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.

> 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 John 4:4-7. This sermon continues our series called “House of Prayer.”

> Discussion Questions

What is prayer In this sermon series, we are revisiting our Church’s goal of being a house of prayer for all nations. This requires that we have a right posture toward prayer. Prayer is first of all about connecting to God our Father. Whether or not God says “yes” to any of our requests, praying connects us to God and that is the highest and greatest goal of prayer. This idea that prayer is more about relationship than results has a few consequences for our understanding of prayer. First, it explains why prayer should be an act of faith. Faith is not primarily belief in God’s existence, it is trust in his goodness and trustworthiness. To build a relationship with God, we must move toward such trusting faith. Second, prayer is effective based on God’s character more than our feelings or techniques. Prayer is not effective because we feel it and prayer is not effective because we found the right prayer formula. Prayer is effective because God is loving, near, and available through Jesus.

Reflection Question: If prayer is primarily about relationship rather than results, how might that change the way we approach unanswered prayers or seasons where God feels distant?

Reflection Question: What does it look like in real, everyday life to trust God’s character over our feelings or “techniques” when we pray, especially when we don’t see immediate outcomes?

Three prayer rhythms

For at least two years now, our church has been seeking to practice three daily rhythms of prayer. We pray the Lord’s Prayer each morning. We pray for the lost to come to know and follow Jesus at midday. We pray gratitude in the evening. The goal is both that we would be consistent in prayer and that we would be unified in prayer.

Reflection Question: How might practicing the same daily rhythms of prayer together shape both our personal faith and our sense of unity as a church community over time?

Reflection Question: Which of these prayer rhythms (morning, midday, or evening) feels most natural or most challenging for you, and what might that reveal about your current relationship with God?

Reflection Question: For those who have been practicing the prayer rhythms, how has God cared for you through this practice? What has been the effect of this ongoing practice?

Jesus and the woman at the well

We pray for those who do not yet follow Jesus at midday because that is when Jesus encountered the woman in the Samaritan town of Sychar. Pastor Alberto noted in the story how Jesus was compelled to pass through this region though that was normally the opposite of what a religious Jew of his day would do. Jewish people had a longstanding feud with Samaritans that led them to avoid that region. However, Jesus felt compelled to go through Samaria so he could care for these people. Jesus encountered this woman to share God’s love with her and offer her living water that would satisfy her soul. We also want to offer people living water that will satisfy their deepest needs. We pray to experience God which is our greatest need. We pray at midday for others to have this same experience. This week, let us not only practice the rhythm of praying for people to follow Jesus for the first time, but also for God to lead us in opportunities to talk about him, just as Jesus had in the story.

Reflection Question: Pray for one another to have opportunities to love in Jesus name this week and for us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit to lead us in those opportunities.

> 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.