THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS
Our church community has been pausing at noon to pray together on Facebook. If you haven’t joined us yet, we invite you to join us weekdays at noon at fb.me/adabible.
GROUP VALUES
This month we are focused on formative conversations. We don’t want to look back at this time and feel like we went backward spiritually. How can your group make time for both connections and conversations about how God’s truths meet our lives during this season?
GROW AS A LEADER
We care about you and your group members. We want to help encourage and equip you to lead. This week you should receive an email about caring for your group in this challenging season. We want it to be the start of a conversation. Please reach out to your staff contact with any questions.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Happy Easter! This weekend, Pastor Jeff Manion opened up the Easter story in a new way connecting Jesus’ resurrection to our hope of resurrection.
What does Easter usually look like for you? How is this year different?
Have someone from your group read Luke 24:5-8 aloud. Recap this story in your own words.
THE FIRST EASTER
The disciples are hunkered down and hiding on the first Easter. What emotions or thoughts might they be having?
We are sheltering-in-place this Easter. How are your feelings on Easter this year similar or different to what the disciples might have been going through?
JESUS SAW THE RESURRECTION COMING
The women and disciples would’ve felt an emotional shift on the first Easter. They moved from sorrow and fear to confusion, before they moved to joy. This Easter, we may find ourselves in a place where we connect to those emotions more than ever. What emotional shifts have you gone through the past few weeks?
Jesus knew he would suffer intense pain, but it would end in joy. He knew it would include abandonment but would end in reunion. He knew it would involve death, but end in life. How did knowing these things help Jesus go through all of that?
FUTURE HOPE
Pastor Jeff Manion pointed out that in the New Testament, Jesus’ resurrection is almost always connected to the resurrection of those who follow him.
Read the following verses aloud: Philippians 3:20-21, 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 2 Corinthians 1:8-9. What jumps out at you from these verses?
Paul uses the resurrection to encourage people in three situations: life On Hold, times of Deep Sadness, and feeling Totally Overwhelmed. How do you think these situations apply to what’s going on in our world today?
Which of the three situations do you relate to the most?
WRAP UP
This week we are reminded that our ultimate hope is not in this world but in Jesus and the hope he provides through his resurrection and ours. If you have placed your faith in Jesus’ saving work, how does knowing your resurrection is coming—and knowing you will be fully alive then—help you to live fully alive now?
Download a printable PDF.