Throwback Series, Pt V

This guide is a tool to help you facilitate discussion with your rGroup. Use it to lead your group in discovering, owning, and applying God’s Word. This is a flexible tool, not a rigid task list. Follow the Holy Spirit’s lead as you lead your group. You don’t need to ask every question.

Understanding God’s Word: Know and Understand the Truth

READ Acts 14:19-28

•   What has happened that would make the people of this city want to stone Paul to death? (We know from the preceding Scripture, that it is people who hate them because they have been preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ) 
  
  • Follow-up Question: Why are people so threatened by the gospel, then and now?
• Why was it important for Paul to re-visit the believers of these cities, at great risk to himself? 
  • (Examples: to install elders/pastors in the churches he founded; to make sure that they are all growing as Christians in their faith; to remind them that as Christians, their journey will be filled with all kinds of tribulations; etc.)
• What is one thing this passage has taught you or reminded you about God?

Living and Applying God’s Word: Give a Vision of Life With God

• What are some examples of steps forward that Christians are all called to make? 
  • (Examples: baptism; serving other and the church; sharing the gospel with other; plugging into Christian community, etc.)
• Why is it so important for Christians to always be growing and moving forward?
  • (Examples: According to James, it demonstrates our faith is genuine; God uses our growth to bring other people to saving faith in Jesus; God is glorified and demonstrates his worthiness of praise as we grow; etc.)
• What is the primary means for Christians to know how they are doing on their spiritual journey? How can they tell where they are stagnant and where they are growing?
  • (The primary and most important way for us to determine how we are doing is by letting God reveal that to us through his Word. This is one of the reasons that consistent and intentional time in the Bible is so important for Christians. We wholly or truly rely on ourselves, others, or the world to know where we stand. Only the Holy Spirit speaking to us through Scripture is reliable enough and convicting enough to help us know our need for change.)

Assessing the Heart: Identify and Address Sin

• In what ways have you seen your spiritual progress come to a standstill?
  • What excuses have you used to excuse yourself or make yourself feel better about not growing spiritually?  
  • What are some of the consequences we can face because we've failed to grow spiritually? (Example: How is our effectiveness as Christians affected? Our family affected? Our relationships? Our work? Our health? etc.)
• READ Acts 14:27 = Listen carefully to what they say about God's role in all of their work and progress. How would you describe his role? 
  • In what ways have you been trying to take your next steps and move forward without relying on the power and presence of Jesus Christ? 
  • When are the consequences of trying to grow on your own apart from God? (Example: We become sinfully prideful; we do things out of legalism/moralism; we come to believe we don’t need God, etc.)

      

Turn to God: Confess and Renew Belief in God

• READ John 15:5 = What does Jesus remind us in his conversation with is disciples? 
  • Why do we still need Jesus to live out our lives as Christians? 
• What would it look like for us to invite God to not just be a supporting character in your spiritual progress, but to take the lead role? 
• Spend some time as a group in prayer, confessing to God the ways that we can either be stagnant in our spiritual growth or try to do it all apart from him. Ask that he would renew your desire to grow and give us a dependence on Him as we move forward as Christians. 

Throw Back Series, Pt IV

This guide is a tool to help you facilitate discussion with your rGroup. Use it to lead your group in discovering, owning, and applying God’s Word. This is a flexible tool, not a rigid task list. Follow the Holy Spirit’s lead as you lead your group. You don’t need to ask every question.

Understanding God’s Word: Know and Understand the Truth

READ Acts 16:16-34

• As we read this passage, what is something that you learned or stood out to you about God? 
• Read vs. 26: What is different about Paul and Silas that allows them to pray aloud and sing hymns to God, all after being stripped, beaten, imprisoned, and tormented? 
• What kind of impact did the words and deeds of Paul and Silas have on those around them? 

Living and Applying God’s Word: Give a Vision of Life With God

• As Christians, one of the essential things that we have been called to do is live boldly as witnesses. How would you define being a witness? 
• What are some things that help and allow Christians to genuinely and successfully live out their calling as witnesses? (Example: Genuine love and worship for God; genuine love for people; humility/not seeing yourself as better than others; true dependence on the Holy Spirit to give us opportunities and words to say; faithful prayer to be witnesses; being changed by God’s Word, etc.) 
• Do you think that it is possible to live as a Christian in the kingdom of God and not be a witness? Why or why not? 
• Why is it impossible for people to become believers in Jesus if we never actually open our mouths are share the good news of the gospel? 
• What could happen to this rGroup, to our church, and to our city if everyone in our rGroup began to live boldly and we started seeing people give their lives to Jesus? 

