Journey of Faith Messages Podcast

What keeps the world from spiraling out of control? Laws! From the laws of nature to the laws we create, the purpose of law is to help us live well in God’s good world. As we begin our series looking at different genres of the Bible, we start where the Bible starts. God gave a specific set of laws to the Jewish people to help them live in a unique way. We’ll see how the laws God gave them encouraged freedom, not legalism, and reflected God’s concern for all areas of life! And we’ll also see how, through Jesus, we can honor the principles of those laws by loving God and loving others! God Tells the Ultimate Story Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week click here. Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their application of last week’s group discussion went. What were the highs and lows of their last week? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Key Verse Isaiah 54:10“’For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,’ says the Lord, who has mercy on you.” Opening Sometimes the world can seem chaotic. Events around us seem to not always make sense, which can lead us to worry that everything is meaningless at times. The good news is that God has given us a way to see how he has worked in the past with his people so we can see how he can work in the future. This comes through reading and studying the stories we find in the genre of “historical narratives”, which is found in the books of Joshua-Nehemiah. These books have stories that can teach us about the God’s mission to take care of his people, despite their faults. This genre can help us see God’s faithfulness and how he continued to use his people to bring about the good news of redeeming the earth. God is the main character and we are just pieces of his story. Big Idea For The WeekThrough the lens of story, we can see God’s grand narrative.   Connect What kind of stories have you heard that stuck with you the most? Why do you think this was such an effective way to communicate information? Who is the best storyteller you know? What makes them a good storyteller? Why do you think humans interpret themselves into stories that may not be about them? How could this practice be problematic?   Unpack As a group, decide on one of the following stories to read. Think of it as a “choose your own adventure” game. Each one of these stories will be a longer section of verses than normally provided each week so take turns reading. Make observations along the way of what stands out to you as your group reads. After finishing the stories, discuss the questions provided. Choose one of the following to read: Elijah and the Widow: 1 Kings 17 The Fall of Jericho: Joshua 5:13-6:20  David and Bathsheba: 2 Samuel 11:1-12:15  King Hezekiah: 2 Chronicles 32:1-26 DISCUSS Summarize together what you have read. What happened? What are your first thoughts when you read this story? Share any observations you made. What do you think is the point of this story? What is the author trying to explain about God and his character? What is the author trying to communicate about how God works in the lives of his people? How can this story and what it communicates about God affect your life? How can this story point you to Jesus and his teachings?   Apply Take a moment to discuss this section as a group to decide what your action steps for the week can be: What steps can you take to view your life as a part of God’s grand story this week? How can we continue to point ourselves to Jesus and his teachings as we live out the story of our lives? How can we encourage each other to live like Jesus over the course of this week?   Closing The law was made to show people their need to rely on God and to worship him because of it. As we learn more together about this law given, we can see God’s goodness better because we know all it was fulfilled and summed up in the teachings of Jesus: Love God and Love People. Jesus then modeled what a life devoted to loving God and people looks like. This week let’s try to do our best to be actively taking steps to live like Jesus. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: Psalm 103:2 Day 2: Psalm 115:1 Day 3: Exodus 15:2 Day 4: Psalm 145:3 Day 5: Ephesians 1:3 Day 6: 1 Chronicles 16:34 The post God Tells the Ultimate Story appeared first on Journey of Faith.

What keeps the world from spiraling out of control? Laws! From the laws of nature to the laws we create, the purpose of law is to help us live well in God’s good world. As we begin our series looking at different genres of the Bible, we start where the Bible starts. God gave a specific set of laws to the Jewish people to help them live in a unique way. We’ll see how the laws God gave them encouraged freedom, not legalism, and reflected God’s concern for all areas of life! And we’ll also see how, through Jesus, we can honor the principles of those laws by loving God and loving others! God Brings Order to Chaos Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week click here. Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their application of last week’s group discussion went. What were the highs and lows of their last week? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Key Verse Psalms 119:1“Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.” Opening The world is a place that can sometimes feel disordered. We can feel like we might not know which way to go or how to live. God gave his people a way to thrive by giving boundaries to know how to live. The problem is that humans can be difficult and want to follow their own way. The good news is that Jesus came to show us the way to follow God again; part of how he showed us the truth of God was by living out the law perfectly so we can see the true meaning behind some of the biblical laws we read in the bible. He invited us to live our lives like him. Big Idea For The WeekThrough the lens of Biblical Law, we can see God’s goodness.  Connect Which rules as a kid did you not like? Now that you’re older, do you see the value of these rules? What is the purpose of having laws? Are there any that you wish we didn’t have to follow? Why do you think there are so many laws to follow? Unpack To understand how we can see God’s goodness through the lens of biblical law, we will be looking at some of the laws God gave his people, the Israelites, in the Old Testament part of the Bible. Read the following verses and discuss the connected questions together: Read + Discuss Deuteronomy 22:8 Deuteronomy 19:13 Why do you think these specific laws were given to the Israelites? How was God trying to take care of his people’s needs in these verses? Read + Discuss Leviticus 19:16-18 Deuteronomy 10:17-19 What do you think the purpose of these laws was? Why would it matter that God’s people live like this? What do you think the underlying intention of including these laws was? Read + Discuss Matthew 5:17-18 Galatians 5:13-14 How do these verses connect with the rest of the laws we have read tonight? What do these verses imply about how we should live our lives as Christians? How can looking through the lens of biblical law point us towards following Jesus more intently? Apply Take a moment to discuss this section as a group to decide what your action steps for the week can be: What are some practical ways you can “love your neighbor as yourself” this week? How can you take steps to love those around you better as a group? What can your group put in place to keep each other accountable in these action steps from now on? Closing The law was made to show people their need to rely on God and to worship him because of it. As we learn more together about this law given, we can see God’s goodness better because we know all it was fulfilled and summed up in the teachings of Jesus: Love God and Love People. Jesus then modeled what a life devoted to loving God and people looks like. This week let’s try to do our best to be actively taking steps to live like Jesus. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: Psalm 119:172 Day 2: Luke 10:26-28 Day 3: Micah 6:8 Day 4: 1 John 5:3 Day 5: Romans 8:3 Day 6: John 15:12 The post God Brings Order to Chaos appeared first on Journey of Faith.

Whenever we go the doctor, they check our vitals to see if we’re healthy. What are the vital signs of a healthy spiritual life?  This weekend, we’ll look at four teachings of Jesus that can help us check our spiritual vitals so we can have a healthy and growing faith! God’s Heart for the Spiritual Life Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their application of last week’s group discussion went. What were the highs and lows of their last week? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Key Verse 2 Timothy 2:15“Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” Opening There are times when it can be easy to go through the motions of life because life is just “normal” and not much seems to change. If we are not careful, however, this can lead to us becoming stagnant in certain parts of our life that need to consistently be evaluated. Just like we should be making sure we are physically and mentally healthy, we should also be training ourselves to grow in our spiritual life. The first step to this is by evaluating where we’re at, which can be difficult by ourselves. The good thing is that God loves us and wants us to grow in our relationship with him so we can be confident that he will help us along the way. Big Idea For The WeekGod wants the best for your spiritual life. Connect What do you think it looks like to be healthy? On a scale from 1 to 10, how important is personal health to you and why? How does this affect the way you live your life? How do you take your pulse for how spiritually healthy you are? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. Read + Discuss Mark 1:16-18 Matthew 28:18-20 What invitations has Jesus extended to you lately? How have you responded to them? On Sunday, Jason said that one way to be spiritually healthy is to have an “invitational spirit” like Jesus, meaning we embody his dedication to inviting others to do the spiritual life together. How have you had an inspirational spirit in your life? What are some ways you can be more inviting to others? Read + Discuss 1 Peter 4:8-11 What do these verses say about how your spiritual life should be lived out? How could living like this affect your faith? How are you growing in your spiritual life with others? Read + Discuss 1 John 3:16-18 How can we serve with the love of Jesus? What ways do you serve and sacrifice for the good of others? What should our mindset be when we are serving and/or giving to others? If you are comfortable, share a time when someone has served you with this mindset. How did this affect you? Apply Take a moment to discuss this section as a group to decide what your action steps for the week can be: What steps can you take this week to evaluate your spiritual health? What areas of your spiritual life do you think need to be focused on? vHow can you address these areas over the next few weeks? How can your group be a part of your journey towards more intentional growth with Jesus? Closing Putting in the effort to evaluate how you are doing in your spiritual life can be difficult. Unlike physical or mental health, you can’t always tell how spiritually healthy you are by looking in a mirror or thinking through it. As a result, you have to evaluate by looking at your life and how you life with people around you. Take this week to evaluate your spiritual health. How is it doing? Lean on your group for support in how to approach and carry out this goal together. If you do this, you can realize which areas need more work and which ones you can develop further. We can all do this together with Jesus as our guide! Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 Day 2: Galatians 5:13-14 Day 3: Matthew 6:1-4 Day 4: Romans 12:10 Day 5: Proverbs 3:27 Day 6: John 8:12 The post God’s Heart for the Spiritual Life appeared first on Journey of Faith.

