3.6.22

Announcements -

• July 23-30th Honduras Mission Trip

DISCUSSION GUIDE / 3.6.22

OPTIONAL INTRODUCTION QUESTION(S)

What is your favorite home cooked meal?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -

He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

‭‭- Luke ‭19:1-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

• What was Zacchaeus’ response to meeting with Jesus? Was your response to meeting Jesus similar?

• Zacchaeus committed to giving half of his goods to the poor. Should we as Christians budget a percentage of our income to give to those who are less fortunate? Why or why not?

• Zacchaeus apologized and restored relationships with the people he had wronged. After you began a relationship with Christ did you attempt to repair poor decisions you made before you knew Christ? What was the response from people?

• Why did Jesus come according to verse 10? As Christ’s disciples what is our responsibility?

• We see Jesus seeking out Zacchaeus and entering his home. When is the last time you sought out someone and talked to them about Jesus? How can we pray for that person?

• How can we pray for you?

2.27.22

Announcements -

• March 4th - Girls’ night! Sign up to help!

• March 6th - Annual business meeting

DISCUSSION GUIDE / 2.27.22

OPTIONAL INTRODUCTION QUESTION(S)

Do you have any Spring Break plans?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -

“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

‭‭- Proverbs‬ ‭3:9-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Have you found that honoring God with your tithe results in blessing?

How does tithing increase our faith in God?

Why was Abel’s offering received and Cain’s rejected? (Genesis 4)

Do you have a testimony about when you started tithing?

What would you like to see the church accomplish this year?

How can we pray for you?

2.20.22

Announcements -

• March 4th - Girls’ night! Sign up to help!

• March 6th - Annual business meeting

DISCUSSION GUIDE / 2.20.22

OPTIONAL INTRODUCTION QUESTION(S)

What is your favorite part about church on Sunday morning?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -

John 4:24-26

24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

• What does it mean to worship in spirit and truth?

• Jesus made it clear to the woman that he is the Messiah. When did you first understand that Jesus was your savior? Did you tell people?

John 4:39-42

Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

• Many believed because of the woman’s testimony. How often do you share your testimony?

• How often do you invite people to church and/or to life group so they can “hear for themselves”?

• Can each of us commit to either sharing our testimony or inviting someone to church this week?

• How can we pray for you?

2.13.22

Announcements -

• Feb. 13th - Valentines dinner @ 5pm (Dress in your favorite sports attire and bring your favorite tailgating dish)

• March 4th - Girls’ night! Sign up to help!

• March 6th - Annual business meeting

DISCUSSION GUIDE / 2.6.22

OPTIONAL INTRODUCTION QUESTION(S)

What is a memorable date you have been on?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -

Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

• What is the difference between how the world defines “love” and how the bible defines “love”?

• What does it mean to “love the Lord”?

• What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself?

• What is something you can do to show love to the people around you?

• Why do you think this the greatest commandment?

• How can we pray for you?

2.6.22

Announcements -

• Feb. 13th - Valentines dinner @ 5pm (Dress in your favorite sports attire and bring your favorite tailgating dish)

• Men’s Group every Sunday morning at 7:30 in cafe.

DISCUSSION GUIDE / 2.6.22

OPTIONAL INTRODUCTION QUESTION(S)

What is your favorite winter olympic sport?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -

Matthew 13:31-32 -

31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

• Something small can grow into something great when it is cultivated. What is a simple virtue you are trying to sow in your life and in your family? ( ex. forgiveness, love, faith, generosity…)

• How does the kingdom of heaven grow? (How do more people become believers in Jesus?) Are you actively involved in this process?

• If we’re intentionally living virtuous lives and sharing the gospel with others what harvest can we expect to reap as a result?

Matthew 13:23 -

23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

• What happens when we read the Bible, understand it, and apply it to our lives? Why is this important? Where can we go for help to understand God’s Word?

• What is the difference in “good soil” and “bad soil” according to Jesus in Matthew 13? How can we protect our lives and ensure we’re free from the rocks and thorns that will prevent us from understanding the word of God?

• Where are you sowing the word of God? Are you spreading the gospel everywhere you go like the sower in the parable?

• How can we pray for you?