Assessing the Heart: Identify and Address Sin

• How many people this past year have you verbally been able to share the gospel with? 
• What are some of the biggest things that you hold back from being at witness for Jesus? (Examples: Fear what others would think of me; my life doesn’t back up the gospel that I’m sharing; worry about offending someone or losing relationship; selfish about time, investment in a person; assuming people already know the gospel and have rejected it; assuming that a person is “too far gone”; etc.) 
• READ Matthew 28:18 - This command was not just given to Jesus’ disciples but to all of us. Think about all of the answers that we just shared of what holds us back from being witnesses. Are any of these valid excuses that exempt us from being Christ’s witnesses to the world? 

      

Turn to God: Confess and Renew Belief in God

• READ Romans 1:16-17 - Some of us struggle to be witnesses, and it is honestly hard to say these verses alongside Paul. Some of us are (at least functionally) ashamed of the gospel of Christ. 
  • But Paul reminds us that in the message of the gospel there is power. It has the power to save us. It has the power to change us. Why is this good news for those of us who struggle to be witnesses? (Example: Because it reminds us that we too were once far from God and we were brought near through the gospel; it reminds us that if we believe the gospel we don’t always have to be bad witnesses, but God can help us grow and change to live boldly as witnesses; it reminds us that our fears about the people we witness to are unfounded, and the power of God’s gospel can change anyones hearts and minds, which frees us to share this message more boldly; etc.) 
• In groups of two or three, take some time to tell each other about at least one person in your life who doesn’t know Christ, someone the Holy Spirit is convicting you to share the gospel with. Take some time to pray for that person, pray for opportunities to share with them, and take some time to confess and repent of the ways we have all fallen short as witnesses.

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Announcements

• rGroup Invite Night: Our rGroups will be hosting an Invite Night during the week of February 14-20! REVO will be having a Communion Service on the 14th, and we always like to follow that up with a gathering of food, fun, etc. This gives people who have no experience with rGroups an opportunity where they can easily check out your group and get a taste of our community in a laid-back atmosphere. Use your imagination and come up with something fun for you group to do! 

CHANGED: Downtown and North Campus

DOWNTOWN: Amy Edmonds

Amy's story was a powerful reminder of the grace that God gives, the necessity of forgiveness, and the promise that God can use your life despite a rough past.

1. After being physically abused by her father her entire life, including stitches in the face as a teenager and a blown out knee at 20, Amy still forgave her father.

a. What are some of the most powerful examples of forgiveness in Scripture (HINT: Read Acts 7:60 and Luke 23:34).
b. Read Matthew 18:21-35.  What are your feelings toward the man that was forgiven of his huge debt, yet was unwilling to forgive others that owed him?  How does that relate to how you should offer forgiveness?
c. Why would you be a great candidate to forgive others for the wrongs that they have done to you?  (Think about what Jesus has done for you.  All that he has forgiven you.)
d. What was the hardest thing you ever had to forgive someone else for doing? Why was it so hard?  Are there people in your life that you need to offer forgiveness to in order to show them an example of what Jesus did for you?


2. What are some reasons we give as to why God can't use us to do something incredible?  What excuses do we have to argue that we aren't worthy, can't be used, or that God wouldn't want to use us and our lives for something good?
(bad decisions we've made, baggage and a rough past, don't think we have an exciting story to share, etc)


3. Amy's story could be boiled down to those 3 words: grace, forgiveness, and purpose.  What would the 3 words be that would illustrate your story of life change?  What would you want people to know and be encouraged/challenged by as it pertains to what you've been through and what God has done for you personally?

Snow Day Sermon - Rest

This guide is a tool to help you facilitate discussion with your rGroup. Use it to lead your group in discovering, owning, and applying God’s Word. This is a flexible tool, not a rigid task list. Follow the Holy Spirit’s lead as you lead your group. You don’t need to ask every question. 

  Understanding God’s Word: Know and Understand the Truth

READ Mark 6:30-32

• What's the context of this passage? Where were the apostles returning from when they met up with Jesus? 
• Where else in Scripture do we find God inviting his people to rest? [Ex: Creation (7th day); 4th Commandment (Sabbath); Matthew 11:28-30 (Yolk of rest)]
• What does it mean Jesus suggests going to a desolate place? Why is this an important part of getting rest?