Constructing or reconstructing our faith is not a solo project. We must connect with and rely on each other for input and encouragement. This week we’ll look at a biblical example of how people on the journey of faith can form a solid team that keeps them stay motivated, disciplined, and focused on the goal of building a strong faith. Your Local Faith-Building Club Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their application of last week’s group discussion went. What were the highs and lows of their last week? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Key Verse 1 Corinthians 3:9“For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.” Opening One of the tensions of living as a follower of Jesus in America is that we have a highly individualistic culture. There’s a sense that we need to go through our faith alone because it’s “between me and Jesus”. This could be because we are a private person or do not want to be influenced or judged by others for one reason or the other. Inherently, there is nothing wrong with being private or needing less social interaction with others; people are different in their social needs. When we read the teaching of Jesus, however, we can understand that Jesus taught the opposite of that. The first followers of Jesus were taught for faith to be practiced and constructed well then it must be done alongside others. Our big idea for the weekWe can build our faith as a team. Connect When was a time where you thought you should do something alone but later realized you needed other people to help you? When has a group experience been positive when you thought it might be negative? Do you believe that God works when you ask? Share a time when God worked in a meaningful way in your life. Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. The first verse we will read in this section is from a letter that the Apostle Paul (one of Christianity’s first missionaries) wrote to the church in a place called Ephesus. This was a thriving port city that had many different ethnic communities, and the Ephesian church was no different. There were Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) together worshipping God in one place, which was a huge deal at the time. Notice how Paul refers to these two groups of people as you read these next few verses. READ Ephesians 2:19-22 DISCUSS What are some reasons we tend to want to do faith alone or privately? What experience do you have working through your faith with people that are different than you? Share an example or two, if you’re comfortable. Why does Paul refer to the people in these verses as “family”? How does this change your view of how Christians should think of each other? READ Hebrews 10:23-25 Matthew 18:20 1 John 4:10-12 DISCUSS How have you had your faith nurtured by other people? Is there a place in your faith that you need to bring people into? What barriers do you have that would prevent you from doing that? What are some practical ways you can love those around you well to help build their faith? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group in order to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be: We’ve talked about how faith is meant to be a communal or team effort, not individualistic. What steps can you take to practice your faith with this perspective from now on? Pastor Jason talked on Sunday about making goals for building your faith. This group you are in right now should be a place for you to ask for help in those goals. What are some of your “faith-building goals” you have that you can share with your group today? If you don’t have any, work together as a group to come up with some goals together. How can you as a group help each other carry out these goals together? Closing As we grow in our relationship with other followers of Jesus, it’s important to remember that our faith was never meant to be done alone. God made us as communal and social beings. This doesn’t mean we cannot spend time alone; in fact, being alone with God is an extremely healthy spiritual practice. Working through our faith and the implications it has in our life, however, must also be done through a system of community of other believers. Let’s do our best to try to see our faith as something to be constructed as a team. We can do it together! Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: Proverbs 15:22 Day

The challenge of constructing or reconstructing our faith can seem daunting. We could find ourselves stuck, with no idea how to get started or keep moving. Thankfully, the process of building faith comes with a clear guide: God’s truth in the Bible. Learning to read the Bible and understand who God is through it is the ultimate way to build the kind of faith that overcomes even the most difficult challenges.  The Next Right Thing Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their application of last week’s group discussion went. What were the highs and lows of their last week? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Key Verse Proverbs 3:5-6“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Opening Building your faith can be exciting and difficult at the same time, but eventually there may come a point where the difficulty overwhelms the excitement. As we’re constructing what we believe and being curious about what is true, we need to rely on something outside of ourselves to know where to go. God has given us a way to go through this part of building our faith in the Bible. When things become difficult, we can continue to be faithful by relying on what God has given us and shown us about himself: God is faithful and he loves us. We can continue to be faithful to the process of building our own faith because he has given us an example of perfect faith. Big idea for the week: We can build our faith by seeing God’s faithful love for us in the bible. Connect What are some habits or practices you keep up with? How do you keep yourself from falling out of the disciplines in your life? What is your relationship with consistently spending time learning about the story of God in the Bible? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ Hebrews 4:12-14 2 Timothy 3:16-17 DISCUSS Why is it important that we spend time reading and knowing the Bible? How can spending intentional time to know the word of God help us to know him and ourselves better? How can we see God’s faithful love through studying the Bible? READ Colossians 3:16 Matthew 6:33 DISCUSS From what you know about the bible, how does God ask us to live? How often do you find yourself living this way? What acts of following Jesus have been the most rewarding to be faithful in? Which parts have you found more difficult? How can seeing God’s faithfulness in our lives supply a basis for how to trust him in the future? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group in order to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be: How can you begin implementing a plan to consistently read God’s story in the Bible? What steps can you take to practice what you’re learning? How can we hold each other to a healthy standard of accountability as we build our faith in this way? How can we take steps together to see God’s faithfulness in our lives, because we see how he has been faithful through the stories we read in the Bible? Closing We can know that God is faithful and just by reading of how he has been faithful to his promises in the words of the Bible. As we continue in the process of building our faith, we can remember that God is going to continue to work in our lives. Learning the words of God from the tool that we have in the Bible can help us become more confident of how to follow Jesus well. We can do this together, with the teachings of God in the Bible as our guide. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: Matthew 4:4 Day 2: Romans 10:17 Day 3: Psalm 119:105 Day 4: Psalm 19:7-14 Day 5: James 1:22 Day 6: 2 Timothy 2:15 The post The Next Right Thing appeared first on Journey of Faith.

One of the most pivotal acts of faith construction is learning to ask great questions. Questions engage our curiosity, help us find truth, and put us in the humble and important role of a learner. But are there questions that are too dangerous to ask God, or questions that are off limits? How does God feel about us when we ask the questions that are truly on our heart? This week we’ll explore how approaching faith with honest questions can help us experience God in incredible ways! Curious You Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their application of last week’s group discussion went. What were the highs and lows of their last week? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Key Verse Psalm 33:22 “Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.” Opening Building our faith should be done by following Jesus. How we do that is through looking at what we read in the Bible and making sure to refocus our beliefs to be line with how Jesus calls us to live. Sometimes we don’t know where to start or what is and is not true. However, one of the best ways for people to learn is by asking questions and being curious about what the answers to those questions mean in your life. You might be under the impression that it is wrong to question different parts of your faith, but the truth is that God can handle your questions! In fact, part of the journey of constructing your faith is thinking through which pieces of your faith are healthy and unhealthy. God wants to use your questions to mold you into who he wants you to be! Big idea for the week: We can build our faith by thinking, reasoning, and exploring. Connect What is your typical response when you don’t understand something? How do you respond when someone asks you a tough question or challenges you about something you believe? What level of importance have you placed on personally learning about your faith? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ James 1:5-6 2 Corinthians 13:5 Philippians 4:6-7 1 Thessalonians 5:16-21  DISCUSS How should we approach curiosity about the various subjects of our faith? What mindset should you have as you approach exploring what you believe about your faith? Why is it beneficial to ask questions about what we don’t understand in our faith? What causes us to be nervous about asking tough questions about what we believe? In what ways can you test your beliefs according to the teachings of Jesus? On Sunday, Alex spoke about how faith can be thought of in the shape of a 3-ringed bullseye when deciding how firm we should defend our beliefs. According to this bullseye diagram, the center should be our deepest held beliefs that we should be willing to “die for”, the middle ring should be what we “defend”, and the outside ring should be simply “discussed”. DISCUSS How can this tool be helpful when you have questions about your faith that you don’t fully understand? How can we use wisdom in assigning our beliefs to where they belong in this diagram? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group in order to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be: If you are comfortable sharing, what questions do you have about faith? What steps could we take as a group to make this a comfortable place to ask tough questions? What person could you meet up with this week to discuss your top five questions you have about faith? Closing As we build our faith on Jesus and his teachings, we need to feel free to be curious about what we learn. Part of how we can be curious is to go through this growth journey together with other believers. The wonderful thing is that you have a community of people around you right now to go through this process of being curious in the way you construct your faith. Let’s lean on each other to get the most out of this experience together! Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: Psalms 25:4-5 Day 2: Psalms 32:8 Day 3: Psalms 131:1-2 Day 4: 1 Corinthians 16:11 Day 5: Proverbs 3:5-6 Day 6: John 14:21 The post Curious You appeared first on Journey of Faith.

