First listen to the sermon (posts Sun. afternoon). Then use the ideas below to help you and your group apply what the Lord is teaching you. Icebreaker idea: What are a couple of the bigger things that have happened in your own life over the past few years?

A way to pray: Pray for those who aren't yet close to Jesus Christ, that as we pursue them, God would open their eyes and draw them to himself.

For discussion:

• What excites me about what God has done for us over the past few years?
• What are some ways I like to remind myself about great things God has done?
• What excites me about what God has for us in the next few years?
• What are some practical ways we can pursue people who aren't yet close to Jesus Christ? Whom am I pursuing?

First listen to the sermon (posts Sun. afternoon). Then use the ideas below to help you and your group apply what the Lord is teaching you. Icebreaker idea: Discuss the rollover to a new year. For example, you might ask: How do you feel about starting a new year? Have you made any resolutions, set any goals, and/or chosen a guiding word for the year (if so, what)? What's the closest you've ever come to following through on a resolution/goal/word for the year?

A way to pray: Pray for each other to experience deep joy in knowing the love of Jesus, as we take steps to prioritize the Word, prayer, and community in 2017.

For discussion:

• What does it look like for me to prioritize the Word, prayer, and intentional Christian community in my life? What do I need to cut back or stop doing to allow these life-giving essentials to flourish in my life?
• What are some specific, practical ways we can lay down our lives for each other? for others?
• What have I been talking to God about lately? How have I seen Him working?
• What is something new, exciting, or interesting that God is showing me?

Here at NPBC, we're scaling back a lot of our usual activity over the holidays to spend more time with family and friends. In this vein, we don't plan to post new questions for Grow Groups until the new year. Over the break, however, here are some ideas groups could consider:

• The sermon notes this Sunday (12/18) have lots of great questions groups can discuss about how you deal with conflict. (Visit npberean.org/sermons-2 for sermon audio and notes.)
• We're sharing lots of Advent/Christmas-related resources on our web site at npberean.org/advent-2016-resources that groups could use, too.
• Groups might also consider just talking about how God is growing you in your relationship with Jesus Christ in each of the four aspects of our vision: Treasuring God, Being Transformed, Loving Others, and Pursuing Unity.

We hope you enjoy celebrating our Savior's birth! And we look forward to seeing how God will continue working in and through our Grow Group ministry in the coming year.