LIFE GROUP LEADER GUIDE
For the week of January 29, 2023
This guide is designed to give helpful hints in preparing & leading your group in discussion.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
| Need help with anything? We’re here to help! Don’t hesitate to contact your life group pastor if you need some extra help leading the discussion, or addressing a specific topic or personal issue that has surfaced in your group.
DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS
Begin to FINALIZE PLANS FOR YOUR SOCIAL and/or SERVICE PROJECT Begin to think about what service project you would like to do. Check our website for some options: northcoastcommunityservice.org SOCIAL OPTIONS Online Social Ideas: https://lifegroups.northcoastchurch.com/group-socials/ In-person Social Ideas: https://lifegroups.northcoastchurch.com/suggestions-for-socials/
ATTENDANCE Submit your group’s attendance online at northcoastchurch.com/attendance. If you’re not sure how to post attendance, you can check out the guide here: lifegroups.northcoastchurch.com/how-to-post-attendance ONLINE GROUPS Check out our Tips and Tutorials for Online Groups here: https://lifegroups.northcoastchurch.com/pro-tips/
White Water Vacation Adventure for Leaders & Hosts! July 19-23!Join us for an adventure of a lifetime whitewater rafting down the Klamath River! Led by Life Group Pastor Dave Enns and his wife Koreena, enjoy nature, community, and a time to be refreshed and encouraged spiritually! Click HERE for more info. |
Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything you heard for the first time or something that caught your attention, challenged, or confused you?
1. Chris listed things Jesus has been called in the book of John so far. Is there a name of Jesus that stands out to you or is impactful for you to understand or remember who He is?
Additional Question: Are there any other names of God in Scripture that are particularly meaningful or memorable for you?
2. This weekend, we looked at Jesus’ first sign in the book of John, in which He used His miraculous power to transform something in a way no one else could have done. Have you ever seen God do something in your life, big or small, that you couldn’t do on your own?
Discussion Note: In our new leader Essentials training, we talk about the small to large group principle. This principle encourages the use of one-to-one discussion, three or four-person discussion, and whole group discussion as a way to involve everyone. Whether you’re meeting in person or virtually, we encourage you to make use of this principle on a regular basis to keep things fresh and to help keep people engaged. Any of this week’s study questions would be suitable to use with smaller sub-groups during your meeting. And remember, giving time limits helps you hear from everyone and deal with a potential “long talker” (aka dominator).
If your group is meeting virtually, making use of the Zoom breakout rooms is a way to do this. We would suggest you make use of the breakout rooms at least once a meeting, if not more often. When you go to the breakout room, be sure to clearly spell out what you want them to discuss and the amount of time they will have to talk. For more information on using Zoom breakout rooms, please view the tutorial at lifegroups.northcoastchurch.com/pro-tips/ or talk to your Campus/Life Group pastor.
In the story this weekend, Mary instructs the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do, which is a lesson we could all take to heart in our own faiths. Chris pointed out that faith is not just a prayer, but rather faith is a journey involving deepening steps of obedience that, in turn, lead to more faith. This week, we are going to look at the story of someone who could not bring himself to do the thing Jesus told him to do.
Read Mark 10:17-31 and write down anything you notice about what Jesus is asking of this man and how the man’s response affected the outcome of his faith journey.
Mark 10:17-31 New International Version (NIV)
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” 28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Additional Questions:
- What do you notice about this man’s understanding of who Jesus was?
- Why do you think Jesus tells him to sell everything?
1. Wealth was an area that was difficult for the rich man to give up. What are some potential areas of your life that provide a challenge to “do whatever Jesus tells you to do”?
This could be an intense question depending on how well your group knows each other and the trust that has been built. If you’d like to soften this question, here might be a way to do that: What are 3-5 areas you think are challenging for Christians to do what Jesus says? Or you could potentially break into men and women-only groups for this.
Additional Questions: What does it mean when there’s an area we can’t bring ourselves to give up, like the rich young ruler? How do you know if something is an idol, if you are placing too much importance on it, or if you are putting something before the Lord? What’s the difference between struggling with something and giving up?
Has there been anything you felt God asked you to do that was incredibly hard for you to do but, unlike the rich man, you did it anyway? If so, what was the result?
This is an opportunity to share stories of victory or overcoming, as well as just areas where you’ve dedicated or committed yourself to obeying what you feel called by the Lord to do. This could be something big or small, but still meaningful to you.
Throughout our time in John so far, we have seen a theme of not just knowing Jesus but putting our faith in Him. The rich man in this story struggles with this very thing. When you find it hard to put your faith in Jesus or do the challenging thing He asks of you, what helps you to do it anyway?
Additional Question: If someone else was on the fence or struggling with the decision to “do it anyway,” what advice or encouragement would you give them?
Additional Verses: Galatians 6:7-9
2. Verses 29-30 reiterate something we saw about Jesus’ character in the passage this weekend—that He is a God of abundance, who makes a plentiful amount of the best wine, and who returns a hundred times what His children give up for Him. What comes to mind when you hear that God is “abundant”? Have you seen this in your faith journey? Have you ever struggled to see this in your faith journey?
Additional Verses: Read Psalm 65 and underline any words or phrases that strike you about God’s abundance.
Is there an area of your life where you are hoping God will show up in abundance or make a transformation? Is there anything you could pray for, focus on, or put into practice this week when it comes to this area?
Is there any encouragement from this weekend’s message or Life Group discussion you want to remember or pray about when it comes to this area?
Is there anything someone shared in your group discussion this week that you want to remember?