Download Small Group Notes

Small Group Notes on
Prayer
January – March 2017
Introduction
This set of small group studies looks at the area of Prayer. I suspect thinking about prayer will
evoke lots of different feelings/responses within the group:
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It’s going to be boring!
It’s going to make me feel bad because I don’t do it enough.
It’s going to make me feel inadequate because I don’t know how to do it.
I don’t want to think about prayer because I feel God has let me down in the past by not
answering my prayers.
My prayer is that this series excites, encourages and enables our small groups to encounter God
in prayer as individuals and as a small group. Prayer is such a vital part of our individual lives and
for the life, growth and purposes of God to be fulfilled in our church. As a Leadership Team we
have felt God’s prompting that we as Leaders need to pray more together and individually, but
also to inspire and encourage us as a church to do so.
As part of that, we have put together a preaching series and small group notes on Prayer which is
based on Matthew 6:9-13, which has been used to form the basis of the Lord’s Prayer.
9 “This,
then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one’
Matthew 6:9-13
Each sermon and small group session takes one aspect of the Lord’s Prayer and expands upon it.
Session One:
Session Two:
Session Three:
Session Four:
Session Five:
Session Six:
Session Seven:
Session Eight:
Introductory Session
Our Father in Heaven
Hallowed Be Your Name
Your Kingdome Come
Your Will Be Done
Give us This Day Our Daily Bread
Forgive us Our Sins As We Forgive Those Who Sin Against Us
Lead us Not into Temptation
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Notes for Leaders
I do understand that many of you have been leading small groups for some time and encourage
you to change/adapt and do what you want with these notes. Listed below are guidelines to help
those that would like it.
Each Week:
Spend time in the week before each session reading through the session outline and praying for
the session and those who are part of your group.
Start each session with a prayer, asking God, by his Holy Spirit to meet with you and teach you his
ways. Pray too that each member of the group would be open and ready to hear God speak to
them.
Feed back on the last week/2 weeks following on from the discussions of the previous session.
Have people managed to put into practice the decisions and prayers from last time? How did they
find it? What has God been saying, doing in people’s lives over the past week(s)? Maybe start this
time off yourself by sharing your experiences. Make sure you allow people to remain silent and to
also be honest and admit if they haven’t managed to live out what they wanted – encourage them
and don’t make them feel guilty. [This will hopefully grow into a time of encouragement as people
see and hear how God is at work, and will give them confidence and excitement to continue/to
start to go for it with God.
Work through the session outline and questions. You may want to adapt the questions and
structure to better suit your group – please feel completely free to do that. Each group is different
in its make-up, depth and understanding of Christianity and the topics we are covering.
Include a time where people can respond to what God is saying to them individually. Either
through worship, prayer, play a song that fits in with the subject, silence – anything that allows
people time and space to think and to respond in some way to God.
Close the session formally with a prayer asking for God’s help and empowering to prioritise him in
the week ahead, and to begin to put into practice and apply what has been discussed.
Reading the Passages:
There are various ways you as a group can read the bible passages – try and vary what you do:
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Read them individually in silence;
Read them through as a group, with 1 person reading aloud;
Read them through as a group with 2 people reading them from different translations;
Go around the group with everyone reading 1 or 2 verses;
Ask for volunteers to read.
Prayer Times:
Again, it is important to vary prayer times – different ways of praying are:
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The leader prays for the group.
Offer it open to anyone to pray, whilst staying together as a group.
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Split up into 2s and 3s and encourage people to share and pray for each other [Please
remember that not everyone is comfortable in praying out loud – give people permission to
pray silently in their hearts if that is easier].
Write down people/areas/prayer requests on paper, post it notes or a big sheet of paper
and have yourself or 1 or 2 people pray for all that is written down.
Buy a prayer journal for the group, and write down specific prayer needs – go back to the
journal regularly to see how God is at work and answering prayers and also those prayers
you need to preserve with.
At the end of each session, there are 3 areas for prayer that I would like to encourage each small
group to spend time praying into:
1. Prayer on Today’s Topic
2. Prayer for What is Going on in Our Lives
3. Prayer for Those Who Don’t Yet Know Jesus
As this is a series on prayer, it would be great if we could get as many people praying as possible
and share amongst the group, and with me and the wider church answers to prayer you see
throughout the series.
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Session One: Introduction to the Series on Prayer
Introduction:
Jesus’ disciples had spent time with Jesus and seen how he lived his life and what was important
to him. As part of that, they witnessed and were part of his prayer life. They asked him to teach
them to pray, and this session helps set the scene and build the foundations for the sessions to
follow.
