SMALL GROUPS May 15th, 2012

Listen Up! – Week 2 – Quiet

PARENT EDITION:

This is the second week in our series called Listen Up! Last week we discussed the importance of hearing from God, but how hard it can be because often times we don’t know how to hear from Him. This week we’re talking about the noise in our lives, and how it can distract us from hearing from God. In 1 Kings we see a story about Elijah wanted to talk to God, and going up a a mountain to wait for Him. God doesn’t come in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire, but he comes in the silence with a still small voice. We want our Jr. Highs to see that sometimes it’s good to shut everything off around them and just listen for what God is trying to tell them.

Question 1: As a parent, do you ever have time to shut everything off around you and listen to what God is trying to tell you?

Question 2: What types of things in your life stop you from shutting things down from time to time to listen for God’s voice?

Question 3: Do you ever try and do things to enable your Jr. Highs to listen for God’s voice in the silence? What kinds of things do you think you can do?

Question 4: What can you do to make more of a conscious effort to teach your student how to listen for God’s voice?

HOW CAN WE PRAY?

1. That our students will start to understand that it is possible to hear God’s voice and have two-way conversations with Him.
2. That as parents, God will grant you the opportunities to show your students how to listen for God’s voice.
3. That our leaders will be able to answer questions that our students have on the topic of listening to God’s voice.

SMALL GROUPS May 15th, 2012

Listen Up – Week 2 – Quiet

LEADERS:

This is the second week in our series on what it means to hear from God. When I was younger, one of the things that influenced the direction of my life was a video called Noise by Nooma. As I watched this ten minute clip, I realized that the way I was trying to listen for God was way off, and my relationship drastically changed. This week we’re going to show this clip to our Jr. Highs. Though I know not all 120 Jr. Highs will be affected the same way I was, I’m hoping that many of our Jr. Highs realize that despite all the noise in their everyday lives, they have an opportunity to shut things down and listen for God’s voice.

Question 1: Go around the room and give a High and Low from last week.

Question 2: Did you have an opportunity to take some time to listen for God’s voice this week? What was he telling you?

Question 3: When was the last time you weren’t watching TV, on your computer, on your phone, playing games and sat in total silence? How hard as that to do?

Question 4: Why do you think that our society is so fixated on noise, and always being plugged in to different technologies?

Question 5: How hard do you think that it would be to shut everything off and spend time listen for God’s voice every day? Do you think you could do it?

“11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”

1 Kings 19:11-13

Go around the room and encourage each one of your students to do their best to listen for God’s voice this week. Encourage a few of your students to pray for the rest of the group.

“I SEE DEAD PEOPLE”

May, 9, 2012

Parents,

We are going to dive into scripture over the next few weeks and look at some of the parables that Jesus taught.  It is an incredible opportunity for us to learn from the teachings of Jesus and also teach the students how to study scripture and pull truth out of it.  I am looking forward to some great discussions in our small groups as we talk through these parables and see how we can apply them to our lives.    This week we are going to look at the parable of the Good Samaritan.  A man was left by the side of the road beaten up, and half dead.  In this story there are 3 people that walk by, but only one of them stops to help.  In this world full of hurting people, how does God want us to respond?  Please take a look at some of the small group material below.

Goals…

• To look into this Parable and explore the many truths that are within it
• To help the students see how it applies to their lives
• To build relationship with the students and be available to help them

Conversation Starters…

• High’s and lows
• Did anything stick out from the message that you had questions about?

Dig a Little Deeper…

• You could read the parable again if you like
• Take a look at each of the following characters in this story and ask these questions …
  • Who does this person represent in today’s society?
  • Why did they act in the way that they did?
  • What are some lessons that you can learn from this person?
  • What are some ways that you can change in response to what you have learned?
  • Characters
    • The Man / Robbers (vs. 30)
    • The Priest (vs. 31)
    • The Levite (vs. 32)
    • Samaritan (vs. 33-35)

Personal…

• You could share of a time where you have felt “beat up and robbed” and how someone helped you and what that meant to you
• You could share of a time where you helped someone else in need and what that meant to you

Applications…

• What are some ways that you can reach out to the hurting people around you in your life?
• Pray for someone who you know is hurting and needs Jesus

Scriptures …

Luke 10:25-37

²⁵ One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

²⁷ The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”^[a]

