EPIC (Joseph) | Week 4
Big idea: While You are waiting God is working.
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 4:8 - We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.
Getting Started:
Has there ever been a time in your life when you wanted something with all your heart but finally gave up because it never seemed you would get it?
Did you ever receive that something latter and realize you got it at just the right time?
Digging In:
Joseph had his dream but now found himself in prison.
Read: Genesis 39:21-22
But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison.
In time of trials how do we get distracted from God’s faithful love?
Pastor said “God’s purpose is not confined to our expectations”
How do we try to confine God to our expectations?
What are the dangers in doing this?
Read: Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
When you are down to nothing God is up to something.
The Most dangerous temptation of all is discouragement.
What makes discouragement so dangerous?
As believers how do we combat discouragement?
How is basing our decisions on feeling impractical?
Read: Genesis 40:23
Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.
Even when others forget us God had not. In prison God was with Joseph and showed him unfailing love. Despite your circumstances and waiting on your purpose and dreams to be fulfilled God is still close. Even though the waiting is the hardest part.
Semester Recap
This is a reminder that this will be the final life group lesson for this semester. Thank you for leading! :)
This semester was probably filled with highs and lows in life and group. Our hope is that over the past few months you’ve developed deeper relationships with those around you and more importantly a deeper passion to know God.
Take this life group time to reflect on the moments of group to celebrate all that God has done.
The Group:
What was the funniest moment in life group this semester?
Was there anyone in your group that you felt really took the time to get to know you/encourage you/ or help you through a tough time? If so, take a moment to encourage and appreciate that individual.
Was there a sermon series we looked at that you really felt helped you grow spiritually? (It’s your call, It’s All Good, Irresistible, Epic)
Why are LifeGroups valuable to our spiritual journeys?
What has someone else shared about their life in a LifeGroup setting that really helped you or taught you?
Individuals Life (have everyone share these with the group open and honestly):
Where would you say your relationship is at with God? (nonexistent, somewhat, in a good place, better than ever)
What would you attribute to being in that place with God, good or bad?
What would it take to elevate your relationship with God to the next level? Even if it’s better than it’s ever been, do you think this is as good as it could ever get?
How can this group challenge and encourage you in your relationship with God?
As the Leader:
Take a moment to encourage everyone in your group and the value they add to everyones lives.
End of Semester Challenge:
What’s the next step in your relationship with God (Salvation, Baptism, Ownership, Serving on Sunday, Serving outside of Sundays, Missions, Daily devotion to God, Fasting, Accountability)
Do you have someone of the same gender in this group that you find accountability through? If not, is that something you would consider?
End the semester in a time of prayer for others and the leaders of your group.
Love you all!
EPIC (Joseph) | Week 2
Key Verse: John 16:33
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Digging In:
Read Genesis 37:18-22
When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!” “Let’s not kill him,” he said. 22 “Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.
Genesis 37:23-25 & 28 So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. 24 Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
Life has pits.
Read john 16:33a In this world you will have trouble.
What do you think Joseph was feeling in the pit?
What part did Joseph play in getting himself thrown in the pit?
Pits in your own life come in many forms:
Outside Circumstances: Life happens
Internal Circumstances: Bodies and mind can fail for many reasons
Poor decisions: Sometimes we create our own pit.
Read John 16:33a
Jesus is speaking “In this world you will have trouble.
What is the most difficult life event you have ever experienced?
In the pit, you can be buried or you can blossom.
What was your initial reaction to the most difficult event you’ve experienced?
How did this experience change you?
What are the negative reactions we can have in the pit?
What are some questions we can ask to help us grow in the pit?
What is God doing in me?
What is God doing through me?
Read James 1:2-4
Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
The verse says to have JOY in TROUBLE. What does that look like?
Do you show joy in your troubles?
Many of the pits we face in life drive us to avoidance. We avoid the curveballs life throws at us as long as possible, until we can’t anymore. But if you’re not willing to go through it, you’re never going to grow from it.
What does growth look like from your pits?
What does the quote “Beautiful souls are shaped by ugly experiences” mean to you?
Pits can drive us from God or to God?
What new insights did you learn about the character of God in this time?
How have/could you use your experience to bless others who may be going through something similar?
Read John 16:33
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Because Jesus endured his pit of the cross we can overcome whatever the world throws our way.
Next Step:
If you’re in a pit, look for God and his guidance.
Ask him to make you a quick learner and for you to be able to see what He is teaching you.
Ask God to show you how you can use your pit experience to bless others.
EPIC (Joseph) | Week 1
Week 1: Dreams; Handle With Care
Note to the Leaders:
This discussion guide is a help for you to engage and steer the conversation within your group.
You do not have to read every question; this is just resources for you to move the main idea forward.
Do your best to make the story come to life by asking questions that will spur your group conversations that make this story play come alive and become applicable to their lives.
Key Verse:
You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!
Getting Started:
When you were a kid, was there ever a time that you learned a valuable lesson that took you several mistakes to learn?
How many times did it take, after making the same mistake, before you really understood the lesson?
Truth is, the lessons we learn mold us into becoming the person we need to be.
That, in a nutshell, is the story of Joseph.
Digging in:
Read Genesis 37:2-4
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate[a] robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
What do these verses tell us about Joseph?
What do these verses tell us about the how Jacob and Joseph’s action affected Joseph’s relationship with his brothers?
Read Genesis 37:5-7 & 9
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”
9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
How would you react to your spoiled little brother coming to you and telling you this dream?
Imagine being the little brother who just had this awesome dream.
Being naive, you’d be telling everyone and posting it on Instagram with your techno-colored coat from dad.
Read Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
When God is revealing something to us, how do we talk to others about it without being boastful?
How do we really know if it is a God desire or a personal desire?
Pray, measure it against scripture, & ask other counsel
Read Proverbs 12:15
The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.
The motive of our dreams and desire should be serving others.
Read Genesis 37:8,10
His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.” … 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”
We all have THAT annoying relative.
