We invite you to ponder the week’s Bible passage and 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 you enjoy (a favorite restaurant, band or song, book or author, etc.) that it’s easy for you to talk about with others?

A way to pray: Pray for boldness to suffer for the gospel (esp. in the areas that come up through the group discussion below) 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: In what ways does our willingness (or unwillingness) to suffer for the gospel demonstrate how much we truly treasure God?

• Being Transformed: In what situations is it hard for me to share boldly about the Lord? What needs to change for me to be courageous and unashamed?

• Loving Others: What are some ways that our fear of sharing the gospel can translate into a failure to love others well?

• Pursuing Unity: How well do I balance guarding the content of the gospel with preserving unity? What makes a “hill” worth “dying on”?

We invite you to ponder the week’s Bible passage and 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 relationship that has had a profound impact on your life (and why)?

A way to pray: Based on what’s shared through the group discussion, ask the Lord to help us fight fear and grow our faith, so that we can be a courageous and clear witness for Him 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: In what ways has God recently shown grace, mercy, and peace to me, His beloved child? How does remembering this help me treasure Him more?

• Being Transformed: Knowing we all stumble, how can we still show genuine faith? Where do I need God’s transforming power to have faith “without hypocrisy”?

• Loving Others: In what ways am I tempted to have a spirit of fear rather than love toward people outside the church?

• Pursuing Unity: In what specific ways do I, or could I, use my giftedness to build up the body of Christ? What does it look like to “fan my gifts into flame”?

We invite you to ponder the week‘s Bible passage and 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 hope you have for the new year?

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

Talk It Over:

• Treasuring God: In what ways has reading the Bible, praying, and gathering with other believers helped me to know and love God better?

• Being Transformed: In the coming months, do I most want to grow in my Bible reading, prayer life, or time spent with other believers? What must change?

• Loving Others: Why is it harder to love others when I neglect the Word, prayer, or community? How does valuing these three change my mindset and ability to love?

• Pursuing Unity: What Scriptures can I read, what prayers can I plead, or what steps can I take to encourage harmony and the building up of others?

We invite you to ponder the week’s Bible passage and 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: Life is full of waiting – from the mundane (checkout aisle, customer service line, or restaurant) to the major (the right mate, God to give a baby, or an answer to that big prayer you’ve been praying)… What’s something you have a hard time waiting for?

A way to pray: Read Isaiah 40:27-31. Pray for one another to find strength in the Lord to wait on His timing and not simply demand our own shortcuts.

Talk It Over:

• Treasuring God: What must I believe about God’s character to fully trust His methods and timing? How does this safeguard me from self-centered shortcuts?

• Being Transformed: Which is hardest for me to trust currently – God’s timing, method, or character? Why is that? How can other believers help me trust Him more?

• Loving Others: How can waiting on the Lord, and trusting Him to judge justly, help me love others? What do I need to entrust to Him right now to love well?

• Pursuing Unity: In what relationship am I tempted to seek my own vengeance? How do I typically “get back” at others? How did David model a better way?