CURRENT LIFE GROUPS:
SERMON BASED SMALL GROUPS
Patti Ries (810) 278-1581
Thursdays 1:30pm
12725 Canavese LN Venice, FL 34293
Robert Lawson (941) 451-4156
Thursdays 6:30pm
8514 Herbison AV North Port, FL 34287
Always Begin with Prayer!!
Worship is recommended also (a song or two)
Start by rereading the passage of the Scripture.
How did the Holy Spirit speak to your heart?This will help recap what was said and allow those who missed the gathering to catch up. If people’s recall is patchy you may want to summarize what was said or you may focus in on one aspect of special relevant to your gospel community. The use of the word ‘implications’ rather than ‘application’ is significant. ‘Application’ implies a process that we do to make God’s word relevant to us. ‘Implications’ emphasizes that God’s word is inevitably relevant to us.
What are the implications for your life? Our life together? The world around us?
Our aim is to understand the Word (our heads) so we can apply it:
- to our lives (our hands)
- to our affections (our hearts)
The rubric ‘head, hands, heart’ corresponds to the need when teaching the Bible to:
- make it clear = head
- make it real = hands
- make it felt = heart
- What are the personal implications (for you)?
- What are the communal implications (for our gospel community)?
- What are the missional implications (for those we want to reach for Christ)?
Helpful Sermon based small group questions are:
- What do you find striking in the passage or story? **
- How do you think the first readers, or the people involved the story felt? **
- How would you have reacted?
- What do we learn about God in this passage or story?
- What do we learn about human beings in this passage or story? **
- Where have we seen this in the Bible story before?
- What in this passage points to Jesus or shows our need for Jesus? **
- What are the links to our stories?
- When have you faced a similar challenge?
- How are we like the people in the passage or story?
- How does the passage challenge or encourage you?
- How does the passage help us see what it means to walk in God’s ways?
- When might you talk about this passage with a Christian?
- When might you talk about this passage with an unbeliever?
- What did God speak to you?
- How will you respond? How can New Hope help you in accomplishing what the Lord has spoken?