END OF QUARTER / FALL QUARTER PLANS
After this week, there will be two remaining meetings left before the end of the quarter. If you know of potential changes in the leadership or hosting of your group for the Fall, please begin to process that with your group this week. Also, make sure your Campus Pastor/Station-in-Life-Pastor knows about the changes.

DIGITAL FEEDBACK FORMS COMING NEXT WEEK
End of the quarter Feedback Forms will be emailed to each person in your group on Sunday, May 17. Please have your group fill them out at one of your two final meetings for the quarter if they haven’t done so already on their own.

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

HELP US HONOR FALLEN MILITARY ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
Memorial Day is a somber occasion for Americans to remember those who have died in the service of our great Nation. North Coast Military Connection would like to honor our fallen military during our weekend services. If you know a loved one or friend who died during their military service commitment, we would like to remember them this holiday with a picture and a short description explaining the service member’s story. Please email [email protected] for more information.

Note: At the end of last week’s Leader Guide, Philip talked about a possible way to start off this week’s Life Group discussion. He suggested circling back to last week’s discussion on calling to see if anyone has made any further progress in discovering their calling, in adjusting their schedule based on their calling or if they have seen some fruit from living out their calling. He mentioned to make sure you celebrate with your group members if anyone shares anything.

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. When you think of someone you know who truly serves others, what words, actions or character qualities would you use to describe them?

Good question to have everyone answer, but be prepared for some people to not be able to think of someone.

2. How we live our lives and the decisions we make daily can significantly affect our ability to serve others. Which of the statements below would you say best matches your chief roadblock to serving prior to the shelter-in-place order?

□ Moving too fast to notice opportunities to serve

□ Packing too much into my schedule

□ Trying to respond to every need

□ Putting off getting started

□ Unwillingness to flex my schedule and/or leisure time

□ Too focused on my own needs or wants

□ Other ______________________________________

Great question to have everyone answer.

 Additional Questions:

• Which of these statements is your second biggest roadblock?
• Which of these statements is the one that you struggle with the least?

Are there any new roadblocks you’re facing now?

Note: Several of these roadblocks no longer apply for many of us, so people may be able to identify with some new ones, like not seeing a proper response to your serving (people aren’t appreciative enough for all you do).

 Additional Questions:

• Someone once said we all want to think of ourselves as a servant, but we don’t want to be treated like one. Have you ever been in a situation (like a job) where you were treated like a servant? What did you feel, and how did you respond?
• Can you think of a time when somebody helped you out, served you, or met a need of yours that you couldn’t meet on your own? If so, how did it feel, and how did you respond? What difference, if any, did it make in your life?
• Chris ended his message with two summary statements. What did you think when you first heard him say each one? Which of these is most challenging to you?

1. Without a doubt, the best example of serving is Jesus. His sacrificial death on the cross for us was the act of ultimate service. The Apostle Paul gives us a glimpse into what motivated Jesus when he writes about Jesus’ “mindset” (NIV) or attitude in Philippians 2:5. In one sentence, how would you summarize this mindset in light of Philippians 2:5-11?

Example Answer: Because He understood and was committed to the ultimate goal, Jesus willingly gave up His place in heaven to become a servant and die for all humankind.

Philippians 2:5-11 New International Version (NIV)
⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

What stands out to you most in this passage?

In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul paints a picture of how this mindset applies to real life. What’s most challenging to you about living like this?

Philippians 2:3-4 New International Version (NIV)
³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Additional Questions:

• What does selfish ambition or vain conceit look like?
• What does it mean to “value others above yourself?”
• How would you define “humility?”
• Have you ever met a person who values others above themselves and looks out for the interests of others?
• How well does the person you thought of in My Story #1 fit the kind of life described in Philippians 2:3-4?
• What role do you think humility plays in serving? Can one have a servant heart and still be proud? Does humility naturally result in serving?