How would you feel if that relative told you they dreamed you would one day bow down to them?
We don’t choose where we enter this life
We don’t even choose our weakness or our strengths for that matter.
We do choose what we do with what we have been given.
Joseph didn’t choose the dream he had but his handling of the dream was all on him.
Although it was no excuse, why was Joseph the way he was?
Read Genesis 30:22
God remembered Rachel and listened to her and opened her womb.
Joseph was born.
The long awaited first son of Jacobs first love.
After so much anguish and disappointment it’s not hard to see why Jacob loved Joseph so much.
Then suddenly tragedy bound Joseph and Jacob together.
Genesis 35:18
As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.[a] But his father named him Benjamin.
Rachel dies giving birth to a second son Benjamin.
Rachel got what she had yearned for but then was suddenly denied the opportunity to enjoy it.
Jacob and Joseph find consolation in each other.
The old man was grief stricken and Joseph was a living reminder of the one he had worked for so long and loved so much but now lost.
Not that this was right, but we see why Jacob lavished his love on Joseph and favored him above the rest of his children.
Unfortunately, Jacob’s favoritism turned into Josephs arrogance.
Joseph was dealt the cards of spoiled rich kid.
No matter the hand we are dealt we are responsible for our actions.
God however used these circumstances to begin to make Joseph the man God needed him to be.
God loved Joseph too much to leave him where he was.
God loves you too much to leave you where you are.
Is there a situation now that God is using to shape you?
What are you doing in with this situation?
Are you using it to grow or groan?
Irresistible | Week 4
Week 4 Who Is My Neighbor?
Life Group Discussion Guide
Note to the Leaders:
This discussion guide is a help for you to engage and steer the conversation within your group.
You do not have to read every question; this is just resources for you to move the main idea forward.
Do your best to make the story come to life by asking questions that will spur your group conversations that make this story play come alive and become applicable to their lives.
Key Verse: 1 John 3:16,
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
Getting Started:
· Have you ever unfriended someone on social media because they had a different political view than you?
· If so, why did that political affiliation lead you to unfriend them?
· Do you believe you were able to teach them a lesson or value the relationship?
· Should differences between us determine our love for one another?
Digging In:
Read Luke 10:25-29
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it? He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.() “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
1. Is it always easier to love others just like us?
· For Jews during the time of Jesus, other Jews were their “neighbors”.
· If that was all that Jesus meant by this verse it would be less complicated.
· Jesus answers with a story…
Read Luke 10:30-32
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side
· Assuming that because this man was coming from Jerusalem and a Samaritan wouldn’t be caught dead in Jerusalem, we can be fairly confident that the beaten man was a Jew.
1. How did the Priest and the Levite fail to follow the basic law of “loving their Jewish neighbor”?
2. Who qualifies someone as a person we would consider “like us”?
3. How do we fail to love those like us?
Read Luke 10:33-35
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.” He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the in-keeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.
· Jews looked at Samaritans as half-breeds that were trying to sneak in on the Jewish blessings
· Needless to say, there was a wall built between them and they refused to even talk to each other.
· This whole story that Jesus is telling is borderline ridiculous for those listening.
Read Luke 10:36-37
Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” Luke “The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him. Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
4. Although the answer to the question was obvious, the implication of the answer was “Who loved their neighbor as themselves?”.
· The fact that the man answered Jesus out loud, he knew he was now accountable for loving those who were not like him.
· He couldn’t even mention the man as a Samaritan, just “the other man”.
In one moment, Jesus redefined “neighbor” for everybody forever.
5. How does Jesus in this story redefine and shift our thinking on how we see others?
6. How does seeing others like God see’s them help us to love them authentically?
· Love is not limited to ethnicity but extends beyond borders even our own prejudice.
Read 1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives (Our opinions our prejudice) for our brothers and sisters.
Next Step:
· Is there someone or a group of people you are withholding God’s love from because they are different than you?
· Our opinion of others must be solely based on who Christ say they are, not us.
Remember:
· Jesus Liked People who were Nothing Like Him.
· Jesus Invited Unbelieving, Misbehaving, Troublemaking Men and Women to Follow Him and to Embrace Something New, and they Accepted His Invitation.
· And this made Him irresistible to others.
Irresistible | Week 3
Irresistible
Week 3 Vertical vs. Horizontal
Life Group Discussion Guide
Note to the Leaders:
This discussion guide is a help for you to engage and steer the conversation within your group.
You do not have to read every question; this is just resources for you to move the main idea forward.
Do your best to make the story come to life by asking questions that will spur your group conversations that make this story play come alive and become applicable to their lives.
Getting Started:
1. Have you ever been part of a difficult relationship, maybe it was family or just a friend, where you always had to tiptoe around not to offend the other person?
2. Have you ever been part of a relationship where you felt like the other person befriended you to get something from you?
· Tonight, we’re going to discuss not just our relationship with God, but others as well.
Digging In:
Read Matthew 22:37-38
Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.
1. How can the vertical relationship with God be lived selfishly?
· It can become as though we are tiptoeing in our relationship with God trying not to do something that will make him angry.
· When we ask the question of …
o How can I get closer to God?
o How can I know God more intimately?
o How can I receive all God has for me?
Too often we seek God’s hand and not his heart!
· While seeking greater intimacy with God is a noble pursuit, we’d be less than honest that the intimacy sought is for the benefit of the seeker and not God.
· My primary concern was not how my sin affected God but, how offending God might come back to haunt me.
Read Matthew 22:39
And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
1. How much is the second part of this command like the first?
o Equally important according to Jesus
· Vertical morality leads to the idea that if I sinned against you and asked God to forgive me, everything would be good between me and God, and I could have a clean conscience, even though I would have to avoid you in the grocery store.
· Vertical morality that doesn’t concern itself with loving others.
