Step 2: Where Are We Now?

Next, evaluate the current status of your group, and of each individual in the group. This helps you determine how far you are from where you want to be, and sets you up for the next steps necessary to keep moving in that direction. In other words, step two helps you assess the growth needs of the group.

Here are the kinds of questions you can ask to determine where your people are:

• What knowledge do members need?
  
  
• What do they need more practice in?
  
  
• What does my group care about?
  
  
• Who hasn't taken steps in their faith (such as having been baptized, or in beginning to ask questions about their life lived in pursuit of Christ)?
  
  
• What experiences have our members had?
  

• How long has our group been together?

• What challenges do members have?

Encouraging "Next Steps" for Your Group Members

Setting a goal for spiritual maturity and a realistic pace for spiritual growth.
by Tony Escobar

One of the main purposes of small groups is to develop mature people who follow Christ more obediently. But in churches, and especially in small groups, different people may view spiritual maturity in different ways. Some may think of it as having lots of Bible knowledge, for example, or having a great quiet time everyday, or being perfect.

At Community Christian Church, we believe that spiritual maturity is really about speedy obedience. No one says it better than our lead pastor, Dave Ferguson, in The Big Idea: "For a Christ follower, the measure of maturity is determined by the speed of obedience. The most mature Christ follower is not the person who has attended the most church events or accumulated the most information about Jesus, but rather the person whose heart is most transformed. And transformation is seen when a person hears God and responds with swift obedience."

In addition to setting a specific goal for spiritual maturity, small groups also have the incredible privilege and responsibility to set the pace for spiritual growth in the church. But that highlights another misconception that often develops in groups. We think that it's our responsibility as group leaders to take our members from being atheists to missionaries in one year or less. In reality, that's not the case at all. Maturity is about speedy obedience, and the pace for spiritual growth is about moving ahead one obedient baby step at a time.

That's why small-group leaders need to learn the skill of helping their people identify "next steps." Below, I've identified a practical, three-step game plan that will help encourage your group members to move forward in spiritual maturity. I recommend writing this plan down and modifying it to fit your specific group or ministry, because have a written plan will allow you to do four things: assess the need for growth, ensure clarity and direction, create accountability, and measure progress.

Note: The following steps should be applied at both the individual and group levels.

Step 1: Clarify Winning
The first step is to think about where we ultimately want our people to be, spiritually. We must lead with the end in mind. So what would it look like for our members to win in terms of spiritual growth?

Whichever goal you have in mind, it's important to remember that your members may not arrive at their destination within your group. So as a leader, think of yourself more like a contributing author who writes a chapter or two in God's story for each member. Others have "written" before you; others will likely "write" after you. You don't have to write their whole book.

But you'll win in your small group if you can get members to successfully take the next steps towards their end. They don't have to be perfect. You won't make them perfect, but you want to set goals and do things that will keep them moving in step with Christ.

You know. You want her. Discussion Guide Part V

This week is all about the mouth and the words it produces, so you will probably not find any relevance to your life or to the lives of your group members. In fact, you may want to cancel group this week due to the absence of anything pertinent to discuss. 

Yes, that was sarcasm. 

As a group, see if you can uncover some of what makes us talk so much in our culture, as well as why we see the absence of our own words as a bad thing in any given moment. As you will see below, there is much content to choose from, so evaluate based on your group, rather than simply trying to get through it all. You may want to arrange for more time to be quiet within the meeting, and maybe even make an assignment for the next week to evaluate the quality and quantity of words that fill our moments. You can come back to it next week as a way of challenging yourselves to see more clearly the power of our mouths.  (The irony will be found in how much and what you say about talking!)

________________________________________

Discussion Guide

• What are some words said to you in your life that really stuck? Positive and/or negative.
  
• Has anything you ever said been, to your surprise, a blessing to someone?
  
• Has anything you said ever been taken out of context, misunderstood or used to harm you in some way?
  
• Have you ever felt as though you really have very little control over your own mouth? Why is this?

Read

• Proverbs 18:2, 18:6, 18:7, 18:8, 18:13, 18:15
  
• First thoughts?
  