What’s the best way to navigate the journey of faith? How do we best go about constructing our faith for the first time, or reconstructing some well-worn area of belief that needs revisiting? During our new four-week series Faith Under Construction, we’ll focus on what it takes to tackle the challenge of putting together a faith that lasts. We’ll begin by putting our focus on the foundation: Jesus himself, as our guide and best example. House on the Rock Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their Easter holiday went. What were the highs and lows of their last week? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Key Verse Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Opening Our faith, when built well and founded on the teachings of Jesus, should be solid in the face of difficulties or storms that may appear in our lives. Unfortunately, many of us may have chosen to build some parts of our faith on our own or by listening to people or traditions that may not be completely founded on Jesus and his teachings. What might look okay at first, may be much more brittle than we realize and, if left unchecked, could become unstable and fall apart, leaving our faith in pieces that we don’t know what to do with. Building our faith well is essential, which means sometimes we need to refine and remove things from what we believe that are either untrue or misaligned when compared to what Jesus taught. Big idea for the week: We can lay a strong foundation for our faith. Connect What were some things you believed when you were younger that you later learned were not true? What did you learn growing up that turned out to not be healthy for you? Was there anything relating to your faith that you later learned was not true or healthy for you? What makes a person wise or an expert at something? Who do you view as a wise person or expert to listen to concerning how to live life? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ Mark 8:34 Galatians 5:25 DISCUSS What areas of your life do you have difficulty letting Jesus be your guide when it comes to growth? What is the main reason you would have difficulty trusting that the Lord will guide you well in all aspects of your life? READ Luke 6:46-49 Psalms 37:23-24 DISCUSS Which one do you believe is more important to the life of a Christian: knowing or obeying the teachings of Jesus? How well do you live out this belief in the way you orient your time and priorities each day? How can you choose to build your faith wisely upon the teachings of Jesus in a practical way? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group in order to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be: What is one area in your life you can let Jesus be your guide in from now on? What is one practice of Jesus’ teachings you can choose to follow this week? What is the best way for your group to help you be diligent in these action steps over the course of the next week and beyond? Closing Just like constructing a building, part of growing in our faith well requires that we take an honest look at ourselves and make sure that we are standing on strong ground. Sometimes this means we need to make the difficult decision of breaking our faith down to the most basic beliefs so we can start from the ground up. We must do this wisely, however, and complete the construction, even if it takes a while. Together, with Jesus as our guide, we can make our faith stronger than it has ever been, as we build ourselves up in a healthy way. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: Psalms 34:8 Day 2: Matthew 5 Day 3: Matthew 6 Day 4: Matthew 7 Day 5: Proverbs 4:27 Day 6: John 15:8 The post House on the Rock appeared first on Journey of Faith.

Life is not about us—it’s about Jesus’ mission of love and forgiveness. Instead of making life about us, Jesus invites us into a healthy spirituality. As we finish our series on the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday, we will look at the story of when Jesus’ entered the gates of Jerusalem with people celebrating him as their King! We’ll be invited to take practical steps to welcome Jesus as the King of our lives. Welcome King Jesus Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their week is going. What are some of their highs and lows? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Key Verse John 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”  Opening It can be easy to become hyper-focused on ourselves in our culture. Many times, the message we hear glorifies the idea of doing everything for ourselves, because we are the number one person that matters. However, that idea creates a tension for followers of Jesus. When we read the story of Jesus, it becomes apparent that he does not want us to only think about ourselves, because the truth is that we are not the main character of our lives – he is. As we approach Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus as the King of the universe, we must ask ourselves this question: Is Jesus the King of my life? If so, how can I put Jesus as the center of every part of my life?  Making him King of everything in our lives is something that will help us rejoice and celebrate God’s leadership. Big Idea for the Week: We can celebrate that Jesus is the King of our lives. Connect Take a moment to think about how you spend your time each week. What fills your time the most? What does it mean for something to be the center, or ruler/king, of your life? What would an objective observer think is the most important thing in, or at the center of, your life, based on how you spend each day? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ John 15:9-11 Colossians 2:6-7 DISCUSS The verses in the book of John we just read come from Jesus speaking to his disciples about how to follow him well. What do you think Jesus meant by the concept of remaining in his love? How can we put this into practice in our lives? In what specific aspects of your life do you find most difficult to be faithful to God in? Why would following God faithfully and building our lives on him lead us to thankfulness? When have you experienced this? READ Matthew 5:14-16 Matthew 28:19-20 DISCUSS How could trusting Jesus in every part of your life change your relationship with Jesus and others? How can our lives reflect the goodness of Jesus and his teachings to others because of our reliance on him? What should us making Jesus the center of our lives cause us to do, according to the two verses we just read? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group in order to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be: The idea of Jesus being at the center of our lives is not restricted to the shameful or sinful parts of our lives; we should give all things to him. What is one good area of your life you can focus on putting Jesus at the center of this week? How can the group help you stay committed to this goal for the week? How can you give yourself and each other grace, without being complacent in this process? Closing As believers of Jesus grow in their faith, there should be a natural progression from simple faith and acceptance of who he is to following Jesus in every aspect of their lives. This goes for all things in our lives, the good and the bad. Sometimes we can focus on only the ugly or painful things, but Jesus invites us to make everything in our lives reflect him: our jobs, our demeanor, our finances, and our relationships. As we embrace Jesus as our King and center of our lives, let’s try to take simple steps each day to put him at the center of all parts of our lives. We can do this together, with Jesus and the Bible guiding us! Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: John 14:6 Day 2: Isaiah 33:22 Day 3: Philippians 3:20 Day 4: John 15:4 Day 5: Ephesians 3:14-19 Day 6: 1 Chronicles 29:11-12 The post Welcome King Jesus appeared first on Journey of Faith.