Read Matthew 5:23-24,
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
2. According to this scripture can you love God but not love your neighbor?
Read James 2:15-18,
If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus, also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
3. How did Jesus live out this verse and show God’s love to us?
· Jesus’ death on the cross meant that he would meet our greatest need. The forgiveness of sin.
4. If Jesus met our greatest need, what does he expect us to do for others?
5. How can we strive to meet the needs of others in a way similar to the way God has met our greatest need?
o Forgiveness.
o Love gives sacrificially and unconditionally, expecting nothing in return.
6. Does the way you give reflect a sacrificial and unconditional heart or do you give expecting something in return (consciously or subconsciously)?
7. What does it look like PRACTICALLY to give sacrificially in the following areas of life.
a. Work
b. Marriage/Relationship
c. Friendships
d. Those who look like you
e. Those who don’t look like you
· This sacrificial love in relationships with God and Others is what made Jesus so irresistible.
8. How does this now define or redefine how we live in our relationship with God?
Next Step:
· How would you describe your relationship with God?
· What needs to change in the way you love God and others to truly experience the true joy of a relationship with God?
Irresistible | Week 2
Week 2 What Does Love Require
Life Group Discussion Guide
Note to the Leaders:
This discussion guide is a help for you to engage and steer the conversation within your group.
You do not have to read every question; this is just resources for you to move the main idea forward.
Do your best to make the story come to life by asking questions that will spur your group conversations that make this story play come alive and become applicable to their lives.
Key Verse: John 13:34 A new command I give you: Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Once upon a time there was a version of our faith that was irresistible: despite all odds, without an official Bible, no political or moral status, with little chance of survival... the early church irresistibly flourished.
Getting Started:
· Somewhere along the way Christianity has lost the heart of what once made it irresistible.
· Most people have rejected the faith for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with Jesus
1. How does our current culture describe Christians and Christianity?
2. Look around at your Life Group. How do you describe your fellow Christians and Christianity as a whole?
3. What, if any, is the difference between the two descriptions? *As a leader, use this time to encourage and affirm your group members*
Digging In:
1. Recounting last week, why did Jesus establish a new covenant instead of just following the covenant of the Old Testament?
· Where the old covenant required following 600 plus laws, the very definition of religion…
· While the new covenant was based on Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection, allowing us to have an individual relationship with God.
· The old was established on task the new was established on grace.
Read Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
2. How did Jesus clarify the law in these 2 commands?
3. Which of these two commands is the most important?
· The answer is they are equal in value. You must both love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
A New Covenant Requires and New Command
· When Jesus gave the new covenant, he also gave a new command.
Read John 13:34
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
1. How did the requirements of how we show love change from what Jesus said earlier in Matthew 27:37-40(re-read verses)?
· Jesus wasn’t adding a command to an existing list of commands, rather he was replacing the irrefutable standard of love for others for those who followed him
· The old covenant was “Do to others as you want them to do to you”
· Jesus was saying “Do to others as I do to you”
· The motive for love was shifted from reciprocal, what do I get out of this, to sacrificial, love that is unconditional.
Read John 13:35
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
· Jesus’ primary command wasn’t just to believe something, but to do something
· To love as he had loved
Saint Francis of Assisi
Master grant that I may never seek
so much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul
2. How is Jesus’ new command simpler, yet more demanding than all the old covenant?
3. How does having to question whether something is a sin lead to more hypocrisy?
· It shows a line that we tend to snuggle close too.
4. How does asking the question “What does Love Require of Me?” bring clarity and reshape our thinking?
5. How does this change our answer to Why obey?
Revisit the question at the start.
1. Why has our culture rejected Christianity?
· Remember most people have rejected the faith based on something that has nothing to do with Jesus.
· Real Love is irresistible.
Next Step:
How can you personally adjust the way you live based on the command of Jesus?
Irresistible | Week 1
Week 1 All Our Eggs in One Basket
Life Group Discussion Guide
Note to the Leaders:
This discussion guide is a help for you to engage and steer the conversation within your group.
You do not have to read every question; this is just resources for you to move the main idea forward.
Do your best to make the story come to life by asking questions that will spur your group conversations that make this story play come alive and become applicable to their lives.
Key Verse: John 5:39
You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!
Getting Started:
Once upon a time there was a version of our faith that was irresistible, despite all odds, without an official Bible, no political or moral status, with little chance of survival... the early church irresistibly flourished.
Digging In:
Somewhere along the way Christianity has lost the heart of what once made it irresistible.
Most people have rejected the faith for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with Jesus
Why do you think we now live in a post Christian culture where more people are rejecting the faith than believing it?
How have we as Christians unintentionally given people reason to reject the faith?
How should this change our approach to how we share our faith?
Read John 5:39
You search the scripture because you think they give you eternal life. But the scriptures point to me
According to this scripture what is the basis of Christianity? Jesus is the basis of our faith.
Read Luke 22:20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’”
Read: Jerimiah 31:31-33 Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers…I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.
What makes the new covenant different from the old covenant and more irresistible?
Relationships are always more meaningful than a religion based on rules.
Read: Hebrews 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
Why did the disciples begin to follow Jesus?
Read John 6:68-69 Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
After the crucifixion of Jesus there were no Christian. Everyone had abandoned their faith because Jesus was dead.
Read 1 Peter 3:15 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” –
Why did Peter after choosing to unfollow Jesus on the night of his crucifixion, choose to follow Jesus?
Our Faith was Broadcasted when a Handful of Jesus Followers saw him alive from the dead.
A total of some 500 eyewitnesses saw Jesus alive from the dead.
The Christian faith was and is propelled with the Resurrection of Jesus.
The Resurrection serves as the reason we give for the hope that is in us.
The Resurrection serves as our reasoning for the reliability of the Christian Scripture.
Just as the Resurrection served as the reason for the hope early believers…the resurrection serves as the reason for the hope we have.
How does this thinking change our approach in reaching others with the Good News of God’s love?
Christianity can stand on its own, nail scarred, resurrection, first-century new covenant feet.