Leader note: You may note that verse 8, in discussing gossip, refers to it as "choice morsels" being consumed. There is something about getting the inside scoop on someone else that, even to the ancients, is very much like candy. Isn't it interesting that the gossip magazines, which destroy reputations by the constant invading of lives for our "entertainment", is found in the checkout isle at the grocery store, right next to the candy? (Thanks to Rob Bell at Mars Hill Bible Church in grand Rapids for this insight.)

Discuss

• Who do we think of when we read these texts on the foolishness of talking much?
  
• Did anyone think of themselves first? 
  

Leader note: If your group thought of others mostly when asked about the passages from Prov 18, take some time exploring why it seems this is something "other people" struggle with? Does it have to do with how annoying we find others? Are we that unaware of how we are perceived? Perhaps some in the group have mastered the tongue. Allow them to share what they learned to get them to a place where they are at peace speaking less and listening more. Also explore how much of this is generated by personality, rather than a conscious decision to hold the tongue in a given moment.

Read

• Proverbs 27:2
  

Discuss

• How does our culture opposed to this kind of thinking?
  
• How is advancing in your career opposed to this kind of thinking?
  
• Do you demand in any way for your good deeds to be praised by your spouse? If your spouse doesn't seem to fully appreciate the deed(s), do you feel as though he or she owes you, or that you need to bring recognition yourself, since it seemed to go unappreciated? What does this proverb say to that mentality?  
  
• What does this proverb say about insecurity and how we hope to be seen?

Leader Note: You may want to watch this video together as a great (and hilarious) illustration on how this foolishness plays itself out. We've shown this on Sunday morning at Crosspointe before, but it's one of those you can watch 20 times and still laugh!

Read

• Proverbs 10:19
  
• How have you seen examples of this in your life?
  
• Are there any ways that keeping this in mind keep you from regret this week?
  
• What does this proverb say to our culture's virtue of "just saying what I think"?

Apply

• How can members of the group help each other to grow in wisdom where speaking is concerned?
  
• When we talk about "fasting", we normally default to meaning the reduction or elimination of food for a time. Would fasting from speaking, or certain kinds of speaking (such as sarcasm, immediate responses, references to the self, etc...) be helpful for members of the group? 
  

Leader note: If members respond positively to the last question, you may want to spend some time discussing who this will be for, and for how long, and how the group can both support this "fast" and how it can track what God does in and through it.

• Spend some time in quiet at the end, perhaps reflecting on the above proverbs, or perhaps writing a prayer about the quality and quantity of speech in our lives and what that reflects in our pursuit of wisdom.
  

Scripture for additional reading

• Proverbs 17:27-28
  
• James 3
  
• Ecclesiastes 6:11
  

In Search of...

Hi Leaders,
I am in the process of cleaning up and organizing our Group Leaders' Library. We are missing a few items so I’ d like to know if you have any of the following:

Life Rules DVD by Andy Stanley
The Life You’ve Always Wanted DVD by John Ortberg
Faith Lessons of the Early Church, Tape # 1

Also if you currently have something “checked out” excluding Noomas, please let me know so I can verify our records. If you happen to have something from the library including Noomas that you are not using, please return them to the bookcase just outside my office upstairs.
Thanks you so much!
Jenny

Reposted Dr. Francis Collins Video

The CNN Video posted for this past Sunday's discussion guide was pulled from YouTube, but the same video was reposted here.

Enjoy!

You know. You want her. Discussion Guide Part IV

This week is a discussion about science and faith and mostly false distinction between the two. In seeking wisdom, we are seeking the same available mind that Created all things. Is there anything to learn and understand about processes and details that God may have used- or was it only a fixed moment in the (recent) past? Christians and "the scientists" (as if you can't be both) have been generally at each others throats on this and more for centuries. Yet it's mostly not an argument that does anything useful at all.

Use the General discussion guide below, and consider reading both Genesis 1 and 2 as well as Proverbs 3:19-20 for group study. 

This video on the topic may also prove helpful for starting some discussion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0RcpqPa2v8

It's interesting that one of the comments below it asks rhetorically: "What kind of Christian believes this...my Bible..." and then he/she goes on to insert a personal interpretation of Genesis as the only interpretation "real" Christians may use.

What were the key points of Sunday's message? 

Did God cause any lights to go on during the music, prayer or the message?

What surprised you in regard to the message?

What is/was already part of my thinking on this subject?

