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
- Life at The Springs Ever wonder how you can get more involved at The Springs? Whether you're new to The Springs or have called The Springs home for years, Life at the Springs is your one-stop shop for just those answers! Join us on Sunday, September 21st, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM as we share the vision, mission, rythms, and ministries that make up The Springs, along with ways to get connected. Dinner and childcare will be provided. Please RSVP so we can get an accurate headcount for food. Anyone interested in becoming a member of The Springs is also encouraged to attend Life at The Springs.
- Baptism Sunday is this Sunday, September 21st after the 11 AM service! To learn more about baptism or register to be baptized visit thespringstx.org/baptsim.
Click here to register or learn more.
> 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 Hebrews 11:1-3. Does anything stand out to from the text or Sunday's sermon?
> Discussion Questions
In the sermon on Sunday, Pastor Alberto refuted three misunderstandings about the nature of faith in Christian life. We want to consider the mistaken belief and the truth in all three cases.
Misunderstanding 1: Faith is how we begin the Christian life, but we sustain it some other way.
The Bible says we are saved by faith, but it is a mistake to think that the rest of Christian life is different than the way it began. Alberto compared this to breathing. We do not only breathe when we are born; we breathe for all our lives. We can also compare faith in the Christian life to marriage. We take vows when we get married, but we spend the rest of life relying on those promises (and fulfilling them to one another). Faith is relying on someone as you live life with them. Christian living is relying on Jesus as you live life with him. This is why Alberto added that to live in faith, we must also renounce our faith in ourselves. If we live married life as though we are single, it will not go well. We must live the Christian life as if every aspect of our life is intertwined with the life of Jesus. This is also why Paul says, “Everything that does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).
Reflection Question: What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word faith?
Reflection Question: What parts of your life feel easy to trust Jesus with? Which parts are harder? Why?
Misunderstanding 2: Faith in Jesus makes you withdraw from the world and be inactive in earthly problems.
Christians rightly respond to tragedies and sorrows by praying. We pray for those affected, we pray for God’s kingdom to come, and we pray for God to heal what is broken. Many in our society have become critical of this, saying that we need legislation or action instead of prayers. This is a false dichotomy. It is the same mistake as thinking that either God acts or we act, but not both. The truth is that God usually chooses to act through us. We need to seek God’s action and guidance, or our acts will be blind and useless. “If God does not build the house, the builder builds in vain” (Psalm 127:1). But we are never inactive, unless God tells us to be. To imitate Jesus, we must seek to love those who are hurting, mourn with those who are mourning, protect those who are vulnerable, and heal that which is broken. Prayer is not contrary to action; it is the facilitating condition for us to act effectively. Faith is the trust that God can and will act to bring about healing that is beyond what we usually believe is possible. Often, he uses us to do so.
Reflection Question: What errors can we run into when we act to solve problems without praying and seeking God’s help and guidance?
Reflection Question: When has prayer about a problem in your own personal life led you to act?
Faith is abstract belief in certain facts about God.
Faith is a relational word more than an abstract word. This is because the quality of faith depends primarily on who we have faith in. We can have deep faith in someone untrustworthy or we can have weak faith in someone who is completely faithful. The key is that God is faithful and powerful to save. Another way to say it is that faith is more like trust than it is belief. Belief guides how you think. Trust guides how you act and live. We have all the evidence we need to be able to trust God. As Paul puts it, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
Reflection Question: Share some ways that God has proven himself faithful in your life over the last weeks or months.
> 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.