier prophets.
Encourage learners to think about and answer these
questions silently:
Would God say your motives are primarily God-centered or self-centered?
Can you be sincere and not think about the words of a song, prayer, or
sermon in the worship service?
Do you think you ever worship God superficially or for the motive of
getting something from Him?
Express Your Integrity (Zech. 7:8-10)
Enlist another volunteer to read Zechariah 7:8-10 as learners
listen for the four commands which, when obeyed, would demonstrate the integrity
of the people of Judah. Mention that “Lord of Hosts” is used several times in
this chapter perhaps to emphasize the authority and sovereignty of Almighty God
because this was not just Zechariah talking.
Ask:
How does this passage seem to indicate that
relationship with others impacts relationship with God?
If you observed someone showing love and compassion
to another, what conclusion might you draw about the way(s) he or
she worships God?
In addition to widows and orphans, who else is
vulnerable in our society and, thus, needs our help?
How would a person plot evil against another if that
person were trying to gain a financial advantage? Is this or is this not
just good business savvy? Explain your answer.
Emphasize that these words were written for the benefit of past, present, and
future generations. We must realize the way we treat others is an expression of
our integrity as believers.
Read the following article about the first black coach to win Super
Bowl:
Dungy’s message: No more excuses
This is for every man who won’t pay child support or get
a job. This is for every man who has physically abused his wife or
girlfriend. And this is for every sorry man who’s ever made a woman look at
the rest of us with a critical eye because he hasn’t lived up to his
responsibilities.
Grow up. Handle your business. Stop the excuses. Start
over. Today. It’s not too late. Your family needs you. Society needs you.
Too many kids without men in their lives to show them the benefit of hard
work and sacrifice wind up in jail, dead or become economic burdens to the
rest of us.
I’m tired of it. And so is Indianapolis Colts coach Tony
Dungy, the first black coach to win a Super Bowl. Dungy, who spoke at the No
More Excuses! Men’s Conference on Saturday at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, is
using his influence to make our country better.
“We’re
a society of excuse-makers,” Dungy said by phone the other day. “The Lord
has put us here to be role models for the next generation. We have to show
guys how to treat women, and we have to show women what they should look for
in men.”
He’s right. The epidemic of excuse-making men is not
limited to the African-American community. It touches every fabric of our
society. Why do you think our prison population grows every year?
Stopping the trend starts with eliminating the excuses we
give our youth for their failures. There is more opportunity in this country
than there’s ever been for youth in the black community, but you have to
work for it. Racism and bigotry still exist. Don’t think they don’t. All you
have to do is look at some of the e-mails I receive each month. But it’s not
an excuse for failing to succeed. That’s the point. There are no valid
excuses.
You don’t have to come from wealth to succeed. You can
come from poverty and achieve success without being an entertainer or
athlete. Lots of folks do it.
My mother, one of six children raised in a Nashville,
Tenn., ghetto did it. She became the first member of her family to attend
college, earned a Ph.D. and raised two kids as a single parent after my
parents divorced. She didn’t accept excuses, which is why I was banished to
my room as a 7-year-old because she thought I took $3 from her purse (I
didn’t). Or why I couldn’t play electric football until the next grading
period after getting a D in a fifth-grade science class.
If you know Dungy’s story, then you understand how many
different ways adversity has touched his life. You also understand that he
refused to succumb to it. His parents instilled core values as did Hall of
Fame coach Chuck Noll, who led the Steelers to four Super Bowl titles in the
‘70s. Others like former Cowboys coach Tom Landry influenced Dungy because
he respected the way they lived their lives.
Tony Dungy led his Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl win
in February.
The soft-spoken Dungy, who doesn’t use profanity, refused
to compromise his integrity to become a head coach. He figured if God wanted
it to happen, one day it would. So he worked for more than a decade as a
highly regarded defensive coordinator before Tampa Bay, one of the NFL’s
worst franchises at the time, hired him in 1995.
