February 5, 2012 Life Group Discussion Guide

(NOTE: this Discussion Guide is available for download as a .pdf here)

Life Group Discussion Guide : Sunday, February 5, 2012 (JXG)

Sandy Lake Wesleyan : Shawn Cossin, Lead Pastor

Not So...Modern Family, Week 5 | Pattern

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Look through these discussion points and focus on what you think will be most beneficial to your Group. 

Discuss and pray about the things below—don’t feel the need to ‘cover everything,’

 but use this as a guide to help your Group process what God is teaching them.  

Be sure to pray for and encourage each other.

Take time to share the victories in families/relationships your Group members have seen in the past few weeks. 

What are some of the things they’ve been focusing in on prayer for their relationships/families?

Why not begin by thanking God together for the victories 

and praying together regarding what’s weighing on the the hearts and minds of your members?

Read Romans 12:1-2; discuss...

...What does it mean to ‘renew our minds?’ Why might they need to be renewed?

...this Scripture says that by renewing our minds and being ‘living sacrifices’ we will know what God’s perfect will is. 

...what are ways we tend to try reversing this pattern of first be a living sacrifice then know God’s perfect will?

• ...What are some ways you have seen the right order of this play out in your life?
• ...What do you think it means to ‘not be conformed any longer to the patterns of this world?’
• ...What are some of the patterns of the world?
• ...What does it look like to conform to these?

...What does this passage mean for how we ought to seek meaningful change in our relationships and families?

...What does it mean to ‘be transformed by the renewing of your mind?’

...How can we renew our minds and patterns?

Pastor Shawn said a couple times that “the patterns we live by define us...and our family.”  

• ...How can we tell which patterns we’re living by?
• ...Based on your patterns, how do you think people define/describe you and your family? 
• ...What is a new pattern you sense God leading you to step into?

We tend to think the goal of our physical lives is to move from dependence to independence; that once we’ve achieved independence, we have found maturity.

• ...How does this pattern break down when we apply it to our spiritual lives?
• ...What are the patterns we exhibit when we become more independent from God?
• ...What are the patterns/evidences of growing more dependent on God?

Read Mark 12:28-34; discuss…

• ...What does this passage say about the importance of consistent obedience versus the ‘right’ acts of worship?
• ...How does this show the call to utter dependence on God?
• ...What does the pattern of dependency on God --> refinement in & seeing how God sees us --> loving others --> impact & good results --> Glory to God… mean for us?
• ...what’s the significance of knowing we must walk through this pattern...that there’s no skipping over the difficult parts?
• ...what does it look like when we reverse this pattern? What are examples in our families of the reversed (worldly) pattern?
• ...what are examples of how you’ve seen God working this out in your life?

...We’ve been urged to seek God to have him refine our character.

• ...what are some of the circumstances God uses to refine us?
• ...what are the consequences of avoiding this refinement?
• ...what are the ways we can find strength and encouragement during those times of refinement?

We talked about pursuing God’s best for the others around us at the expense of our own agenda.

• ...what does this look like in our various relationships (spouse, parents, children, siblings, etc.)?

Take time to pray together, asking the Holy Spirit to show you whether you’re evidencing dependence on or independence from God; whether you’re exhibiting his pattern or the world’s? Ask him to show you clearly what it looks like to pursue God’s best for those you’re in relationship with.

...invite your Group members to seek accountability with each other in these areas.

(leaders; provide a mechanism for helping people step into relationships of accountability regarding the discussions and decision points coming out of this series--if you have questions of what this looks like/how to institute something like this, please call Pastor Jeremiah).