THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS. Easter will be here before we know it! This year, in addition to our Easter Services, Ada Bible Church is hosting Good Friday services. These intentionally crafted services are the perfect occasion to reflect and celebrate together what Jesus accomplished through the cross. We are looking for help for the additional services. Learn more about serving your campus HERE.
GROUP VALUES. This month, our focus is on the SPIRITUAL PRACTICES. Spiritual practices are essential habits that grow us closer to God and one another. Consider taking the next step in your relationship with these practices by participating in Ada Bible Academy this spring. Through the four-week class, Deeper Walk: Spiritual Practices for Life with God, you will discover practical ways to create space for God in your daily rhythms through time-tested spiritual practices. Register HERE.
GROW AS A LEADER. Looking for an additional resource to help you grow as a leader? Check out the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast. This podcast offers practical coaching lessons that take the mystery out of leadership. Pastor Groeschel brings empowering insights and easy-to-understand takeaways you can use to lead yourself and your group. Learn more HERE.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to the second week of our sermon series, THE FINAL HOURS. This week, we continue to explore Jesus’s final days leading up to the crucifixion by examining a profound moment of both faithfulness and failure in the Garden of Gethsemane.
ICEBREAKER
Who represents faithfulness to you, and what qualities make them stand out as faithful?
THIS WEEK’S TEXT
Have someone read Mark 14:27-52 aloud.
What stands out about Jesus’s predictions regarding his disciples in this passage?
How do the disciples respond to Jesus’s warning that they would all fall away?
What differences do you observe between Jesus’s response to the crisis in the garden versus the disciples’ response?
THIS WEEK’S SERMON
Pastor Aaron continued our sermon series, THE FINAL HOURS, by exploring how we grapple with the reality that we are called to pursue faithfulness and will inevitably fail. As a group, recall some of the sermon’s big ideas and main points.
In what areas of society do we see struggles with faithfulness (relationships, commitments, faith practices)? How does this affect our community?
Pastor Aaron highlighted that “overconfidence is the enemy of faithfulness.” How have you seen this play out in the lives of others or in your own experience?
The posture of faithfulness involves the humility to admit that we are all capable of being unfaithful. What would be different about how we approach our lives if we fully admitted this truth?
Pastor Aaron encouraged us to take action steps to help us on our journey of faithfulness including: set up guardrails and seek accountability. What specific action steps or accountability measures have been most helpful in your journey of faithfulness? Is there one you need to implement now?
The disciples failed their “garden test” when facing consequences for staying with Jesus. What are some modern-day “garden tests” that Christians face in our culture?
How does Jesus’s faithfulness in the garden, and ultimately the cross, affect your understanding of God’s character and love?
Pastor Aaron spoke about “refined faithfulness” that emerges after failure. Share about a time when God used your failure to refine and deepen your faith.
WRAP UP
The sermon concluded with the concept of being “faithful now.” What is one area in your life where you need God’s help to be “faithful now” this week?