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 is one character trait you find beautiful when you see it in others?

A way to pray: Ask God to help us love reflecting His character from our hearts more than we love being outwardly impressive. Ask Him to help us love others genuinely and sacrificially, the way He has loved us.

Talk It Over:

• Treasuring God: What externals (beauty, skill, achievement, financial gain, etc.) captivate me? What do I love about God that trumps all these things?

• Being Transformed: Do I faithfully turn to God when I face challenges? How would my life be different if this was consistently my first response?

• Loving Others: How does a person's appearance, behavior, or status impact my desire to love them? What would it look like for me to love like Jesus?

• Pursuing Unity: How does focusing on externals hinder me from pursuing authentic unity with other believers?

First listen to the sermon (posts Sun. afternoon) – key texts for the sermon include Luke 10:2, 15:1-10; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; John 4:28-29; and Hebrews 2:9. Then use the ideas below to help you and your group apply what the Lord is teaching you.

Icebreaker idea: What's one thing you're asking God for right now?

A way to pray: Pray for our church family in 2019 to be consistent in taking the 4 steps of praying and sharing that John presented to us on 1/13.

Talk It Over:

• Treasuring God: What is precious to me about knowing that God is "the Lord of the harvest" and that His harvest is "plentiful"?

• Being Transformed: How do I currently share my life with others who don't know Christ? What is one way I can do this more intentionally?

• Loving Others: Who in my life is a captive needing to escape the devil's snare and be unblinded? Will I commit to praying regularly for them?

• Pursuing Unity: Why is our unity an essential part of 2k22? What does choosing unity require in my own life? How else can I play my part in 2k22?

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's something in nature that seems especially powerful? How does that thing make you feel?

A way to pray: Please continue praying with us that by 2022, through God’s grace and power, we will see 2,000 people baptized and growing in relationship with Jesus through the Word, prayer, and community.

Talk It Over:

• Treasuring God: When did I last witness God's power in my own life? How does remembering and sharing this help me treasure God more?

• Being Transformed: How do I magnify the enemy's strength or my own inadequacy? What truths do I need to remember to combat these fears?

• Loving Others: When did I last lovingly remind others about God's power in despairing circumstances? What stops me from doing this?

• Pursuing Unity: How do I react to people who disagree with me? What would it practically look like for me to be "un-offendable"?

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: Who is someone famous, important, well-known, etc. (outside of the Bible) you'd like to meet? What would you want to talk to them about?

A way to pray: Thank God for announcing His Son's arrival to common people like us, and ask Him to help us pass along the Good News to others in our lives as we seek to see 2,000 people by 2022 baptized and growing in relationship with Him through the Word, prayer, and community.

Talk It Over:

• Treasuring God: Why was God's glory announced to "outsiders"? What does that reveal about God's love for ordinary people like me?

• Being Transformed: When I am afraid, what would it look like practically for me to obey the Lord's call to "fear not"?

• Loving Others: What if the shepherds had kept silent about what they'd seen? Who in my life right now needs me to tell them the good news about Jesus?

• Pursuing Unity: How does knowing Jesus as my Good Shepherd enable me to live peacefully with others, especially those I'd otherwise be at odds with?