The hope we have to share is not based on our ability to defend the Bible, the actions of the Church or other Christians, but on the resurrection that confirms Jesus is who he said he was and did What he said he would do.
Our relationship with God is based on our own personal encounter with the risen savior and although scripture helps us and is vital to our continued growth it is that personal encounter that establishes our faith in Jesus rather than in text.
It is the single basket of the resurrection that we place our eggs of faith in.
Like the first century church how can we leverage the resurrection to help others receive the gift of eternal life instead of a list of rules and regulations.
Once upon a time, without an official Bible, no political or moral status, with little chance of the survival, our faith was based on a single event – the historically documented resurrection of Jesus.
It’s All Good | Week 7
Week 7 Grab Your Peace of Joy
Key Verse: Philippians 4:12-I can do (endure) all things (situations) through him who strengthens me.
Getting Started:
What do you think of when you hear the word peace? A groovy Tie dyed hippy vibe? A calm beach with nothing but the sand and the sound of the wave?
Peace is the opposite of anxious and is not something that comes from outside but from within.
Read John 14:27 Jesus is speaking here…
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Whatever is making you anxious is stealing your internally peace.
Paull understood this and gave us the key ingredients at peace in a world full of chaos.
Read Philippians 4:6-7
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
With everything going on in our lives, how inclusive is the word anything?
Pastor said “You can’t grab your peace of joy with a hand full of worry”
How does the amount we worry describe the size of god we believe in?
According to this verse what should replace our worry with to experience the real peace that only Jesus
gives?
Paul’s formula for prayer was simple. Tell God what you need thank him for all he has done.
How do we complicate our lives by not following this simple plan?
Once we turn it over to him, we don’t have to sweat the small stuff, and it is all small stuff compared to our big God.
Worry dissipates and peace is found as we give anything and everything over to him.
What kind of peace does Paul says this formula produces? The Peace of God
How does verse 7 describe God’s peace? Beyond human understanding. Peace that supersedes the circumstances around us.
As we give over everything, he builds a fortress of peace that guards our hearts from fear and anxiety that not only the world does not understand but is founded in our relationship with Christ.
The minds is the battle field for your peace.
Read Philippians 4: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Why does Paul tell us to think about these things?
Instead of thinking about our problems and bogging down our lives in the worry of what ifs we need to replace those thoughts with thing that are true.
By these standards listed in theses scriptures we can measure our thought to make sure we don’t fall back into the pit of anxiety.
Paul didn’t just teach them he lived them as an example to those he taught.
How much practice does it take to learn? The more we practice the more we learn the more we learn the more it becomes part of who we are the more confidence we place in God over our worries the more His peace we have.
Read Philippians 4:11-12…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I can do (endure) all things (situations) through him who strengthens me.
Once Paul chose to follow Jesus he was bombarded with bad circumstances.
Each of those circumstance could have broken him but instead he grew threw them
Each time his faith grew stronger, and his peace grew deeper.
Next Step:
What have you learned in this series?
What will it take to apply what you have learned?
It’s All Good | Week 6
Note to the Leaders:
This discussion guide is a help for you to engage and steer the conversation within your group.
You do not have to read every question; this is just resources for you to move the main idea forward.
Go through the lesson before hand to choose the best discussion questions for your group!
Do your best to make the story come to life by asking questions that will spur your group conversations that make this story play come alive and become applicable to their lives.
Week 6 Live Attractive Lives
Key Verse: Philippians 3:16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Getting Started:
If you knew that you would 100 percent accomplish your goal (Lose weight, become buff, be debit free, earn a fortune) in the future, would it be easier to put in the effort today?
Reread Philippians 1:6 from week 1.
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ
Pastor said that “Our attitude about tomorrow impacts our attitude today!”
How does realizing your future is secure in Christ and one day Christ work will be completed in you affect the way you think about today?
Because Paul wrote two thirds of the New Testament and we read lots of his stories of boldness we tend to hold him up to as a Spiritual Superstar.
He didn’t look at himself that way but instead here is what he said about his own spiritual walk.
Read Philippians 3:12-16
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
What is Paul pressing on to?
In light of the first verse, we read in Philippians 1:6, what does Paul mean “to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me”?
How does this relate to what we have already learned about working out your salvation rather than for your salvation?
Our relationship with God is a process of growing in understanding who we are, what we have and how we can use all that we process in becoming like Christ.
We have already attained it so we must learn how to apply it to our lives.
Don’t become distracted by the current circumstances or even the past circumstances as we have been made new in Christ.
We all messed up in the past, including Paul. Satan will try to make us look back and remind us how unworthy we are of God’s love and blessing.
Instead of letting that distract us we should allow it to remind us of how great God’s grace has been to us.
This will create in us a heart of gratitude rather than stop our progress by bogging us down in remorse.
What is the view Paul is asking us to have about our relationship with God?
Read Philippians 3:20
Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
How does this verse explain the phrase “If I Know Where I Belong I can Thrive Where I am”?
How should this affect our daily lives?
Read Philippians 4:1
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
Next Step:
Our lives our founded in Christ and a promise of an astonishing future.
Is your life filled with joy beyond your circumstances?
Are you enjoying the journey of growing in who God has made you to be?
In you answered No to either of these questions what untruth is distracting you from the true hope you possess?
Keep striving! Keep going! God has so much more for you!
It’s All Good | Week 5
It’s All Good. Thriving in the Chaos,
Note to the Leaders:
This discussion guide is a help for you to engage and steer the conversation within your group.
You do not have to read every question; this is just resources for you to move the main idea forward.
Go through the lesson before hand to choose the best discussion questions for your group!
Do your best to make the story come to life by asking questions that will spur your group conversations that make this story play come alive and become applicable to their lives.
Week 5 Look out for Dogs
Key Verse: Philippians 3:8 - Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.
Getting Started:
· You’ve heard the phrase “you have to give up, to go up” meaning you have to sacrifice something to gain something else.
· In the material world what sacrifices are made to move up?
