These notes are designed to be a resource as you lead your Life Group each week.

DISCUSSION GUIDE TIPS: How you wrap up your last meeting of the year is important. Make sure you allow plenty of time to go through the Looking Back and Looking Ahead and Remembering sections. Feel free to spend your entire time there also allowing everyone time to connect and not just focus on the questions.

Note: There is a video from Chris Brown and Worship Song option you can use for Communion. See last section called Remembering with the link for more explanation.

FALL QUARTER PLANS
Find out from your group if they plan on being part of the group in the Fall. They can indicate their plans on the Feedback Forms. Also, let us know of any roster updates that you know of, or changes to your meeting day, time or location for the Fall quarter when you submit your attendance.

NEW FALL LIFE GROUP LEADERS
Let your group know to be praying for new leaders and hosts for new Life Groups in the Fall.

 SUMMER CONNECTION IDEAS

• Over the summer, you may want to consider planning a social with your group at the beach, having a game night, going out to dinner, attending one of our summer events/classes or meeting for guys-only/girls-only breakfast once or twice.
• You may also consider sending out prayer requests via email, text or mail; this is a great way to keep people connected.
• Note the last homework question, which is meant to help us think about our spiritual focus as well as how to pray for each other this summer.

REMEMBER TO GET COMMUNION SUPPLIES FOR THE LAST MEETING. 

NEW ONLINE FEEDBACK FORMS:
If you did not do Feedback Forms last week, please make sure to have your group complete them this week. In the event that someone in your group can’t find the email, you may share the generic link listed here with them. lifegroups.northcoastchurch.com/feedback

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. Don’t forget to let us know of any roster updates that you know of, or changes to your meeting day, time or location for the Fall quarter when you submit your attendance.

As we wrap up the Spring Quarter of Life Groups, we’d love your feedback. Along with an abbreviated study, you’ll take some time to reflect on your group experience and then have Communion together. You’ll also fill out the online Feedback Forms if you have not done so already. An email with the Feedback Form was sent to you on Monday. Life Groups will take a summer break and resume the week of September 15. Thanks for being part of your Life Group and have a great summer!

1. Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything you heard for the first time or that caught your attention, challenged or confused you?

2. Christopher gave us six things that Jesus wants for his followers that many would think are surprising. Which one or two do you think people would say are the most surprising? Which one or two have been or are now the most important for you to remember?

You could use this question or the sub-question in the next section to set up some summer prayer themes for each individual.

Discussion Suggestion: You can use this question to help launch some summer prayer themes for each person in your group. See sub-question below the verses.

This weekend we saw how God’s rules and guidelines are actually about freeing us to experience his presence and abundance! How do the following verses about God’s freedom and blessings as we follow him, reinforce this sometimes surprising paradox?

Mark 8:34–35 – ³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Matthew 23:11-12 – ¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 – ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Matthew 11:28 – Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

As you look back at what you wrote for those verses, which one or two are most important for you to remember during your summer break from your Life Group? You can transition this question

Discussion Suggestion: This and the next section are the most important to cover. Make sure you allow plenty of time here.

1. Summer is just around the corner! Do you have any special plans, activities or prayer requests for the next few months?

Good question to have everyone answer. Any special plans or activities that are discussed can easily be used as guides for prayer, both at your Life Group meeting and over the summer.

2. Looking back at this past quarter and the Life Group year, how has your group experienced the power of Jesus? Can you think of any Life Group prayers God has answered?

COMMUNION: (Listen to the Leader Audio for more detail)

• Explain that we want to end the Life Group year by remembering and celebrating Christ’s death and resurrection.
• Read the verses below. You can ask for people’s responses to them, or just comment on them yourself. Use the 1 Corinthians passage to take you into Communion.

Jesus knows we forget things, even when it comes to what he’s done for us. That’s why Jesus told the disciples at the Last Supper to repeatedly come together and take Communion. Taking Communion is about remembering all that Christ accomplished through his death on the cross and resurrection. It is through this sacrifice that Jesus’ grace and mercy are made available to us.

This week, your Life Group will conclude by taking Communion together as the disciples did. To prepare for this, read the following verses and reflect on Jesus’ commitment and work in your life as you follow him.

1 Peter 2:22-25 – ²² “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” ²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴ “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” ²⁵ For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 – ²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

John 15:12-17 – ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

What catches your attention as beneficial to remember as you take Communion in your group?

Good question to have everyone answer. 

• Get Communion elements ready and pass out the bread.
• Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26:

 ²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

• Video / Worship Option – Video of Chris Brown followed by a worship song (it’s 12 minutes)
  1. If you use video, preview it: https://vimeo.com/338359177/b6b9c8ced0
  2. Have people take Communion, eat the bread, and drink after Chris Brown speaks while the worship song is playing.
• Move into prayer time, thanking Jesus for his commitment to love us and how he is working in our lives, as people have shared in your group.

Evening Wrap-up:

• Have everyone fill out a Feedback Form if you did not do this last week. Notice electronic forms have been sent to everyone in the group to make this process easier.
• Discuss any plans for getting together over the summer (optional).
• Pray for new Leaders and Hosts.
• Dessert Time