February 12th - February 17th Life Group Notes

Open in Prayer 

• Welcome/Introductions/Cast Vision – Remind the Life Group of the Guidelines– See bottom of this page.

•  Doing the Mission: Did anyone share Jesus or last week’s passage?  

• Does anyone have a God story? An undeniable encounter or experience with God that creates an impact or  breakthrough in your day-to-day life. These moments can be extraordinary or very humble, but always  personally powerful. 

• Opening Question:  If your house were on fire, which three items would you try to save? Why? 

• Share background for the passage:  This is the story of a rich young man who came to Jesus to ask what he could do to receive eternal life. 
• Thought/Focus: How important are “things” to you? Would you be willing to give up anything Jesus asked of you? 
• Have someone read this week’s passage: Mark 10:17-27 

Discuss these questions: Go deeper as led. Remember Head, Heart, Hands. 

1. As you read verses 17-22, how do you feel about this guy? Sorry for him? Dissapointed? Upset? Frustrated?
2. What do you think Jesus is trying to teach this man, (and us) in this passage?
3.  In verse 21, it says that Jesus looked at him, and loved him. Explain what you think this means. 
4.  Do you think that you have to give “it” all up for Jesus to love you? 
5.  Think about the top priorities in your life. Are they all about you, or do they include others? 
6.  Read verses 19-20. Does keeping these commandments reward you with eternal life? 
7.  Why does it say in verse 23 that it is hard for those who have riches to enter into the Kingdom? 
8.  If Jesus were to evaluate your life, what would He say holds you back from being totally committed to God? 

Next week’s passage/story: Matthew 16: 13-18, 21-25 (Choose someone to tell next week’s story.) 

• Dismiss in Prayer
  

CONFIDENTIALITY: What is said in the group  stays in the group.
 
LISTEN: Let’s value one another during the  discussions by really listening to what is  being shared. Try to avoid thinking about  how you are going to respond or what you  are going to say next.
 
PAUSE: Allow a pause in conversation after  someone shares. Give the person sharing a  chance to finish and the group the  opportunity to consider what was just  shared before responding.

NO “CROSS TALK”: Be considerate of others  as they are sharing- no side conversations.

NO FIXING: We are not here to fix each  other. Jesus does that part. Speak truth is love, give  
encouragement, empathize,  point to Jesus.  You may share  solutions God has led you through. The  other person should never feel shame or  failure, but rather connection & hope.

NO HIJACKING of shared stories.

NO RESCUING: When people are sharing  something deeply personal, there can be a  tendency to try to make them feel better  about themselves or the situation by  providing immediate condolences. This will  often cause them to stop sharing. Resist the  temptation to rescue people.
 
SHARING: Be sensitive about the amount of time  you share.
 
SILENCE: It is important to allow silence in the  group as it provides an opportunity for someone  else to share and for members in the group to  process the topic or question being considered.

BE SELF-AWARE: Be self-aware of how you are  personally affecting the environment through your  words, actions, and non-verbal communication.
 
“I” STATEMENTS: It’s easy to talk about the issues  of others, but for our purposes, we want you to put  yourself on the table. Try to use “I” statements rather than “them”, "they", "you", “the church”, “us”, “we”, etc.
 
FIGHT FOR RELATIONSHIP: We will commit to resolve conflict  biblically. When conflict or sin issues arise between  group members, we want to make sure that  we are honoring God and each other in the way we  deal with these issues. We will fight for  relationship.  I will discuss the struggle with the person I am in conflict with first, & if not resolved, seek wise advice. The following are a few key Scriptures  in this regard (there are many others.)

• If someone sins against you: Mat. 18:15-20
• Restoring someone in sin: Gal. 6:1-5 
• Forgive a sinner: Col. 3: 12-13 
• Reconciling differences: Mat. 5:23-24, Mat. 7:1-5