August 19th- August 24th Life Group Notes

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: As a child, were you ever blamed for something you were not guilty of? How did you react? 

• Share background for the passage: This is a passage leading up to the death of Christ. He has been denied by Peter, Questioned by the Jewish High Priest, who were looking for any excuse to kill him, and then He was brought before Pilate, the Roman Governor.
• Thought/Focus:  Jesus is being accused by the Jews of something worthy of death,  however, they cannot name any sin that He has committed. They go to the Romans and demand that He be given a death sentence. How do you think Jesus’ disciples felt about this?   
• Have someone, or a couple of people, read this week’s passage:  John 18:33-40 

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

1.  Who was it that brought Jesus to the Roman Governor?
2.  Why didn’t the Jews judge him and have him executed under their laws?  (see vs.31)

 3.  Jesus is brought before Pilate and asked, “Are you King of the Jews?” Jesus answered a      question with a question. What was it? (see vs. 34)
 4.  Look at vs. 36. Who do you think the “servants” are that Jesus talks about?
 5.  Pilate tries to establish whether Jesus is a King or not. What is his conclusion? (see vs.           37)
 6.  Who does Jesus say listens to Him? (vs. 37)
 7.   Pilate asks the question, “What is truth?” Is Pilate trying to absolve himself, or Jesus?
 8.  How can we convince non- believers that Jesus is truth, and that He can be trusted with       their lives?


Next week’s passage/story: TBD

• 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