We do not have endless time and energy. Building our lives around the world’s constant demands will lead us to exhaustion, broken relationships, and a disconnection from our own soul. Instead of living without limits, Jesus invites us into a healthy spirituality. In this message we’ll look at how Jesus ordered his life around healthy spiritual rhythms which helped keep him vitally available for whatever life threw his way. Begin New Spiritual Rhythms Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their week is going. What are some of their highs and lows? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Key Verse Isaiah 26:3-4 “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal rock.”  Opening The world pushes and pulls us in many ways. One of the most obvious ways we can see this is when we take note of our level of energy output compared to what we feel we need to accomplish, or which demands we need to meet. Whether this expectation is placed on us by our culture, family, or even ourselves, life is not supposed to be a contest to see how much you can catch up before you fall behind again. Quite the opposite, in fact. When we look at the life of Jesus, we can see that God, invites us to slow down, take a breath, and know that he is God. One of the ways he invites us to do this is through practical, regular rhythms that orient our minds and our bodies around God.  Big idea for the week: We can find new spiritual rhythms of life with God. Connect Jason talked on Sunday about the unhealthy demands we place on ourselves to feel like a functioning part of our world. What are some ways you feel this tenson in your own life? What are your personal signs you are functioning in a healthy way? What are your indications of functioning in an unhealthy way? Which spiritual rhythms have you established in your life? Which rhythms have you wanted to establish, but are difficult to make happen? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ James 1:22 Psalms 119:105 DISCUSS What role does apathy play in your application of what you read in the Bible? Why does it matter if you have regular spiritual practices in your life? READ Mark 1:35 Matthew 6:5-6 Matthew 11:28-29 DISCUSS How did Jesus typically spend time in prayer? What, then, should our times of prayer look like? When was the last time you had a consistent routine of prayer in your life? What is your experience with placing times of intentional, spiritually focused rest (otherwise known as “sabbath”), into your life? How could implementing prayer and sabbath into your life give you rest? What could that look like, practically? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group in order to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be: What elements of your life could you place limits on to make space for God to connect with you? How can you take steps to implement a system of spiritually focused rest into your life? What are some ways your group can help you be effective in your practice of spiritual rhythms this week and beyond? Closing To be able to imitate God and walk in love like Christ, we need to be spiritually healthy. Establishing new spiritual rhythms or being faithful in the rhythms we practice already is necessary to do this. A person cannot help someone swim if they are already drowning. This week, take some time to think through, and then establish, the spiritual practices of prayer and sabbath into your life. Remember, this can be a slow process to do well and be committed to, but it starts with a first step. Thankfully, you have a system of people around you right now to help you along the way. Let’s do our best to begin or continue putting these spiritual rhythms into practice in our lives, to connect better with God and find true rest. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: Psalms 23:1-3 Day 2: Nahum 1:7 Day 3: Romans 15:13 Day 4: Leviticus 23:3 Day 5: Psalms 34:8 Day 6: Psalms 73:26 The post Begin New Spiritual Rhythms appeared first on Journey of Faith.

There are times in life when we just “hit a wall.” It could be the loss of a relationship, a personal failure, a mental health crisis, an unexpected diagnosis, or an unbearable season of feeling disconnected from God. Instead of denying our real feelings or spiritualizing them away, Jesus invites us into a healthy spirituality. In this message we’ll look at an event in the life of Elijah, an ancient Hebrew prophet who found God in the darkest moment of his life—and we’ll see how God meets us in our darkest moments too. Hear God’s Voice of Love in Your Dark Times Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their week is going. What are some of their highs and lows? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Key Verse Psalm 121:8 “The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” Opening There are many times where our lives feel like we are thriving! When this happens, we can have moments of great dedication to our health and our spiritual lives; we even make great strides towards knowing those around us relationally. Sometimes, however, we can get to a place where we feel like we are dry and have used up all we have to give, which can be exhausting in so many ways: relationally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally. The worst part about it is, in those times, it feels like nothing helps. The normal rhythms we use to remind ourselves of our worth and to hear God speaking to us seem spent or stale. We may even feel lonely or hopeless or disconnected from others in these moments.   Ancient Christian writers call this feeling “The Dark Night of the Soul” and it can seem like it came out of the blue or it can be brought on by a sudden painful event. This can be extremely taxing to work through, but God invites us to see our darkest moments as opportunities for him to work in our lives. This leads us to our big idea for the week: Big Idea for the week: We can be transformed by God through our darkest moments. Connect What are some indicators of someone who is going through a hard time? How do you express yourself to those around you in difficult or stressful times? When have you experienced “hitting a wall” in your life, where you are emotionally, spiritually, or physically exhausted? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ Lamentations 3:19-26 DISCUSS Why do you think God allows us to get to a place in our lives where we feel exhausted or like we have “hit a wall”? How do you think God speaks to us during the dark times in our lives? How do you think God wants us to respond? READ Psalms 139:7-12 Psalms 34:17-20 DISCUSS Sometimes when we go through difficulties, there can be a tendency to either over-spiritualize or ignore the hardships we have. How can we avoid these pitfalls? What are some ways that God reminds you that you are not alone and are loved in your life? When you are going through a dark time, what is encouraging to you? Describe a time you were encouraged well by someone. Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group in order to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be: Sometimes, we have a hard time feeling God’s presence and that is challenging to go through. What is one new way you can remember God’s love and faithfulness for you this week? Who is one person you can remind of God’s love, acceptance, and provision this week? How can your group help you in your application process this week? Closing When we feel spent and there is nothing but a wall in front of us, we can remember God’s faithfulness and that he is with us. This doesn’t mean we need to spiritualize our struggles away or hide them, thinking it will all be okay. God wants us to invite him into all parts of our lives: emotional, physical, relational, intellectual, and spiritual.  He wants to walk through difficult times with you. As we gradually push through these walls, we can also be a light in dark times to others, pointing them toward relying on God’s love and remembering that they are not alone. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: Philippians 4:6 Day 2: Nahum 1:7 Day 3: Deuteronomy 31:8 Day 4: Psalms 23:4 Day 5: Psalms 16:8-11 Day 6: John 16:33 The post Hear God’s Voice of Love in Your Dark Times appeared first on Journey of Faith.

In our desire to move ahead in life we sometimes ignore, suppress or minimize the influence of our past—especially the more difficult parts. But Jesus invites us into a healthy spirituality that includes our past! This weekend Pastor Alex Grahmann looks at the story of Joseph, an ancient Hebrew leader, to see God how God’s loving presence, even in the most painful times in our past, can help us experience God’s good future for us—and for those around us. Let God Heal Your Past Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their week is going. What are some of their highs and lows? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Key Verse Psalm 34:8  “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” Opening Everyone goes through challenging seasons, even if they are different for each person. This may be the loss of a loved one or painful relationship experience. Time tends to help these difficult circumstances be less painful, but that does not mean we have all healed from these experiences well.  Negative experiences can be like a broken bone which, if not set back in place properly, will heal poorly.  Unfortunately, sometimes we decide to try simply moving on from our past and hoping it doesn’t affect our future. God, however, invites us into something much healthier: he wants us to give everything to him and believe in his good plan, so he can heal us properly. This is not just an invitation to give God who you are now, but an invitation to give God your past experiences also, so we can understand how we fit into his story.   This leads us to our big idea for the week: Big Idea for the week: We should see our past as part of a good future with God. Connect Think of some positive past events in your life. What’s the first positive experience that comes to mind? What’s your first gut reaction when you think about past hardships? Why do you think you respond this way? How have you typically dealt with painful events in your life? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ Psalm 13:1-4 DISCUSS Why do you believe God allows people to go through difficult experiences? How do you think God responds when we express our frustration with him and his plan? When was the last time you did this? How was that experience? READ Lamentations 3:31-33 DISCUSS How does this verse make you feel about God’s love when you were going through difficulty in your past? READ Psalm 13:5-6 DISCUSS How can we see God’s goodness in the difficult parts of our lives? Why is seeing God’s goodness, especially in challenging moments, an important step for someone who is dealing with past hurt? READ 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 DISCUSS Are there any experiences in your life that you’ve moved past, but haven’t fully allowed to heal? If you are comfortable, would you share one of these examples? How does knowing God is the source of our comfort change how we can go through difficult times in the future? How can viewing your painful experiences as a part of a good future God has for us help others in their lives? Apply The application today is an exercise to practice this topic in our lives. Try your best to do this exercise over the course of this week and then come together as a group to discuss how it went next week: Throughout this week, take a few minutes every day to reflect on the difficult moments in your life. You can choose whatever is more helpful to you, whether reflecting on one difficult experience a day or reflecting on one difficult experience throughout the whole week. Try to locate how God was working in those times. This process might take some time to go through, especially if it’s new to you, but try to use this next week as a jumping point for allowing God to heal our past. A few helpful places to start are asking these questions: “Where did God bring me because of this?” “Who am I able to help because I went through this?” “Were there ways that my life was changed for the better because of this?” “How can I ask someone else to help me through this process of healing?” If you are already in a place where you are processing this topic, that’s wonderful! For you, reflect on your life as well, but ask instead, “How can I help someone to go through this process of healing with God”? Closing Seek to open yourself up to the good things that God has been doing in your life. It can be difficult to think through these things while in the middle of difficult times, but the hope is that, with time and patience and consistency, we can become closer to God through this process. This will probably take some time, so don’t rush through it. Allow others into this process, if you feel comfortable. God will be with you along this journey because he loves you, and as we grow, we can help others through thi

