Join us this Sunday! In-Person 8:00am, 9:30am & 11:00am, Online 8:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am & 5:00pm

Join us this Sunday! In-Person 8:00am, 9:30am & 11:00am, Online 8:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am & 5:00pm

Join us at the next Sunday worship service:
In-Person
8:00am, 9:30am & 11:00am
Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

WEEK 3 SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR GROUPS

Who are my people?

Introduction:

Who are my people? Who are the people who are going to encourage me in this season, who are the people who are going to care about me, who are the people that are going to rejoice with me and mourn with me, who are the people that are going to hold me accountable, and who are the people who are going to help me to be strong when I feel like giving up?

Bottom-Line:   

Something To Talk About:

In today’s world, dependency is often considered a weakness. We’re taught that we don’t need anyone to figure things out independently. But God did not create you to be alone — He created you to depend on a spiritual family for support. The church community is God’s answer to loneliness, fatigue, defeat, and despair. Having a church family is essential because we need others to walk with us, work with us, watch out for us, wait and weep with us, and witness with us.

  1. Encouragement: A dictionary definition of encouragement tells us to give courage to someone or inspire with hope or boldness. Courage, hope, boldness — do you have plenty of these, or are you like me and need all the encouragement you can get? Biblical encouragement isn’t focused on complementing someone’s short game in golf or telling them how good their homemade salsa tastes. That kind of encouragement is important, but the encouragement the Scriptures refer to is explicitly Christian encouragement. Encouragement is shared with the hopes that it will lift someone’s heart toward the Lord. It points out evidence of grace in another’s life to help them see that God is using them. It points a person to God’s promises that assure them that all they face is under his control. The New Testament reveals that encouragement was a regular part of the early church’s life. Encouragement was and is an essential way of extending grace to each other.
  2. Care: We need people in our life who care about us. The Bible has a lot to say about this. Philippians 2:4 saysDon’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”  That’s what a family’s all about and what a church family’s all about. Have you ever left on vacation, and before you left, did you ask the neighbor to watch your stuff while you were gone? Do you have anybody watching out for your soul? It’s far more important. A neighbor may be watching your stuff, but who’s watching out for your soul? That’s part of the family of God. We need other people watching out for us. Why? Because we all have blind spots. We need other people to watch out for us. Like smiling at people, listening to their stories, and answering their questions. Why not ask for their opinion and listen as they answer you? Believe what they say and delight in their stories.
  3. Accountability: Accountability is one of those things that, as Christians, we know we should practice. But if we’re being honest, it can be really hard to hold people accountable. The gospel of Jesus frees us to make ourselves responsible to others and hold others accountable in love and grace. Every one of us has a story, a life map of where we have been and what we experienced along the way. The lessons we have learned can help impact someone if you are able and willing to accept them as part of God’s plan. We don’t like the tough lessons and trials that enter our life, but if we learn from these experiences and share them with others, they can be the building blocks of impact and influence. We all need good Christian friends. The Bible has a lot to say about our role to help, encourage, and counsel one another. Maybe you have a person in your life called an accountability partner. Instead, you have a relationship where you meet together to encourage and lift each other, and you pull each other up toward your best. We all need people like that in our lives.
  4. Celebrate and mourn: I need other people to wait with me when I’m going through a tough time and to weep with me, and we all need a support network. Because at some point, you will have a life-shaking crisis. None of us knows what it is or how it’s going to hit us, but the time to prepare is now. God’s safety net is a group of believers who are committed to you and you are committed to them. 1 Peter 3:8 says, “Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Romans 12:15 adds, “Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.” Community is God’s answer to despair. We all need people who will weep with us and rejoice with us because we may experience a roller coaster ride in times of joy and sorrow. Jesus demonstrated both joy and compassion, and we should be as well. 
  5. Strength: The church is a body of individuals and a group linked by a shared belief in Jesus as the Savior and the Bible as the Word of God.  We all are interested in seeing the lost be found, the weary be revived, and those on the journey be encouraged along the way. The community of believers brings strength into every battle. You can be the strength in your community.  Let your life and how you live it be the arrow pointing to Jesus. Your influence in your world may not be a great sermon.  It just might be the way you always have a smile on your face.  Or how you offer to help a neighbor in need.  Sometimes, your little choices daily can impact those in your world. But at the same time allow your community to influence you.   Consider the people who cross our path and have been through something we haven’t.  That is from another culture or who believe a little differently than we do.  One of the reasons that community is so important is not just so that you can impact others but so that others can impact you. Find strength in the community of believers around you.

Discussion Questions:

  1. In what way has church been just a place you “go to” instead of a place you “belong to?”
  2. Who are the people in your life that you can walk alongside? How will you show them today that they are not alone?
  3. Read Ephesians 3:14-19. How does this text promote Christians living together in a community? What phrases stand out to you?
  4. What are some of the benefits of having meaningful relationships with other believers? 
  5. Where have you seen accountability practiced well? Where have you seen it practiced poorly? What were some of the main differences?
  6. Is there somebody who you need to hold accountable? Do you need to make yourself accountable to someone else? What steps of action does God want you to take?
  7. What are some of the ways we can encourage one another, particularly in a small group?
  8. How can we, as a community of believers be a safety net for each other? Is there a person or family that needs someone or a small group to come alongside in their despair or waiting? 
  9. In a support group, the members provide emotional stability for one another. Name people in your life from whom you receive emotional support and people to whom you give emotional support.
  10. What is the biggest takeaway from this week’s message?

Take one thing home with you:

Where is your support system?

Every one of us needs a support system. A brain surgeon wouldn’t operate without first hooking their patient up to a life support system. A deep-sea diver wouldn’t explore the ocean’s depths without first connecting to a life support system. As followers of Jesus, we need a life support system to help us navigate life’s challenges and grow spiritually. We can’t survive without a life support system. Small groups can be transformational. As small group members serve one another, the giver and receiver are helped. The receiver gets a need met. The giver grows spiritually. Small groups are one of the most powerful tools your church has for spiritual development.