Welcome to week seven of our winter series The Grace Effect. This series helps us understand how grace should inspire whole life generosity and that gift receivers become gift givers. This week we talk about words being a part of whole life generosity through building, types of speech and looking at impediments.
SHARE LIFE
Building healthy and life-giving relationships.
Updates
What has been new or challenging in your life since last time the group met? Spend 20–30 minutes checking in with each other.
Care
What is one thing that has been on your heart that we can pray for this week?
Share part of your story
Have you watched any of the Olympic Games? If so, which event has been your favorite and why?
PURSUE GOD
Taking next steps toward Christ together.
Look back to Ephesians 4:29-30. Have someone read the passage and then as a group identify the main themes, big ideas and key words in these verses.
Recap & Building
Over the past several weeks, we have been digging into various aspects of The Grace Effect. What are some ideas and practices from Hospitality, Finances or Service that you have been living out?
Senior Pastor Jeff Manion asked us to repeat the phrase, “I’m a builder.” Have you ever been part of a house project? Share how you see the building of a home is similar to building up other people.
Share about a time when someone used his or her words to build you up. How did that affect you? How do those interactions challenge you to treat others with that same kind of verbal generosity?
Types of Speech
Pastor Manion shared six different types of speech that we can use to build others up. These are comfort, encouragement, blessing, protection, inquiry & correction. Of these six, which strike you as easy to implement immediately and which will be more of a challenge?
In the book of Ruth, we hear a story about using speech positively for protection. Boaz used his position of strength and power to serve someone in a weaker place. When have you had the opportunity to use your strength to protect someone else? Have you ever missed an opportunity like this? What happened?
Impediments
We are regularly self-focused, self-centered or self-protective—and these things prevent us from freely giving the gifts of our speech to those around us. While self-preservation isn’t a bad thing, talk about Pastor Manion’s challenge that this should not be our primary goal. What are some things that we need to be primarily pursuing, instead of ourselves, to keep our hearts open to others?
Christ has given us this undeserved love and grace so that we, in turn, can give it to those around us. What are some fears that hold us back from being generous with our words to those around us?
This week’s conversation centered on how our words can be a gift to build others up. Who is someone this week who needs to hear your words of encouragement? What is one thing you can do to make a habit of meaningfully building them up?
INVEST IN OTHERS
Valuing people outside the group and outside the faith.
Service
We know we can make a greater impact as a group in community than alone. How can we as a group build up those around us with the gift of our words differently than we can as individuals?
Download a printable PDF here.