Overview
While we often admire those who endure poverty, few of us are willing to volunteer for a serious drop in economic status. For the most part, our aspirations lie in the other direction. But why? This study will ask if we have become unwitting victims of the deceptive promises of "more." What can we learn from our brothers and sisters "below the line" and from Jesus, who, though he was rich, became poor for our sake?
Table of Contents
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 11:18–28; 28:6–8, 11, 19–27; 30:7–9; Matthew 6:25–34; Mark 4:18–19; 10:–45; John 1:1–14; 17:4–5, 18; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:3–11; 3:7–14; 1 Timothy 6:6–10; James 1:9–12; 2:1–9; 1 Peter 2:21–24; 3:21
LEADER'S GUIDE
• The Issue
Sample questions:
What is there about poverty that seems intriguing or sometimes attractive to people who are not poor?
Is your view of the poor realistic or idealized?
• The Scriptures
Sample Scriptures:
Philippians 2:3–11: What evidence of downward mobility do we see in the life of Jesus Christ?
Proverbs 28:6–8, 11, 19–27: How does this passage challenge many of our assumptions about "the good life"?
• The Application
Sample application questions:
What lessons have you learned from a time of poverty or material need in your life?
For what reasons would you consider making a change in occupation or lifestyle?
ARTICLE FROM CHRISTIANITY TODAY
• The Peculiar Blessings of Poverty, by Philip Yancey (June 1989, 3 printed pages)
Total number of pages – 9
