THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS
If you lead in any capacity at Ada Bible, join us for Leadership Focus October 17 at 8:45am at the Cascade Campus or online. Pastor Jeff Manion encourages staff & volunteers, and shares what God has been doing with our church. Don’t miss this important event. Watch a short video from Pastor Jeff and signup by October 14 at adabible.org/leadershipfocus.
GROUP VALUES
We’re in week three of the fall series and using the accompanying journal. An essential group value is Spiritual Practices. You champion the journal in the way you model using it. Encourage your group to use the prayer pages in the journal each week. Write down prayer requests during The Circle, and then look back at those requests in the coming weeks. Praise God for how you see him work in the situations you are praying for together.
GROW AS A LEADER
Join other small group leaders from your campus on October 11 or 14 for an Online Small Group Leader Huddle. Let’s get better together. We discuss how to navigate conversational landmines. It’s an timely topic you won’t want to miss. Register here.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to week three of our fall series, The Company of Christ. This week’s discussion focuses on four problems the Pharisees have with Jesus. The very things the Pharisees have problems with reveal who Jesus is and what it means to follow him.
Share about a home renovation project you undertook. What were your hesitations in starting the renovation?
Open your journals to page 23. Have someone in your group read Mark 2:1-3:6 aloud. What are some conflicts you see in this passage? What actions can you box in your journal while in The Circle?
NOT COMMON ENOUGH
Dedicated friends lower a man through the roof for healing. Jesus honors their faith and tells the man his sins are forgiven. The Pharisees take massive offense that Jesus claims to forgive sins. That only happens in the temple. How is Jesus a mobile temple?
NOT EXCLUSIVE ENOUGH
Jesus and his disciples eat dinner with tax collectors and sinners, something the Pharisees would never do. Sharing a meal with someone meant sharing life. Jesus teaches everyone is welcome at his table, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. Who are the people our society tends to exclude from the table?
What are some practical things we can do as a group to extend Jesus’ welcome to all?
NOT SERIOUS ENOUGH
Jesus and his disciples aren’t fasting. When the Pharisees question this, Jesus replies that it’s time for feasting, not fasting. Through two metaphors, he teaches how people can’t just add Jesus to their current way of life. He’s come to renovate the whole system. Pastor Jeff Manion shared how Jesus won’t fit in our “containers.” What old attitude, behavior or habit was a “container” for you that you had to change when following Jesus?
NOT HOLY ENOUGH
Jesus allows his disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath. Then he heals a man on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees reach a breaking point. Jesus messes with everything they hold sacred. They were more attached to their power and patterns of living than allowing God to renovate their life. They reject Jesus and plot to kill him. Where do you feel like God may be desiring to do some renovation work in your life?
WRAP UP
Our discussion looked at four problems the religious elite had with Jesus. Have your group open their journal to page 27. Does anyone have anything written at the top they’d still like to discuss?
Review the four problems the Pharisees had with Jesus. What’s one tangible step you can take this week from the conversation? Write your step at the bottom of the page and have the rest of the group write it in the prayer request section to pray for that step this week.
Download a printable PDF.