1.30.22

Announcements -

• Feb. 2nd - Growth Track starts

• Feb. 13th - Valentines dinner @ 5pm (Dress in your favorite sports attire and bring your favorite tailgating dish)

• Men’s Group every Sunday morning at 7:30 in cafe.

DISCUSSION GUIDE / 1.30.22

OPTIONAL INTRODUCTION QUESTION(S)

What country would you like to visit?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -

 “6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”

10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. .”
- 2 Corinthians 9:6-10

• Are you a “cheerful giver”? Do you enjoy giving to causes and to people?

• Do you plan and budget so that you can give to others or are you more “spontaneous”?

• If you had $1000 to give towards a cause or to an organization what would you give towards?

• Have you noticed the principle of sowing and reaping in your life? Does generosity follow blessing or does blessing follow generosity? Explain.

• What are you needing God to provide for in your life right now?

• How can we pray for you?

1.23.22

DISCUSSION GUIDE / 1.23.22

OPTIONAL INTRODUCTION QUESTION(S)

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -

 “6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”

10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. .”
- 2 Corinthians 9:6-10

• Paul begins by saying “Remember this”. What is a scripture that you will remember your whole life?

• God doesn’t show favoritism. He says “whoever” sows. Do you believe God is willing to bless your life as much as He is willing to bless someone else’s?

• What are you spending most of your time focusing on? What harvest will this reap?

• How are you sowing into the kingdom of God? (sowing your time, money, energy, resources, etc)

• What are you sowing into the next generation?

• What do you want to harvest in 5 years?

• How can we pray for you?

1.16.22

DISCUSSION GUIDE / 1.16.22

OPTIONAL INTRODUCTION QUESTION(S)

What is your favorite coffee drink?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

• Do you ever feel heavy burdened? What does it look like to “come to Jesus” for you? How do you lay down your burdens?

• Young oxen were often yoked too older wiser oxen while they learned how to pull the plow. How can we learn from Jesus and do the work of ministering to the world around us?

• If we’re Christians and we’re stressed, burdened, and wearied all the time then maybe we’re not walking next to Jesus. What would it look like if we started every day in prayer asking Jesus to direct us? Would that ease our stress?

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor. - Isaiah 61:1-3

• God wants us to have beauty for ashes, joy instead of morning, praise instead of despair. Can we pray together for the Lord’s favor over our lives and for the burdens that have been mentioned today to be laid down?

1.09.22

DISCUSSION GUIDE / 1.09.22

OPTIONAL INTRODUCTION QUESTION(S)

What was/is your favorite subject in school?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -

25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
- John 9:25

• Have you used the excuse "I can't share the gospel because I don't know enough" The blind man didn't know much about Jesus. He didn't even know Jesus was without sin but he shared his testimony of what Jesus had done for him. When is the last time you have shared with others what God has done in your life?

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 9 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— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 3:8-14

• While we don't have to know much to share our testimony, Paul says knowing Christ is of surpassing worth. What are some things that you do to know Christ more on a daily basis?

• Verse 10 says that "I may know him and the power of his resurrection" Have you seen God's supernatural power at work in your life? Is there a desire to see the Holy Spirit do miracles in your life?

• According to verses 12-14, Knowing God's Word and His power requires us to press on and persevere. How do we continue to grow and move forward as Christians in 2022?

• How can we pray for you today?

01.02.2022

DISCUSSION GUIDE / 1.02.22

OPTIONAL INTRODUCTION QUESTION(S)

What is your new year’s resolution?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -

And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,…

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
- Luke 1:12-14,18-20

• Zechariah’s answer to his prayer was frightening to him. What is something you have been praying for regularly? What if God’s answer to your prayer requires you to step outside your comfort zone? Are you still ready to receive from God?

• Gabriel prevented Zechariah from speaking doubt by literally taking away his ability to speak. How can we prevent ourselves from speaking doubt into our situations?

• Zechariah found his answer to prayer while he was faithfully serving in the temple. Do you think you’re more likely to find answer to your prayer if your attending church, reading the bible, and praying? Why or why not?

• How do you connect with God on a daily basis? What is your daily routine?

• We see in this story that Zechariah’s normal spiritual routine lead to a beyond normal spiritual answer. Do you have a story from your life (or someone you know) where you were faithful in the small things and saw God move in powerful ways?

• How can we pray for you today?