What potential “costs” might you have to pay or what might you have to give up if you were living more consistently like this passage describes?

Potential answers: We would have to give up being the life of the party or always being in the spotlight. We would have to trust that God would meet our needs as we focused on meeting other people’s needs and serving them.

Additional Passage: In Luke 10:30-36, we see what it cost the Good Samaritan to serve the man he helped.

Luke 10:30-36 – In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ ³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

Can you think of ways serving others can benefit us or help us grow as Christians?

Here are 8 blessings we experience by serving others (from an online article):

1. Serving allows us to discover and develop our spiritual gifts.
2. Serving allows us to see God at work.
3. Serving allows us to experience the joy and peace that comes from obedience.
4. Serving helps us to be more like Jesus.
5. Serving surrounds us with other Christians who can help us follow Jesus.
6. Serving increases our faith.
7. Serving allows us to experience God’s presence in new ways.
8. Serving is good for your soul.

2. At the Last Supper, Jesus demonstrated His servant’s heart by washing the disciples’ feet. He did this despite the fact that in the next 24 hours Judas would betray Him, the disciples would desert Him, Peter would deny Him, and He would be unjustly accused, tortured and killed. Read John 13:1-17 and write down the choices Jesus made, the attitudes He maintained, the actions He took and any challenges or opposition He encountered. Then answer the follow-up questions.

Facilitation Tip: This would be a good question to split into breakout rooms to discuss. You probably need to select one person in each breakout room to serve as the moderator to keep the discussion going.

John 13:1-17 New International Version (NIV)
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.
¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

 Additional Questions:

• What can we learn about Jesus when we consider that He even washed Judas’ feet that night?
• What’s the big deal about Jesus washing their feet? Why is this such a big sign of servanthood?

If you had been sitting around the table with the disciples, what do you think your response would have been to what Jesus did?

Additional Question: We see in the passage how Peter responded to Jesus wanting to wash his feet. What might be some of the other responses the disciples could have had? (This is asking for speculation, but insights come when we do reasonable speculation).

What clues do you find in the passage that help us understand why Jesus was willing to serve in this way?

Note: Verse 3 is all about Jesus knowing His heritage, His identity and His destiny. This allowed Him to sacrifice for us.

What new insights does Mark 10:43-45 add to your understanding of serving? 

Additional Questions:

• How realistic would it be for you to live out this passage in your work situation?
• How do you see this passage and the Philippians 2:5-11 passage complementing each other?

Mark 10:43-45 New International Version (NIV)
⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Additional Passages:

• Jesus gives a description of what it looks like to be treated as a servant in Luke 17:7-10.

Luke 17:7-10 – “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? ⁸ Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? ⁹ Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

• There is a great example of serving found in the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-36.

Luke 10:30-36 – In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ ³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

Facilitation Tip: Both of the “Taking it Home” questions would be good ones to discuss during your men’s and women’s breakout time if you have one.

1. Often when we think of serving, we think of grand gestures that we do for people we don’t know. But real serving, like many other important things, begins at home. In our current shelter-in-place situation, most of us still have people in our household we’re spending a lot of time with whom we can still serve. What are one or two new ways you could serve the people you currently spend the most time with?

2. Below is a picture of how one sheltering-in-place North Coast family found to serve others who are outside their household. Can you think of one or two people outside your household you could serve? How could you best serve them?

Group Activity – see how many ways of serving others you can come up with.

Hot New Service Project!  Help assemble 300,000 N95 Respirators for the Office of Emergency Services.

North Coast Church is partnering with the Rock Church to assemble 300,000 N95 masks.  Many hands are needed for this project!  Health screening processes are in place and social distancing guidelines followed for all volunteers to ensure everyone’s safety.  Must be 18-64yrs. Pt Loma Location Daily M-F 9am-3pm.  San Marcos Location: Daily M-F 9am-3pm.

To sign up or get more info go to: www.northcoastcommunityservice.org​ and search “respirators”.