What defines your identity: your performance, your possessions, your popularity… your passions? Instead of letting these define our identity, we get our identity from who God created us to be! In this message, we begin our journey into healthy spirituality. We will see how Adam and Eve opened themselves to false versions of themselves, but Jesus invites us to live the authentic lives we have been destined to experience! Find Your True Identity in God Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how your week is going. What are some of the highs and lows? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Memory Verse Ephesians 2:10  “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Opening Our culture makes a lot of statements about how we should view our identity, saying it should be about performance, wealth, popularity, possessions, the American dream, etc. Jesus claimed something different. Here’s the tension: we live in a culture that claims our identity is personal and individual only, but this takes us out of the original intention for our lives: to live in healthy relationship with God. When we live without this original intention, we lose the true version of who we are meant to be. Alternatively, God invites and encourages us to define our identity around him and his love. When we embrace this invitation to identify ourselves through who God made us to be, we live our lives with the true version of who we are meant to be. Sometimes we can get these two ways of viewing our identity mixed up, however, so this week we are going to discuss how we can reorganize ourselves according to what God says our identity should look like. This leads us to our big idea for the week: Big Idea for the week: We can find our true identity in a relationship with God. Connect What is the purpose of identity? Why does it matter how you’re viewed by other people? Where do you think your view on identity comes from? What do identify your personal identity as? How do you think those elements of your identity were formed and where did they come from? How has your identity changed over time? Why did these changes happen? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. The first verses we are going to read come from the book of Psalms, which is a collection of songs from various people. This specific one comes from King David, one of the key people in the history of Israel, and one of Jesus’ ancestors, Take note of how David views himself in his relationship to God. READ Psalms 139:13-16 DISCUSS How, according to the verses we just read, do you think David views his identity? What do you think your friends, family, and coworkers would assume you find your identity in, based on the way you live your life? READ Ephesians 4:21-24 Colossians 3:1-4 DISCUSS What does it look like to let the Holy Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes, practically? What does it mean to “think about the things of heaven, not the things of the earth”? How often do you live in a way that portrays this worldview? What challenges keep you from living this way? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group in order to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be: What is one area of your life that you need to reorganize around Jesus in order to help him shape your identity? What steps can you take to begin this process? How can you view your life and actions differently this week because of your identity? How can the group help keep you accountable in these efforts over the course of this week? Closing When we live with a false sense of who we are, we cannot fully put Jesus at the center of our lives, which can be harmful. The good news that God gives us is that we are uniquely made and have different personalities, gifts, and talents, and Jesus desires for us to be with him as our true selves. Even though we are different people, we all are invited to find our identity in Jesus and base our lives around him together. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: Galatians 2:20 Day 2: 1 Peter 2:9 Day 3: 2 Corinthians 5:17 Day 4: Philippians 3:20 Day 5: Galatians 3:26 Day 6: Ephesians 5:8 The post Find Your True Identity in God appeared first on Journey of Faith.

Our friendships can help us move toward God or away from God. As we finish our series on Friendship Essentials, will explore the topic of alignment. The closer our friends, the more they should help us move toward God’s great mission of love and forgiveness. Value Alignment Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week, CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how last week’s application went. How have you developed in the way you view and treat friendships over the past 4 weeks? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Memory Verse Romans 12:4-5  “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” Opening Alignment within friendships is important for lasting relationships with others because it determines the direction of the relationship. Friendships that are misaligned due to place of life, personal interests, or faith can, unfortunately, be difficult to maintain; if we are not careful, this can cause our friendships to fail. This doesn’t mean we need to abandon those we don’t align with, but instead should seek to connect in the ways we can and try to align ourselves more. In fact, one way we can seek alignment in our friendships is by seeing them as one way to reflect God’s own friendship with us. If we make faith and relationship with God a key component to those we are closest to, then we can grow, not only in our friendships but our faith in God.   This leads us to our big idea for the week: Big Idea for the weekWe can move closer to God through our friendships.  Connect Do you think you attract friends that are the same or different than you? Why? How necessary do you think alignment, meaning unity of thought or direction, is within friendships? Why? How can alignment of beliefs affect your friendships? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ Read Philippians 1:27 DISCUSS Why do you think Paul is confident that his audience will be united in spirit and purpose if they live “in a manner according to the Good News about Christ”? The next section of verses is an excerpt of Jesus’ prayer right before the Jewish leaders arrest him. Within it, Jesus is asking for his followers (specifically his twelve apostles) to be protected and united after he is gone. As you read, pay attention to how Jesus talks about his relationship with God and how that should affect his followers’ relationship with themselves. READ Read John 17:20-23 DISCUSS Why do you think Jesus includes this section in his prayer for his followers? How does your alignment with Jesus affect your alignment with your friends? While spiritual alignment in friendships is powerful, why is it also important to have friendships with people who believe differently than us? READ Romans 15:5-7 DISCUSS Is it always easy to “live in complete harmony” with others? Why or why not? What result does Paul (the author of Romans) describe happens when we are aligned with other followers of Christ? What hinders you from accepting others entirely into your life? How does knowing God accepted you change this? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group in order to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be: The verses we just read describe a specific way of how to live with others. What is the benefit of living this way? What steps can we take to do this? What friendships do you have that you can be more aligned with? What will that look like? How is your alignment with Jesus? How strongly do you desire alignment with Jesus? Why? How can your group help you to become more aligned with Jesus? Closing When we seek to be aligned, not only with God but also with our friendships, we can view each other as a team or a family with a common goal of moving closer to God and spreading his story to the communities around us that might not know Jesus very well. Aligning ourselves well in our friendships is one way we can practice living like Jesus teaches in the Bible while also helping each other grow. This week’s lesson, as well as the lessons from the rest of this series, are important and helpful as we continue to try to build upon the friendships in our lives and encourage others to do the same. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: John 13:35 Day 2: Proverbs 27:17 Day 3: 1 Corinthians 12:12 Day 4: Psa

Every friendship will eventually face tension. Sometimes that tension will be the beginning of the end, as friendships fizzle and fade. But what if there was another option? This week we’ll look at Jesus‘ example of using the power of forgiveness to reinvigorate even the most challenging friendships. Experience Forgiveness Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how last week’s application went. What were the highs and lows of your week? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Memory Verse Matthew 5:7 “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Opening Friendships are wonderful, but they can be difficult to work through sometimes. Unfortunately, this can lead to people hurting each other because of their actions or words. When this is unresolved, it can create a strong tension that can destroy a friendship. Thankfully, in the Bible, we read that Jesus not only knew these tensions happen, but also that this tension doesn’t have to be the end of a relationship. He showed that forgiveness is an essential part of a strong, developed relationship by giving us an example of how to love and forgive others well. Today, as we look at the friendship essential of forgiveness, we will see that when we do our best to ask for forgiveness from those we hurt or forgive those that have hurt us, we can find resolution and peace within our relationships. This leads us to our big idea for the week: Big Idea for the week: God invites us to experience the power of forgiveness in our friendships.  Connect Within your friendships, are you typically the person forgiving or the person asking for forgiveness? Have you found it easy or difficult to forgive people in your life? Have you ever believed you won’t be able to forgive one of your friends? What ended up happening with that relationship? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ Mark 11:25 Colossians 3:12-13 DISCUSS What is the difference between forgiveness and reconciling with someone? How important are both actions in a relationship? What does “making allowance for each other’s faults” mean? How can we do this consistently? What does living in peace with everyone around you look like, practically? What is the difference between seeking peace and allowing abuse in friendships? How can we manage this difference? READ Luke 6:35-36 Matthew 6:14-15 DISCUSS How does our culture think about love and forgiveness? How does this differ from how Jesus teaches in the two sections of verses we just read? How can reminding ourselves of God’s forgiveness for us help to forgive others? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be:  Are there areas where you need to ask for forgiveness or to forgive within a relationship this week? What are some ways you can work to reconcile with someone you have tension with over the course of this week? How can you rely on God to help you pursue peace in your friendships? What are some practical steps you can begin taking? Closing Jesus knew that when forgiveness is given and received, people gain the freedom to build stronger relationships, so he went out of his way to show his followers his presence and leave an example of how to live well with others during tensions. Jesus invites us to follow this example! The basis for Jesus’ example comes from his death for our sake; because Jesus died for us physically, we can metaphorically “die” to our own desires. Jesus put everyone’s needs above his own so we love others by putting their needs above ours as well. This example is an invitation to love as he loved and, while we should not open ourselves to destruction or abuse in our friendships, we are challenged by Jesus’ forgiveness to walk through tension toward resolution, fueled by his love. Let’s do this together with Jesus as our guide! Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: Matthew 6:9-13 Day 2: Ephesians 4:26-27 Day 3: 1 Peter 3:9 Day 4: 1 John 4:20-21 Day 5: Luke 6:27-31 Day 6: Hebrews 12:14-15 The post Experience Forgiveness appeared first on Journey of Faith.

