03.25.2012 Discussion Guide

Life Group Discussion Guide :: Sunday, March 25, 2012 (JXG)

Sandy Lake Wesleyan :: Rev. Chris Conrad

Dunamis  |  Week 4, “The Odds are Stacked”

(Download this Guide as a .pdf here)

Remember, this Guide is not intended as an exhaustive list of what can be discussed, but is best used as a guide to help your Group process what God is teaching them. Read through the discussion points below and prayerfully consider what the Holy Spirit would have you work through.

 Be sure to pray for, encourage each other, and share the victories God is giving your Group.

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At the beginning of our worship gathering, Pastor Shawn shared an update on Freedom For More; we celebrated what God is already doing through this initiative and were reminded that fulfilling the Freedom For More goal will allow us to do more for more. Pray that God would keep using us to continue taking hope and freedom to those around us in new ways; ask God to show people how they could commit to seeing this take place.

This was also a clear reminder that God alone is our provider. 

In what specific areas of your life are you currently trusting God to provide in significant ways? Share these with each other and pray that God would be seen as “Jehovah Jireh,” our provider. Be sure to update your Group later on how you’ve seen God do this.

This morning’s speaker, Chris, asked a ‘survey question:’ “What one word would you use to describe your prayer life?” What would your answer have been if Chris asked you this question personally? Why do you think this is?

Chris also asked, “What would it look like if our prayer life looked like God intended it to?” How do your answers to these two questions (“What one word…” and “What would it look like…”) differ? How do you sense the Holy Spirit working in your life to align both sentiments?

What are some of the reasons you’ve stopped praying in the past? 

How can your fellow Group members help encourage you and hold you accountable to an active, earnest, and powerful life or prayer?

Chris said, “We can partner with God to see His work done in our lives and the lives of others,” and also shared that there are some things that aren’t determined, but come about as the result of prayer by saying, “Apparently, there are some things that the mighty God of the universe wants to do here on earth in some ways that will only be unleashed if we pray.”

• How have you seen this play out in your life?
• What is significant about God wanting to use us to bring his will about? 
• Why do we so often avoid this? 
• What are the ways we try to step out of this role?

Read 1 Kings 16:29-17:1

1 Kings 18:1; 16-45

• …in what ways do we see God’s supremacy in this story?
• ...what are ways that we tend to forget God’s supremacy and pursue other means of provision and care in our own lives?
• ...what is the significance of Elijah praying for rain...after God clearly proclaimed that rain would come?
• ...how does this remind us of our part in seeing the God of the Impossible do the impossible?

Read Matthew 9:35-38

• Who is the “Lord of the Harvest?”
• Why is the Lord of the Harvest telling us to pray for him…to send workers (not to just ‘do it’)?
• What are the ways you can pray and participate in this call of Jesus?
• What are some of the things the Holy Spirit has been showing you he wants to do in your life/the lives of people around you?
• How is he leading you to pray with power and expectation in these things? Share this with your group before your closing prayer.

What does it look like for your Group members to live in a relationship of accountability about these things? How can you lovingly remind, encourage, and check-in with each other about them?

In closing:

Take time to pray for each other: ask God to again show himself as the one who is FOR you. Ask him to search your hearts and reveal to you the areas where he wants to demonstrate his power in your life. Ask him to help you encourage one another as you get to seek God together.

Identify areas of your lives.the lives of people around you where you know his work will only be done by prayer, and have your Group lay hands on each other as you seek him together.

Questions from the Dunamis Series, Week 2

At the beginning of the 11am worship gathering, new members were received. During that time we were reminded of our call, as part of a local church, to be in a relationship of encouragement, accountability, mutual service, and unity...what are ways your Group can actively fulfill this call, within your Life Group and in the greater Body?

By way of review from last week, we looked at Mk. 9:14-29;
“There are some things in this life that will not be realized apart from prayer.”

• How have you seen this principle at work in your own life?
• Why would God allow this principle to work when He says He knows what we need even before we ask? 

Today we looked at Acts 3:1-10 and Acts 4:1-12;

• Pastor Shawn made this statement:  only in the authority of Jesus’ name is dunamis power available.  
• ...what do you “know” about the name of Jesus?
• ...in the accounts recorded in Acts 3 and 4, we see a miracle of healing taking place.  Have you ever witnessed a miraculous intervention of God?  Share about this with the group.   
• ...how have you personally experienced the power of Jesus’ name making a difference in your prayer life?

Read John 17:11-12a;

• ...how does praying in Jesus’ name help us pray in His nature?
• ...why is this important?
• ...whose authority defines your prayer life?  Pastor Shawn mentioned some things that often creep in and try to define our prayers - tradition, relationships, selfishness, incorrect identity, are a few.  What is your biggest struggle in this area?

It’s so important in the arena of prayer to REALLY BELIEVE and ACT as though GOD IS FOR US.  This is a review point from last week, but too important to not delve into if you didn’t meet last week.  

“GOD... IS... FOR... US...”

