Small Groups

Small group Questions

Share in what ways you relate with those who are dis-enchanted with the Church?
Why do you bother to remain committed to the community anyway?

Read
Eph 1:15-23
Eph 5: 25-27
Discuss together God's heart for the Church.
What this has meant in history
What this means for our future
How this might shape us now in the way we view the Church and what we hope for the Church.

“To dwell above with Saints we love that will be grace and glory
to live below with Saints we know, now that's another story.”
Read
Eph Ch 2:19-22
Ch 4:1-6

What is Paul calling the Ephesians and ourselves to.

Small Group Questions

Could try this:
3 Reading Process
(Lectio Divina)

Inform the group that the aim of reading like this is to listen for what is God saying to us through this passage. Encourage them to listen to the text for what stands out, what is a key thought. It is helpful if every person has a bible/text in front of them.
(this process takes around 30 minutes)

Process
1.Use John 15:1-8
2.Open in prayer – invite God by his Spirit to speak from his Word.
3.The leader encourages the group to listen prayerfully then after the passage has been read to share what they see/have heard in the text. One person reads out the passage, a period of silence until someone shares. The leader lets this sharing run it's course then proceeds to the second reading.

Date: August 13, 2006
Passage: Matthew 5:1-12
Message: Blessed are the Broken Hearted
Series: The Be-Attitudes [2]

1. Mourning is not something we VALUE in our culture
We accept it has a place, but it’s always REACTIVE not PROACTIVE.

Australian culture doesn’t put a great store on mourning until something has gone terribly wrong! Discuss.
What are some of the ‘normal’ Ozzie attitudes to life?

2. We mourn over what we really VALUE
Give examples from your life.
Children are often unable to know the true value of things. They mourn over things that are of little value and are light hearted or off-handed at serious things. We accept that in children but it is tragic in adults.

Date: July 2, 2006
Passage: Numbers 13-14
Message: The Necessity of Seizing the Moments With God
Series: Surviving the Wilderness [4]

Talk about your ‘default settings’.
What kind of attitudes, responses or thought processes are ‘automatic’ in your life?

Read v31-34
….we can’t.. [v31]
…we saw…[v33]
…we seemed…[34]
Powerless, intimidated and insignificant!
In what areas of our lives do we often look like this?
What can we do about it?

“Israel wanted the land of milk and honey so much but they wanted it to come with a ‘no-risk’ clause.
They wanted the fruit of the land without a fight.

Date: June 25, 2006
Passage: Numbers 11:1-23
Message: The Necessity of Acquiring a Hunger for God
Series: Surviving the Wilderness [3]

….now the people complained about their hardships v1
Sounds familiar!
What sorts of things do you complain about most?
What lies beneath a complaining spirit?

Read v4-9
One of the symptoms of a critical heart is unrelenting selfishness.
Selfishness warps our judgement and our memory.
Turns us into a rabble…
….we remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost
No cost! What had they forgotten about Egypt?
Why do we so quickly forget what God has saved us from?