Friendships should be fun and easy! At least, that is what many of us are prone to believe. But, this belief will limit our friendships when other emotions are necessary. This week we’ll look at the friendship essential of emotional connection. Learning from the Book of Proverbs and seeing examples from Jesus’ own friendships, we will discover how a deeper understanding of our own emotions can help us find better connections and more meaningful relationships with our friends. Connect Emotionally Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week, CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how last week’s application went. What were the highs and lows of your week? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Memory Verse Colossians 3:12 “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Opening Have you ever had a friendship that feels emotionally one-dimensional? This can look like an avoidance of discussing anything difficult within each other’s lives or, even worse, ignoring anything other than positive emotions in your relationship with someone. When friendships only revolve around positivity, it can lead to an emotional disconnect, which can make it difficult to fully trust each other. Emotional health in friendships requires looking beyond the easy parts of a person’s life and digging a bit deeper. By being willing to empathize and be emotionally vulnerable with our friends, we will be able to secure more stable and loving relationships. Today, we will explore how to allow our friendships to flourish by connecting emotionally. This leads us to our big idea for the week: Big Idea for the weekGod invites us to experience the power of shared emotion in friendships.  Connect Are you in tune with yourself emotionally? How do you gauge your own emotional health? How much of a role do you give emotions in your life? Do you think emotion is a healthy or unhealthy part of your life? Why? What role do emotions play in your friendships? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ Romans 12:15 1 Corinthians 9:22 DISCUSS How do these Bible verses compare to the way emotions were expressed in the household in which you grew up? How has your childhood emotional experience impacted your current view of emotional expression? What do these verses say that could relate to emotional regulation? What do you think unhealthy and healthy emotional regulation looks like in a person’s life? Have you ever been ignored or comforted poorly when trying to express emotion in a friendship? How did that feel? The next set of verses comes from a book of the Bible called Job, which is a story about a wealthy, righteous man in the ancient middle east who experiences great loss and struggles to understand why it happened to him. These three verses describe the immediate reaction that Job’s friends had after they heard of his loss. Pay attention to how they act. READ Job 2:11-13 DISCUSS What do these verses teach us friendship can look like when your friend is in distress or grief? What do you feel is the role of emotions in the spiritual life? How can that affect your friendships? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be:  How can you take a step towards understanding yourself a little better emotionally this week? How can you invite God to be a part of that process? What areas in your life do you think you should address when it comes to being able to connect with others emotionally? What is one new friendship you can be emotionally vulnerable in? How can the group help you stay accountable in an area of growth for you this week? Closing Part of being a good friend is being both emotionally available and emotionally healthy. These two things will help not only to start new friendships well but to build upon the ones you currently have. As you go forward this week, try your best not to do this alone. Prayer and community with others are essential if we want to connect emotionally in our spiritual life and friendships. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. Day 1: Proverbs 16:23-24 Day 2: Matthew 7:12 Day 3: Acts 20:25 Day 4: Galatians 5:22-23 Day 5: Job 6:14 Day 6: Hebrews 13:1-2 The post Connect Emotionally appeared first on Journey of Faith.

Many of our friendships center around shared interests; we have the same hobbies and interests or spend time together doing activities that we both enjoy. But what if our friendships had the shared value of helping each other be and become better versions of ourselves? This week, we’ll look at the friendship essential to mutual growth. Coming from the great wisdom of the Book of Proverbs, Jesus shows us how we can embrace God’s good plan for personal growth and invite our friends to speak into our lives! Prioritize Growth Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week, CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how last week’s application went. After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Memory Verse Psalm 19:14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heartbe pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Read this verse to your group first, then encourage the practice of memorization throughout the week. Opening Friendships are established in many ways, from being on a team together to living next door to each other as kids to having common interests with each other. For some, this is great because they can establish their friendships quickly and easily. The problem, however, is that not all these reasons lead us to lasting or even healthy friendships. There needs to be more to a relationship than shallow interests or where you live. True healthy, lasting friendships need to mutually build each other up, sometimes through difficulty and friction, in order to become strong. We see this in the bible in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” This means that for friendships to grow and be good, there must be a “sharpening” in our friendship to help us be more effective in this world. How can we do this? Big Idea for this weekWe should be committed to mutual growth in friendships.  Connect What kinds of friendships in your life have lasted the longest? The shortest? Do your friendships typically help you grow? Why or why not? What barriers have you found within your interpersonal growth? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ Proverbs 13:18 Galatians 6:1-2 DISCUSS Is giving or receiving input from others more difficult for you? Why? Think of a time when your feedback was received positively and/or negatively. How did that experience affect you? How would you define the difference between helping each other grow and being judgmental? At what point do you think empathy within friendships becomes harmful? READ 1 John 3:16-19 DISCUSS How do you think God challenges us to be better versions of ourselves? How do you react to these challenges? Do you think our actions or words say more about how we feel about someone? Why do you think this? The verses we just read speak about loving people like Jesus did, in a sacrificial (or unselfish) way. When was a time you experienced love like this in your life? What about in your friendships? What could your life look like if you treated your friends in this way? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be:  What space in our lives have you created for others to give you feedback? Name one way you can begin to improve on this over the course of this series. What is one area in your life that the group can help you grow in this week to become a better version of yourself? Who is one friend you can ask to provide you with loving feedback about your life this week? How can the group keep you accountable for doing this? Closing As we learn to become better and more loving in the way we interact with our friendships, honesty and compassion, and grace for others are important. Over the course of this week and beyond, let’s continue to ask God to help us establish or build upon the culture of healthy feedback within our friendships. With God’s help, we can do this together to attain stronger and long-lasting friendships that glorify Jesus to those around us. Afterward, ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer, then share the Key Verse for the Week and Daily Devotional Verses with the group. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.K. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture, what do you observe?Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Kneel: This is a chance to pray about what you have read and learned. Day 1: John 13:35 Day 2: Proverbs 27:17 Day 3: James 1:19-20 Day 4: 1 Peter 1:22 Day 5: Matthew 18:15 Day 6: Romans 12:9-10 The post Prioritize Growth appeared first on Journey of Faith.