What did I learn that was new to me about God/faith?

What did I learn/realize about myself that I didn't know?

What did I learn about people that I didn't realize?

What changes of thought are necessary?

Why is this important?

 

Desserting our Teens...

Hi  leaders,
On the evening of Sunday, May 18th, there will be a Senior  Recognition Celebration for the graduating seniors in Turningpointe. We need  your help in getting the word out to your group members that we have a  wonderfully simple way of showing support for our graduates: DESSERT! They  will be serving about 250 teens and parents at this event, and need some great  desserts to polish off dinner. Below is a list of the various desserts and the  amount that is needed.

8 Whole Cakes OR a "batch" of 18  Cupcakes
6 Pies
8 Dozen cookies
8 Dozen brownies

Please email Linda Furdon at jemabr3@gmail.com with the items  your group can provide. The desserts should require NO refrigeration and can  be dropped off in the cafe that Sunday morning.

Thanks so much for the  many different ways you lead and serve within our community!

Jenny

You know. You want her. Discussion Guide Part III

As this series continues, there has been a consistent theme of people rethinking not only what God wants, but what it means to fear him. And that rethinking is leading to a clearer view of Him and the Life He offers. One question asked after service last Sunday was especially memorable; "How different would my life be if my parents had taught me to be wise more than they tried to enforce morality?" Perhaps you could add this question to your group time!

Part three of this series on Wisdom will continue to deepen our view of faith in Christ, beyond the confines of the traditions and reductions we humans often default to.

__________________________________

Thaw

• What movie characters can you think of that best depict "wisdom"? Why?
  
• Who is the wisest person you know, personally? What makes them seem wise?
• What from Sunday's message stuck out to you most?
• What if anything challenged your views the most?

Read

• Isaiah 6:1-3
  
• What does this vision teach us about God?
  
• What does what we're taught lead us to believe about our access to His Wisdom?
  

Leader Note: Help your group explore the idea that if the whole Earth is full of the glory (The word kabod is translated glory, and it also has to do with the measured weight and significance of a thing...) of God, then it's obvious that His wisdom can be found in places we would not expect to find it. At first this thought seems to indicate, for some, that all ideas, thoughts and beliefs are equal. Not the case. What's really being communicated is that there is truth and wisdom to be found throughout the universe, rather than exclusively within one group's understanding of the universe. Followers of Jesus are the people who seek wisdom truth and recognize it as God's no matter where they find it.

• Respond as a group to Arthur F Holmes' quote, "All truth is God's truth".
  
• How does this quote line up or differ with your perception of Christianity?

• Read Proverbs 4:5-8
  
• First thoughts?
  
• Any words you are surprised or puzzled over?
  

Leader Note: Your group may be surprised to see the word "love". It seems like an affection for Wisdom (Chokmah) should be reserved for God, unless her and God aren't distinct. It costing "all we have" is also note worthy, as that's how Jesus spoke of the Kingdom (see Matthew 13:44).

• Read 1 Kings 3
  
• Observations?
  

Leader Note: here are a few observations that are helpful in drawing us forward into God's wisdom. Note that verse 3 presents Solomon as out of compliance with God's law. God doesn't hold this against Him. Note that Solomon didn't treat God like a Genie so as to gain wealth, power and an easier life; he asked God for the thing that would make Him as effective as possible in the role God had already placed him (v6-9). Note that Solomon judged between the two women not by merely calling on a Biblical law, or some rule that they were failing to live by. His Wisdom was, to that moment, Biblically unprecedented (seemingly from outside the faith of his fathers...something brilliant and new)- yet true. You may also note that this wisdom caused the people to fear ("yare", same word for fearing God) the king, because it was just that awesome. Note also that His wisdom had him doing a lot of listening- both to the women and to God.

Apply

• How do these ideas about seeking wisdom, seeking to understand and looking outside of predetermined parameters affect your faith?
  
• How does this affect how you discuss faith and wisdom (and life, generally) with non-Christians?
  
• How does this affect who we listen to when we are seeking to let God really stretch us?
  
• How can this Life Group be a place that exercises this sort of wisdom seeking?
  

