Small Group Discussion Questions

February 23: Boundaries with Family

What do you look for in a friend?
What is one thing from Sunday’s message that stood out to you? Why did that stand out?
How have you seen God provide financially in your own life?
Read Malachi 3:6-12. God encourages us to test him by trusting him with the tithe- giving back to God the first 10%. God promises to provide and meet all our needs. Share what struggles you have with giving the first 10% back to God.
How have you seen God’s protection that has come through his direction? Has he saved you from an unhealthy relationship? A bad Job? A financial opportunity?
Pastor Erik said “God helps us set up boundaries that will keep us from getting burned.” Do you agree with that? How have you seen that to be true in your own life?
How are you living today to make sure you leave a good legacy when you die someday?
God prevented Jacob from simply running away from conflict again. Is there a conflict that you have been running from that you need to step into?

February 16: Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places (Genesis 29 and 30)

What’s a fact about you that no one would guess?
What is one thing from Sunday’s message that stood out to you? Why did that stand out?
Share how God showed up in your past in a place or in a way that you weren’t expecting.
How did God use the struggles of Jacob and his wives to accomplish his purposes?
What adjectives would you use to describe Jacob?
What do the names of Leah’s and Rachel’s and their concubines’ sons tell you about their worries, desires, and relationships?
The birth of Leah’s 4th child transformed her life. Where does she get her self-worth from now?
Share a time when you, like Jacob, had something done to you that you had done to others.
In what ways do you seek APPROVAL from others? How do you measure your ACHIEVEMENTS?
How do your own desires/lusts get in the way of what God is doing in your life?

February 9: Jesus Can't Save Your Selfie (Genesis 25 and 27)

If you were given $1,000 that you had to spend on yourself in the next 24 hours, what would you spend it on? (Can’t use it to pay bills or save or invest it.)
What is one thing from Sunday’s message that stood out to you? Why did that stand out?
Often we want to re-create the environment we grew up in OR we want to create something totally different! Which one do you lean more towards? Why is that?
How do you manage the tension between the IDEAL and what is REAL?
Isaac prayed for his wife to conceive and God blessed them with twins (Genesis 25). But it took 20 years for them to see the answer to that prayer! How do we keep praying even when it seems like God is not listening? What is something you are praying for that God has not answered yet?
In your own life, how are you tempted to give in to what you want in the IMMEDIATE even when you know that might cost you when it comes to what is most IMPORTANT?
What masks do you put on? At work? At home? At church? With your friends? How have you become so good at pretending to be someone else that even the people close to you can’t tell who you really are?
How can this group help you take your masks off so that God can minister to who you really are? How can we help you lose your need to pretend?

Nov 17: It's In Pieces

1. What is your favorite Thanksgiving side dish? Favorite dessert?

2. Read 2 Corinthians 9:1-12. What does it mean to be a "cheerful giver"?

3. What do you think the Apostle Paul means when he says: "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully"?

4. What does Paul say that generosity will produce? (2 Corinthians 9:11)

5. Jesus told the disciples that THEY were to feed the 5,000 (Luke 9). Has God ever told you to do something that you felt was impossible? What dreams has God put in your heart that seems like there is now way it could ever happen?

6. How have you seen God's provision come in pieces in your life? How has God provided (financially, guidance, etc) step by step, rather than all at once?

7. Pastor Erik said on Sunday that "there is always brokenness before realizing your purpose." How have you seen that to be true in your own life? Can you list some examples from the Bible?

8. Our brokenness allows us to connect with others. People admire our strengths but connect with our weaknesses. How have you seen that to be true in your own life?

9. Read Leviticus 27:30 and Malachi 3:10. What does the Bible say about the "tithe"?

10. How have you planned to be generous with your time, your talents, and your treasure (finances)?

Nov 3: How to Be Rich

What is your favorite “fun sized” candy bar?
What or who would you give generously to if you had unlimited funds? Why would you choose that particular person or organization?
When you compare yourself to someone who’s “rich,” what stands out to you as an opportunity they have that you don’t?
When you compare yourself to the 99% of the world you are more rich than, what stands out to you as an opportunity you have that they don’t?
Read James 5:1–6. If James were a prosecuting attorney, what would be on his list of charges against the rich? What do you think James would say today if we could ask him, “So, what do you want us to do?”
It’s easy to falsely believe that rich people are more loved by God. What if, instead, we saw them as more responsible? What responsibility would you take on if you believed your wealth was given to you for the purpose of loving others?
Our devotion to God is demonstrated and authenticated by our love for others. What are you tempted to believe authenticates your love for God instead? What specific person or organization do you think gives you the opportunity to demonstrate the kind of love you’re called to?
Imagine the conversation among your family as they clean your belongings our of your house one day. What do you want them to say about how you spent your possessions and your money? What do you hope they don’t say? What can you do now to lay a foundation for the kind of legacy you want to leave?