Recent studies have revealed a growing epidemic in the realm of friendships: people are reporting having fewer friends or even no friends and feeling less satisfied with the friendships they do have. Is there anything we can do to reverse this trend? A great place to start would be to realize that Jesus called his followers his “friends” and lived a life defined by great friendships. As a Jewish man in first-century Palestine, we know he would have read the Bible book of Proverbs, a collection of time-tested wisdom that includes powerful insights on friendship. During this five-week series, we’ll see how the Proverbs Jesus loved can help us improve our ability to give and receive friendship and how we can be counted among Jesus’ friends. Choose Friendship Group Discussion Guide To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE Introduction Spend a few minutes making sure everyone is has a chance to get to know each other, especially if there are new people. Discuss with your group how winter break was for them. What were the highs and lows? After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer. Key Verse for the Week 1 John 4:7 “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.” Read this verse to your group first, then encourage the practice of memorization throughout the week. Opening Friendships are easier when people are young because we don’t have much say in what happens in our lives. Our parents or guardians determine where we live and go to school so our options of who we are friends with are mostly limited to those around us. As we grow older, however, we begin the process of being able to choose our friendships a little more intentionally. For adults, this is both a blessing and a curse. We can choose who our friends are now, but now we have so many options and so little time because of work, family, hobbies, etc. For many, this can cause a sense of loneliness in their lives because they have either fewer friends or no friends at all. Jesus has something to say about this. As we start this series on Friendship Essentials, we will be looking at how to pursue, establish, and build healthy friendships together. Let’s start by looking at one way Jesus and his followers thought about and acted within friendships by looking at our big idea for the week. Big Idea for this weekWe can be intentional about our friendships.  Connect What have your friendships looked like throughout your life? Why do you have the friends you have now? What hesitancies or barriers do you have when thinking about being intentional in friendships? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ Mark 12:30-31 Philippians 2:1-4 DISCUSS What do you think loving your neighbor as yourself means? How could people living like this change the role loneliness has in people’s lives? How could this change the way that people see friendships? If you are comfortable, share what role loneliness has played in your life. READ John 15:9-14 DISCUSS In these verses, Jesus describes some of the qualities he sees as being essential for great friendships. What role does intentionality play in the challenges he’s describing? What does it mean to love another person in friendship? Do you think about your spiritual life as a friendship to God? Why or why not? What do you think friendship with God looks like? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group in order to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be: How could the verses we have read tonight help you improve the way you think about and/or act in your friendships? How can you use what we have learned to improve your current friendships this week? What about to start a new friendship? What parts of your friendships or your mindset towards friendships could use more intentionality? How can you be more intentional in these areas this week? Closing To close this week’s discussion, we want each person to experience what being intentional in your friendships can look like practically. Giving someone encouragement can be the first or next step in your journey towards intentional friendships – both inside and outside of your group. Being able to vocalize what we value about others is a great way to show intentionality. If comfortable, have each person share a sentence or two about something encouraging that you notice about someone in your group. You can share something specific or general, about one person or multiple, depending on your level of comfort. This can be an extended thought or just a few words of encouragement for the group. If you are a brand new group, go around and give examples of ways you would want someone to be intentional with you in your friendships. What are some steps you could take to do these things in you

For the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring some of the beautiful and powerful names for God used in the Bible. But if we asked God directly, what would he say his name is? This week we’ll explore a story from the Old Testament in which a famous hero of faith asks God that very question and gets a surprising answer. We’ll learn how, by understanding God’s name, we can have a whole new connection to him. The post I AM: Our Lord appeared first on Journey of Faith.

One of the most personal ways Jesus referred to God is as Father. He even recommended prayer our prayers to begin with “Our Father.” The word “father” can bring many different thoughts and feelings to mind. Pastor Jason looks at some of what it means to call God our Father and how in our times of hurt, we can experience the parental compassion of God. The post ABBA: Our Father appeared first on Journey of Faith.

Pastor Jason kicks off the AKA God series as he shares how we can experience God as Elohim—the Creator of all things good and beautiful. The post ELOHIM: Our Creator appeared first on Journey of Faith.

New Year’s 2023 Message The post The Power of the Pause appeared first on Journey of Faith.

What should we do when life doesn’t go as planned? We can believe that God is directing us to divine detours! Christmas reminds us that God’s love directs our lives. Pastor Jason looks at a prophecy about the infant Jesus becoming a refugee in Egypt, and we’ll explore how God is still in the business of guiding us to safety and peace. The post Divine Detours appeared first on Journey of Faith.

We always wait for that next big thing—that job, that relationship, healing, and event that will move us up in life. But God is at work in the small things. Christmas reminds us that God’s greatest work comes from a place of humility. Pastor Jason looks at one of the great Bible prophecies about Jesus’ birth: that the King of Kings would be born in a poor, defenseless village. We’ll explore how we can be more aware of God’s power in our lives, especially when we feel weak and vulnerable.   The post Humble Beginnings appeared first on Journey of Faith.

What can we do when life doesn’t make sense? We can trust that God is with us! Rather than praying and waiting for God to “show up” and do something, Christmas reminds us that God is already here! As we start our new message Series The Wait Is Over, Pastor Alex Grahmann will look at one of the great Bible prophecies fulfilled by Jesus birth, the promise of “God with us.” We’ll explore how we can be more aware of God’s presence in our lives, especially when life doesn’t seem to make sense. The post Miraculous Arrival appeared first on Journey of Faith.

THANKS+GIVING. It’s more than a holiday food-fest. God has designed within us a powerful connection between gratitude and generosity. Join us this weekend for worship, communion, and an invitation to “let our thanks lead to giving to God and others!” The post Thanks + Giving appeared first on Journey of Faith.

During the Get Ready series, we’ve learned that preparing for Jesus’ return isn’t about just sitting around and waiting; we have important things to do while we wait! This weekend Pastor Jill Lewolt takes a look at three areas that Paul thinks are important to pay attention to while we live in the waiting: our time, our mind, and one another. Pay Attention Group Discussion Guide Introduction Debrief as a group about last week. What was the “High” and “Low” from the week so far? How did last week’s application go? After debriefing the past week, begin your time with prayer. Memory Verse “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13 Opening This week we are talking about how we can honor God with our time while we wait for the return of Jesus. The books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians teach that this can happen in a few different ways: working, living quietly, and caring for others. This week in your group, discuss how we can incorporate our time around God while not distracting ourselves and others from the teachings of Jesus. This is one way we can seek to be diligent, not growing tired of doing good around us, and persevering in our calling to teach the things Jesus taught. This leads us to our big idea: Big Idea for this weekWe should pay attention to what is most important as we prepare for Jesus’ return. Connect How often do you think you become distracted from important things in your life? Why? Give an example if you are comfortable. What do you think the difference between rest and being idle is? Why is it easier to persevere through difficulty when the good end is in sight? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 DISCUSS When you work, do you view it as a way of glorifying God? Why or why not? What do you think your work ethic says about your relationship with God? How can working hard allow you to care for others around you? READ 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 DISCUSS What do you think it means to “live a quiet life”, as it states in verse 11? What is the purpose of doing this when waiting for Jesus’ return? What would it look like to stay busy in a healthy way? What is the harm in not doing this? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are a few things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these application questions as a group: What are some ways that we can live out our faith in practical ways every day with our time? In our work? In how do we care for others? In our demeanor? How can we apply this entire series (having the right motives, expecting challenges, pursuing purity, living in hope, and paying attention) to our lives as we wait for the return of Jesus? What is one practical step you can commit to following for the rest of the year that will help you pay attention to God? How can the group help you follow this commitment? Closing As we end this series, remember why the things we have discussed are important. Jesus is alive and moving and active; correct motives, expecting challenges, purity, hope, and paying attention are all also active processes and help us live well while we wait for Jesus’ return. Continue in your desire to grow closer to Jesus and follow the teachings we have discussed during this series. Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.K. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture, what do you observe?Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Kneel: This is a chance to pray about what you have read and learned. Day 1: Proverbs 16:19-20 Day 2: Galatians 6:4 Day 3: Philippians 2:4 Day 4: Ephesians 5:15-17 Day 5: 1 Peter 5:8 Day 6: Hebrews 3:1-4 The post Pay Attention appeared first on Journey of Faith.