  Living and Applying God’s Word: Give a Vision of Life With God

• Why is rest important to God? Why would He constantly invite and remind His people to rest? (Ex: Step away from everything going on in life and just experience being in his presence (Exodus 33:14); Refocus our minds - turn away from everything we can get so wrapped up in and bring our focus back to Christ; Humility = Rest allows us to remember God’s strength and sovereignty, forces us to embrace and believe that we cannot accomplish everything on our own.)
• What does Sabbath look like in your life right now? (Do we even have one? Do you think yours matches the outline God gives us for rest in Scripture?) 
• How might your life look different if you were someone who faithfully rested? 
• What impact would it have on the world if the church was known as a people who rested well? 

 Assessing the Heart: Identify and Address Sin

• What gets in the way or what excuses do we make that keeps us from resting in this way? 
• One of the reasons that God calls us to rest is so that we can spend time with Him, and so that we can have a time of refocusing our hearts and minds back to Christ. But many of us don’t use our rest for that. What are some of the things that we give our hearts to instead of God in those times of rest? 
  • What does that communicate to God? (Ex: Those things that we give ourselves to are more important than Him. Our rest can often reveal our idolatry.)

      

 Turn to God: Confess and Renew Belief in God

READ Hebrews 4:9-10, Hebrews 10:12

• There is a deeper reason that so many of us are terrible at resting. So many of us struggle to rest because, functionally, we think that the more we work, the more we can win approval and acceptance from God and others. But that kind of thinking is suicidal. We simply can’t earn that through our work. This Scripture points us to the gospel, and the most important reason that we can rest.  Do you know what that is? (We are reminded that we can stop working to try to win God’s approval since Jesus has already perfectly bought that for us - Hebrews 10:12. Jesus did the work and sat down, so that we sit down and experience real rest because we are completely accepted and approved.)

Read Hebrews 4:11 

• When we believe this gospel truth about rest, we’re truly able to experience the kind of rest that God is talking about. But it’s something we have to strive for. What are practical ways you can strive to incorporate this kind of rest in your life this week?
• God’s community is a place where can live out this kind of rest together! What are some ways that we as a community can practice rest with one another? (Ex: Big meal, park, movies, picnics, etc. Note: This is why we work rhythms of rest into our rGroups, alongside our discussions, serving, and scheduled events.)

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Announcements

• rGroup Invite Night: Our rGroups will be hosting an Invite Night during the week of February 14-20! REVO will be having a Communion Service on the 14th, and we always like to follow that up with a gathering of food, fun, etc. This gives people who have no experience with rGroups an opportunity where they can easily check out your group and get a taste of our community in a laid-back atmosphere. Use your imagination and come up with something fun for you group to do! This is an excellent opportunity for you guys to practice this function of community: REST.  

Throw Back Series, Pt. III

This guide is a tool to help you facilitate discussion with your rGroup. Use it to lead your group in discovering, owning, and applying God’s Word. This is a flexible tool, not a rigid task list. Follow the Holy Spirit’s lead as you lead your group. You don’t need to ask every question.

Understanding God’s Word: Know and Understand the Truth

READ Philippians 2:3-8

• What does it mean when Paul describes Christ "...though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant..."?
• What is the connection between humility and serving? Is it possible to be humble, yet not serve people? Is it possible to serve people in a Christ-like way, yet not be a humble person?

Living and Applying God’s Word: Give a Vision of Life With God

• In what ways do we see the culture around us normalizing and even celebrating conceit or “self-love?” 
• Can you think of any example in your life where you experienced someone showed you with their actions that they considered you more significant than themselves? 
• How far-reaching could the genuine, humble service of all Christians be in changing the way that world sees the church? The way that the world sees Christ? 
• Take a moment to encourage each other in your group for ways that you have them serving! 

 Assessing the Heart: Identify and Address Sin

• Give an example of a time that you served others, but you primarily did it to gain something for yourself rather than doing it for the sake of others. 
• Why is "self-love" and conceit a sin? Why would God hate things like these so much? (Answer: Think what is at the heart of all of these kind of things. It's idolatry. Elevating ourselves to a position that only God should hold.)

      

Turn to God: Confess and Renew Belief in God

• READ PHILIPPIANS 2:8 = Why was this kind of sacrifice necessary for you and me? How is this sacrifice the key that enables us to begin looking like Christ in our service to others?
• How can reminding ourselves  ofJesus' examples of humility and service help us maintain a heart and desire to live out those things as well? 
• Besides the local church, what areas of your life do you feel God is calling you be a reflection of Christ in the way that you humbly serve others around you? (Sample answers: Home, marriage, work, hobbies, school, etc.)

