February 19th - February 24th 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: Has anyone ever said you are great, and then, not long after, someone else tell you that you are awful? How did that make you feel? 

• Share background for the passage:  Jesus is teaching his disciples that what people think, and what is really true, are not always the same thing. He has just warned them to beware of false teaching coming from religious leaders. Also, He is teaching them that it is about to get real, and difficult. 
• Thought/Focus: Jesus is trying to get His disciples to focus in on the truth, and what the cost will be to truly be a Christ follower. Will they, (will we) be willing to follow, knowing what it will cost? 
• Have someone read this week’s passage: Matthew 16:13-18, 21-25

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

1. Name the three men that people thought Jesus might be. Why do you think they chose those 3?
2. When Jesus asked his own disciples who they thought he was, what did Peter say? (vs. 16)
3.  Who did Jesus say was the one to reveal this to Peter? (vs. 17) 
4.   How do you think this made Peter feel? Has what someone said ever made you feel that way?
5.  What was Peter feeling when he rebuked Jesus? How did Jesus respond? Why do you think He did this? 
6.  Have you ever felt a strong rebuke from God? How did you feel/respond? What did God do through that?
7.  Jesus said that if we follow Him we must take up our cross. What does this mean in your life? 
8.  What does saving your life or losing it for His sake look like for you? 

Next week’s passage/story: Acts 8:26-37 (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