Community Group Guide
> Why We Gather
At The Springs Church, we desire for community groups to be a place where we BEHOLD JESUS, BECOME LIKE JESUS, and BELONG IN COMMUNITY. This means that our primary goal for groups is to gather around the transforming presence of Christ. As we gather around the transforming presence of Jesus, we believe by faith that we will be incrementally transformed into His image and likeness. With that in mind, let's begin in prayer by asking the Holy Spirit to lead our time together, move on our hearts, and help us behold Jesus, become Like Jesus, and experince the gift of belonging in community. Let's pray.
> Announcements
- Baptism Sunday on October 4th! If you have recently made a decision to follow Jesus, your next step is to enter the waters of baptism. Click here to register.
- If you're new to The Springs, we invite you to join us for our newcomer class called Life at The Springs! It will take place Sunday, October 4th at 10:25 AM. Breakfast items and childcare will be provided.
> Give Thanks
Take a few moments to briefly share about anything that you are thankful unto the Lord for? Perhaps you've witnessed God answer a prayer or experienced a moment that strengthened your faith. Feel free to share any recent occurrences that have encouraged you or instances where you've felt God's presence at work in your life.
> Scripture Reading
See below...
> Discussion Questions
This week we reflected on images of God’s Kingdom and what it means. Jesus never directly defines what the Kingdom of God is, but he gave many parables about what it is like. It was clearly at the heart of Jesus’ teaching as the summary of his message given by the gospels is: “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” “Repenting” means to turn from your current way of living and thinking and to move in a new direction. “The Kingdom of God is at hand” means that this new thing is available to us. We can be excited about new possibility, but we need to consider what it is. One way to define the Kingdom of God is “God’s way of doing things” or “God’s rule and reign.” A slightly more detailed definition offered in the sermon is “God’s way breaking into the world through God’s people.” This is clearly a central idea since one of the first requests we make in the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray is “Your kingdom come.”
Reflection Question: How do you think about God’s kingdom? What does it mean in general and what does it mean in particular areas of your life? Reflection Question: What questions do you have about God’s kingdom and what it means to ask God to bring his kingdom?
In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a sequence of parables about what the Kingdom of God is like. We will spend the rest of the time reflecting on these parables. Read one parable at a time and talk about 1) what you notice, 2) what you wonder, and 3) how you would summarize the parable. You can work through as many as time allows. One point of guidance is that parables are usually not allegories. The difference is that parables usually have one main point, they are not made to be interpreted in every specific detail (like an allegory). Some allow more elaboration, but a summary of a parable should usually have one or two main points.
Parable 1: verses 3-9;
Interpretation 1: verses 18-23;
Parable 2: verses 24-30;
Parable 3: verses 31-32;
Parable 4: verse 33;
Interpretation 2: verses 36-43;
Parable 5: verses 44-46;
Parable 6: verses 47-50
> Confession and Prayer
Reflect and Pray: As we sit with this passage, ask God to bring to mind anything you need to confess or need prayer for. Take a moment to share and pray for one another. Feel free to split up into pairs depending on the group size.
> Leader Form