Ice Breaker:
Tell us a bit about the schools you attended.
Do you have any funny school stories you can share with the group?
What kind of student were you?
The disciples asked Jesus to “teach us how to pray”.
If you could ask Jesus to teach you one thing, what would it be?
Why would/wouldn’t it be teach us how to pray?
How confident do you feel in the area of prayer? What would you like to learn and grow in?
Choose either of the bible readings and questions:
Bible Readings:
In the bible, we see Jesus made time to pray. If he needed to, how much more do we?! We see he
prayed in two different ways:
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Alone
In Community (With other people)
Jesus Prayed Alone:
35
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off
to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35
39 Jesus
went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him.
reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”
withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, Luke 22:39-42
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On
He
Exercise:
Explain to the group to individually fill out the Questionnaire that accompanies this session that
looks at our own individual prayer life. Once everyone has filled it in, encourage people to split into
2s and talk about their answers to the questionnaire.
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Once people have shared in their 2s, ask if any want to share with the wider group – perhaps start
yourself to get the ball rolling.
Questions:
“The key is not to prioritise what in on our schedule, but to schedule our priorities”
Stephen Covey; The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
How do you find time to be alone in prayer? Ask the group to share some of the things they have
found helpful to inspire and encourage others.
What do you find is unhelpful when you want to spend time in prayer?
What do you do when you are alone in prayer – what do you pray about?
Do you have a set way of doing things?
What advice would you give someone starting to pray for the first time?
Bible Readings
Jesus Prayed With Others (in Community)
28
About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went
up onto a mountain to pray. Luke 9:28
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of
bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs
performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in
common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every
day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes
and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all
the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts
2:42-47
42
Questions
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What do you think the benefits are of praying in a group as apposed to on our own?
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Have you been to any of the prayer meetings at church? (Day of prayer/week of
prayer/mission prayer meeting/prayer for the persecuted church etc) What was good? What
wasn’t so good?
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If you haven’t been to any of the prayer meetings, why is that?
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How do you feel about praying in a group setting? What is good about it? What is difficult
about it? What would make it easier?
Prayer:
1. Today’s Topic:
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Split into 2s and 3s
Encourage the smaller groups to share as much or as little as they want about their prayer life
personally and how they feel about praying out loud. Pray for each other accordingly and pray for
greater passion and desire to meet with God daily in prayer.
2. What is Going on in Our Lives
Encourage the smaller group to share how they can pray for some of the things going on at the
moment in their lives.
3. For Those Who Don’t Yet Know Jesus
Encourage the smaller group to share how they are getting on at building relationships and
sharing their faith. Encourage them to pray for those they are seeking to reach that they would be
open and responsive to God. Pray for each other that you would see who God is at work in and
partner with him in sharing the love of Jesus.
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Introductory Session Prayer Questionnaire
Please tick the boxes that describe how you feel and answer the questions at
the bottom.
My life is so busy, I don’t have time to regularly sit down and pray
I find it easy to find the time and space to pray
I find it difficult to pray because I have been disappointed in the past
I find it easy to pray because I have seen God answer my prayers
I don’t pray because I don’t always know what to say
I don’t pray big prayers because I don’t have enough faith
When You Pray, How Many Times Do You Keep on Praying for that that Area?
I Leave it at Once
A Couple More Times
Regularly
Until Something Happens
What Do You Enjoy About Praying?
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What Do You Find Difficult About Praying?
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Session Two: Our Father in Heaven
Introduction:
Prayer is one of the greatest privileges we have. We are welcomed into the presence of God to
meet with him, talk openly and honestly with him, and for him to speak into our lives, bless and
encourage us. The bible uses the picture of a loving father and child to illustrate what our
relationship with God can be like. For some, this session may be a difficult one because of their
experience of earthly fathers. Please do be sensitive as we go through it recognising some may
struggle and not putting them on the spot to say or do anything and not highlighting their difficulties
to others as well.
Icebreaker:
If you could meet any famous person alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Ask the group to share who the most famous or important person is they have met in their lives.
This cannot be a member of their family or an ‘ordinary’ person.
How did you feel when you met them?
Was there any special protocol you needed to adhere to?
How close could you get to them?
How long could you meet with them for?
