THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS
We are thankful for how our church family serves our local community. Consider serving together as a group this winter. Find current opportunities to serve in Grand Rapids at adabible.org/serving-needs.
GROUP VALUES
This month we’re focusing on the value of Spiritual Disciplines. Discuss as a group some goals to grow in spiritual practices this year. Beyond the Weekend will focus on a new discipline each month. Consider following along as a group this year at beyondtheweekend.org/spiritualpractices.
GROW AS A LEADER
Winter is a great time to invest in your leadership through our online leader trainings. We have some great tools for you to grow as a leader. Visit learning.adabible.org/small-groups to check it out.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to our new sermon series called THE QUESTIONABLE LIFE. This week, we discuss character traits that cause the world to ask what makes Jesus’s followers different.
What was the highlight of your holidays?
THE QUESTIONABLE LIFE
Have someone read 1 Peter 3:8 out loud. What stands out to you about the list of traits Peter lists?
Have someone read 1 Peter 3:15 out loud. What do you think it means to be ready to give an answer?
Why does the way we live together as believers matter just as much, or even more, than what we say when sharing about Jesus with others?
ONENESS
Have someone read John 17:20-23 out loud. Why does Jesus say oneness matters among his followers?
Oneness among Jesus-followers doesn’t mean we all think the same way or align on every single issue in life, but it is a oneness of heart with the same Lord and mission. Where have you seen believers live this out well, and what impact did it make on your faith?
SYMPATHY
Have someone read Romans 12:15 out loud. Sympathy involves “feeling with” someone. When has God moved you to sympathy for someone in the church community you didn’t understand or necessarily get along with?
How does sympathy for someone create a relationship and move us toward them?
BROTHERLY LOVE
Have someone read John 13:34-35. What does Jesus command, and what significance does he give to the command?
The term brotherly love had previously been reserved for biological families, but Jesus extends this to his followers. How has being part of a small group helped you understand the power of brotherly love among believers?
COMPASSION
Jesus displayed and taught great compassion during his time on earth. What examples from Jesus’s life or teaching on compassion stand out to you and why?
Pastor Jeff said compassion isn’t just feeling but seeing a need and moving toward it. Who is someone in our church community God is calling you to move toward to meet a need?
HUMILITY
Have someone read Philippians 2:1-11 out loud. What impacts you most about this description of Jesus’s humility?
Pastor Jeff said humility is required for the other four traits discussed today. How do you think someone could go about growing in humility?
WRAP UP
We discussed five traits that Jesus’s followers are to display: Oneness, Sympathy, Brotherly Love, Compassion and Humility. Which one is God prompting you to grow in during this series, and what is one relationship where you most need to practice this?