February 15th - February 21st 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 been in big trouble because of something you said? What happened?
                                                                                               
  
• Share background for the passage: The message to the Ephesian Church is, “be careful how you live, be wise in the way you speak and act to those around you”.

                                                                                       

• Thought/Focus: Since you became a Christian, have you noticed that the way you speak to people has changed? In what ways have you changed in your thoughts and your actions? Why  
• Have someone read or tell this week's passage/story: EPHESIANS 5:17-33
• Discuss these questions: Go deeper as led. Remember Head, Heart, Hands.

1. As you compare the life that you lived before Christ to the life you live today, where have you seen the greatest changes?
2. From this passage, what other relationship is marriage symbolic of?
3. Men: How do you feel about the standard for husbands in verses 25 and 28?
4. Women: How do you feel about the standard for wives in verses 22 and 23?

 5. In practical terms, what does it mean for a wife to submit to her husband?
 6. What implication does “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church”           have? (vs. 25)
 7. How does the modern-day view of marriage compare to this passage?
 8. Think about a past marriage difficulty. How did you get through it together?
 9. Will you commit to praying together about challenges instead of having conflict over      challenges?
10. If you are married, will you commit to talking about this passage with your spouse this            week?


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