Built to Last – Week 4: “Growing People Change”
Icebreaker
Share about a time you tried to improve yourself (a new diet, workout, skill, or habit). How did it go? What did you learn about change from that experience?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Understanding God’s Love & Trust
Read 1 John 4:16-19. How does trusting God’s love change the way we see ourselves?
Why is trust so essential for a healthy relationship with God?
Have you ever treated your relationship with God like a “gym membership” — showing up but not letting it transform you? How did that feel?
2. Growing People Change
“Healthy things grow.” Why is growth (and therefore change) necessary in the Christian life?
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. In what ways have you already seen God’s new life at work in you?
What fears or obstacles make it hard for you to embrace change?
3. Embracing Discomfort
Why do you think God allows tension, trials, and discomfort in our lives?
Read 1 Peter 4:12-13, 16. How can suffering actually strengthen your faith?
Our tolerance for tension determines our potential for growth. Where do you see tension in your life now, and how could God use it to grow you?
4. Listening to God’s Whisper
Read I Kings 19:12-13. How do you usually “hear” from God?
What practices help you slow down, be still, and listen to His voice (Scripture, prayer, worship, silence)?
Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” How can you trust God even when you don’t understand His plan?
5. Living Out God’s Love
Read 1 John 3:18. Why is it important that our love for God and others is visible in action?
Serving others affirms their value and activates our growth. How have you seen that happen in your life or others’ lives?
What is one practical way you can serve someone this week?
Application / Challenge:
Which of the four steps (Trust God’s Love, Embrace Discomfort, Listen & Trust, Live Out God’s Love) do you need to focus on most right now?
What’s one small change you can commit to this week to grow spiritually?
Prayer Prompt:
Invite group members to share one area where they need God’s help to grow and change. Then pray using Philippians 1:6, thanking God for finishing the good work He has started in each person.
Week 3: Saved People Serve People
Icebreaker
Share about a time someone served you in a small, unexpected way. How did it impact you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Saved People Serve People
In the message we heard, “When you serve more, you take less.” What does that phrase mean to you personally?
Why do you think Jesus links greatness with serving (Matthew 23:11)?
2. Bring a Lunch – The Example of David (1 Samuel 17:17-18)
David rose to prominence when he killed Goliath, but his story starts with him bringing lunch to his brothers. How does this challenge the way we view “small” acts of service?
Can you share an example of a time God used something “behind the scenes” in your life to bless others?
What small, unnoticed way could you serve this week?
3. Carry a Cross – The Example of Simon of Cyrene (Mark 15:16-22)
Simon was compelled to carry Jesus’ cross. He didn’t plan on it; it interrupted his day. How do you respond when God interrupts your plans with an opportunity to serve?
Serving can sometimes be costly. What’s a “cross” you’ve carried to help someone else?
4. Use a Towel – The Example of Jesus (John 13:4-5)
In the Upper Room, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet—something usually done by a servant. What stands out most to you about this act?
Where in your life do you see “proud hearts and dirty feet” —places where humble service is needed?
What does it look like to “wash feet” in today’s world?
5. Sheep and Goats – Serving Jesus by Serving Others (Matthew 25:34-46)
Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these … you did for me.” How does this change the way you view serving in your church or community?
Look at the examples given (feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, welcoming strangers). Which one do you feel most drawn to right now?
CHANGING YOUR MIND
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…” – Hebrews 10:24
Week 2: What Now? – Found People Find People
INTRODUCTION
We belong with God and, until He found us, we were lost. Now that you have been “found in Christ,” consider our most pivotal core value: FOUND PEOPLE FIND PEOPLE.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Sunday’s message helped us to understand that FOUND PEOPLE FIND PEOPLE. Take a few moments to talk about some key takeaways from the message.
Read John 3:16. God lovingly and selflessly gave up His own Son Jesus to make sure you and I were found. God now finds us in His grace rather than His judgment. How does it make you feel to know that God’s own Son Jesus was not too much to give up to find you?
When did Jesus find you? Share with the group how Jesus found you and how your life is different today. Also share what it is about your own story that makes sharing your faith with others easier.
Who do you know that needs to be found?
How do you plan to show Jesus to your friends with greater excitement and clarity this week? For this question, “Just showing them through my actions” is a good answer, but try to be more specific.
NEXT STEP
As you think about your “next step” in sharing your faith, what do you know you need to do? Do you need to invest in someone’s life? Do you need to invite someone to church? Or do you need to share your own story of what Jesus has done for you? Tell the group which of these steps you plan to take this week and, if possible, with whom.
CHANGING YOUR MIND
Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:46
Week 1: Built To Last–You Can’t Do Life Alone
Week 5 - Faith When Life is Murky
Starting Point
Jesus communicated the importance of other people in Matthew 22.
Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)
Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Pastor Don said, “We love an invisible God by loving a visible neighbor.”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Having read Matthew 22:37-39, do you believe it is possible to love God without loving other people well? Why or why not? What does loving other people look like?
One of our Core Values is “You Can’t Do Life Alone.” Do you agree with this? Why or why not?
The message Sunday said that we are created FROM community, FOR community. What does this mean? (See Genesis 1:26 as a reference) Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…
In what ways does Sin shatter Community? What are some ways to go about restoring community where sin has shattered it?
Read Matthew 12:46-50. How does Jesus redefine family? Have you “bought in” to this new family? How do you think this impacts your earthly and biological family? Do you love them more or less?
NEXT STEP
Read Hebrews 10:24-25. Consider the words, “Spur one another on” and “encouraging one another.” I have two challenges for you this week: the first is to state one specific way you plan to “spur on” your LifeGroup family to follow Jesus this week. The second is to write down on a piece of paper or in your phone at least one name of a person you could invite to be a part of your LifeGroup this next week. You don’t have to pressure them, just share how LifeGroup has impacted you!
CHANGING YOUR MIND
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds… Hebrews 10:24
The Chosen Series - Is That In The Bible?
Week 5 - Faith When Life is Murky
Starting Point
· What stood out to you most from the message or the Triumphal Entry scene in The Chosen?
· Have you ever felt like you were obeying God without fully understanding why? What did that feel like?
· What does “murky obedience” mean to you in your current season?
Going Deeper
1. Muscle Confusion. Just like physical training, God uses discomfort and unpredictability to grow our faith. Where in your life has God allowed “instability” to stretch your trust in Him?
2. Untraditional Methods. Jesus often moved in unusual ways.
What’s one time God answered a prayer—or led you—in a way that surprised you or didn’t make sense at first? How can we stay open to God’s unexpected strategies?
3. Readiness. The donkey was tied and ready when the Lord needed it. What does it look like to live with spiritual availability?
What part of your life (time, money, margin, gifting) might be your “donkey” that God is preparing to use?
4. Kingdom Focus. When we lose sight of God’s Kingdom, we tend to build our own. Where are you tempted to make life about your own success or recognition? How does Jesus’ entrance on a donkey reshape your understanding of what greatness looks like?
5. You’ll Know More Later. John 12:16 says the disciples didn’t understand until after.
John 12:16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
What’s something you understand more clearly now than you did in a past season of obedience? How can you hold on to trust when clarity hasn’t come yet?
Living It Out
· Jesus said Mary had “chosen the good part.” What could choosing the good part look like for you this week?
· What’s one healthy rhythm you want to rebuild or recommit to?
· Where do you sense Jesus inviting you not to do more, but to draw nearer?