When he took the job, Dungy refused to give himself any
excuses for failure. That’s one of the reasons he quickly built Tampa Bay
into a contender. But Tampa Bay fired Dungy in 2001, primarily because he
couldn’t get the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl. Indianapolis hired Dungy
before the start of the 2002 season, and he was correctly labeled as a coach
who couldn’t win the big one after failing to get the Colts to the Super
Bowl, despite going 48-16 in his first four seasons. All of that became
irrelevant in 2007, when Indianapolis beat Chicago in Super Bowl XLI.
These days, Dungy’s life revolves around changing lives
as much as winning football games. He’s written a book, Quiet Strength: The
Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life, which focuses more on
dealing with life, including his son’s suicide, than football. Dungy also is
doing as much public speaking as possible, because his success as a coach
has created an audience that hangs on his every word.
“God has given me this platform to show people you can do
it your way and be successful,” he said. “I want to win with integrity and
character. It’s important for our guys to set the right example for young
men, because we’re the most popular sport in America, and kids copy
everything our guys do on and off the field.”
Dungy won’t always be a football coach. It’s an important
job but a small part of his life. He yearns to do more. He wants to change
lives. Daily. That’s more important than any victory he could achieve on the
football field because it makes all of us winners.
Source: Taylor, Jean-Jacques. “Dungy’s
message: No more excuses,” Dallas Morning News, July 15, 2007. Full
article available at www.dallasnews.com.
Ask:
What is your
reaction to Dungy's words, “I want to win with integrity and character"?
Based on these
verses, what are some of the principles and and practices of a winning
life of integrity?
How
is God's Word challenging you to "render true justice" (v. 8, HCSB)?
Learn from the Past (Zech. 7:11-14)
Enlist a volunteer to read Zechariah 7:11-14
after explaining that Zechariah was talking about the people’s ancestors.
Ask:
What might cause people to ignore God’s commands and
stubbornly go their own way, both then and now?
What was the Lord’s reaction to their behavior?
When and under what conditions might the Lord refuse
to listen when people call to Him?
According to verse 14, who was really responsible for
the desolation?
Share this story:
China executes top officer for taking bribe to
clear unsafe drugs
China has executed its former drug and food safety
chief Cheng Xiao-yu. He is the highest ranking Chinese official to be
executed in the last seven years. Cheng was convicted of taking $850,000 in
bribes to clear unsafe drugs, which resulted in the death of at least 10
people.
It was an unusually swift sentence though, to serve as
a warning to others in the wake of a number of health scandals the country
has seen. Says the spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration, Yan
Jiangying, "He violated the law and brought shame to our system. It must
make us seriously reflect on what lessons we can draw from it, how to
prevent this in the future and how to make sure our work serves the people."
Fake or bad drugs have killed dozens of people in
China in recent years and have raised widespread public fears about drug
safety. And the people on the streets agree wholeheartedly with the
punishment saying that Cheng was in a key government position and he could
have used his power to give the green light to fake drugs. They also say
that fake drugs could be fatal to old people who may not be able to recover
from the effects of the drugs.
The last time China sentenced an official of Cheng's
rank to death was seven years ago. A vice governor of the eastern Jiangxi
province, and a vice head of the National People's Congress, were executed
for taking bribes.
Source: CNN-IBN. “China executes top
officer for taking bribe to clear unsafe drugs,” July 10, 2007. Full article
available at www.ibnlive.com.
Ask:
Do you think
the Chinese official knew the right thing to do?
What do you
think made him choose to do wrong?
What did the
government hope to accomplish with his death?
Say: God used Zechariah to give us a wake-up call and to urge
us to become people of integrity. The consequences may not be as severe as in
Cheng’s case, but there will be consequences. We must be careful not to fall
into the trap of comparing ourselves with others. This is not what God is
calling us to do. Instead, we must compare ourselves to God’s standards.
Read the following article:
Infecting Your Kids with Integrity
A person of integrity values consistency. That is, he
strives to be the same in private as he is in public. Instead of emphasizing
image management, he is more concerned with character development. He is who
he appears to be. His private behavior matches the public perception. He’s
the real deal.
