Small Group Leader Encouragement LEADERS: I have a question for you to ponder. What is your small group going to look like during the summer? We are headed into another season that gets very busy for most families. Your family may not be excluded from this either. Summer is a time of hotdogs and little league, adventure and fun, camping trips and fishing and vacation. All of this is great and I recommend you doing it with your family. I too will be with my family. Lets think about your small group for a moment. What does their summer look like? Have you had a discussion within your group as to what your summer schedule looks like? If not, I would recommend that you have that talk within the next couple of weeks before school is out. Summer gets busy, I understand that but I as a leader I ask this question, “why not.” I never ask “why.” The Kingdom, relationships, prayer and the mission of the Gospel are too important to simply list the reasons why your small group cannot meet due to a busy schedule. If I were you I would ask your group this, “Why Not!” Summer is a great time as a small group to get out and have an impact for your local community. Here are some ideas. Host a neighborhood bbq, take your group to a local park and have group in the park. Find the nearest ice cream shack and share a sundae with your group. Contact your campus pastor, how can you help serve your campus and spruce up the exterior of your local campus. Got a boat? Take your group out on a lake or river. Take your group out and walk the block, gather trash and recyclables. Got a neighbor with an out of control yard? Mow it as a group. Little Leaguers in your groups? Go to their games as a small group and show your support. Fourth of July will be here soon, watch the fireworks together. Take the men in your group and go fishing. Like to run outside? Grab your running shoes and go for a run! Maybe your group is lighter in the summer due to vacations, etc, use this time to invite someone new to your small group! Be creative, have fun, think outside the box, stay connected. The best part is that when you are out, I will guarantee you that you and your small group with have an opportunity to share Jesus with someone who does not have a intimate, personal relationship with Jesus. And that is a win friends. The need for fellowship, relationship, and growing in Christ is a year round need. Please, DO NOT stop holding your group during the summer. Love you all! Have a great study this week.

Suggestions for Ministry/Service/Fellowship: When was the last time you met someone new at church? When was the last time you invited someone to church? This week challenge your small group with this. The Great Commission was Jesus last command to all of us who have a personal relationship with Him. When Jesus said, “Go”, He meant all of us. As a group make this commitment. 1. Meet 3 new people at church this weekend. Invite at least 1 of them to join you for coffee. 2. Invite 3 total strangers to church this weekend. Invite them to sit with you during service. 3. Commit to praying for them each night as a small group. And watch what God does!

Take It Home (Daily Bible Reading) Day 1: Matthew 28:18-20 Day 2: Ephesians 4:11-17 Day 3: 2 Timothy 2:2 Day 4: John 13:34-35 Day 5: Titus 2:1-8 Day 6: Mark 3:13-15 Day 7: Acts 1:8

Small Group Leader Guide

WEEK - 6

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Scriptures used in this week’s sermon: Matthew 7:11, Luke 2:35, Ecclesiastes 12:1, Mark 9:23-25, Galatians 4:26-31.

Sermon Point 1: Generational Change. - As a group, list the generational changes you have experienced in your life. Has it been difficult for you to adjust to these generational changes? Why or why not?

- Share a memory from your childhood that was a fond experience for you but you would never go back too, even if you could. Relate that same experience to your relationship with Jesus. Share what your life was like before Christ and after Christ. - When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, everything changes. (2 Cor 5:17) How has this been true in your life? - Considering the changes you have experienced in your life through Christ, how can you use your story to impact changes for Jesus in the next generation of Christ followers? Optional Questions: Use these scriptures and questions to extend the conversation if needed. - Optional Scriptures: Matthew 7:11, Luke 11:13 - Jesus seems to be referring to both a strategy and intentionally when He says that we need to “know how to give good gifts.” What is your plan for sharing the Gospel with the next generation? How are you being intentional with that plan? Whom are you sharing with? - Next Steps: If someone asked you why you follow Jesus; what would you say? If some asked you why they should follow Jesus what would you say? No one knows how Jesus impacted your life better than you. Take a opportunity to write out your testimony. Then practice it by sharing it with your small group. Do not just keep that testimony to yourself though, make a strategic plan to meet up with a co-worker, neighbor, family members and intentional engage them in a conversation about Jesus Christ. Supplement for: Generational change Generational change? Our actions as parents effect the lives of our children. Our children are not guilty of our sin (Ezekiel 18:20) but our sin can make life very, very, difficult on them. If I rob a bank, make meth, am hooked on drugs or alcohol, cheat on my wife (or if you’re the wife, cheat on your husband), lie, be lazy, or am undependable (just to name a few things), the lives of my children will be at best, very difficult. But you know that as well as I do.

Because we are aware of the fact that our sin impacts our children, we also have a desire to see the next generation in our family live differently. We want them to avoid the sins that we now know are so devastating. But we also want our children to be better than we were at their age. Sometimes this is good and sometimes not so much. Maybe you lacked talent in sports so you spend days, weeks, months, and unfortunately sometimes years taking your child to every sporting event imaginable. Hours and dollars are spent on practice, lessons, games, etc. Why? So that they can “fit in” where you didn’t. Spiritually, we should desire even more for a generational change in our children. The things we have learned about the Lord we should pass on to them. The things they need to know to grow deeper in the Lord than we did at their age, we should instill in them. As a biblical example of generational change we can use Paul and Timothy. True, Timothy was not Paul’s biological son but Paul had a father’s heart for this young man and he considered him, “My true son in the faith.” (1 Timothy 1:2) Paul spent a lot of Time with Timothy. He also wrote Timothy two very personal letters that God has preserved for us. First and Second Timothy. It will serve you well to take some time to read both these short letters and reflect upon all the advice Paul gave Timothy and how he intentionally tried to ensure that Timothy would follow in his footsteps and serve Christ well.

