Week 5 Sermon Questions For Groups

Life On Mission: Grow.

Introduction:

Did you know that God has uniquely designed you to have a Life on Mission? During this series, we will be challenged to embrace this mission where life and death are at stake! Not only our lives but the lives of those who cross our paths each day. Life on mission is all about living out our faith. One of the biggest catalysts for our spiritual growth is putting our faith into action. When we only receive, but never give, serve, and share beyond ourselves, we become stagnant, and our growth stalls. On the other hand, healthy Christians who live on mission serve as channels through which the goodness of God flows out.

Something To Talk About:

Jesus is the true vine, and our ultimate success in life is dependent upon our attachment to him. When we abide in Jesus and His Word we are promised that fruit will be produced in our life. When we abide in Jesus and follow his commands, we have the promise of the full joy of Jesus in our life.

Seeing Jesus in each one of us: If you see Jesus in me, you will see the Father. If you see Jesus in me, you will want to be with the Father. We’re in the witness business, so we ought to look more like Jesus. To look more like Jesus we need to grow. We get closer to Jesus so that we bear fruit. What God desired from Israel was for the people of Israel to be more loving, to show obedience to God, and to practice righteousness and justice in how they conducted their lives. When we take that idea and transport it through Jesus, then in and through the disciples, and finally into all of us we begin to see how important it is for us to stay connected to Jesus who is the source of our Christian life.
Spend time getting to know Jesus: “Knowing” Jesus means having a relationship with Him. A Christian does not only know about Christ, but a Christian also knows Christ personally. When Jesus prayed in John 17:3, He said, “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” You see, when we get to know God—really know Him—it fills us with hope and confidence because we realize He’s greater than any situation we will ever encounter. Understanding God’s character and incredible love for us allows us to relax and trust Him in every area of our lives. I encourage you to get to know God more and more. Read and study His Word. Talk to the Lord like He’s your best friend and ask Him to reveal His love and character to you in a greater way. Because when you get to know Him—really know Him—it releases new hope and confidence in the One who can change every single area of your life.
Spend time talking to him: While Jesus loves us doing things for him, He first wants us to give our undivided attention to Him. When we spend more of our time doing things for Him and neglect to spend the time to hear what He has to say, we have missed the whole point. Our lives were made to glorify God and that only comes from a life devoted to Jesus in the secret place – the place where you and Jesus are alone. To know Christ personally means to get to know Him as you would a friend. Talking regularly is an important part of a relationship. To know Jesus is not just to read about Him educationally, but also to spend time understanding who He is. First John 5:20 says, “And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.”
Spent quality time with those who know Him: Christian community is a big deal. It’s important for our happiness and growth. And it’s not an optional part of the Christian life. The Bible gives us verses like: “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! (Psalm 133:1) When we are in close relationships with other believers, we have people to pray for us, support us, encourage us, exhort us and serve alongside us. We have people that we can minister to. In other words, there is no such thing as a lone-ranger Christian. When we fail to connect with each other we are failing to connect with Jesus.

Discussion Questions:

What does spiritual growth mean to you?
What’s one spiritual discipline (bible reading, prayer, service, evangelism, etc.) you’d like to grow in this year? What are a few specific ways you could plan for growth in that area? To whom can you share this goal and ask for accountability?
Read Philippians 4:8. How does meditating on God’s Word and His goodness impact our spiritual growth?
Read 2 Timothy 3:16,17. Why is reading and savoring the Bible so imperative to our spiritual growth?
Do you hunger for the Bible? Have you ever asked God to create in you an appetite for His Word?
What does it mean to “know the Lord” to you? Perhaps we “know” God but don’t know Him too well. How can we get to know God better?
When people talk about quiet times, they are usually referring to two things: prayer and Bible study. Of those two, which seems to be the most important? Why? Which of these two seem to be the most difficult for you? Why?
Describe your daily conversations with God. What types of things do you regularly pray for?
What different ways have you tried to intentionally connect with God? Were some more meaningful or impactful than others? Why do you think that might be?
What is the value of doing life together in community?
Why is it important to be deliberate about our intention to be close to Jesus Christ?
What are your expectations for this week as a result of Sunday’s message?

Take one thing home with you:

Life isn’t designed to be lived alone. Connect with others through ministries, classes, programs and more.

Northstar is a community of believers who value intimacy with God and connection with others through intentional discipleship and authentic relationships. Northstar offers a place to connect with Jesus, grow in your understanding of your identity in Christ, serve others and find meaningful connections through community. A passion for spiritual growth, connection, and community are cornerstone values at Northstar. We are created to grow, worship, and experience Jesus within community. It’s there that we can truly thrive and become the people God created us to be. If you are not a member of a small group, we encourage you to try one and experience the joy of authentic community.