Group Discussion & Life Challenge
Use these notes as discussion prompts for your group, or in your personal time with God.
Connect:
Get to know each other. Connect, warm up to each other, fellowship.
Care:
Carry each other’s burdens. Share life’s challenges and practice Soul Care. Pray together.
Challenge:
1. When you hear the question, “How is your soul?” instead of “How are ya?” – what’s your honest, gut reaction? Is that a question you find easy to answer, why or why not?
2. Read John 5:1-5 together again as a group. Jesus says a branch “can do nothing” apart from Him. Now look at Jeremiah 17:5-8, which uses similar imagery of a tree planted by water bearing fruit in season. Both talk about being rooted and connected to God. How does the passage in Jeremiah add to our understanding of abiding?
3. John 15:9-10 connects the idea of “abiding” to “obedience.” Talk about the relationship between these two important ideas. How do they relate? Does one come first?
4. Aaron said, “Abiding isn’t a program. It’s a posture.” How does understanding abiding as our orientation and connection to Jesus practically change what we do? How can we embrace abiding and avoid the performance trap?
5. God prunes what isn’t fruitful, and He often does so through trials, loss, or the removal of things from our lives. Is there something being pruned in your life right now? How might reframing it as pruning rather than punishment change the way you’re carrying it — and how can this group support you in it?
Clarify:
Does anyone need clarity on something? Are there any big God questions you are wrestling with?
Celebrate:
Celebrate life’s successes and God’s provision. Worship God’s presence. Time to brag about God.
BibleApp
Through the Bible in one Year
Join us in reading through the entire Bible in one year. Each day of this plan guides you through passages from both the Old and New Testaments, allowing you to see connections between the history of our faith, and the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. Readings average four chapters in length, so it is posible to do. When you use the YouVersion Bible App, you can even have the app read the Bible text to you – very useful when you are in the car or otherwise occupied with your hand.
All you need to do is click the link to the Bible Plan, which should lead you straight to the Bible app. Your two options are now (1) to read the plan on your own, one day at the time. Or (2) you can make it more fun and rewarding, by sharing the plan with one or more friends, and then even “Talk about it”.