²⁸ “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

²⁹ The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

³¹ “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. ³² A Temple assistant^[b] walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

³³ “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. ³⁴ Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,^[c] telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

³⁶ “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

³⁷ The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

SMALL GROUPS May 8th, 2012

Listen Up! – Week 1

PARENT EDITION:

This is the first week of our new series titled Listen Up! Coming off of an amazing retreat with our students, where we were all able to worship together and meet with God together, one of the biggest questions that I heard was “How do we hear from God?” It’s not just Jr. Highs that have this question in their walks with Christ, but we want to do our best to teach our students what it means to listen for God’s voice in their everyday lives. A major part of this topic, and learning more about God’s voice will rest on us as parents to make sure we teach our students how WE personally hear from God. Every person’s walk with Christ is different, but it’s our responsibility to show our Jr. Highs how we experience God’s voice.

Question 1: Have you ever had a discussion with your students about what it means to listen for God’s voice?

Question 2: What ways do you personally hear God’s voice, and how regularly do you hear it?

Question 3: Do you ever write down what God is saying in some sort of journal? Or do you remember what He’s saying to you without writing it down?

Question 4: What can you do to make more of a conscious effort to teach your student how to listen for God’s voice?

HOW CAN WE PRAY?

1. That our students will start to understand that it is possible to hear God’s voice and have two-way conversations with Him.
2. That as parents, God will grant you the opportunities to show your students how to listen for God’s voice.
3. That our leaders will be able to answer questions that our students have on the topic of listening to God’s voice.

SMALL GROUPS May 8th, 2012

Listen Up – Week 1

LEADERS:

One of the most common questions I’ve heard from Christ followers, especially Jr. Highs, is how we are supposed to listen to God’s voice. Even though most of us know different ways that we can hear God in our every day lives, when it comes down to actually listening for His voice and direction, its a whole new ball game. Our goal over the next four weeks is to unpack different ways that we can listen to God’s voice, and help our students further understand the importance of listen for God’s direction in their lives.

Question 1: Go around the room and give a High and Low from last week.

Question 2: Share any cool stories you might have had from the retreat weekend.

Question 3: Have you ever heard God’s voice? How did He speak to you?

Question 4: Do you think people ever sound crazy when they talk about when they had conversations with God? Why or why not?

Question 5: Which mentors in your life have talked about hearing from God or listen to His voice?

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father —and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

John 10:14-16

Go around the room and encourage each one of your students to do their best to listen for God’s voice this week. Encourage a few of your students to pray for the rest of the group.

The Church as a Missional Agent to the World

Small Group Material for May 2, 2012

The story of Scripture reveals a God who takes the initiative to redeem his creation from their broken and hurting state.  It is difficult to look at Scripture and miss the missional tone that exists throughout the story of Israel, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the early church.  The act of being sent into the world is central to the life and function of the church.  Christians are sent into the heart of a broken world as representatives of Jesus and his alternative Kingdom of love and justice.  The Kingdom of God is central to our understanding of the church as a missional agent within our communities and the world.  In the same way that Israel was to embody a new way of living, Christians are sent into the heart of culture as a clear alternative to the tired old kingdoms of greed, selfishness, and isolation.  As followers of Christ, we are to act in a way that points people to the coming Kingdom of God as we represent him to those that we encounter.

Note: Here is a working definition for the term “missional”.

“Missional is a helpful term used to describe what happens when you and I replace the “come to us” invitations with a “go to them” life. A life where “the way of Jesus” informs and radically transforms our existence to one wholly focused on sacrificially living for him and others and where we adopt a missionary stance in relation to our culture. It speaks of the very nature of the Jesus follower.” – Rick Meigs

1) What do you think it means to be representatives of Jesus and his Kingdom in our communities and the world?

2) How does the Kingdom of God differ from the earthly kingdoms that currently exist?  Does our culture value the same things that God values?

3) What are practical ways that we can embody this new way of living in our everyday lives?

Matthew 28: 19-20

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

4) What do you think is a better method for being missional: inviting people to come and see what faith is about or going into our societies as people who live like Christ while pointing people to the future Kingdom that God will establish?  Are both important?

5) As people empowered by the Holy Spirit, how will our lives look different to the world?