Choose either of the bible readings and questions:
Reading:
Very often, when we meet someone famous or important, there are lots of restrictions placed upon
us. But, we have an open invitation to meet with THE most important person, God Almighty, any
time and in any place. We won’t be kept at arms length or be limited in the time we can spend with
him. The bible paints the picture of a loving father’s relationship with their precious child to
illustrate how God, the most famous, powerful and most important person on this earth welcomes
us with open arms to be with him and talk with him.
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” Gal 3:26
14
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you
received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you
received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are
children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his
sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:14-17
Questions:
When we follow Jesus, we automatically become ‘Children of God’ and ‘co-heirs with Christ’. What
do you think it means to be a ‘child of God’ and a ‘co-heir with Christ’? What does that look like in
the life of an ordinary believer?
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How does that make you feel and affect the way you see your relationship with God?
What are some of the pros and cons of likening our relationship with God to that of a father and a
child?
How should that affect the way we encourage and help each other in our relationships with God?
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. One of the roles of the
Holy Spirit it to testify/remind/help us know and believe we are God’s children. Do we regularly ask
him to do that in our lives? If not, why not?
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How could we incorporate it into our prayer lives?
Reading:
Our earthly parents may have been good and given us a helpful glimpse of what this relationship
with God can be like, or they may have been unhelpful. Either way, it is good for us to spend time
reminding ourselves of what the bible tells us about God as our Father, so that over time we can
trust and believe in that truth, rather than rely only on our experiences.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about
your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Mathew 6:25-26
25
Questions:
What do we learn about God’s character and abilities through nature?
How can we apply that to our lives and our relationship with him as our Father?
Reading:
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a
fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who
ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this
sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:9-12
Questions:
What do you think the “good gifts” are that God wants to give us?
Can any of the group share times when you asked God for specific things and God provided?
What stops us asking God more regularly for him to provide and do good things in our lives?
Readings:
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No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I
came from God. John 16:27
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3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and
the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those
in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 1 Cor 1:3-4
4
Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds;
rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.
5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. Psalm 68:5
3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given
us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in
heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the
salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5
Questions:
What picture do these passages give us of the temperament and behavior of God as our Father?
How can we learn to trust God as our Father?
Prayer:
1. Today’s Topic:
Split into 2s and 3s
Ask people to share a little of how they found the session. Some may have found it challenging
because of the concept of God as Father. Invite the smaller groups to pray for each other.
If there are those who are struggling to see God as Father, encourage the others to pray that God
would help them and the Holy Spirit would remind them regularly that they are God’s children.
Are there “good things” that people want to ask God to bring/do in their lives?
2. What is Going on in Our Lives
Encourage the smaller group to share how they can pray for some of the things going on at the
moment in their lives.
3. For Those Who Don’t Yet Know Jesus
Encourage the smaller group to share how they are getting on at building relationships and
sharing their faith. Encourage them to pray for those they are seeking to reach that they would be
open and responsive to God. Pray for each other that you would see who God is at work in and
partner with him in sharing the love of Jesus.
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Session 3: Hallowed Be Your Name
Intro:
After telling us who we are praying to and exciting us that nothing is impossible for him, Jesus
immediately teaches us to worship God. Worshipping God and declaring who he is comes before
praying for ourselves and other situations. It is in this order because God deserves it; secondly it
gives us confidence to pray having reminded ourselves how awesome God is and thirdly it
supernaturally changes us as we fix our eyes on God and worship him.
Icebreaker:
Get the group to share their full names i.e. Catherine Victoria Horne. Ask them to explain why, if
they know, they were given the names they have and what, if they know, their names mean. If
they don’t know, have a phone or a laptop handy so you can look them up and share with the
group.
Does the meaning of each person’s name fit their character and their personality?
Choose either of the bible readings and questions:
Reading:
Jesus uses the phrase “Hallowed be your name”. To hallow means “to consecrate or set apart as
being holy and to venerate as being holy”. To venerate means “to worship, adore, be in awe of
God’s name”. Jesus is telling us that part of our prayers needs to include worship and praise of
God and his name, because his name reminds us of who he is and what he is like.
1 Praise
the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
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13 As
a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul. Psalm 103
Questions:
Pause for a moment and allow the group to read through the passage again in their own time to
enable them to take in what it is saying.
Ask the group to each pick out 3 characteristics of God that struck them as they read this passage
and to share why?
When you spend time with God in prayer, how much of your time do you spend on each of the
following:
Praying for ourselves
Praying for others/world situations/church etc
Worshipping/praising/Thanking God
Why do we spend our time in prayer in the way we do?
