November 4th- November 9th 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? An undeniable encounter or experience with God that creates an impact or breakthrough in your day-to-day life. These moments can be extraordinary or very humble, but always personally powerful. 

• Opening Question: Have you ever worked under someone who was hard to work for? How did you handle this?

• Share background for the passage: Timothy is Paul’s ‘son in the ministry’. He has been discipled by Paul & was left at Ephesus by him to pastor the church there. The lesson in this passage is to pray for those who are in authority over you, whether in the church or the government.
• Thought/Focus: We are to pray for those God has put over us, not to curse or speak evil of them.
• Have someone, or a couple of people, read this week's passage: 1Timothy 2:1-4 

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

1. In verses 1-4, Who is Paul asking that prayers be made for? Is it difficult to pray for those you don’t agree with?  
2. Look at verse 1. What kinds of prayers does he ask us to pray? What are the meanings of these different kinds of prayers?
3.  How does your attitude change when you pray for someone?

 4. Do you think you will find it difficult to pray for our next President if that person is not            who you voted for?
 5.  Verses 2 & 3 state that we should pray for those in authority so that we can live quiet            and peaceable lives. What do you think this means?
 6.  Verse 3 says that when we pray for those in authority that it is good and acceptable to          God. Is that enough for you?  What commitment will you make to regularly pray for                  them?
 7.   Will you be able to bless, show empathy, be humble and do good to those who do not          have the same views as you, or are not in the same political party as you?  How?                   When & where?
   
Next week's passage/story: TBD

• 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