· What are we called to sacrifice to be followers of Christ?
Read: Philippians 3:2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
· After Paul would go to a particular town and set up a church these people known as Judaizers would come in behind him and tell the new Believers to be a “real” follower of Christ” you had to also be circumcised.
· Circumcision was a symbol of the covenant that God had with Abraham from the old testament which would later become the Jewish nation.
· These Judaizers false doctrine was that of Jesus plus something.
· Why is Jesus plus something false?
· What are other things people attach to a relationship with Jesus to make salvation possible? The Judaizers said circumcision, what else have you been falsely told is required?
Read: Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh
· What do you believe Paul is saying in this verse?
Read: Philippians 3:4-6 If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
· Paul had gone above and beyond to do what the Jewish religion required even to the point of arresting and having Christians killed yet when he meet Jesus everything changed.
· How does practicing a religion compare to a relationship with God?
· How are believers today sidetracked by religion and sacrifice our relationship with God?
Read: Philippians 2:8-11 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
· What is Paul telling us about practicing religion about God verses having a relationship with God?
· What is the main difference?
· Anytime we put our confidence in anything but Jesus it becomes wasted effort.
Next Step:
· Paul set aside everything to know Jesus at the most intimate levels.
· Are you practicing a religion or having a relationship with God?
· What is standing in your way from knowing the full power of Christ working in your life?
It’s All Good | Week 4
Note to the Leaders:
This discussion guide is a help for you to engage and steer the conversation within your group.
You do not have to read every question; this is just resources for you to move the main idea forward.
Go through the lesson before hand to choose the best discussion questions for your group!
Do your best to make the story come to life by asking questions that will spur your group conversations that make this story play come alive and become applicable to their lives.
Week 4 Shine Like the Stars
Key Verse: Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Getting Started:
Read: Philippians 2:12a
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence,
Digging in:
Pastor said that Purposeful living rarely happens by accident.
According the message we heard Sunday and to this passage…
Do you ever speed when there is no police in plain sight?
Is obedience required only when the one who gives the rules is present?
Why do you think God has all these rules for us to obey?
How does obedience to God’s rules help us to live out our purpose?
Read: Philippians 2:12b
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Salvation is a gift not a goal.
Read Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
How do we confuse the idea of working out our salvation with working for our salvation?
Working out means growing in what you have been given in salvation by God’s grace.
Working for means that you are trying to earn your salvation.
Jesus did the work of our salvation on the cross.
The Holy Spirit does the work of making us more like Christ and helps us to fulfill our purpose.
We work out our salvation as we learn to surrender our desires and allow God to work in us and through us.
God then begins to remodel our hearts and thoughts to his design allowing us to be more like him and less like us.
We can only change ourselves for so long before we fall back into our own selfish habits and action.
Read Philippians 2:14-16a
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life,
Have you ever been around someone when things weren’t going the way they wanted?
What was their reaction? The normal reaction is to get angry and complain. All joy is gone.
How does today cancel culture amplify this idea?
It’s easy to allow circumstances to dictate our reaction.
How do we as believers stand out when we don’t act like the rest of the world?
Where we stand defines how we stand out. God working is us reflects his light to others.
Next Step:
Are you working for your salvation or working out?
Are you allowing God to work in you or are you trying to self-help to become a better person?
Are you allowing circumstances to dictate your reaction or allowing God to shine through in spite of your circumstances?
It’s All Good | Week 3
Note to the Leaders:
This discussion guide is a help for you to engage and steer the conversation within your group.
You do not have to read every question; this is just resources for you to move the main idea forward.
Do your best to make the story come to life by asking questions that will spur your group conversations that make this story play come alive and become applicable to their lives.
Week 3 Mind Your Manners
Key Verse: Philippines 1:27
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.
Getting Started:
Where are some specific places that we are supposed to be on our best behavior?
What makes these places “special” in regard to how we act?
Diving in:
Read: Philippians 1:27a
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
How is our behavior affected by our circumstances?
What behavior is worthy of the gospel?
As the pastor said sometimes it is difficult to see the beauty of where we are because the chaos of life (a Winnebago) is blocking our view.
Read: Philippians 1:27b-2:2
Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel. Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
What unifies us and gives us the ability to stand firm?
We are united in Christ by the Holy Spirit in us. God’s spirit in us fills us with love, tenderness and compassion.
That same Spirit unites us by unifying our purpose.
Read Philippians 2:3-a
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
What is the difference between ambition and selfish ambition? What motivates your action.
What is the difference between confident and conceited?
Our behavior is dictated by our motivation. If we are motivated only by our personal gain, then that behavior is not worthy of the gospel and destroys unity.
Humility is not putting yourself down. Humility is lifting God and others up.
Read Philippians 2:5-8
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
What sticks out about Christ attitude in this verse?
How do these words clarify how our behavior should be that would make it worthy of the Gospel?
How would a relationship between two people benefit if both people have the attitude of Christ?
What’s Your Next Step?
When is the last time you checked your motives for what you are doing?
Is there any necessary adjustments you need to make?
Does your behavior and motives bring other believers together or push them apart?
It’s All Good | Week 2
Note to the Leaders:
This discussion guide is a help for you to engage and steer the conversation within your group.
You do not have to read every question; this is just resources for you to move the main idea forward.
Do your best to make the story come to life by asking questions that will spur your group conversations that make this story play come alive and become applicable to their lives.
Week 2 For, NOT Because
Scripture: Philippians 1:12-26 ESV
Big Idea: God can use your circumstances to encourage others and continue spreading the gospel
Getting Started:
Have you ever been in a situation or in circumstances where you believed God was punishing you?
Looking back, what was the outcome of that time in your life?
Did you grow in that time?
Have you been able to help others because you have been in that same place they are suffering through?
Digging Deeper:
Paul was writing this letter of encouragement to the church while he was in Rome in jail, chained to two guards awaiting his sentence to be either set free or be executed. No middle ground. Literally he is hanging between life and death.