Would using a passage like Psalm 103 help us to praise God in our prayer times? How could we
use it creatively to help us praise God?
Reading:
Read this quote about prayer to the group from Stormie Omatian
We were born to worship God. But God did not create us to be robotic beings who tell him
how great he is. He created us to be in communion and partnership with him. Every time we
praise God for who he is and all that he has done, it unleashes his life-changing power in
our lives.
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That’s the most amazing thing about praising God. There is a gift found hidden within that
seems to make praise and worship of Him to be a much for us as it is for Him. I doubt that
God needs to be reminded of who He is, but he knows we certainly need to be. God is
secure in the knowledge of his greatness, perfection and power. We are the ones who
forget. And we are the ones who need to show Him that we know who He is.
Questions:
How do we feel/what do we think about our personal worship of God changing us as well as
enabling us to give him the honour he is due?
Have we ever had times in sung, spoken or silent worship when our focus was on God, but he met
us and did something within us that changed us or helped us? Can you share when and what
happened.
Readings:
“I will extol the LORD at all times, praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the
LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name
together” Psalm 34:1-3
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God,
that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his
wonderful light” 1 Peter 2:9
Questions:
How can praise “always be on my lips”? How can we be individuals who spend time praising God
in our relationships with him?
How can we praise God more in our small group? What stops us from doing it?
How can we participate in corporate worship at church services?
Do we go with an expectancy to church or our small group that God is going to meet with us and
speak to us? If we don’t, why do you think we don’t?
How can we go with expectancy to church or small group that God is going to meet us and speak?
Do we pray before we go to church or small group that he would meet us?
Prayer:
1. Today’s Topic:
Spend some time as one group praising God – it may be that you ask people to simply call out
attributes of God that they are thankful for, or invite people to bring their own individual spoken or
sung praise to God as the Holy Spirit leads.
2. What is Going on in Our Lives
Encourage the group to share how they can pray for some of the things going on at the moment in
their lives.
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3. For Those Who Don’t Yet Know Jesus
Encourage the group to share how they are getting on at building relationships and sharing their
faith. Encourage them to pray for those they are seeking to reach that they would be open and
responsive to God. Pray for each other that you would see who God is at work in and partner with
him in sharing the love of Jesus.
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Session 4: Your Kingdom Come
Introduction:
We live in a world that is in desperate need of a touch from God. Jesus teaches us to pray for that
in our everyday prayer lives – “Your Kingdom Come”. Often we don’t pray because we are
overwhelmed with so many different things that are going on and we don’t feel we know how to
pray.
Icebreaker:
Ask the group to brainstorm all of the difficult and painful things they can remember have
happened in our world, local community and the lives of those around them in the last 2 weeks. As
they shout them out, write them down on a large piece of paper in the middle of the room.
How does that collection of events make you feel?
How do you feel about praying for them? What excites you? What do you find daunting?
We bombarded with so many images and information about difficulties around the world that we
have become immune and emotionless towards it. In what ways do you experience compassion
fatigue?
How do we become more passionate about God’s world and pray regularly for these situations?
Choose either of the bible readings and questions:
Readings:
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Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus
replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor
will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Luke 17:20-21
Jesus declared that the Kingdom of God is in part here on earth, it was in their midst and is in our
midst. What does the Kingdom of God look like? Once we begin to identify that, we can begin to
pray for those elements to be prevalent in the situations we see in our world today.
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His
disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
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9
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven,
for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:1-11
Questions:
As you read the passage, what are some of the characteristics of the Kingdom of God that strike
you?
How does the Kingdom of God differ from what is going on in our world today?
How can we pray those characteristics into some of the situations we see/experience in our world?
Reading:
Through Jesus’ ministry, we get another glimpse of what the Kingdom of God looks like in our
world today.
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He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went
into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet
Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to
the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for
the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
18
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Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of
everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today
this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:16-20
Questions:
When Jesus talks about “good news to the poor” – who are the poor and what is the good news?
Who are the “prisoners” and what is the “freedom” Jesus has come to bring?
Who are the “blind” and what does “recovery of sight” look like?
How can the “oppressed” be “set free”?
How can we pray these things into some of the situations we see/experience in our world?
Prayer:
1. Today’s Topic:
Pray for each other that we would have God’s heart and passion for the world
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Pray that we would be aware of what is going on in the world and dedicated to praying for the
Kingdom of God to come into that situation.
