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
- Last week of Community Groups for the Spring Semester is May 11th-17th! Groups will resume in August! Be on the look out for upcoming events over the Summer!
- Summer Service Times: 10 AM, beginning May 17th! We will resume two service gatherings in August.
> 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
Have someone read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
> Discussion Questions
Giving thanks is a discipline, not a response to circumstances
Those who are most godly should be people who are most grateful. Life is a gift from God, as is every good thing we enjoy. [Have someone read James 1:17.] However, we are far too quick to forget. Gratefulness is first and foremost a discipline of awareness, not a response to positive circumstances. Anyone can give thanks in pleasant circumstances. The Christian is the person who can give thanks in the darkest of circumstances. This is why we need discipline to be thankful. One part of this practice is regularly giving thanks, which is why our church is trying to practice this every night.
Reflection Question: Who are people that you have known who had hearts of gratitude?
Reflection Question: What does it look like to have gratitude as a discipline that we practice?
Gratitude is a response to God’s love shown in Jesus.
While gratitude is being shown to be an attitude that is good for you in physical and psychological ways, it is even more a right response to a loving God. A repeated song chorus in the Bible is “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His steadfast love endures forever.” [Fun trivia: how many times is “His steadfast love endures forever” repeated in Psalm 136?] In the sermon, Alberto emphasized that God’s love is steadfast because it is firm, fixed, and constant. We received this love when we did not deserve it and there is nothing we can do to diminish it. We are worse than we are willing to admit, and yet he loved us enough to die for us. All of our gratitude must focus on this key fact that transcends all of our circumstances: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We can always give thanks to God for who he is, meaning his eternal attributes, and for what he has done for us in Jesus.
Reflection Question: We may not always feel like rejoicing in God’s good attributes, but this is part of the discipline of gratitude. Give thanks together for some of God’s good qualities, especially as they are shown in Jesus.
Gratitude is leaning into a deeper reality that God can redeem all things.
In our current cultural moment, there is a great enemy to gratitude. We talk more about rights than ever before because we believe that we are entitled to a certain lifestyle, level of comfort, and satisfaction. If we believe we are owed a certain kind of life, then we will not give thanks regardless of circumstance. As a consequence of this sense of entitlement, we also tend to think it insensitive to ask those who are suffering to be grateful (because this has too often been said by those who are neither suffering nor working to relieve suffering). When Paul commanded the Thessalonian church to rejoice always and to give thanks in all circumstances, was he being insensitive? Here it is important to recall that Paul suffered much for his faith. Paul did not write to sufferers from a place of comfort, he wrote as a fellow sufferer, testifying to the great gift God had given him. He wrote the letter to the Philippians from prison, and yet he could write Philippians 4:11-13 [have someone read it]. Even more importantly, Jesus is the suffering servant who gave thanks to God, even before he would have to give his life to save us. Jesus and Paul did not give thanks because they were escaping reality, they gave thanks because they were pressing into the greater reality of the Kingdom of God. God is able to redeem even the hardest parts of our lives. It is when we realize this and pray expectantly for God to work in our lives that we can truly give thanks in all circumstances.
Reflection Question: If you can, share of a hard circumstance you have endured that you can now give thanks for because God worked through it.
Reflection Question: What are some tough circumstances you can give thanks for, even if you are not sure how God is going to bring any good out of them?
> 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.