LIFE GROUP LEADER GUIDE
For the week of February 26, 2023
This guide is designed to give helpful hints in preparing & leading your group in discussion.
PRINT LEADER GUIDE:
Goals for the Evening:
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| LEADER ANNOUNCEMENTS
SERVE YOUR CITY – April 15-30 (Three-week focus – Give/Serve/Love)
SPRING QUARTER PLANS Begin to talk to your group about their spring quarter plans and confirm your roster with your Life Group Coordinator ASAP. There are two more Life Group meetings in the quarter after this week. We need to know how many openings we have in our groups for this spring. Spring sign-ups start March 25. Life Group Leader / Hosts Community Gatherings / MID-QUARTER TRAINING MEETING NOTES DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS
PRAYER
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 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. This weekend we heard about a water that satisfies. What’s the most satisfying meal you’ve ever had? What made it satisfying—location, food, who you were with?
Have fun with this! This is meant to be a light ice breaker.
2. The woman at the well was in need of water, but instead of giving her what she came for, Jesus gave her the only thing that truly satisfies. Have you ever had a need met in a way that was unexpected or different than what you asked for?
The woman at the well clearly asks for one thing and Jesus answers her with something else. Another way to look at this—have you ever prayed and asked Jesus for something, and He gave you something else instead? Everyone may not have an answer for this.
1. This weekend, we heard about the living water Jesus offers to the Samaritan woman at the well and everyone who believes in Him, and about how this living water satisfies. Another prime example of the satisfaction believers experience and the kindness God extends to His children is the image of Jesus as “The Good Shepherd.” This week, we are going to explore two passages that paint this picture. Read John 10:7-16 and Psalm 23 and write down what you notice about the kindness of our Shepherd and the freedom His sheep experience.
John 10:7-16 New International Version (NIV)
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
Psalm 23 New International Version (NIV)
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Additional Question: Though these passages don’t directly talk about “freedom,” they paint a vivid picture of what a sheep experiences when cared for by a Good Shepherd, and we get the sense there is freedom in that. What are some other words that come to mind that the sheep (we) get to experience when we trust the Shepherd to care for us?
As you think about the Shepherd and the sheep in these passages, is there anything that stands out to you when it comes to your relationship with God? Is there anything that’s hard for you to understand or see in how you relate to Him?
For example, an answer could be—”it’s hard for me to feel like I know God’s voice,” or “I have seen God refresh my soul.”
Additional Questions:
- Is it easy or hard for you to see God as a Good Shepherd?
- As you look at the role of the sheep in these passages, is it easy or hard for you to take the role of the sheep and be led by God?
Can you think of a time, place or area of your life where you have seen or experienced the freedom of relying on Jesus or trusting Him to quench your thirst? What did that freedom look like? What was the difference between trying to quench your own thirst and relying on Jesus?
Everyone may not have an answer for this, but this could be an awesome opportunity to learn and hear testimony from those who do. You can especially focus in on the last part—what is the difference between relying on Jesus and trying to quench your thirst or meet your needs on your own?
Additional Questions:
- In the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus makes a claim to quench the thirst of anyone who drinks His living water. We see a similar theme in these passages of a Shepherd taking care of His sheep. What are some things you thirst for or hope for in life? Are there any ways you try to fill your needs or quench your thirst without relying on the Good Shepherd?
- Is there an area of your life where you feel like you have not experienced a quenching of thirst, or the freedom of a sheep being cared for by the Good Shepherd? What would be different in your life or in this area if you were living in freedom?
- What does it mean to be free when relying on Jesus?
What are some things that keep us from claiming the freedom or satisfaction Jesus wants us to have in Him? For example, are there things we resist or avoid doing? Are there lies we believe? Are there patterns we have a hard time breaking?
This is not meant for everyone to have an answer to all of these questions. The questions are just there to get our minds thinking about what might hold us back from the freedom TJ talked about this weekend.
TJ reminded us this weekend that Jesus alone satisfies. Even so, we all have areas of our lives where it is a challenge to feel this way. What are some of the areas or situations in your life where you struggle to feel satisfied by Jesus? Is there a good reminder to hold on to when you run into those times? How might we find satisfaction in Jesus when it’s harder to find?
Discussion Note: The answers to these questions could lead well into prayer requests so you can be praying for those areas of struggle for people.
Additional Verses: Ecclesiastes 1:14; 2:10-12, 25; 3:11
Additional Questions:
- Is it possible to be satisfied in Jesus and still unhappy with a situation or part of life?
- What’s the difference between satisfaction and happiness?
What is one thing from this week’s discussion or sermon that is important for you to remember?
WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
Friday, March 3 – Saturday, March 4
Join the women of North Coast Church for this two-day event hosted at the Vista Campus. The conference will dig into the theme of being Made New with special guest speakers Hosanna Wong and Jada Edwards. Register today at northcoastchurch.com/womens-conference/