Choose one or two situations that are going on in our world/community and pray for specific
elements of the Kingdom of God to enter into it and bring about change.
Pray for one of our Mission Partners serving God around the world.
2. What is Going on in Our Lives
Encourage the group to share how they can pray for some of the things going on at the moment in
their lives.
3. For Those Who Don’t Yet Know Jesus
Encourage the group to share how they are getting on at building relationships and sharing their
faith. Encourage them to pray for those they are seeking to reach that they would be open and
responsive to God. Pray for each other that you would see who God is at work in and partner with
him in sharing the love of Jesus.
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Session Five: Your Will Be Done
Introduction:
Jesus has taught the need to worship God and to pray for his Kingdom to come on the earth. He
then moves into a section of his teaching that looks at praying for God to be at work in the lives of
each of us as individuals and this is where it gets quite challenging as the first one is “Your will be
done”!
Icebreaker:
Have a go as a group at the “Are You a Control Freak” FUN quiz!
1.
2.
3.
4.
Would you let someone else clean you house?
Do you like surprises?
Does it bother you when there are grammar/spelling mistakes in a sentence?
When someone else is driving do you: Sit back and relax or watch the roads like a hawk
and make sure the driver is driving properly and knows when to break and what is going on
around them?
5. Do you give people a lot of “shoulds” and “oughts” unsolicited advice, suggestions and
constructive criticism?
6. Do you insist on “being right” having things done your way or having the final word?
7. Do you over-plan simple activities?
8. Do you become angry, anxious or irritable when someone or something makes you late?
9. Do you find it easy to delegate or do you keep hold of as much as possible?
10. Does it bother you when other people touch your things?
Reading:
The quiz was meant to be a bit of fun, but it does show us how, at times, we as a human race, like
to be in control and have our own way. This is in direct contrast to how Jesus teaches us to pray:
“you will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Jesus is reminding us of the importance of going
God’s way in our lives. Not so that he controls us, but that he enables us to get the best out of life
and make a difference with our lives, even though at times it is hard.
Jesus shows us how we do that especially when what we are being asked to do isn’t the easy
option:
36
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them,
“Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee
along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My
soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is
possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
39
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep
watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall
into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
40
He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to
be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
42
23
43
When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So
he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?
Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise!
Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” Matthew 26:36-46
45
Questions:
How did Jesus feel about his impending arrest and crucifixion?
How did that shape his prayers?
What does that tell us about what we can include in our prayers?
Jesus kept on bringing the subject up. It was obviously weighing very heavily upon him. What
does that tell us about persistent prayer and how we should approach praying for God’s will in our
lives?
After Jesus had asked for the outcome he wanted, what did he finish his request off by declaring?
How hard or easy do we find submitting ourselves to God’s will, plans and purposes?
What are some of the things that get in the way or distract us from doing that?
As a small group – how can we be less like the disciples and more encouraging to each other to
spur one another on to seek God and live out his will in our lives?
How can be make sure it isn’t done in a judgemental, controlling or unhelpful way?!
Reading:
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep
you on track” Proverbs 3:5-6
Questions:
How do we trust God?
Does anyone in the group have a specific example of how they entrusted something to God
recently? (If you have one, maybe start by sharing that to encourage others to share too).
How do we listen to God’s voice?
How do we know it’s God if it isn’t from scripture but by some other means?
How do we make time to listen to God’s voice?
Prayer:
1. Today’s Topic:
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Pause for a moment’s silence and invite the Holy Spirit to gently and lovingly bring to mind any
areas we are withholding from God and need to submit to his will in.
Split into 2s and 3s
Encourage the smaller groups to share as much or as little as they want about God’s will being
done in their lives and pray for each other accordingly.
2. What is Going on in Our Lives
Encourage the smaller group to share how they can pray for some of the things going on at the
moment in their lives.
3. For Those Who Don’t Yet Know Jesus
Encourage the smaller group to share how they are getting on at building relationships and
sharing their faith. Encourage them to pray for those they are seeking to reach that they would be
open and responsive to God. Pray for each other that you would see who God is at work in and
partner with him in sharing the love of Jesus.
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Session Six: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
Introduction:
One of the easiest subjects for us to talk to God about is what we want and need. Jesus
encourages us to carry on bringing our needs to God, but to think about whether we ask for
enough help and provision from God and miss out on so much more he wants to give us and do
for us.
