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: If you could ask God for one miracle right now, what would it be?

A way to pray: Pray for the things shared in the icebreaker, asking God for His will in those situations and for the grace to want the Giver more than the gifts and to want His will more than our own. (Not that we want the gifts less but that we want Him even more.)

Talk It Over:

• Treasuring God: When have I seen God's power at work to bring me a good gift? How can this help me cherish Him more than the gifts He gives me?

• Being Transformed: How do my actions demonstrate that I have truly believed Jesus' words? In what ways can it be hard to trust Him?

• Loving Others: Do I see people as a means to an end or do I truly love them? How can loving the Giver change the way I love others?

• Pursuing Unity: In what practical ways does loving God (not just His gifts) grow our unity as believers? How does our unity grow our love for Him?​​​​​​​

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 one part of a wedding you enjoy? What's one part you'd avoid if you could?

A way to pray: Pray for our church to be people who, through Jesus, experience freedom from shame and extend that freedom to others in our lives, as we seek to see 2,000 people by 2022 baptized and growing in relationship with Jesus through the Word, prayer, and community.

Talk It Over:

• Treasuring God: What do I love most about what Jesus did in this story, and/or about the wedding feast of the Lamb (Jesus' kingdom fully realized)? Why?

• Being Transformed: Jesus covered the family's shame by changing water to wine. How does He cover our shame? How does that change me personally?

• Loving Others: When I'm tempted to shame others, what is going on in my own heart? How can I choose love instead?

• Pursuing Unity: What shame is God calling me to cover (overlook/offer grace) for someone else? What will that mean for me practically?

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 that you prefer be all-or-nothing rather than a compromise? (e.g. coffee – I like hot or iced but not lukewarm!)

A way to pray: Pray for one another to be all-in in following Jesus.

Talk It Over:

• Treasuring God: Who or what am I putting first when I give in to temptation? What do I love about God, that I can focus on to help me put Him first instead?

• Being Transformed: In what areas am I most tempted to rationalize disobedience? How would total obedience change me?

• Loving Others: This week, what practical ways could I intentionally seek the interests of others ahead of my own?

• Pursuing Unity: Read Philippians 2:4. How does looking after others' interests promote unity? Whose interests might I tend to overlook or ignore?

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: When I think of someone who takes a big risk to seek a great prize, treasure, or beauty, what story (real or fiction) comes to mind?

A way to pray: Ask God to help us be proactive in using our words and actions to point others to Him as the greatest treasure, as we seek to see 2,000 people by 2022 baptized and growing in relationship with Jesus Christ through the Word, prayer, and community.

Talk It Over:

• Treasuring God: In what specific ways has God been proactive toward me? How can we be proactive in obeying His greatest commandment, to "love God and love people"?

• Being Transformed: Considering how I spend my time, talent, and money, what do my actions show I treasure most? How do I need God to transform me?

• Loving Others: On whom does my life have an impact currently (children, spouse, coworkers)? How does my trust (or lack of trust) in the Lord impact my ability to truly encourage others?

• Pursuing Unity: How might treasuring God above ourselves lead to greater unity within the church? Am I practicing this well currently? What needs to change?