Our Savior had little use for this public-private split.
He said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but
inwardly are ravaging wolves” (Matt. 7:15). Integrity, being the real deal,
was a big deal to Jesus.
How do we raise kids who possess integrity in a culture
that seems to value image more than character? Like many things, integrity
is more often caught than taught. There are at least three ways to infect
our kids with integrity.
Be Truthful
My wife,Penny,
once made a grocery store run with our children in tow. After shopping,
Penny noticed that the clerk had miscalculated the change, giving her too
much. She got the kids back out of the car, stood in line, and returned the
money. The dumbfounded clerk looked at Penny as if she had just arrived from
Neptune, but that one visual display of honesty carried more impact than a
hundred verbal lessons. Furthermore, keeping the overpayment would have sent
another message: It’s OK to be a phony. What you say doesn’t have to match
what you do.
Be Transparent
After finishing graduate school in Oregon, I accepted
a job offer in Tennessee. After four straight days in a minivan, all five of
us had become the worst versions of ourselves, me included. Figuring I
needed to exercise my confession muscle, I remarked to my ten-year-old
daughter, “You know, we haven’t treated each other very well on this trip,
have we?” She replied, “Yeah, I can understand Mom losing her cool. But Dad,
you’re a Christian psychologist!” The friends we were visiting loaned me
their spatula so I could scrape my self-esteem off the floor. Confession
doesn’t always feel good, but it’s a necessary part of integrity
development.
Be
Talkative
Public rule-keeping alongside private rule-breaking requires silence.
Talking with our kids makes it harder for them to keep the private and
public in separate compartments. The lines of communication are kept open
by:
Spending time with them.
Listening to them.
Welcoming questions.
Focusing on relationship more than rules.
Discussing “why” as well as “what.”
Having fun.
The person you are in private should match the person
you are in public. That’s integrity. If we, as parents, demonstrate
consistency, acknowledge personal flaws, and encourage openness, the
integrity we seek to instill is attainable in a culture hungry for
authentic, real-deal people.
Source: Alan Godwin. “Infecting Your
Kids with Integrity,” June 1, 2007. Full article available at
www.erlc.com.
Invite
learners to make a list of things a person can do to build integrity, and write
them under “Integrity Builders” on the marker board. Examples can include having
an accountability partner, maintaining a daily quiet time, and so forth. Pray
together, asking God to help the class worship and serve Him with integrity.
EXTRA! is a supplement designed
to enhance and expand the effectiveness of printed curriculum provided by
LifeWay Church Resources.
EXTRA! is produced by Publishing
Services and Multimedia, LifeWay Church Resources, Copyright 2007, LifeWay
Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
SPECIAL NOTE: Some Internet
addresses given in EXTRA! are outside the LifeWay Internet domain. Because of
the changing nature of the Web, EXTRA! editors cannot be held responsible for
content on pages outside their control. At the time of this posting, the
specific pages mentioned have been viewed and approved by the EXTRA! editorial
staff. However, at the time of your viewing, the information on these pages may
have changed. Links from the specific page addresses referenced in this material
possibly could link to inappropriate material.
EXTRA! Weekly Supplemental Teaching Plans
Adult
Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life EXTRA
Enlist a volunteer to read Acts 15:1-2,4-5.
You may want to begin by explaining the significance of circumcision and why it
would have been a controversial issue.
Say: As we interact with other followers of Christ, we’re bound
to run into controversial subjects. Many topics can be discussed and explored,
and we often can agree to disagree. However, we may come across some matters in
which we are wise to seek counsel with regard to handling the disagreement. In
today's text, some of the Jewish Christians believed circumcision was necessary
for salvation and continued to observe Jewish traditions and the law as
essential to truly following Christ. However, Paul and Barnabas understood that
salvation came by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Rather than allow
the disagreement to cause disunity, they took the disagreement to the church
elders who would help bring resolution to the matter.
Ask:
How do you
handle questions and debates about spiritual matters?
Do you have a
trusted elder or spiritual mentor you can turn to for wisdom and
guidance?