October 27: Overcoming the Face of Fear

Scary movies? Yay or nay? How about roller coasters?
What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever lived through?
How did you feel about the idea that fear is faith in the wrong things?
Read 2 Timothy 1:7. Where does fear come from? Why do you think power, love, and self-control are alternatives to fear?
Talk about a time when life’s difficulties forced you to trust God or seek him in a new way.
If what you fear the most reveals what you value the most, then what do you value most?
If what you fear the most reveals where you trust God the least, then where do trust God the least? How do you think you came to lack trust in these areas?
Fill in the blank. I’m not trusting God with _________. What would it look like to start trusting God with this?
Write down one or two of your greatest fears. Ask the group to help you find a scripture to answer your fear with truth, then begin memorizing these scriptures.
As you spend time with God each day this week, ask Him to show you where He’d like more trust from you

October 20: Overcoming the Lies of Labels

How would you describe yourself in three words?
What words do you wish others used to describe you?
Transformation rarely happens in isolation, but happens often in community. Why do you think community leads to restoration?
Read Mark 2:5. What did Jesus call the man? What does this mean to you?
Read Galatians 3:28, and fill in the blanks. I used to be called ______, but now I’m called ______.
What labels hurt you as a kid? How have they stuck around?
Read Mark 2:10-11. Imagine you’re the person Jesus is speaking to. What does “standing up, picking up your mat, and going home” look like for you?
How can God use your past to change someone else’s future?
Write down some old labels and replace them with the new labels Christ has given you. Share with the group?
How can you encourage at least 3 people this week who’ve been held back by labels?

October 13: Overcoming Insecurity

What is your favorite Autumn Activity?
What’s one thing you feel insecure about, even though you know it’s a silly thing to feel insecure about?
Read Romans 8. What is one truth that stands out to you? Why does that verse speak to you?
Was there one idea from Sunday’s message that stood out to you?
Read Philippians 4:4-9. What stands out to you?
Do you have someone or a group of people you can be honest with about your struggles? If not, what steps can you take to get that in your life?
Who’s your “blue shirt”? Who are you leading and encouraging and mentoring? Everyone needs someone further ahead on the journey and also someone behind them that you can inspire, encourage, and mentor. Do you have those relationships? If not, what can you do to get those relationships?
What can this group pray about for you?

October 6: Overcoming the Curse of Comparison

1. If you could trade lives with any person, who would it be? Why them?
2. Be honest. When is the last time you compared your life to someone else’s? How’d that go?
3. Read 2 Corinthians 10:12. What or who do you most often measure yourself or your family against? What’s that doing for you?
4. Where comparison begins, contentment ends. Why do you think it works this way?
5. You can’t faithfully follow Jesus if you’re always comparing yourself to someone else. Which comparisons do you struggle with most?
6. How do you currently define your worth?
7. Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-26. What prize are you running to win? What purposeful steps will it take to get there?
8. Describe in a sentence or two the race you need to win. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
9. Write down and share your next purposeful step in one of these areas: family, finances, serving, health, work.
10. Start running to win with this Bible Plan: OVERCOMER

Sept 29: Showing Visible Love

INTRODUCTION
The arrival of Jesus signaled the end of the Temple Model and the beginning of something brand new—an approach to faith characterized by love of others. The Temple Model is you-focused, but Jesus’ new covenant calls for a focus on the you beside you. So, what is required if we want to follow Jesus’ example and radically love the people around us?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Talk about a time this week when someone did a small act of kindness for you. What did it do for your day or your week?

2. What are some of the costs of Christians being more concerned with following rules than in the ways they mistreat others? How might it influence the way unchurched people view God?

3. During the message, Pastor Erik said, “Your devotion to God is illustrated, demonstrated, and authenticated by your love for others.” Do you agree with that statement? Why or why not?

4. Read Matthew 25:31–40. In what ways does this passage challenge your assumptions about God? What are its implications in your daily life?

5. What is one group of people that is different from you and that you find it difficult to love? Consider the words of Matthew 25:31–40 in light of that group. What are some obstacles you would have to overcome to love that group of people?

6. Think about a difficult relationship in your life. Within the context of that relationship, what does love require of you? Be specific. What can this group do to support you and hold you accountable as you move to love that person?

MOVING FORWARD
Love offers us no place to hide. It offers no loopholes, short cuts, or workarounds. But aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t look for a loophole to loving you? What does love require of you at home, at work, on the little league field, in traffic, in line at the grocery store? We almost always know the answer to that question. The hard part is actually doing what love requires.

CHANGING YOUR MIND
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” -Matthew 25:40