Icebreaker:
According to the American Company The Simple Dollar, there are certain purchases people make
that they almost always regret. Ask the group suggest what they think they might be.
Top 8 Purchases People Almost Always Regret:
Boats
Anything “Seen on TV”
DVD Collections
Exercise Equipment
Hot Tub for the Garden
Timeshares
Anything Sold by door to door salesmen
Extended or Extra Warrantees
Does the group agree or disagree with this list? Are there other items you would add on to it?
Why do you think people buy items they end up never using?
Over the past two years, can you think of any items you’ve purchased and never used? If you can,
why did you purchase them, and why haven’t you used them?
What is the one thing you most regret buying and why?
If an advertiser was to entice you to buy their product, what would it have to include?
Reading:
Jesus is encouraging us to have our needs met through God, and to not stockpile the wrong things
and provide for ourselves as sometimes we buy things we think we need or are good, whereas
God can provide us with everything that we need, whether it is materially, physically, spiritually or
emotionally.
2
In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites
said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of
meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve
this entire assembly to death.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are
to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see
whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they
bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
4
27
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord
has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each
person you have in your tent.’”
17
The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they
measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one
who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they
needed.
Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” 20 However, some
of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of
maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. 21 Each morning everyone
gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. Exodus 16:24; 16-21
19
Questions:
It’s not been long since God rescued the Israelites and they saw the miracle of the parting of the
Red Sea. We now find them moaning about the situation they find themselves in.
Why is it unhelpful to moan about the present and to forget what has gone before?
Why does that seem to be a natural human response?!
Can anyone in the group share how God has provided for them in these past two months?
How does that make everyone else feel hearing those stories of God’s provision?
How can we share more testimonies of God at work, in our small group, and in the life of the
church so that we can encourage and inspire one another?
In the passage, some of the Israelites stored up more food that they were allowed. Why do you
think they did it?
Why do you think they were only allowed a small amount and weren’t allowed to stock up on food?
How can we become reliant on God to provide for us on a daily basis?
What are some of the ways we try and provide for ourselves and are self-reliant?
Quote:
“The greatest answer to prayer is prayer itself. God can perform miracles easily, but only
rarely do we humble ourselves enough to truly ask for them. When the church becomes so
hungry for more of God’s power and presence that will finally turn to him in persevering
prayer, seeking his face, day and night, we can be sure that the Lord will not be slow to act.
In our time the church of Jesus is certainly arising, seeking God with renewed desire,
rediscovering its primary purpose as a house of prayer for all nations” Pete Grieg, Dirty
Glory
Questions:
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Do you think we miss out on seeing God at work more in our lives because we are too self reliant
and don’t ask him for help?
What do you think of the suggestion that more miracles take place amongst the people who have
the least and have to be more reliant upon God rather than money, health care systems and state
help?
What should we be bringing to God in prayer that we currently aren’t?
What miracles could we be praying for in our world?
What miracles could we be praying for in our church?
What miracles could we be praying for in our lives?
Prayer:
1. Today’s Topic:
Spend time as a group praying for God to perform great and miraculous things in our world and in
our country.
Pray for our church that there would be miracles in all areas of church life, that would culminate in
many many people becoming Christians.
Split into 2s and 3s
Share how you can pray for miracles in each other’s lives, accepting that God’s plans are perfect
and that he may not answer us with a yes, but will meet us where we are at and help us.
2. What is Going on in Our Lives
Encourage the smaller group to share how they can pray for some of the things going on at the
moment in their lives.
3. For Those Who Don’t Yet Know Jesus
Encourage the smaller group to share how they are getting on at building relationships and
sharing their faith. Encourage them to pray for those they are seeking to reach that they would be
open and responsive to God. Pray for each other that you would see who God is at work in and
partner with him in sharing the love of Jesus.
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30
Session Seven: Forgive Us Our Debts As We Have Forgiven our Debtors
Introduction
It is pure joy to be forgiven by God, and Jesus teaches us to allow God to forgive us, but for us to
act likewise in the lives of others and forgive them.
Ice Breaker
Read this story from Christianity Today to the group:
Marc Sahabo, a shy, kind man, reaches out to greet me. As I shake his hand, I can't help
thinking about what that hand was doing in April 1994: wielding a machete and killing 15
people during Rwanda's genocide, which left about a million people dead.
