WEEKLY HOME GROUP GUIDE

Belong
Welcome/opening prayer This weeks passage reveals several ways we can honor God by the way we live out a Christ-following life. One of those truths is not exercising any spiritual discipline in a ritualistic manner (i.e.vain repetition). While there exists much value in saying a prayer of blessing and thanksgiving before a meal, it too can become ritualistic. Rather than just saying a prayer similar to weeks past, add to it a specific prayer of blessing for each individual (or family) present. Make it from the heart; then, lets see who notices!

July 22-28, 2012

Become
Family Time Discuss a way in which each family/home could secretly bless someone in need this week? It could be an elderly neighbor, a widow in your community or maybe an underprivileged family. The possibilities are endless! A few suggestions: perhaps you could mow someones front yard while they are away from home. Or, maybe one morning, you and your family can get up early and walk through the neighborhood and place newspapers on everyone's front porch. Or, perhaps you buy movie tickets for a family on a tight budget, then determine a sneaky way to get them into their hands without them knowing it was from you. Even BETTER: Do something like these examples to someone that considers you their enemy in accordance with last weeks passage! Ask families to come back next week to share this family experience. Discuss as a group why its important to heed Jesus words to do our good works secretly. (TN: insures God gets the credit and the glory...NOT us!; insures the other person cant repay you/or will feel indebted to you; rather theyll have to pay it forward; demonstrates a purity of motive (not expecting anything in return, etc; expresses my trust in the Lord to provide for my needs in creative fashions as well, etc)) Kids Time As a follow up to our Family Time discussion, we are going to make up a list of something special (and in secret!) we can do to bless each member of our family. This could be making your brother or sisters bed, doing the dishes, getting up early to take out the trash, pulling weeds out of a flower bed in the back yard, etc; or, perhaps you sneak YOUR ice cream money into your brother/sisters lunch sack! Just remember...everything you do needs to be done in secret...where only you and your heavenly Father know about it! When done put the list in your pocket and then in a safe place in your home. Have each child memorize the core competency HumilityI choose to esteem others above myself. Easy enough. But then have them work as a team to memorize the verse that goes along with it (Phil 2:3-4). Once theyve got it down (perhaps children are paired up with one taking v. 3; the other v. 4) have them share it with the adults before the close of HG.

Adult Time The New Testament has many excellent examples of prayermost notably from Pauls epistles. Divide the group up. Have each look up one of the following passages and identify as many requests as they can find: Rom 15:5-6, 13; Eph 1:15-20a; Phil 1:9-11; 2 Thess 1:11-12. After about 5-7 minutes, bring the group back together and have them discuss their findings with the rest. As a follow up, discuss the degree to which our prayer requests today align with those found in Scripture. Read vv. 14-15 and then Matt 5:23-24. Verses 14-15 nor 5:23-24 speak of gaining/losing our salvation (i.e.our position before God via Jesus Christ); rather, our on-going sanctification (i.e. our practice as Christians). Discuss why it is that Gods word takes forgiveness/reconciliation so seriously (TN: these are at the core of the gospel message; by extension, it inhibits my ability to share the gospel message if Im unwilling to forgive/be reconciled to others; being unwilling to forgive or initiate reconciliation puts my issue ABOVE Christs finished work on the cross; living under Gods precepts is necessary to receive many of his blessingsi.e. in refusing to forgive we are essentially telling God we do not want his forgiveness of our sins against him, etc). So, what is our take-away/action step for this week relative to our discussion?

Prayer Time Take the model prayer Jesus gives to us in vv 9-13. Divide it up and disperse it to various group members. Then, have them say a prayer (in order of the verses) that reflects the meaning of their particular passage. If a person doesnt feel comfortable praying out loud, allow them to either pass on this opportunity or give them the option of simply reading the passage aloud.

Beyond
Community Calendar Mark your calendars for Sunday, July 29th! There will be a Summer Connections Event for you in your area. Get ready! Church Calendar Our Ukraine short term mission trip will be leaving next Friday, July 27. Please pray for Gods protection and provision as they take the Gospel into the world.

Pantego Bible Church