Habakkuk 1:5-6, 2:4;14, 3:17-19

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 you know that seems to respond to calamity/adversity well? What about you? What is your natural response to adversity?

Talk it over

• What was one thing I heard in this week’s sermon that has impacted/challenged me?

• Treasuring God: How is my response to “calamity”(adversity, suffering) impacted by how I view and understand God?

• Being Transformed: What is an area of my life that I need the Spirit’s help to be able to respond more like we see in Habakkuk?

• Loving Others: Who in my life is currently experiencing “calamity?” What step can I take to serve or care for them?

• Pursuing Unity: What part can we play in supporting Christian brothers and sisters all around the world who are facing extreme suffering everyday?

A way to pray

Pray for persecuted Christians in places like China, Africa, and Iraq. Pray that they would be strengthened through God’s Word and protected from harm. Ask the Lord to provide Bibles to those around the world who don’t yet have their own copy. Pray that we would be individuals, small groups, and a Church that respond in victory, hope, and joy when calamity comes!

Mark 1:35-39, Matthew 9:35-38

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 I interact with regularly who seems to be living out the example of Jesus well? How does that play out in their day to day life?

Talk it over

• What was one thing I heard in this week’s sermon that has impacted/challenged me?

• Treasuring God: How does my view of God impact my desire to share Him with others in my life?

• Being Transformed: What step(s) do I sense the Lord nudging me to take in light of what I heard/experienced in this week’s gathering?

• Loving Others: Who in my life desperately needs the hope of Jesus? How can I begin to live out the “Cause of Christ” in my relationship with them? (Specifically in the areas of prayer, care, and share)

• Pursuing Unity: What steps can we take to move towards other generations to help bridge any unnecessary generational gaps that might be present within our Church?

A way to pray

Pray for one another, that we would be drawn to Jesus in such a way that we grow in our desire to become like in Him in every area of our lives. Ask the Lord to strengthen our unity as a church as we consider how we can both invest in and learn from other generations. Pray that we would be a church filled with people, families, and small groups who model the cause of Jesus well in how we pray for, care for, and share with people who desperately need the hope that only He offers!

Galatians 6:6-10

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 something you’ve done as a result of being overly tired/exhausted? Or what is something you tend to do when you are really tired that you don’t when you are well rested?

Talk it over

• What was one thing I heard in this week’s sermon that has impacted/challenged me?

• Treasuring God: What is a truth about God that leads me to want to honor him more in how I am living my life?

• Being Transformed: What is something as a result of this passage, that I desire for the Lord to be working on within me?

• Loving Others: What might it look like tangibly for me to “do good” to those in my life this week, who don’t yet have faith in Jesus?

• Pursuing Unity: How can we practically serve one another, as believers, in doing good?

A way to pray

Pray for one another, that we would we would NOT become weary in doing good, rather that we would seek to do good to ALL people. Ask the Lord for awareness and willingness to see opportunities around us and engage them, both with “outsiders” and “insiders.” Pray that we would be a church filled with individuals, families, and small groups who have authentic passion to prioritize the eternal over the temporary things in this world that can so easily entangle us, as we seek to follow and honor Christ!

Ephesians 1:15-23

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 something that I tend to thank the Lord for regularly? What is something that I often take for granted or rarely thank Him for through prayer?

Talk it over

• What was one thing I heard in this week’s sermon that has impacted/challenged me?

• Treasuring God: What is something God has revealed about Himself that has led me to have a deeper value and better understanding of who He is?

• Being Transformed: What is one step I can take to become more like Christ in light of this passage?

• Loving Others: Do those in my life who don’t have the hope of Jesus see it present within me? What might it look like for me to live this hope out more in my daily life?

• Pursuing Unity: As different members of the same body in Christ, what are some practical ways we can grow together, ultimately so that we’re strengthened collectively and not just individually?

A way to pray

Pray for one another, that the Lord would open the eyes of our hearts to see the hope that we have though Him, the riches of His inheritance for us, and the greatness of His power within us. Pray that we would be overflowing with the hope that this world so desperately needs. Ask the Lord for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may know him more and lead others to do the same.