Read Philippians 1:12-13 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is FOR Christ.
In Paul’s mind, he wasn’t in prison BECAUSE of his actions.
Paul understood that he was in prison FOR Christ.
He was there FOR a purpose to be used FOR God’s purpose.
Paul’s reaction to his circumstance was not riddled with “If Only’s” instead listen to what he says about his circumstances.
Pastor said “Your situation isn’t because of something. Your situation is for Something.”
How do we sometimes allow If Only’s to not see the opportunity in front of us?
Your situation is your opportunity.
Read Romans 8:28 We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love them.
How has God used your circumstances for good?
How could Paul’s imprisonment be for good?
Read Philippians 1:14 - And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Our situation can be an inspiration for others even though we don’t personally benefit from it.
The cause of Christ is bigger than our situation.
Read Philippians 1:18b-20 - Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
Paul’s main concern was not how his outcome of but on how well he represents Christ in this situation.
Paul knew his purpose was to live for Christ no matter his circumstances.
When things get tough on us what is our first thoughts?
Read Philippians 1:21 - For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. - If I am to live in the flesh (or continue living here on earth), that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
Paul didn’t say if I get out of jail I am going to go far away and stop talking about Jesus because I have suffered enough.
Read Philippians 1:24-26 - But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
The very opposite is true, he knew that if he was going to have the opportunity to live his purpose wouldn’t change.
How do we allow our circumstances to derail our purpose?
We can never allow anything to steal our purpose.
We must realize that any situation we face is another opportunity for God to use to bring other to him.
Your situation isn’t because of something it’s for something.
Next Step:
Is there something in your past derailing your purpose? Your situation may have been beyond your control, an illness abandoned by a love one. God can use it
Maybe it was your own failure. Satan is whispering in your ear that you have blown it. Don’t believe it! God is bigger than your failures and he can use it.
Give it over in prayer. Ask God to use it for his glory. Be on purpose no matter what the circumstances.
It’s All Good | Week 1
Bloom Where you’re Planted
Key Verse:
Philippians 1:6 … he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Getting Started:
What is one positive lesson or insight you have discovered during this time of pandemic and political unrest?
This series is designed to help us grow and thrive when our circumstances are not ideal. Life is a series of chaotic events that can cumulate into making us better or making us bitter. When we encounter bad circumstances, we can choose to wallow, whine and complain, or worship, make the most of the opportunity to bring glory to God.
Who has had the largest impact on your spiritual growth? How does your thoughts of this person make you feel?
Read Philippians 1:3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. …It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, … And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
· Paul had the opportunity to be a spiritual father to people from all walks of life and had a deep affection for the church at Philippi.
· In fact, this is the only letter of Paul’s to any of the New testament churches that did not contain one critic.
· Instead, this letter contains some of the most encouraging and uplifting verse of all the scripture.
· It could be stated that the church at Philippi began by accident, although we know there is no accident in God’s purpose.
Things don’t always go as planned on purpose.
· We can all agree that things don’t go as we plan but how can our plans be disrupted for God’s purpose?
Read Acts 16:6-9
6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul[c] had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
· How do most people react when things don’t go as planned?
· How does our reaction differ from Paul’s?
· We don’t align God without plans, we align ourself with His plans.
· This doesn’t mean we understand, but we must have faith that God’s plan is always better.
God never puts us in a place without a purpose.
· After Paul had followed the vision and ended up in Philippi he began looking for opportunity.
Read Acts 16:12-15
We remained in this city some days. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Wherever you are, opportunity is there.
· Paul set out to accomplish God’s purpose even though it wasn’t completely clear.
· When he saw the women’s bible study taking place outside the gate, he jumped in.
· Paul wasn’t focusing on his former plans instead he decided to look for the opportunities in front of him.
· Through Lydia, he was able to establish a base to grow a very diverse church in Philippi.
· How do we allow our circumstances to keep us from looking at the opportunities around us?
Fruit is produced when purpose meets opportunity.
· As the sermon said, Paul had freed a young girl from demon possession and cost her owners a lot of money.
· They forced some charges and had Paul and Silas beaten and thrown in Jail.
Read Acts 16:25-34
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer[e] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
· Instead of wallowing in their circumstances Paul and Silos began to worship.
· Instead of letting anger towards the guard rule their choices they allowed their purpose to guide their actions
· This same guard who had beat them and put them in chains found freedom from Paul’s message of hope in Christ.
From Paul’s story what can we learn about dealing with our unpleasant circumstances?
· Don’t focus on your circumstance, focus on your purpose
· Wherever you go, there you are, God is with you and it’s all Good!
· You’re there on purpose, to bloom where you are planted.
Next Steps:
What are you doing in the circumstances that allow you to be used for God’s purpose?
It’s Your Call | Called To Be Sent
This Weeks Memory Verse
2 Timothy 4:5, “Work at bringing others to Christ.”
God’s plan for history is to gather a family that will love and live with him forever. We’re called: (1) to be loved, (2) to belong, (3) to become, (4) to bless, and (5) to be sent. This 5th calling means that we’re sent to bring others into God’s family. God wants us to: (1) pray that people will say yes to God, (2) give to help others go, (3) step out in faith, and (4) go where I can go now. We should pray for faith that God can use us and pray that God will keep us from being distracted.
Read Romans 10:13-15 “Anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Read 2 Corinthians 5:18 Through Christ, God made peace between us and himself. Then God gave us the work of bringing others into peace with him.”
What do these verses each say about how we’re called to be sent?
In the big picture, God created the universe and man with the purpose of gathering a family to himself.
What role does each of have in reconciling others to God?
Read Act 1:8 and Isaiah 14:24 & 26
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea and in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“It will all happen as I have planned. It will be come about according to my purposes…. I have a plan for the whole earth, for my mighty power reaches throughout the world.” Isaiah 14:24 + 26 (NLT)
The foot of the cross is level – it is for all nations, all people.
How will God work through his people to reach all tribes and people groups?
