Read the overview here.
INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW
“The Amazing Blondin” walked on a tightrope across Niagara Falls multiple times – on stilts, blindfolded, and with an oven (on which he cooked and ate an egg!). Day after day, large crowds began forming to watch his miraculous efforts. One day, he pushed a wheelbarrow across the Falls with a large bag of potatoes inside then asked the crowd: “Who believes that I could push a person across the Falls in this wheelbarrow?”. They cheered: “Yes!”. Then he asked, “Who will be the first to get in the wheelbarrow?”. The crowd was silent. No one volunteered. No one was willing to put their life in his hands.
That’s the difference between belief and trust.
God calls us not just to a new belief, but a new life. Therefore, faith is not intellectual assent; it is all-encompassing truth in Christ. It is putting our life in God’s hands, trusting Him to lead and guide us in every part of us. Many times, our lives feel like a tightrope. However, the Grace of God in Jesus Christ has shown us the way forward. Our response is simple: “Get In The Wheelbarrow!”
SCRIPTURE READINGS
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; don’t rely on your own intelligence. 6 Know him in all your paths, and he will keep your ways straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 CEB
“Because if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and in your heart you have faith that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 Trusting with the heart leads to righteousness, and confessing with the mouth leads to salvation.” – Romans 10:9-10 CEB
“Someone might claim, ‘You have faith and I have action.’ But how can I see your faith apart from your actions? Instead, I’ll show you my faith by putting it into practice in faithful action. 19 It’s good that you believe that God is one. Ha! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble with fear.” – James 2:18-19 CEB
SMALL GROUPS
- Get a partner. Answer this: “What song best describes your faith right now? Why?”
- What are some things that “make promises” in our lives?
- What are some things that people put their “trust” in?
- What areas of your life (school, home, teams) feel like a tightrope right now?
- Is there a time when you have had to trust Jesus “in the wheelbarrow”?
- What would it take for you to “get in the wheelbarrow” and trust Jesus as Lord?
- What is one thing you can do to step out in faith this weekend?
- What would it look like for you to ADVANCE your faith from belief to trust?