What are some
ways we can give appropriate attention to different controversial
subjects without compromising the truth?
Read the following article excerpt:
Focus on a Passion for the Cross, Not
Controversy, Stetzer Tells Messengers
SAN ANTONIO, 6/15/07 -- Messengers to the 2007 Southern
Baptist Convention were strongly challenged Wednesday night to set aside
secondary and tertiary theological issues for the sake of unifying to reach
the spiritually lost.
Ed
Stetzer, LifeWay Christian Resources’ director of LifeWay Research and
resident missiologist, was asked by SBC President Frank Page to "bring a
charge" on how to reach North America for Christ. But Stetzer said, "We must
never think that reaching America is so different than reaching the world."
Stetzer
said North America must be treated like a mission field, and that "we have
to break down the extra-biblical notion that evangelism and missions are two
separate things."
There
has been much discussion about the word "missional" and Stetzer said the
essence of the word is to live as missionaries in whatever particular
context one finds his or herself. As an example of this he said Lottie Moon,
the missionary sent by Southern Baptists in the 1800s to China, dressed in
Chinese clothes, lived in Chinese culture and ate Chinese food until she
starved to death giving it all away.
"Isn’t
it a great irony that one of the greatest missionary examples in history -
whose work is celebrated each year at Christmas - is not our model," he
said.
"Instead, our churches often live just like the world - the same teen
pregnancy rate, the same divorce rate, and maybe even more gossip and
gluttony," Stetzer said . "Yet, a trip into many of our churches is a step
back into another time period of culture. Let me encourage you to consider
three simple phrases: biblically faithful, culturally relevant, counter
culture communities."
Stetzer
referenced Romans 9:3-4, saying the Apostle Paul was willing to sacrifice
his very salvation so that the Hebrews might be saved. Unfortunately, he
said, Southern Baptists often cannot "give up [their] Sunday morning
preferences" that have become an impediment to reaching the culture around
their churches.
"From
this very SBC pulpit," Stetzer said, referring to the parade of speakers who
addressed the messengers throughout the annual meeting, "we have preached
against models and ministries that are reaching more people for Christ than
we ever have.
"When
every category of baptisms is trending down except those under 5 years of
age, when more than 50 percent of SBC churches baptized no youth last year,
and when less than 10 percent of SBC churches are significantly involved in
church planting, there is something significantly wrong."
Stetzer
said it was fascinating to "see people pile up" around some of the radio
programs hosted from the adjacent exhibit hall to hear theological debates
over issues such as private prayer language. Theological discussion is
needed, he said, but pointed out the irony that so many people were
interested in debates concerning second or third tier theological issues
considering the SBC’s declining effectiveness in evangelism.
"Is it
debate that enlivens us, controversy that excites us, or is it God’s
mission?" he asked the audience. "It was ironic that those in the debate
could turn around and see the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists
booth - mostly empty at that time. Are we going to let the least of the
[spiritual] gifts keep us from completing the greatest of commissions?"
Source: Turner, Chris. “Focus On A
Passion For The Cross, Not Controversy, Stetzer Tells Messengers." Full
article available at
http://www.lifeway.com.
Ask learners to reflect on this
quote by Stetzer: "Is it debate that enlivens us,
controversy that excites us, or is it God’s mission?" Discuss
the following questions:
What is the value of acknowledging conflict and other
differences?
How have you been more
concerned about conflict than God's mission?
How do we change our
focus?
Acts 15:12-15a
Ask a volunteer to read Acts 15:12-15a.
Say: After much debate, Peter
stepped forward and reminded the group that salvation is for all people, not
just Jews. Paul and Barnabas shared about the ways God had worked in the lives
of the Gentiles to whom they had ministered. James affirmed the experiences of
Paul and Barnabas and also cited Scripture to support his argument. In any
situation, our experiences should be interpreted in light of God’s truth. This
does not mean our experiences are invalid; it does, however, mean that they can
be validated only as they conform to the truth revealed in God's Word. When we
run into those "gray" areas that need clarification, we need to draw from what
the Scriptures teach. Our lives and experiences will conform to God's truth only
when we study and apply God's Word.