Sermon Point 2: The Dark Side. - Read 1 Corinthians 10:13. Temptation itself is not a sin, giving into temptation because of a lack of self-control is a sin. When it comes to self-control, why is it easier to tell others (such as our children, co-workers, etc) what to do as opposed to exercising self-control in our own life? - What is the greatest temptation in your life? How are you exercising self-control over this area? - Has anyone ever reminded you of how you “used to be” in order to keep you from pointing out a sin issue in their life? What was your reaction to that? What should your response be? - As a small group discuss how you can hold each other accountable to your areas of temptation. Optional Questions: Use these scriptures and questions to extend the conversation if needed. - Optional Scriptures: John 1:5, John 8:12, 1 John 1:7 - Jesus is the light. Just like a light house whose rotating light cuts through the fog and darkness in the harbor, so too does the light of Christ cut through the darkest parts of our hearts and exposes our hidden dark side. Share a time where God’s marvelous light shined bright in the darkness of your heart. What was that experience like? - Describe what it was like to experience freedom in Christ as your heart moved from dark to light.

- Next Steps: Hidden sin is destructive. Hidden sin not only rots us from the inside out but it damages our relationships with those we are close too when exposed to the light. The Bible is clear, sin will eventually be exposed. (Proverbs 10:9) What sins are you carrying that you need to confess and seek forgiveness for? What accountability do you need to set up to ensure you walk in the light? Talk to your small group leader or contact your discipleship pastor or campus pastor to discuss further. Supplement for: The Dark Side If we are going to pass on generational change to our children we, as parents and believers in Christ, must first become convinced that our commitment to God and His ways are most important. If we are not convinced of this, we might find ourselves trying to control rather than trying to train. There’s a huge difference. As parents, we cannot be lackadaisical in parenting God’s way. The story of Eli and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, is a great illustration of a father who chose his sons over God. (1 Samuel 2:12-36) At one point a man of God came to Eli and said, among other things, “Why do you honor your sons more than me (God)…” No doubt Hophni and Phinehas were guilty of a grievous sin against God. The sin was theirs and theirs alone. But Eli was not guilt free. As he parented his boys, he should have had in mind the things of God first. As parents we must let our love for God and the truth of God’s word drive our desire for generational change in our children. Otherwise, we try to control them and/or their environment instead of training and equipping them for life.

Sermon Point 3: How can I empower the next generation? - You cannot expect someone to do what you are not doing yourself. As a group discuss the following points. Reflect on the seven points, which do you feel are your strongest/weakest areas in your life? What changes do you personally need to make to strengthen the areas where you are weak? How can you keep the change in the areas you are strong? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Commit to change exclusively in the direction of God. Proverbs 16:3 Change yourself before you try to change someone else. Luke 9:23-24 Change early and often. Ecclesiastes 12:1 Don’t brag about how you were before you changed. Ephesians 2:1-5 Model change in front of others. Colossians 3:1-17 Surround yourself with changers. 1 Corinthians 15:33 The best change to keep is the desire to change. Mark 9:23-25

- Why is it important to not only be able to talk about these seven points in your life but for them to be a reflection of your life as well?

- How can you use the above points as a discipleship tool to raise up the next generation?

Optional Questions: Use these scriptures and questions to extend the conversation if needed. - Optional Scriptures: Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Corinthians 12:12-26, 1 Peter 2:5 - Discipleship is teaching someone to trust and follow Jesus. Do you feel you are prepared to do this? Why or why not? What steps do you need to take to prepare yourself to join Jesus in His mission? - Jesus calls us to make disciples and as a part of the body we all have a role to play. How are you seeking to join Jesus in His mission of making disciples? If you are not seeking to join Him, why? - Next Steps: A relationship with Jesus Christ is intimate and personal, but it is not private. Every man and women who says yes to Jesus is adopted into His family and becomes a part of His body. Just like in our own fleshly body, each part of the Body of Christ has a role to play. What is your current role? If you are not currently discipling someone or serving in a ministry, contact your discipleship pastor or campus pastor. Ask them how you can serve Christ and His bride. Supplement for: How can I empower the next generation to keep the change? Before making change, make sure you are looking in the direction of God. God’s way is not the only way, but it is the best way. Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live— not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” There and other things that we can and should do to help keep the change but first, let’s make sure we have our personal priorities straight by understanding God’s way. Then, if you truly want to effect change in your children, make sure that you change first. Some things are caught more than taught. Some of the greatest lessons we learn in life are not lessons that we’ve learned by listening to others but by watching others. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit the freedom to change us, as parents, so that our children “catch” the change. Finally, live “So that!” It is one thing to desire change in our lives to improve our situation. And sometimes, our situation does need to be improved. But it is another thing to desire change in our lives “so that” our children and others around us are impacted rightly for Christ. Read the 2nd chapter of Titus and circle the “so that’s” that you find. When you do, look at the results that the specific actions produce. What things in your life are you willing to change “so that” others, including your children will be rightly impacted for Christ?