THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS
There are lots of things going on around Ada Bible this year. Make sure to stay up-to-date on events and opportunities for children, students, young adults and singles at adabible.info under the Stay Engaged tab.
GROUP VALUES
This month we focus on stories. Summer is a great time to dig out your set of story cards and use them to ask a story question like choose the card that represents how your summer is going so far, or select a card that represents what your summers were like as a kid. If you don’t have a set of story cards, connect with your staff contact to get a set.
GROW AS A LEADER
Small group leaders are a huge part of making small groups a place where people take their next steps with Jesus. Our small group staff has found that one great way that we grow as leaders is through the Global Leadership Summit. We’d invite you to join us this year, August 5–6 at Cornerstone University. Access a wealth of leadership insight from a world-class faculty ready to equip and inspire you. Sign up by July 14 at adabible.org/gls and use code GLS21ORG to receive your ticket for only $119.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to the last week of our June series, RE:THINK. This week, we finish with Jesus’s words on thinking differently and taking a deeper look at what it really means to love our neighbor.
When have you experienced surprising or unexpected kindness from someone?
Have someone read Matthew 5:43-48 aloud. What are some things that strike you about these verses?
BE KIND TO THEM
What do you think would have been unexpected to Jesus’s audience about this teaching?
Pastor Jeff Manion said love doesn’t have to do with how you feel but a choice about what you do. How is this type of love different than what our culture tells us about love?
How do you think you are doing loving even when you don’t feel like it?
PRAY FOR THEM
Pastor Jeff gave us a model for praying for our enemies. “Please bless ______ today in some unexpected way.” Without necessarily sharing with the group, take a quiet moment right now and each pray for someone that may be hard for you to pray for.
What are some ways our heart would change by regularly praying for someone who hurt us?
FAMILY RESEMBLANCE
Take a moment to read Luke 6:36. Pastor Jeff Manion said we look the most like our heavenly Father when we treat a mean person well. How are we modeling what we saw Jesus do when we treat others well, even if they are mean or a jerk?
What are some ways that we as a group can encourage each other to love others in this way?
Reread Matthew 5:45-48. How do you feel when you read that God sends rain and sun on good people and bad people equally?
ABNORMAL CALLING
Jesus’s teaching on who to love is radically abnormal. What does it look like in our world to show God’s love differently from everyone else?
Read what Jesus says previously to this part of the “talk on the hill” in Matthew 5:14. What is one area of your life where you feel like you have been learning to live in a way that shines Jesus to the world well?
WRAP UP
This week we talked about what it looks like to rethink love and especially how we treat our enemies. Over this series, we’ve rethought anger, retaliation, desire and love. What is one step that you can take to live the way Jesus challenges us to live this week?
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