How would you like to be involved?
Read Acts 20:24
But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
There are many different ways of telling others about the Good News of Jesus.
How do you think you can be most impactful on others for Christ?
Are there ways of sharing God that you would like to try but have been hesitant to use?
Read Matthew 9:37-38
“Jesus said to his followers, “There are many people to harvest but only a few workers to help harvest them. Pray
to the Lord, who owns the harvest, that he will send more workers to gather his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38 (NCV)
A major step in living out your calling is to pray that people will say “Yes!” to God.
Who will you make a commitment to pray for in your Jerusalem, your Judea, your Samaria, and to the ends of the earth?
Diving Deeper (optional)
How did you come to know Christ?
How will you work to bring others to him?
It’s Your Call | Called to Bless
Memory Verse: Ephesians 2:10
We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do!”
In this series we are learning that God has five callings on our lives. So far we’ve looked at 1) to be loved, 2) to belong, and 3) to become. This week our lesson focuses on the fourth calling: to bless others through serving. Every follower of Christ is called to serve or minister, not just the pastors. Even the most menial task becomes meaningful when we perform it for God.
Read 1 Peter 4:10
God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.
God has given you gifts and abilities, unique to only you, so that you can serve others and glorify him.
What is one way you would like to utilize who God has created you to be to help others this week?
Who do you think will receive greater joy, the one you helped or you?
Read Matthew 20:28
Your attitude must be like my own, for I did not come to be served but to serve.
Think of the most difficult person you regularly encounter in your life.
What do you think would happen in your relationship with them if you were to intentionally serve them in some way?
How do you think that would effect your relationship with them?
How would your unselfish actions make you feel about that person and about yourself?
Read 1 Corinthians15:58
Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.
What differences have you notice in your lives when you offer up your work to God?
How can your effectiveness in ministry change by knowing you were created to do good works?
Read Matthew 20:26
If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all.
What are some ways to model Christ’s servant attitude?
How will you do these this week?
Diving Deeper (optional)
How can our Life Group reach out to be a blessing in a way only this group can.
Or what about you individually? Ask “God, what unique role do you have for me in my church or community?”
What changes do you need to make in your life in order to be a good servant for the Lord? How would those changes impact your legacy?
It’s Your Call | Week 4
Called To Become
Memory Verse:
“In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV)
We are learning that God has 5 callings on our lives. There is an order to them; they become our life building blocks. So far we’ve looked at 1) to be loved, and 2) to belong. This week our lesson focuses on the third calling, to become like Christ. Five times Scripture compares “becoming” to running a race. There are 8 principles to draw from these references. In this discussion guide, we’ll look at just a few.
Read Hebrews 12:1-2
“Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends, from start to finish.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (LB)
To become what God calls us to be, the first thing we need to do is simplify our lives.
What is holding you back? Share with your group as a way to move forward in your race.
Keeping our eyes on Jesus is key to becoming like him and thereby fulfilling our purpose in life.
What does Hebrews 12:1-2 say about how to de-clutter our lives and focus on Jesus?
Describe to the group your favorite spot where you like to meet with Jesus.
Read 1 Corinthians 9:25-26 (NLT)
“All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches.”
What characteristics do athletes develop in order to win a race?
How do those characteristics directly apply to believers?
Read Philippians 1:6
“I am sure that God, who began a good work within you, will continue his work until it is finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.” (NLT)
What great truth is revealed in Philippians 1:6?
Diving Deeper
“Jesus did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne. Think of what he went through; how he put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up.” Hebrews 12:2-3 (TEV)
When it gets hard, remember the reward.
How does the reward keep you from becoming discouraged.
What does it take to develop Christlike character?
How can your small group help one another become all that God is calling you to be? List a few ways.
It’s Your Call | Week 3
Called To Belong
“God is the One who made all things, and all things are for his glory. He wanted to have many children share his glory …” Hebrews 2:10
God doesn’t intend for us to live life alone. We can’t fulfill God’s purposes for our lives on our own, so he has called us to belong to the family he created to love and to be with him in eternity. The English word “church” in the Bible’s original Greek means “called out” and not a building or an event: we are called out of the world into God’s family. God designed his church as the only way the deepest needs in our lives can be met, so in this discussion we’ll seek an understanding of what God’s church is like and how it meets our needs.
Read Ephesians 1:5
“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 1:5
If people truly understood the significance of God’s plan for them described in this verse, what kind of response would they have?
How would they feel about themselves?
How would they feel about God?
What would they say or do?
Read Ephesians 2:21-22
“In Christ the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:21-22
According to this verse, what are you being built to become and who will live there?
In which ways are we being built together to become a dwelling place where God lives? What does this actually look like in the lives of church members?
God’s church is like a temple in which all the pieces of the building support each other.
In a support group, the members provide emotional stability for one another.
Name people in your life from whom you receive emotional support, and people to whom you give emotional support.
If you do not have these types of relationships in your life, name places where you can seek emotional support and try joining such a group.
Read John 15:5
“Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NLT)
God’s church is like a garden in which people’s lives become productive and fruitful.
What do you think “produce fruit” and “do nothing” mean in this verse above?
What do “produce fruit” and “do nothing” look like in people’s lives?
What do we have to do to follow Jesus’ command to “remain in me” in the verse above?
What does this look like in your life?
Is it something others can see, or is it something private between you and Jesus? What should it look like?
Diving Deeper (optional)
God’s church provides spiritual security to protect and care for his family.
What are some elements of the church that provide this kind of security? What does this security look like?
In God’s family, we learn our true identity.
What relationships define much of your identity, whether through family, friends, work, or a club?
How can you allow your identity in Christ to be more significant in each of those relationships?
Romans 12:4-5 says that “each of us has different work to do.”
Have you discovered the types of work or purposes God shaped you to do in the body of Christ?
If so, what are they? If not, seek suggestions from other group members.
