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
- Join us on the first and last Sunday of the month for Sunday Evening Prayer from 5 PM to 6 PM!
- Save the date! Chuch-Wide Potlock on November 17th at 6:30! Bring your favorite side, dish, or dessert! We’ve got drinks, plates, and cutlery covered!
> 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 11:23-26.
Does anything stand out to from the text or Sunday's sermon?
> Discussion Questions
Influencing the next generation Alberto pointed out in the sermon that the first act of faith in Moses’ life was not anything he did, but what is parents did to him. Their faith led them to disobey an evil command by the government to kill their child. This act of faith was essential to God’s plans for Moses as the prophet who would lead the Jewish people out from this oppression in Egypt. In a similar way, we are all influenced by other people’s pattern of faith. The Apostle Paul similarly depended on relationships with other believers to support him. One of his closest relationships was with a pastor he mentored named Timothy. [Have someone read 2 Timothy 1:3-7.]
Reflection Question: Identify various ways that people’s faith influences others in the 2 Timothy passage.
Pastor Alberto connected Moses’ parents’ faith to the way each of us has a responsibility to support the faith of others in our church family, especially those younger than us.
Reflection Question: Who are people who have deeply influenced your faith? Who are people who you might be influencing whether you are trying to or not?
Faith in the beauty yet to be revealed Moses’ parents saw something beautiful in him even as a newborn. This did not refer to his appearance, but to some potential in Moses that they perceived by faith. As Pastor Alberto said, “Faith compels us to go after the beauty that is yet to be revealed, because God is making all things new, even if things don’t look very beautiful right now.” Similarly, we love people not merely for who they presently are, but for the beauty that God can bring about in their life. Jesus did not love us because we were already beautiful, but because his love transforms us to become beautiful. As Romans 5 says, “Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” We similarly must be able to love one another in faith, which is how God transforms us over time into a community that expresses his great love and beauty.
Reflection Question: What does it mean to “see beauty by faith” in others, and how can that perspective shape the way we treat people who are difficult to love?
Reflection Question: How does Jesus’ example of loving us “while we were still sinners” challenge the way we typically approach relationships and community?
> 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.