Additional Scriptures

• 1 Corinthians 3
  
• Acts 17:-16-34

You know. You want her. Discussion Part II

This may be a “high wonder” group time. You may get tons of questions and head scratching this week! Don’t feel that as the leader it is your final responsibility to answer all the questions and sooth all the theological headaches that may be generated from this discussion and the message Sunday. Write them down, chew on them as a group. Wrestle through the texts. Discuss the views and presuppositions where they come from. Pray through them as a group. Embrace that this idea may in fact be larger than one or two weeks can contain, and set your self on a long term course to fear God Biblically, as it is the beginning of Wisdom.

Thaw

• Did you ever have a run in with a bully in school? Describe how it went.
  
• Have your children had any bully confrontations?
  
• Was there anything from the message Sunday that stuck with you?
  
• Are there any thoughts, questions or views that this series has generated so far?
  

Leader note: Undoubtedly, “The Fear of the Lord” generates at least an opinion or religious memory in everyone, so feel free to ask twice so everyone can share a thought or two. You may want to also allow people to express nervousness over exploring what it means to fear God. Many people have grown up being taught to fear God, but being taught that fearing Him equals being intimidated and threatened by Him. Therefore, the whole idea of exploring what it is to fear Him can generate its own fear; a sort of “are you sure it’s okay to rethink what fearing Him means?”

Read

• Psalm 111
  
• First thoughts after reading it?
  

Leader note: You may note that the Psalm seems to build toward verse 10, almost as if making a case for pursuing wisdom. As if to say “Don’t forget; God is worth the pursuit!”

Discuss

• How do you interpret “fear” at this point?
  
• Read verse 5 again.  What can this mean, considering people who don’t worship God still eat well, as it is also certain that many faithful starve?
  

Leader note: You may want to point out that the whole verse refers to His covenant, and therefore the people of the covenant- namely the Jews. So the covenant people and those that fear Him are synonymous. The food provided may also, and even quite likely, refers to the Manna and quail in the desert during Israel’s 40 years of wandering after the Exodus.

• How is fearing God in the Biblical sense and fearing a bully or tyrant distinct? Are they similar?
• What is an example of one not fearing God in the Biblical sense? What are the consequences?
  
• What is the difference between the consequences for lacking wisdom (or, specifically, lacking fear and respect for God) and Karma?
• How is your view of fear changing as you come to understand that this fear is wrapped in His continual goodness to us, rather than His continual insecure, moody threats?
  

 

• Does fearing God mean less if Hell is taken out of the equation? Explain your response.
  

Leader note: The point of this question is to help the group understand that wisdom, and being on who fears God in the true Biblical sense is practical, how-to-live-the-life-God-intended- stuff. Not being scared of burning “later”. To pursue wisdom is to pursue how to fulfill our roles in life as human beings- pursuing God’s dream for humanity. If we only fear God and pursue wisdom to avoid Hell, then we are basically rendering wisdom as a formula to escape consequences in the afterlife. That’s not trusting the God of life as much as it’s avoiding punishment. The Bible never gives us a formula for avoiding punishment. It is, however, quite redundant on the value and important of trusting God!

• How does a better understanding of fear play itself out in day to day life? How does it affect the sale of a home? A job promotion? A large sale you have been working on? An argument with a spouse, friend, close relative? Children? An interaction with an authority figure? A behavior or way of thinking previously reduced to mere "morality"?

• How does this view affect prayer?

Leader note: Spend some time as a group praying and asking God for an increased sense of “awe” in life, coupled with an increased awareness of Hiss goodness. Feel free to pray out loud the trepidation that comes with such a request, as God may reveal Himself fearfully through both His presence and in circumstances that cannot be controlled by human hands- circumstances that demand His goodness come through! As the group prays out loud for increased awe and reverence, as well as an increased level of trust in the continual, moment to moment goodness of God, you will be praying for the same wisdom for which our brothers and sisters have rayed for thousands of years. You're in great company.

 

Feedback!

Hello Group Leaders!

In the interest of serving you better, we want to find out how and what you are learning together. In the comments, let us know if you mostly utilize the Crosspointe Sermon discussion guide here on this blog, Serendipity Bible group discussion, DVD curriculum, or something else. Also, include how you decided as a group that this particular study suited your group best.

We will use this information to further improve both how we choose a course of study, as well as the quality of the studies themselves. Thanks so much for responding promptly!!!

Steve