January 6th- January 11th 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: Have you ever gone to a tiny restaurant, (a hole in the wall place) and found that they had the best BBQ you’ve ever eaten? How did it compare to the big BBQ chains?

• Share background for the passage: This passage is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mt.
• Thought/Focus:  This passage covers how to choose the right path for your life, bear good fruit in your Christian life, and make sure you are on a firm foundation. 
• Have someone, or a couple of people, read this week's passage: Matthew 7:13-29 

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

1. Do you usually follow a crowd, or do you venture out on smaller paths? Do you find that the “crowd” can sometimes be wrong?
2. Jesus compares the wide gate and the narrow gate in verses 13 and 14. What do you think this means?
3. What does Jesus say that we should examine to tell us whether a prophet is good or bad? See verses 15-19.

 4. In verses 21-23, Jesus said not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter the Kingdom.             How can we be sure about being able to enter the Kingdom?
 5. Would you describe your spiritual foundation as shaky or solid?
 6. Is there anything on your foundation that needs to be torn down and rebuilt? Will you            work on this in 2025?
 7.   What are the building materials that you can use to make sure of a firm foundation in             your life?
   
           
   Next week's passage/story: Matthew 6: 1-18

• 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