• How does our view of God directly impact our understanding of this concept?
  • In what ways have you improperly viewed God?
• What are ways we can miss the “is” part of this statement?
  • If God is present and near, how does that change the way you address your biggest challenges? How does it change the way you Celebrate your biggest victories?
• How does knowing God is an advocate, defender, champion for us impact the way we approach him in prayer?
  • What are the lies the enemy tries to convince us of about God’s presence and that he is ‘for us’?
• What is our role in this phrase?
  • How does this indicate a more corporate (vs. individual) focus in how we approach the things God has for us?

Each of us were challenged to spend this week talking to God about how we should step into the “21 Days of Prayer” emphasis launching on March 18th. If you don’t have one handy, you can download it at www.slwchurch.org or grab a copy in the Hub or the Worship Center next week.  Pastor Shawn mentioned that the most important part of this process is our heart and not our plan.  While that is true, the reality is that without a plan we seldom change much about our lives.  

• • If this is your first time to step into something like this, what are the greatest obstacles to participating?
  • If you’ve done something like this before, what can you share by way of encouragement or challenge with the group?
  • How can you pray for and encourage each other as you seek God in new ways during this time of “21 Days of Prayer”?  Be practical, specific and accountable to each other as you “Seek God’s Presence and not His Power.”

Take time to pray for each other: ask God to again show himself as the one who is FOR you. Ask Him to search your hearts and reveal to you the areas where He wants to demonstrate his power in your life. Ask Him to help you encourage one another as you seek God together.

Identify areas of your lives where you know His work will only be done by prayer, and have your Group lay hands on each other as you seek Him together. Be sure to just sit in His presence and ask Him how He would have you pray.

This Week's Discussion Guide | Dunamis, wk 1

DOWNLOAD THIS GUIDE AS A .PDF HERE

Life Group Discussion Guide : Sunday, March 4, 2012 (JXG)

Sandy Lake Wesleyan :: Pastor Shawn Cossin

Dunamis  |  Week 1

Remember, this Guide is not intended as an exhaustive list of what can be discussed, but is best used as a guide to help your Group process what God is teaching them. Read through the discussion points below and prayerfully consider what the Holy Spirit would have you work through.

 Be sure to pray for, encourage each other, and share the victories God is giving your Group.

------------------------------------------------------

At the beginning of the 11am worship gathering, new members were received. During that time we were reminded of our call, as part of a local church, to be in a relationship of encouragement, accountability, mutual service, and unity...what are ways your Group can actively fulfill this call, within your Life Group and in the greater Body?

Read 2 Timothy 1:7;

• … what kind of power do you think is being discussed here?
• ...what are ways that we sometimes naturally ‘default’ to operating out of a spirit of fear?
• ...how are a ‘sound mind’ and ‘self control’ related to each other?

“There are some things in this life that will not be realized apart from prayer.”

• How have you seen this principle at work in your own life?
• Why would God allow this principle to work when he says he knows what we need even before we ask? 

Read Mark 9:14-29;

• ...what is the implied failure on the part of the disciples?
• ...what are the areas in your life that the Holy Spirit is showing you he will work in...but only by prayer?
• ...what are ways we find ourselves working in our own effort but only making matters worse? How might those things change if we were living God’s power as the result of his presence through prayer?

Read Philippians 4:13;

• ...what do you think it means that God gives us his power?
• ...what are ways we can twist this truth to mean something God never intended?
• ...when was the last time you had an “I can’t” moment? What would it have looked like to live in God’s power in that instance/circumstance?
• Often these moments are symptoms of a pattern where there is a specific arena of life not submitted to God’s presence and power in our lives. (Pastor Shawn posed the question this way: “What’s not happening because you’re not praying?)
• How can your Group help each other pursue God’s best in the areas that are currently met with, “I can’t…?”
  

Read Romans 8:31-32;

• ...what are ways in Scripture and life we can see that ‘God is for us’?
• ...what are ways that we mistakenly think others can ‘be against us’ or stop us from realizing everything he has for us?

“GOD... IS... FOR... US...”

• How does our view of God directly impact our understanding of this concept?
• In what ways have you improperly viewed God?
• What are ways we can miss the “is” part of this statement?
• If God is present and near, how does that change the way you address your biggest challenges? How does it change the way you Celebrate your biggest victories?
• How does knowing God is an advocate, defender, champion for us impact the way we approach him in prayer?
• What are the lies the enemy tries to convince us of about God’s presence and that he is ‘for us’?
• What is our role in this phrase?
• How does this indicate a more corporate (vs. individual) focus in how we approach the things God has for us?

How does knowing “God is not a resource for power but is the source of power” inform the way we pray? What can Your Group do to help each other keep this dynamic front-and-center as you seek God together?

Take time to pray for each other: ask God to again show himself as the one who is FOR you. Ask him to search your hearts and reveal to you the areas where he wants to demonstrate his power in your life. Ask him to help you encourage one another as you get to seek God together.

Identify areas of your lives where you know his work will only be done by prayer, and have your Group lay hands on each other as you seek him together. Be sure to just sit in his presence and ask him how he would have you pray.