Creative Community

What unhealthy food is most tempting for you? How hard to work to avoid that temptation? How successful are you? Think about other people who are at the same stage of life as you. What common temptations do you think are strongest for these people? Why? Read Luke 4:1-13. Which of these three temptations do you have questions about? Have the group discuss these questions. Which of Satan's temptations to Jesus would have been most difficult for you to resist? Why? Look at the Scripture passages Jesus used to fight temptations (listed below). List some present-day situations when these same Scriptures might apply: "Man does not live on bread alone." "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." Think about the common temptations you talked about at the beginning. What Scripture passages can you think of that might help you fight against these temptations. Read 1 Corinthians 10:12-13. How a...

The following thoughts are from Eddie Mosely at "Simple Community" . He is addressing the idea of setting objectives in a church setting: In all of life there should be goals, objectives or targets that help you know if you are growing and going in the right direction. In business or church organizations it is also important to have clear objectives. Various Small Group Ministries succeed because they have a clear target on what they want to accomplish. Here are a few examples of objectives from various churches: The five purposes: worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship and discipleship; Steve Gladen, SG Pastor of Saddleback Church Author of 250 Big Ideas for Small Groups Connect, Change, Cultivate, Bill Search, Small Groups Pastor, Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY. Author of “Simple Small Groups” Belong, Become, Bless, Virgil Grant, Pastor, Eastside Church in Richmond, KY. Discipleship, Community and Service. LifePoint’s Small Group objecti...

Who is one historical figure (now dead) with whom you'd like to talk? What is one question you would ask? What is a question to which you've never been able to find an answer? If you could ask Jesus one question, what would it be? Read Luke 2:41-50. Why do you think everyone was amazed by Jesus? What kinds of things do you think he was talking about? What types of questions do you think he was asking? How can asking questions help us to grow spiritually? Is there a time or place when we should not ask questions? Are there questions we shouldn't ask? Do you think Joseph and Mary were wrong in the way they treated Jesus in this passage? Why or why not? Do you think Jesus behaved a little strangely in this passage? Why or why not? For parents, have your children ever not lived up to your expectations? What did you do? For everyone, has God ever not met your expectations? What do you do when God doesn't do things the way you would like? As a group, read E...

The following was written by Larry Baxter at his blog Step Up to the Call . He has some good thoughts on how to build a sense of community in a small group. We often stress the importance of relationships and building community within small groups, but what does that look like? Having socials or getting together outside of group time are good ways to start, but how can we move beyond socialization towards biblical community? Recently one of the small group leaders at my church saw three members of her small group get baptized together. I had been hearing good things about this group, but was blown away by this expression of fellowship, and so I asked her what she or group members were doing to develop such a strong sense of community. Several exciting things stood out in talking with her... 1. Intentional about being relational - The group studies good materials, but they're far more interested in growing in their relationship to God and with each other. The ...

Talk about a time in your life when you met someone unexpectedly. Was it awkward? exciting? disappointing? fun? Read Luke 2:25-35. Have several people talk about one or two verses that stick in their mind when reading this passage. Verse 25 says that Simeon was "righteous" and "devout". Have you ever known someone you could describe using those words? What do you think those words mean? WORD STUDY: The word "righteous" could also be translated "equitable". It is really a reference to Simeon's treatment of other people. The word "devout" could also be translated "pious". It is a reference to Simeon's relationship to God. How does our relationship with other people impact our relationship with God? How does our relationship with God impact our relationship with other people? Read verse 29. Once Simeon met Jesus, he was ready to die. What are 2-3 things you want to accomplish or see happen before ...

A real easy way to study a Bible passage together is to break your time into three segments to discuss different elements of the passage. Have everyone read the passage a couple times and then talk about: the ETERNAL message -- What does this passage teach me about God? the INTERNAL message -- What does this passage lead me to change about myself? the EXTERNAL message -- What does this passage compel me to do for others? You can do this with a partner, with a small group, or even with a large group. ht: Pastor Daniel at YouVersion

Do you have any ancestors or relatives that you are ashamed of? Tell the group why. Have everyone in the group choose one name from the list in Matthew 1:1-16 and tell something they know about that person. Tracing Jesus' genealogy demonstrates that he was a true historic figure who was born through an actual birth. This is a great reminder to us that Jesus was fully human. Why is it important to you that Jesus was fully human? Read verses 18-19. What kinds of thoughts do you think went through Joseph's mind when he discovered Mary was pregnant? How would you have responded if you were him? The Bible says Joseph was a "just" or "righteous" man, yet he still didn't want to put Mary through public shame and humiliation (even though that was the appropriate response to those caught in adultery). What is the BEST way to respond when someone does something wrong to you? Get revenge Make them suffer Follow Joseph's example (if you pick this ...

Here are eight steps to take when you study the Bible . They are a little repetitive but will REALLY help you dig into a specific passage. These are probably best if used with paragraphs or short chapters (Psalms also). This list is modified from one I found at Lynn's Musings. While this list is designed for a personal Bible study, it would also work great for a group of 3-4 who are studying together, or even a larger group of 8-12. 1. Read it at least twice. 2. Ask Questions, and try to find the answers. 3. Outline it as concisely as possible. 4. Rewrite it in your own words. 5. Reduce it to ONE WORD. 6. Use your outline to rewrite the passage in a new paragraph. 7. Make a list of things you haven't seen before in this passage. 8. Write down one thing you want to do differently as a result of this.

Here is a really simple template for small group or one-on-one Bible study discussions. If everyone can commit to reading a passage and then coming together to ask and answer these questions, this format can really be beneficial.After reading a passage of Scripture together ask: 1. What did you like about the passage? 2. What did you NOT like about the passage? 3. What did you not understand in the passage? 4. What did you learn about God in the passage? 5. What are you going to do with what you learned? Thanks to Alan Danielson for this tool. You can read more about it here .

Have different people talk about a time someone sacrificed for them. How did it impact their life? Why do you think people aren’t more willing to make sacrifices for others? What kind of example did Jesus give us regarding making sacrifices? Some people would suggest that Jesus wasn’t really God. Read the following verses and determine what they teach about Jesus’ divinity: o John 8:57-59 o John 10:30-33 o Philippians 2:6 o Colossians 1:15-20 o Hebrews 1:3 One of the most important passages about Jesus’ divinity is John 1. As a group go through verses 1-18 and make a note of all the things this passage says about the Word. Have members of the group point to the verses which seem to indicate Jesus was the Word. Based on this passage, is it safe to conclude that Jesus was God? Why or why not? Read John 10:10. What was Jesus’ goal? Would it be possible for a regular human to bring “life” to all humanity? Why or why not? If Jesus is God, an...

Has anyone in the group ever gotten lost or gotten hurt because of the dark? How would a light have helped? What paths in your life right now would you like to have illuminated? "The Word" and "The Light" are the primary characters in this passage. As a group, look at verses 1-18 and make a list of the descriptors and actions of the Word and the Light. What was the role of the Word in creation? (vs.3) How is this the same or different than the Genesis account of creation? Does one account of creation negate the other? Why or why not? Who is The Word? Who is The Light? Why do you think John used these names? Verses 10-11 talk about people not knowing the Light. Who were these people that didn't know him? Why didn't they know him? Do you think you would have known him? Why or why not? What do you think it means to "believe on his name"? (vs. 12) What are the benefits of becoming a child of God? What are the responsibilities? What...

If your group is just starting, or re-starting, or looking for a little more purpose... Here is a small group agreement you can all fill out together. It can serve as a covenant for your group to help you all remember that you are "in this together". CLICK HERE FOR THE AGREEMENT thanks to Alan Danielson for this great tool!