The next hand I shake is that of Felicita Mukabakunda, a woman who was Sahabo's friend
and neighbor for years, until ethnic tensions between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority
rose to lethal levels. When the killings began, Mukabakunda, a Tutsi, hid in nearby marshes
while Sahabo and other Hutus went on their rampage. She overheard them say that they
planned to take turns raping her before killing her. She also heard Sahabo say he had killed
her father, her uncle, and four other family members.
The killers never found Mukabakunda; she and her husband and children fled to a safe area
in Rwanda and briefly lived in a camp for displaced persons. When they returned home
after the genocide, Mukabakunda learned that 29 family members—including 16 brothers
and sisters—had been murdered.
"I had so much hatred," she told me. "I wanted Marc to die a slow, painful death. I would
have killed him if I could." But Sahabo, fearing for his life, had fled to Burundi, then to
Tanzania. When Rwanda later negotiated with Tanzania for the return of the perpetrators,
Marc was immediately arrested and jailed. He spent seven years in prison before his 2003
release.
Because of prison overcrowding, some 50,000 offenders—those who were minors during
the genocide or those who confessed, including Sahabo—have been released. (Some
estimate that it would take about 400 years to try all of the cases in the courts. So today,
only the worst, most unrepentant killers remain behind bars, including a few genocide
leaders held in Tanzania.)
When Sahabo returned home after his release from prison, he was afraid that surviving
Tutsis in the community might take revenge and kill him.
After his release from prison, Sahabo was invited to attend a reconciliation workshop led
by RP's Pascal Niyomugabo—who is Mukabakunda's brother. At first, Sahabo thought it
was a trap, that Tutsis would be waiting to kill him. But he attended the workshop anyway,
and says, "My heart was changed by Jesus. I wanted to ask the victims for forgiveness, to
tell them I was no longer the killer they used to know."
But Mukabakunda hadn't been ready to forgive. Her brother, who had already forgiven
Sahabo, kept encouraging her. Eventually, she decided it was time.
When they finally met face to face, Sahabo got down on his knees before Mukabakunda,
folded his hands, confessed his crimes, and begged for mercy. Mukabakunda put her hand
on his shoulder, looked him in the eyes, and said simply, "I forgive you."
31
Sahabo says that at that moment, he felt like he "just came out of a shower, a clean man,
except it was like a holy shower, because I felt clean on the inside." For Mukabakunda, a
heavy burden lifted, and the migraine headaches and nightmares she had suffered for ten
years immediately disappeared and have not returned.
Today, Sahabo and Mukabakunda say they are best friends; on the day I visited with them,
they shared a beer and many laughs. Their children play together, and their families
regularly share meals. The two of them ride a bike from village to village, telling their story.
"I'm not scared of him anymore," says Mukabakunda. "Without Jesus, I'd go back to hating
Marc. But because of Jesus, I have forgiven Marc, and I love him now." 19th June 2009
Questions:
How does that story make you feel?
What were the key factors in their reconciliation/forgiveness?
How do we think we would react if we were in that situation?
Readings:
Jesus told a parable to illustrate how we are to imitate God’s actions of forgiveness towards us in
the lives of other people:
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his
servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold
was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his
wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I
will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and
let him go. Matthew 18:23:
Questions:
The servant owed the equivalent of £10Million. Why did the King cancel such a large debt?
If you were the servant, how would you have felt?
What does the King’s reaction show us about God and how he sees us and wants to treat us?
What are the reasons that we hold on to our “debts” and don’t allow God to forgive them?
Can you remember what it was like when you became a Christian or first experienced God’s love
and forgiveness? If you can, can you share that with the group.
How can we keep a short account of the things we do wrong with God and not hold on to them?
Reading:
32
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a
hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe
me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with
me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown
into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened,
they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
28
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that
debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow
servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be
tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat
each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
32
‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.
mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
33
Shouldn’t you have had
Questions:
Why do you think the servant was unmerciful and treated his fellow servant as he did?
Why was the King so insulted by the servant’s actions?
How do we apply this parable to our lives?
What do we find hard about living it out?
Prayer:
1. Today’s Topic:
Maybe take some time out for the group to share communion together.
Before you take the bread, allow people a little bit of time to wait on God and allow him to
illuminate areas that we have held on to that he wants to bring forgiveness and healing to.
Before you take the cup, allow people a little bit of time to wait on God and allow him to illuminate
people we haven’t forgiven or are struggling to forgive and invite him to help us with it.
2. What is Going on in Our Lives
Encourage the smaller group to share how they can pray for some of the things going on at the
moment in their lives.
