June 24th- June 29th Life Group Notes

June 21st, 2024
by Nancy Wiltshire

Choose Joy

Isaiah 12

LEADERS - Take attendance in the TLC app.

Open in Prayer

Welcome/Introductions/Cast Vision – Remind the Life Group of the Guidelines– See bottom of 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: What is the one moment where you experienced the most joy in your life (outside of giving your life to Jesus)?

Share background for the passage: Isaiah instructs the people to be joy and sing praises because of the salvation that God promises to His people and the mercies He grants to those who believe.
Thought/Focus: God wants us to have joy now, just as He will one day lead us into eternal joy forever.
Have someone read this week’s passage: Isaiah 12

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

What reason does Isaiah give the people to be joyful in verse 1?
How can verse 1 be used to reflect on God's goodness in our own life?
How does verse 2 act as a model for how we can respond to difficult situations?
In verse 4, Isaiah tells the people to remember all God has done and to sing praises to God. How important do you think the act of singing and giving thanks is to our ability to experience God's joy?
What else does Isaiah tell the people to do in verse 5? How can this be a pathway to experiencing joy?
In verse 6, Isaiah says to rejoice because "the Holy One" is among them. How does remembering that Jesus is with us help us to be joyful in hard times?
What do you think you can do this week to experience more joy?

Next week’s passage/story: TBD

Dismiss in Prayer

Life Group Guidelines

This needs to be a place where people feel comfortable opening up and sharing with one another. Below are some group guidelines that will help create a safe environment.

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.)