Page BreakSermon Discussion Guide Leader Notes
Suggestions for This Week’s Study
Ask a few group members to name popular sports teams or colleges that people are excited about or are proud to be associated with.
Help group members learn that the second purpose of their lives is that God formed them for his family, the church.
Discuss the benefits of belonging to God’s family: (1) finding a true identity in Christ; (2) being supported by others; (3) discovering your unique value in Christ’s body; (4) receiving care and protection; and (5) having a productive life.
Pray: Dear Lord, thank you for calling me into your family and making me your sibling. Bless all my relationships to reflect your love. Make it clear to me where you want me to seek support and whom you want me to care for. Help me stay connected to your church family so my life will become productive and pleasing to you.
Preparing to Lead Your Group
Pray for insight as you begin to prepare for leading your group. Ask for God’s wisdom, that the Holy Spirit will be the teacher and that you will be God’s instrument to lead the group to greater understanding and a willingness to commit to becoming more like God. Prayer should be your primary source of personal preparation for leading your group.
Plan where you want to take your group in the next 60-90 days. Is your group strong in some areas and weak in others? How can you challenge the members to live more balanced Christian lives? Consider God’s five purposes for the church: Fellowship, Discipleship, Ministry, Mission and Worship, and make a plan to encourage your group members to growth and commitment in their weak areas.
Ponder your progress after each session and at the end of a series. Reflect on what went well and what didn’t. Re-evaluation is key to your growth as a leader. Consider whether your plan is being effective in moving the group to greater understanding and commitment. How are you doing with leading the discussion: is it stimulating, challenging, and meaningful? Are you able to keep the group on track? Do you need to make some changes?
Using This Sermon Discussion Guide
Talk It Over is a tool to aid you in meeting the needs of your group. We’ve designed it so it can be completed easily within 30-45 minutes. As the discussion leader, you should preview and evaluate the questions based on the needs of your group. Decide in advance what is most important to focus on, should time not allow for the entire lesson.
Feel free to adapt the format to meet the needs of your group. If your group is mature and wants to dig deeper, consider using the Diving Deeper section or add additional Scripture and ask suitable questions. Remember that this is only a guide.
The questions relating to Bible study methods are helpful to develop Bible literacy and spiritual maturity in our lives. You can help your group be aware of their needs in these areas by using these questions as a regular part of each discussion.
Personal applications are essential for growth and should be included in every discussion. When discussing how they will apply principles, group members may state very general goals such as “I need to spend more time in prayer.” It is important for you to help people make goals that are very specific and commit to specific plans of action by asking, for example, “How are you going to begin?” An example is to get up 25 minutes earlier each morning, spending 15 minutes reading the Bible and 10 minutes in prayer. Encourage each group member to be accountable to the group for personal progress at the next meeting.
Your goal as the leader is to bring the group into a stimulating discussion that helps the members recognize their needs for personal life change. Ultimately you want them to be willing to commit to change with accountability to the group. Accountability helps us to persevere in our commitments and achieve the blessings of success.
It’s Your Call | Week 2
Week 2: Called to Be Loved
Discussion Guide
Goals:
To help group members understand that their first purpose in life is to realize that they’re called to be loved by God and to enjoy a relationship as a son or daughter of God. Also, to become aware of what changes happen if we stay aware of God’s constant love for us.
Discussion Guide
The first purpose of our lives is to let God love us. In fact, our first calling is to enjoy a relationship with God. This is important in answering the question, “What on earth am I here for?” Staying aware of God’s constant love for us produces five significant changes in our lives: (1) we feel accepted rather than ashamed, (2) we’re bold in bringing our needs to God, (3) we have peace in pain we don’t understand, (4) we gain the courage to take risks, and (5) we worship instead of worry!
Open your group with a prayer. This is only a guide – select the points you want to discuss.
Read Ephesians 1:4-5
“Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.” Ephesians 1:4-5 (NLT)
How does this verse indicate we are called to be loved?
God loved us before he even made the world having planned to adopt us into his own family.
God’s love for us is constant on both our good and bad days.
How might we experience the love of Christ through a relationship with God as His own son or daughter.
Read Ephesians 3:17-19
“I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep in the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how WIDE, how LONG, how HIGH, and how DEEP his love really is. May you EXPERIENCE the love of Christ though it is so great you will never fully understand it.” Ephesians 3:17-19 (NLT)
God’s love for us is so wide, long, deep, and high. God’s love is high enough for Him to overlook every mistake we’d ever make.
As we grow in understanding of how much God loves us, how does that help us to grow in love for God?
Read Romans 8:33-34
“If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed!” Romans 8:33-34 (CEV)
Many people live for the approval of others, even those who have already passed on.
Whose approval are you seeking?
Sadly, people run from God because they feel ashamed instead of accepted. Imagine fully accepting God’s unconditional God’s love as His chosen child.
What needs would you boldly bring to Him?
What charges do some people commonly bring against others that this verse says they cannot?
Read 1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” 1 John 4:18
How can no fear gives us courage to take risks, especially in areas of our lives where dreams may not yet be realized?
Be specific in sharing what types of action you would take in order to take a risk where God is calling you.
Romans 6:13b (NLT)
“Give yourself completely to God, since you have been given new life.”
In light of the fact that we’ve been given new life, how might we give ourselves more completely to God? In what ways have you not given yourself completely to God?
Often people lack peace when they struggle with pains or problems they don’t understand. However, God wants us to trust Him.
Worry indicates that we are not fully living the new life given to us and is often a warning sign that we are not living in God’s love. Worship is simply telling God we love Him, whether at church, with others, or alone. Worship is always a response because God first loved us.
How can you remind yourself to worship the next time you begin to worry?
Diving Deeper
If our first purpose in life is to be loved by God, we must overcome obstacles that prevent us from fully receiving His love.
How would your life change if you felt God loved you ever moment of your life regardless of any mistakes you’ve made in the past or may make in the future?
How has God freed you from mistakes you’ve made in the past, and how might he free you from mistakes you’re still holding onto today?