SMALL GROUPS April 24th, 2012

Going Deeper – Week 4

PARENT EDITION:

This is our fourth week of our new series called Going Deeper. The first week of our series we started off our series by asking a series of questions to our students to gage where they were at when it came to the concept of worship. We asked all of our students to fill out a small card with one question that they had about worship. We had a lot of amazing questions, and will now be able to use them to judge where we should go with our series. This series is a great opportunity for you as parents to show your kids what it means to live in an attitude of worship as well as living your lives as a living sacrifice, like Paul talks about in the book of Romans.

Question 1: Have you ever had a great moment where you’ve had the opportunity to show your students that worship is so much more than just signing songs of praise on Tuesday nights or Sunday mornings?

Question 2: Over the past few months I’ve noticed that not all our students understand why we sign songs on Tuesday nights or Sunday mornings. How can you, as a parent help your Jr. Highs understand the importance of expressing our love for Christ?

Question 3: Are you able to be a great example of what it means to be a living sacrifice to your family? Why can it be difficult?

Question 4: Do you know of any mentors in your Jr. High’s lives that are great examples of what Paul is talking about in Romans 12?

HOW CAN WE PRAY?

1. That our students will start to understand what worship truly is throughout this series.
2. That as parents, God will grant you the opportunities to show your students how to live a life of worship.
3. That our leaders will be the best possible examples of living lives of worship to our students on a weekly basis.

LEADERS:

This is our fourth week of our series on Going Deeper and exploring the idea of worship with our Jr. Highs. This week I’ve asked Jeff Pike to speak about his heart for worship, and I’m really excited to hear what God has to say through him. During your small groups, work through these questions and maybe come up with a few that are specific to your guys or girls.

Question 1: Go around the room and give a High and Low from last week.

Question 2: How did you choose to show your love for Christ this week? Whats one way that you can try this week?

Question 3: What do you think it means to worship in Spirit and in Truth?

Question 4: What do you think it means to know Jesus more, and grow in relationship with Him? And how does that translate into our worship at Jr. High on Tuesday nights?

“21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Romans 4:21-24

Go around the room and encourage each one of your students in their walk with Jesus and their journey in understanding worship more and more. Encourage a few of your students to pray and then wrap up the prayer by blessing them and the week.

What is the church for anyways?

April, 25, 2012

Parents,

This week we looked at some of the things that we do at church and gave some clarity.  By giving the youth an explanation of why we do some of the things that we do, I believe that it will help them to see more meaning to it and become more involved.  We also be looked at our role as the church in this world in terms of reaching the lost.  We also took  some time to learn how God wants us to function as the church and the role that He expects each one of us to play.  We all have a purpose and a destiny as Christ’s representatives here on earth.  Please take a look at some of the topics that may have been addressed in small groups this week and feel free to carry on the discussion with your youth!

Goals…

• To break down some of the things that we do at church so that they at least understand why
• To remind the students that we each have a role to play in God’s Kingdom and to talk about what we can do to contribute to God’s work here on earth

Conversation Starters…

• High’s and lows
• Did anything stick out from the message that you had questions about?
• Did you get a better understanding of the church from tonight’s message?

Dig a Little Deeper…

• One of the responsibilities of the church is to Minister to God
  • What is something that you learned tonight about worship?
  • What are some ways that worship can be a lifestyle?
  • What can you do personally to contribute to the worship times that we have at youth?
  • What dictates whether a worship service is good or bad?
    • Is it the person leading OR you as an individual in the audience?
    • Another responsibility that we have as the church is to Minister to its members
      • Do you feel like this is a place where people have your back OR stab you in the back?
      • Is there someone in this youth group that you feel you need to reach out to?
      • What is something that you as a small group can do to contribute to the health of this youth ministry?
      • Understanding the reasons why we do small groups each week, is there something that you can do personally to contribute to a healthier small group time?
    • Another responsibility of the church is to Minister to the world
      • What part do you think that you can play in the mission of the church?
      • Do you feel sad for people that you know who do no know Christ?
      • What are some things that you could do personally to reach out to people who do not know Christ?
      • What can we do as a youth ministry to make sure that new people are welcome here?

Personal…

• You could share how some of the things that you have done for the church are fulfilling to you (ie – being a youth leader)
• You could share how the church has been supportive to you through a difficult time

Applications…

• Put an empty chair in the middle of your group and pray for someone you know who does not know Christ