THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS.God created us for community. That’s why we do SMALL GROUPS. New groups will launch across our locations and ministries the week of September 22. Please pray for our small group leaders and all those who will join a group. If you know someone who could benefit from being in a small group, send them to adabible.info>INFO & EVENTS>JOIN A SMALL GROUP to learn more and register.
GROUP VALUES.This September, we’re focusing on our spiritual STORIES. Our journeys with God are a unique tapestry of victories and struggles. This week, reflect on the TURNING POINTS in your faith. What were the pivotal decisions, realizations or circumstances that significantly impacted your spiritual life? Share with your group how these moments shaped your relationship with God.
GROW AS A LEADER. As you get into a rhythm of meeting as a small group this fall, we want to encourage you to A.C.T. Last week we talked about how A stands for having an ACTIVE relationship with Jesus. C stands for “CHAMPION Share Life, Pursue God and Invest in Others (S.P.I.). As a leader, you create environments where discipleship happens. You do this as you lead your group to:
- Share Life: Encourage the group to build healthy relationships.
- Pursue God: Guide the group in helping one another take the next step toward Christ.
- Invest in Others: Empower and envision the group to extend Christ’s love beyond your small group.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to the second week of our new sermon series, IS JESUS WORTH FOLLOWING? This week, we discuss Jesus’s authority and identity as demonstrated through three powerful events.
ICEBREAKER
If you could have authority over one force of nature for a day (like controlling the weather, gravity or time), what would you choose, and what would you do with that power?
THIS WEEK’S TEXT
Have someone read Matthew 8:23-9:9 aloud.
What stands out to you about Jesus’s actions in each of these three events?
How do the disciples and others respond to Jesus in these stories?
What questions do these events raise about Jesus’s identity?
THIS WEEK’S SERMON
Pastor Jeff Manion continued our Is Jesus Worth Following? sermon series by discussing Jesus as “The Authority Figure.” As a group, recall some of the sermon’s big ideas and main points.
The disciples were amazed that even the winds and waves obeyed Jesus. What areas of life do we often wish we had more control over?
Pastor Jeff mentioned that fear of tomorrow can rob us of joy today. How have you seen this play out in your own life?
What is one practical way we can grow in trusting God, especially when facing fears or uncertainties?
The people in the region of the Gadarenes begged Jesus to go away after he cast out the demons. Under what circumstances are you most likely to resist Jesus’s authority and ask him to go away? Share why.
What do you think you’d have to give up to fully submit to Jesus in that circumstance, and what might you gain in return?
Jesus demonstrated his identity as God-in-flesh with the authority to forgive sin by healing the paralyzed man. How does Jesus’s identity and authority to forgive have an effect on your relationship with him?
Matthew immediately left his tax collector’s booth to follow Jesus. What would it look like for you to respond to Jesus’s authority with that kind of immediacy?
Do you sense Jesus calling you to submit more fully and follow him in a certain part of your life? If so, what practical steps can you take this week to do so?
WRAP UP
This week, we discussed Jesus’s authority over nature, evil spirits, sickness and sin. What encouraged or challenged you the most from this conversation or the sermon, and why?