3. For Those Who Don’t Yet Know Jesus
Encourage the smaller group to share how they are getting on at building relationships and
sharing their faith. Encourage them to pray for those they are seeking to reach that they would be
open and responsive to God. Pray for each other that you would see who God is at work in and
partner with him in sharing the love of Jesus.
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Session Eight: Lead us not into Temptation
Introduction:
Temptation is something every follower of Jesus struggles with, but is fearful to admit it for fear of
what others will think of them. Jesus recognises that temptation will be an issue for us, but
encourages us to pray that God will help us not to be led into temptation or to give in to it.
Ice Breaker
Read this Article from a Newspaper to the group:
A study found that showing weight-conscious women pictures of sweet treats strengthens
their resolve to eat healthily. The finding suggests that glossy adverts designed to make
cakes, chocolate and desserts irresistible may actually have the opposite effect. It also
means that the secret to losing weight could be as simple as decorating your fridge door
with pictures of forbidden tasty treats.
Dutch psychologists asked 54 female students to look at a picture of either a slice of
chocolate cake or a flower under the guise of a memory test. The Utrecht University
researchers then questioned the students about any plans to eat more healthily before
offering them a choice between a chocolate or oatmeal cookie. Women shown the cake
picture made healthy eating a higher priority than those shown the flower. They were also
significantly more likely to pick the healthier option of the oatmeal cookie, New Scientist
reports.
Researcher Floor Kroese said feelings of guilt may help strengthen resolve against
temptation. She said: ‘Food temptations do not always trigger indulgence. ‘It seems that
seeing a food temptation reminded people of their goal to watch their weight and helped
them act accordingly.’ She said that sticking pictures of tempting foods on the fridge door
may help to bring weight-watching goals to mind.
The Daily Mail 18th August 2009
Do the group think it would or wouldn’t work and why?
Get the group to brainstorm the following:
Who in the bible can they name who has given in to temptation and what did they do?
Who in the bible can they name who didn’t give in to temptation?
In one sentence, how would they describe temptation?
Reading:
The bible is full of men and women who struggled with temptation and who at times were strong
and at others gave in to temptation. We face those same struggles to persevere and not give in to
temptation, and we are going to remind ourselves of the story of Joseph.
Read together Genesis 39
35
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of
Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had
taken him there. The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of
his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD
gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his
attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care
everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that
he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The
blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.
So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern
himself with anything except the food he ate.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of
Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her,
"my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he
has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld
nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked
thing and sin against God?" And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to
go to bed with her or even be with her.
One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household
servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he
left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. When she saw that he had left his cloak
in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. "Look," she
said to them, "this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to
sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside
me and ran out of the house." She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home.
Then she told him this story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport
of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the
house."
When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated
me," he burned with anger. Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place
where the king's prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the
LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the
prison warden.
Split the group into 2 and assign one person from the story to each group (Joseph or Potiphar’s
Wife) and ask them to draw a comic picture of their character and to answer the following
questions:
1. What was their role in this story of temptation – the tempter? The tempted? Give an
overview of their character and how they behaved in the story.
2. What could/should they have done differently if anything and why?
3. What can we learn from this person as we seek to avoid giving in to temptation?
4. What do you think we should do if we see someone we know acting in the way that our
character did?
Get each group to share their answers.
36
Questions:
What are the Potiphar’s wives that you think Christians struggle with?
Jesus was perfect and was still tempted. How does being tempted make you feel, even if you don’t
give in to it?
Have you refused to give in to temptation like Joseph and found yourself worse off as he did? How
did that make you feel?
Reading:
Read Ephesians 6:10-20
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that
you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh
and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the
full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your
ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of
righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the
gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds
of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the
saints.
Questions:
Ask the group how this passage makes them feel about their lives and temptation.
What weapons does the passage tell us God has given us to fight temptation and how can we use
them?
Ask the group to share how they seek to overcome temptation.
Prayer:
1. Today’s Topic:
Split up into 2s and 3s and pray for each other and the areas we struggle with. Pray for God’s
protection and his strength to say no.
2. What is Going on in Our Lives
Encourage the smaller group to share how they can pray for some of the things going on at the
moment in their lives.
3. For Those Who Don’t Yet Know Jesus
37
Encourage the smaller group to share how they are getting on at building relationships and
sharing their faith. Encourage them to pray for those they are seeking to reach that they would be
open and responsive to God. Pray for each other that you would see who God is at work in ad
partner with him in sharing the love of Jesus.
38