June 15th- June 20th Life Group Notes

Open in Prayer 

• Welcome/Introductions/Cast Vision - Remind the Life Group of the Guidelines- See bottom of page.

•  Doing the Mission: Did anyone share Jesus or last week's passage?  

• Does anyone have a God story? 

• Opening Question: As a child, did you enjoy family vacations? What can you remember fighting about on family trips? Who won?
                                                                                               
  
• Share background for the passage: Peter is teaching the church about how to live a peaceful life.

                                                                                       

• Thought/Focus: In order to live peaceably and love life and see good days, what should we be doing? See verses 10-12.

• Have someone read or tell this week's passage/story: I Peter 3: 8-21

• Discuss these questions: Go deeper as led. Remember Head, Heart, Hands.

1. In what way are you blessed, even if you suffer for what is right? See verse 14.
2. What is “the reason for the hope that you have” and what did Peter say to do this with? See verse 15.
3. From this passage, why can a Christian be confident even in the midst of suffering?
4. When was the last time you had an opportunity to talk about your faith with a non-believer?
5. What is the model for evangelism that Peter gives in verses 15-16?
6. Are you fearful to share Jesus with non-believers?
7. How does following Jesus relieve those fears?
8. Has there been a situation in your life that seemed hopeless until you brought it to Jesus? What happened?

Next week's passage/story: TBD
Select someone to tell next week's story
Dismiss in Prayer  

CONFIDENTIALITY: What is said in the group stays in the group.
 
LISTEN: Let's value one another during the  discussions by really listening to what is  being shared. Try to avoid thinking about  how you are going to respond or what you  are going to say next.
 
PAUSE: Allow a pause in conversation after someone shares. Give the person sharing a  chance to finish and the group the  opportunity to consider what was just  shared before responding.

NO "CROSS TALK": Be considerate of others  as they are sharing- no side conversations.

NO FIXING: We are not here to fix each  other. Jesus does that part. Speak truth is love, give  
encouragement, empathize,  point to Jesus.  You may share  solutions God has led you through. The  other person should never feel shame or  failure, but rather connection & hope.

NO HIJACKING of shared stories.

NO RESCUING: When people are sharing  something deeply personal, there can be a  tendency to try to make them feel better  about themselves or the situation by  providing immediate condolences. This will  often cause them to stop sharing. Resist the  temptation to rescue people.
 
SHARING: Be sensitive about the amount of time  you share.
 
SILENCE: It is important to allow silence in the  group as it provides an opportunity for someone  else to share and for members in the group to  process the topic or question being considered.

BE SELF-AWARE: Be self-aware of how you are  personally affecting the environment through your  words, actions, and non-verbal communication.
 
"I"STATEMENTS: It's easy to talk about the issues  of others, but for our purposes, we want you to put  yourself on the table. Try to use "I" statements rather than "them', "they", "you", "the church", "us", "we", etc.
 
FIGHT FOR RELATIONSHIP: We will commit to resolve conflict  biblically. When conflict or sin issues arise between  group members, we want to make sure that  we are honoring God and each other in the way we  deal with these issues. We will fight for  relationship.  I will discuss the struggle with the person I am in conflict with first, & if not resolved, seek wise advice. The following are a few key Scriptures  in this regard (there are many others.)

• If someone sins against you: Mat. 18:15-20
• Restoring someone in sin: Gal. 6:1-5 
• Forgive a sinner: Col. 3: 12-13 
• Reconciling differences: Mat. 5:23-24, Mat. 7:1-5