September 23rd- September 28th 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:  How do you feel when everything is going wrong, and it seems God has forgotten you?

• Share background for the passage: God had taken the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt. They were given the Promised Land. God warned them not to worship false gods, but at this point, many were doing just that.
• Thought/Focus: When you hear or read the truth in the scriptures, do you readily believe the truth? Do you act on the truth, or are you a bit skeptical at times? 
• Have someone, or a couple of people, read this week's passage:  Judges 6:11-24, 36-40, Judges 7:19-22

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

1.  Who came and sat under a tree with Gideon? What was the message that He brought to Gideon? Vs. 14 
2.  What did the messenger call Gideon? Why do you think he called him by this phrase? 

 3.  What did the Lord assure Gideon of?  See verse 14.
 4.  Why do you think Gideon was skeptical?  See verse 13. Was Gideon believing the truth,         or looking at circumstances?
 5.  What were the conditions that Gideon asked the Lord for? See verses 36-40.
 6.   How do you think Gideon was able to convince his soldiers to go against the                          Midianites? What confidence did he have?
 7.   Is there a truth in the Bible that you believe, but you are too fearful as of yet to act upon        the truth?
 8.  Are you willing to go through difficulties to see the truth of God’s Word come into being        in your life?

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