Mar 30/31 God's Reputation

Mar 30/31 God's Reputation

Welcome to week six of our new series, Correcting Spiritual Drift. This week, Pastor Aaron Buer’s conversation centers around three desires and actions of God.


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.

Share Part of Your Story

What is one of your favorite school break or family vacation memories?

Prayer

What can the group pray for you this week that you have coming up in your life and need to trust God with?


PURSUE GOD

Taking next steps toward Christ together.

Have several people take turns reading 2 Kings 6:8-23. Then have someone describe in their own words what happened in this story. What parts are striking or unusual?

Protect

It has been several years since Elijah spoke to the people. What is probably going on in the country of Israel at the time of this story? How does it seem the people’s relationship with God was faring?

The king of Israel is not wholly devoted to God, but he is listening to Elisha the prophet. God is using Elisha’s messages to act as warning signs to protect the nation of Israel. How does God still give us warning signs to protect us today?

We don’t have a king, but we have people who influence us. How do you think others we look up to or spend time with impact our faith? Who are the people around you who are helping you grow in your faith?

The people of Aram seem to be impressed with Elisha the prophet—but they were supposed to be in awe God himself. What kinds of things or people do we tend to look up to more than we should? For those people who look up to us, how can we turn the glory back to God?

Presence

Elisha and his servant find themselves in a really difficult and dangerous situation when the soldiers of Aram come. What are some of the emotions Elisha’s servant probably feels when he sees the men? How do you think you would’ve felt in that moment?

Elisha helps give his servant a new perspective—Elisha knew God was present with them. How do you think his servant felt after “having his eyes opened”? Have you ever had an experience where you felt God was present and powerful even when you couldn’t see God working? How has that affected your trust in God today?

Quite often it is most difficult to see God’s hand clearly when we are in the middle of a critical situation. Why do you think it is easier to recognize God at work when we look back into the past? What are some times you can clearly see now that God was moving powerfully in your life, but you didn’t recognize at the time? How can those times help you trust in God moving forward?

Known

All through the story of Israel, God has desired to be known to the nations through his people. What does Elisha tell the king to do with the confused soldiers? Why do you think he does this? What does it reflect about God?

Our actions are a reflection of God. How often do we consider our actions as communicating God’s character to the people around us? What can we do to keep this at the forefront of our minds? Who do you need to extend God’s kindness to this week?

We can find many examples of Jesus trusting God and reflecting who God is throughout his ministry. Go around the circle and share a few times you see Jesus’ words and actions reveal God’s character. How can the group encourage each other to pursue Jesus’ example actively?

This week our conversations circled around three desires and actions of God—His desire to protect His people, His presence with us, and His desire to be known to the world. Where did you connect to this story the most? Which of these challenged your faith and thinking this week? What is one step you can take to focus on that area this week?


INVEST IN OTHERS

Valuing people outside the group and outside the faith.

Discuss how you and your group can better engage the people in your life outside your small group.

Relational Investment

This March, the Invest in Others section looks at relational investments. Last week we prayed for some of the people in our lives who may not know God. How does our conversation about sharing God’s character impact these relationships?


 

Download a printable PDF here.