Throw Back Series, Pt. II

This guide is a tool to help you facilitate discussion with your rGroup. Use it to lead your group in discovering, owning, and applying God’s Word. This is a flexible tool, not a rigid task list. Follow the Holy Spirit’s lead as you lead your group. You don’t need to ask every question.

  Understanding God’s Word: Know and Understand the Truth

READ 1 Peter 2:1-3

• What is the "spiritual milk" Peter refers to? 
• Is this spiritual milk that Peter writes about something that Christians move on from? 
• What does it mean to "taste" that the Lord is good?
• Is there any possibility to grow deep as Christians if a person has never "tasted" the goodness of the Lord? Why?

  Living and Applying God’s Word: Give a Vision of Life With God

• Can you describe a time when you've truly "tasted" and seen that the Lord is good?
• When you are truly longing for God, are you more or less likely to be marked by malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, or slander in your heart? Why?

 Assessing the Heart: Identify and Address Sin

• From the list of things that Peter tells us to put off, which one(s) do you find yourself struggling with the most? 
  • Malice, Deceit, Hypocrisy, Envy, or Slander
• How do you see these sins affecting your relationship with God, the way that you experience him on a daily basis?
• As Nathan said, all of these sins are relational. How have you seen these things work themselves out in the relationships that you share with people around you? 
• Even though we know these sins are bad and destructive, and even though we know that we should be people who long to taste the goodness of the Lord, how easy is it for us to switch? 

      

 Turn to God: Confess and Renew Belief in God

• Putting away these sinful behaviors and putting on godly ones is not like us deciding to take off filthy clothes and put on nice new ones. There is no switch we can flip that will simply cause our desires to change. Our behaviors and our longings and our desires are not external choices. They rest deeply in our hearts and flow out of them. We don’t need outward change, we need inward change. We are all people who are desperately in need of heart change. 
  • READ 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, 10 = As Paul writes to the Corinthians who are called to live differently, what does Paul say ultimately changes us? (Answer: The gospel is saving us / God’s grace transforms us)  
    • The way that Christians look like newborn infants is to long for "spiritual milk,” the gospel, the Word of God. And ultimately John 1:1 tells us that Jesus Christ is the Word of God. If we are longing for Jesus Christ, then by Him we “may grow up into salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2)  When we are finding our satisfaction in Him, then we will naturally from our hearts grow deeper. From the inside out, we will shed our old ways and become something new. We are being saved. 
• Take some time as a group to pray, confessing how we so often try to make these changes on our own. Pray that God would help us seek and believe that His Spirit would change our hearts through the power of Christ’s love, grace, and the gospel. 

Throw Back Series, Pt I

This guide is a tool to help you facilitate discussion with your rGroup. Use it to lead your group in discovering, owning, and applying God’s Word. This is a flexible tool, not a rigid task list. Follow the Holy Spirit’s lead as you lead your group. You don’t need to ask every question.

Summary: Christ’s church exists to spark a revolution of life change through Jesus.

 Understanding God’s Word: Know and Understand the Truth

READ Ephesians 5:1-16     

• What does it mean to be children of light? 
• Paul chooses to pick out one particular kind of sin in this section: sexual sin. Why does addressing sexual culture serve as a strong example today, just as it did for the readers back then? 
• What is Paul saying when he tells his readers to “make the best use of the time, because the days are evil”? 

Living and Applying God’s Word: Give a Vision of Life With God

• How do you think the people around us would react if we truly became imitators of God and lived counter-culturally with purpose? (People would probably look at it like a revolution.)
  • Is that a good or a bad thing? Why? 
• In what ways can our rGroup or church grow this year to do a better job of walking in love and being the light that engages the darkness in our city? 
• Can you give an example of what it looks like to “not be partners with sons of disobedience” or “not take part in the unfruitful works of darkness,” yet still come alongside people to share the gospel and be relational? 

Assessing the Heart: Identify and Address Sin

• Where are you personally failing to make the best use of "the time"? 
• What problems do we encounter when we try to shine a light on the darkness around us before we allow that light to shine on the darkness inside of us? 
• In what areas of life are you tempted to believe it would be easier to go along with the darkness, rather than living in the light? 

     

Turn to God: Confess and Renew Belief in God

• As children of God, what do we do when we’re exposed as people who have been living in the darkness? What does it look like for us to move out of darkness and into the light? (Confession;  Receiving Jesus’ grace and forgiveness; Repentance / Turning from sin and turning towards Christ; obedience / change.) 
• How can we as an rGroup community do a better job of helping one another when we see a member of our group living in darkness? 
  • What are practical steps we can all take?