Ask:
Describe a time in your life when you relied more on
Scripture than on personal experience?
Why is personal experience important to understanding
God’s truth?
How do can we intentionally immerse ourselves in
God’s truth?
Distribute the Scripture
and Experience handout and allow time for participants to complete it. You
may want provide time for learners to discuss what they have written.
Acts 15:23-29
Read Acts 15:23-29.
Say: The elders felt that there were a few requests they could
make of the Gentile believers. These actions would not burden them but would
allow them to live in harmony with their Jewish brothers and sisters. God
created each of us as unique individuals. He relates to each of us on a personal
level, so it is expected that there are many different ways that we express our
relationship with Him. After establishing and agreeing on the things that are
based in Scriptural truth and are essential, we have freedom to relate to each
other respectfully as we express God’s work in our lives. The more unity and
love we have with other followers of Christ, the more we will prove to the world
that we are His disciples.
Ask:
Can you think
of a person who expresses their relationship with Christ differently
from you (e.g. different worship style, different way of serving,
different dress/personal expression)?
What are some
things you have learned from that person?
What are some
ways you can pursue fellowship with Christians who may not share all of
your personal views?
Read the following article excerpt:
The Art of Woo
If you
are anything like me, you have moments when you dream of overcoming the
Christian stereotype. Deep down, we long to be part of a loving and diverse
community. We long to be part of a church known for caring for those the
world has forgotten. We want to live out our lives of faith in ways that
would please God and intrigue those around us. Wouldn't it be amazing if
people saw our lives and wanted what we have? Wouldn't it be tremendous if
people saw us living by faith, expressing love, and sharing hope?
Rather
than coming across as judgmental, homogenous, isolated, conflict-filled, and
irrelevant communities, we need to show the world what Christ truly intended
us to be. We need to practice what I like to call "the art of woo."
In the
sixth century BC, Sun Tzu taught us how to destroy others in The Art of War.
Someone else has taught us how to manipulate people in The Art of Seduction,
so why can't we learn "the art of woo"? I love The Gallup Organization's
definition of woo: "winning others over." The more common definition implies
a romantic pursuit, one's attempts to gain the affection of another person.
Both descriptions are helpful for us in this journey. We need more woo.
Since we are God's children and representatives, those around us need to
feel loved by us.
My hope
is that as followers of Christ, we would develop "the art of woo" so that we
might learn to develop diverse communities, resolve conflict, overcome
bitterness, create a better future, and even heal our fractured world.
Wouldn't it be amazing if as followers of Christ we found ourselves as part
of the solution in our divided world rather than as part of the problem? In
the end, don't people matter most?
Signs of change are all around us. I am meeting more and
more leaders who are determined to create communities that show and share
Christ's love in fresh ways in their cities. These leaders and communities
have inspired me to believe in a new future.
Source:
Bryant, Eric. “The Art of Woo," July 2007. Full article available at
www.catalystspace.com.
Ask
learners to reflect on these questions silently:
How is God calling you
to "woo" people?
What must you put aside
to accomplish more fully what He is calling you to do?
Close the session with
prayer, asking God to help learners to distinguish between non-negotiable
negotiable truths so they will be more focused on mission, not conflict.
EXTRA! is a supplement designed
to enhance and expand the effectiveness of printed curriculum provided by
LifeWay Church Resources.
EXTRA! is produced by Publishing
Services and Multimedia, LifeWay Church Resources, Copyright 2007, LifeWay
Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
SPECIAL NOTE: Some Internet
addresses given in EXTRA! are outside the LifeWay Internet domain. Because of
the changing nature of the Web, EXTRA! editors cannot be held responsible for
content on pages outside their control. At the time of this posting, the
specific pages mentioned have been viewed and approved by the EXTRA! editorial
staff. However, at the time of your viewing, the information on these pages may
have changed. Links from the specific page addresses referenced in this material
possibly could link to inappropriate material.
