LIFE GROUP LEADER GUIDE

For the week of September 22, 2024
This guide is designed to give helpful hints in preparing & leading your group in discussion.

LEADER NOTES

Life Group commitment Discussion 
If you didn’t go over this last week, make sure you take time to go over the Commitment Form this week or review what you talked about with anyone who missed the first week.  Listen to this week’s podcast for more details and access the form here.   

Reach out to people WHO missed last week   

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT WEEK #2  
Remember we’re on week two of the quarter. People are still acclimating, especially any new people. Lead your group through the questions according to how well everyone knows each other. There are plenty of questions in this guide to take you deeper. Remember, as a leader, your goal each meeting is to lead your group in such a way that you hear from everyone and keep God’s Word at the center. Know that if you do this each week, the people in your group will grow! Remember you don’t need to cover all the questions. Great conversation and connection are far more important than covering all the questions.    

Prayer Note  
Check out the Tips on Group Prayer at the end of this Leader’s Guide. If you have new people in your group, please make sure you go over this. And NEVER make someone pray. Group prayer is similar to public speaking, which is the #1 fear people have. More than once, we’ve had people tell us they quit a Life Group because a well-intentioned leader required everyone to pray.  

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: lifegroups.northcoastchurch.com/pro-tips/   

*Chris Brown’s SPECIAL message to ALL leaders and hosts, (as shared at the Vista Life Group Kickoff event) )  LG Kickoff 2024 Message.mp3   

DISCUSSION/LEADER GUIDE

WARM UP  

 1. The title of Ricky’s message referenced a famous Tina Turner song. If someone were to describe you with a song title, what song would it be? 

 2. Sometimes it’s the little things that test our patience. What’s a quirky pet peeve you have that others might not even notice, but it drives you up the wall? 

 3. What point or idea have you remembered most since hearing this weekend’s message? 

This is a great question that packs a lot more weight than we think.  Something that sticks 24 hrs. or longer after hearing it means it held significance to you. 

Asking the follow up question of “What made it so impactful?” can drive the discussion deeper.  

  

KNOW IT     

1. Re-read 1 Corinthians 13. Imagine you were asked by a non-believer, “What is love?” How would you answer the question in your own words? 

Love is a word that can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people.  Defining our terms can be helpful in conversations, we can love pizza and love our families.  

Additional question: Without using the Bible to inform your definition of love, how do you think most people would define the word “love”? 

 2. There are 16 descriptions or attributes of love listed in verses 4-8. Divide them among your group and take a few minutes for each person to come up with a definition for the descriptions, (i.e., define patient). Then share your definitions as a group. 

Our goal in Life Groups is to hear from everyone each week and have meaningful conversation around God’s Word.  By breaking into smaller groups and then sharing our thoughts we can help those who may be less inclined to share in the larger group find their voice. So, while it might be easy to do this in a large group context, breaking up can be super helpful.  

3. Read John 15:9-13. How do you think the descriptions of love in 1 Corinthians 13 line up with what Jesus is commanding? 

Additional verses: 1 John 4:12, John 3:16, Romans 12:10, 1 Corinthians 16:14, Romans 13:8.  

If you wanted to look at other passages that talk about what love looks like displayed, you can dig into the above passages.  

   

SHARE IT  

1. If you look at yourself over the last 5 years, would you say you have seen yourself become more loving or less loving according to 1 Corinthians 13? Looking at your current trajectory, 5 years from now, do you become more loving or less loving? 

This question could be difficult for some to answer and easy for others.  The goal isn’t for someone to feel guilty or prideful depending on how they answer but to be more attentive to how is the gospel of Jesus transforming us over time.   

2. Have you experienced someone who embodies one of the descriptions of love exceptionally well (i.e., someone who was patient)? What impact did that have on you? 

Additional Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:20  

Additional question: Have you ever heard of someone coming to church because of a relationship with a friend, family member, coworker etc.?  When you reflect on those stories, is there a common thread about the character of the person who invited them to church?  Why do you think that may or may not be important? 

  

LIVE IT  

1. What are ways we become more loving… 

 …overtime? 

 Additional question: What things could we put in place that will help us become the type of people who are more loving? How do we keep ourselves more focused on the good news of Jesus on a consistent basis? 

… in the moment when faced with a choice of how to respond?  

Are there people or things we can put in place to help us respond the way we want to?  Example: could wearing a W.W.J.D. (What Would Jesus Do) bracelet be a visual reminder on how to love people, or having a bible verse post it note on your steering wheel during peak traffic? 

 2. Is there something specific you could use prayer for to help you live out this weekend’s message?  

Prayer Transition and Optional Question: The #1 fear most people have is speaking in public. Group prayer would fall into this category. If you have new people in your group, going over “Tips on Group Prayer” (below) is crucial. In most cases, it’s also a good reminder for returning group members. More than once, we’ve had people tell us they quit a Life Group or didn’t join a group because they had to pray out loud.
 

Additional Question (An important one for new groups): Prayer is an amazing avenue God has given us to communicate with Him and He with us, but we also come to it with many different thoughts and feelings. Which of the following statements is most true for you?
 

• Prefer to pray silently instead of out loud 
• Find my mind wandering when praying 
• Like to write out prayers 
• Look forward to time in prayer 
• Don’t really know how to pray 
• Other