God wants us to be encouraged about the future! This weekend we explore how the early Christians living in Thessalonica were anxious about the end of the world but learned to find hope and take steps to be ready for Jesus’ return—and how we can do the same. Keep Calm Group Discussion Guide Introduction Debrief as a group about last week. What was the “High” and “Low” from the week so far? How did last week’s application go? After debriefing the past week, begin your time with prayer. Memory Verse “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” John 16:33 Opening Anxiety about the end times is valid. There are so many questions to ask and very few direct answers to them. “What will it look like? Will I see my family again? How will Jesus return?” etc. These are the same questions that Christians have been asking for millennia, and while some things have been revealed, much is up for interpretation. One thing is clear, however: when thinking of the end times, we have hope in Jesus. This may be one of the more challenging topics for us to accept and apply because we will not be delving into specifics of “What will the end of times look like”. Instead, we will be discussing, “How do we react, no matter what it looks like?”. This might be frustrating because we just want to know what will happen, but the reality is that the Bible tells us much more about how we should orient ourselves during the end times than it tells us exactly how it will happen. Therefore, this should be our focus, no matter how the last times happen. Our hope is in Jesus; we should live with that in mind. God is in control, which should comfort us; we do not need to be afraid or anxious if we are following Jesus’ teachings. The end times should be something we look towards with joyful expectation because we know that Jesus will return. This leads us to our big idea: Big Idea for this weekWe should be encouraged by the coming of Jesus. Connect What have you grown up believing about the end times? What importance have you placed on thinking about this topic? What fears or anxiety do you have when it comes to what it will look like? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 DISCUSS What are some reasons we could become “shaken or alarmed”, as it states in verse 2, when thinking about the end times? READ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 DISCUSS How have you balanced anxiety and grieving with hope in your life? Share a time when you have grieved with hope. This next passage in Hebrews is speaking to, most likely, Jewish Christians to encourage them to persevere in their faith after the author has spent time detailing how much better their way of life and faith is compared to how it had been before Jesus. As you read this, put yourself in the shoes of the audience. READ Hebrews 10:32-39 DISCUSS What purpose is there to persevere in your faith? Why does this matter to you? How is this passage encouraging to you? Why? 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 presents the idea that Christians are “children of the light” who no longer walk in the “darkness” of their former ways before they were Christians. In what ways have you experienced this change from walking in darkness to walking in light? How has this experience changed the longer you have been a follower of Jesus? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are a few things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these application questions as a group: What is one step you could take this week to “live as children of the day”? What would it look like to actively anticipate Jesus’ return? How can we take steps to focus our minds and keep calm when looking towards the return of Jesus? How can we help those around us to live this way? Closing The desire to shut down and fear is understandable when thinking about the end times. Our calling as Christians, however, is to simply continue living as we always do, with the teachings of Jesus at the center of our lives. This week try to make living “as children of the day” a constant effort, remembering that God is the victor over fear and death yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The return of Jesus is something we should look forward to every day while remembering that, until that day, we are to love others around us with calm and sober minds and tell them about who Jesus is. Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.K. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture, what do you observe?Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Kneel: This is a chance to pray about what you have read and learned. Day 1: 1 Peter 1:3 Day 2: Hebrews 11:1 Day 3: Philippians 3:20 Day 4:

God has a beautiful plan for human intimacy. In this message, we explore how the early Christians living in Thessalonica honored God with their sexuality and how we can do the same. We’ll learn why we should honor our bodies as a part of a larger plan God has for our lives and how our sexual self-control is a way to love others. Pursue Purity Group Discussion Guide Introduction Debrief as a group about last week. What was the “High” and “Low” from the week so far? How did last week’s application go? After debriefing the past week, begin your time with prayer. Memory Verse “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 Opening Think of a time you used something in a way that went against its original intention. We do this all the time in our culture: People put milk in their cereal instead of drinking it, Listerine was invented as a surgical antiseptic, and Coca-Cola and 7Up were originally medicines. Sometimes, however, the intention of something is meant to be followed and not strayed from. Paul talks about this in his letter to the Thessalonians, stating that “God’s will is for you to be holy…,” specifically talking about staying away from sexual sin in our lives as we’re discussing how to live in the end times. This leads us to our big idea: Big Idea for this weekWe should honor God with our embodied selves. Connect When was a time that you used something in a way that it was not intended to be used? Why was it used that way? In what ways have you found yourself not living up to your purpose in your life? What do you think it means to be “embodied” in terms of our relationship with Jesus? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions. READ 1 Thessalonians 4:1-9 DISCUSS Our culture states that whatever feels good is acceptable, and we should do that. When have you found yourself falling into this thought process? Did that end in a positive or negative experience? Why? What do you think it means to “be holy”? Why is this important? Why does sexual purity matter? How can having a community help us live holy lives with our sexuality? What would this look like? READ Romans 8:12-16 DISCUSS What do you think it means to be “children of God”? How might your relationships and interactions with people change if you saw them as spiritual brothers and sisters? How would it change our sexual interactions? READ Matthew 7:1-2 DISCUSS This passage talks about how we will be judged and treated in the way that we treat others. Do you think we tend to rank certain sexual sins as more serious than other sins? Why or why not? How does Jesus’ teaching in this passage give us caution about how we think of others? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are a few things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these application questions as a group: How can we as a community help each other be pure with our sexuality through Jesus How can we be more empathetic to others that may be in a difficult time in their life when it comes to the topic of purity? How can we embody the life of Christ in our relationships with others this week? Why should we do this? Closing Living a life of sexual purity is, at its base level, a very similar conversation to what we have been going through the past two weeks. Just as we should be checking our motivations and expecting challenges in the end times, God’s will for us is to pursue purity in our relationships. Part of how we display the good news that Jesus came to proclaim is by showing that a life of devotion to Jesus is a better way to live than a life devoted to ourselves and the world. Accountability is an important factor in our pursuit of sexual purity. Therefore, is there a godly person in your life that you talk with about this topic? What can we do this week to identify a go-to person to meet with and share that portion of your life together? Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.K. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture, what do you observe?Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Kneel: This is a chance to pray about what you have read and learned. Day 1: Psalm 24:1-5 Day 2: James 1:27 Day 3: Colossians 3:1-2 Day 4: Philippians 1:27 Day 5: 2 Corinthians 7:1 Day 6: 2 Timothy 2:21-24 The post Pursue Purity appeared first on Journey of Faith.

God can give us what we need to face any challenge that comes our way. This Sunday, we explore how the early Christians living in Thessalonica held on to their faith in the face of persecution and how we can too! We’ll learn to see our current and future challenges as part of a larger battle that Jesus has already won and how to find endurance with our spiritual brothers and sisters. Expect Challenges Group Discussion Guide Memory Verse “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14 Opening Future events, unknown or otherwise, can present a unique set of challenges. Some of the most anxious times in many people’s lives concern the future, prompting questions such as: “What is going to happen?”, “Where will I be?”, “How will I handle what I go through?”, etc. These questions are all valid to have, but one of the main questions we need to ask is, “How does Jesus call us to live through challenges?”. This week we are talking about challenges: to expect them, accept them, and live well through them. We should take comfort in knowing that Jesus knows what we are going through, having gone through many of life’s hard moments, as well. As Christians, our main goal when looking towards the future and its difficulties should be to observe the life of Jesus and do our best to model our lives after it. When you look at Jesus’ life, it was not hindered by challenges; the life of Jesus was a constant pursuit of faithfulness in the way he spoke, thought, and interacted with others. This leads us to our big idea: Big Idea for this weekWe can hold onto our faith no matter how difficult life gets. Connect What is it about suspenseful movies or books that make you, or others you know, anxious? When you think about the future, what makes you anxious about it? What makes you excited? Do you react positively or negatively to difficulties in your life? Why? Unpack Go around your group and read each of the following verses. Don’t comment specifically after each one, but rather use the questions below to guide your responses as you consider all the verses: READ 2 John 1:5-6 Romans 12:9-12 DISCUSS Is it easier to love others through challenging or peaceful times? Why do you believe that is? Looking back at the past few years, how would you honestly describe your response to the hardships you and others faced? How well did you embody love to everyone, as defined in the verses we just read, during that time? Why? If you knew what you know today, how would that change how you handled the past few years? Will it change how you encounter future hardships? READ 1 Peter 4:7-13 DISCUSS What does it mean to “show deep love” to others? Do you do this? Share a time that someone showed you deep love. What impression did that make on you? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are a few things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these application questions as a group: · What gifts has God given you that you can use to serve one another? What are some ways you can use those gifts to show God’s grace to someone this week Thessalonians 2:8 says, “The man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.” How does knowing Jesus will always win against evil change how we should live? What struggles do you have right now that can be redefined if seen as part of a battle that Jesus has already won? Closing The days of the last times will present unique challenges to believers and unbelievers alike. How we live during those times will be an example of our faith. As we go through this week, let’s begin to invest even more in the relationships around us and prepare ourselves to face challenges in the future with endurance because of Jesus. Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.K. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture, what do you observe?Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Kneel: This is a chance to pray about what you have read and learned. Day 1: Lamentations 3:22-24 Day 2: Psalms 32:11 Day 3: Hebrews 12:1-2 Day 4: 2 Thessalonians 3:13 Day 5: Psalms 86:11 Day 6: Romans 2:7 The post Expect Challenges appeared first on Journey of Faith.

When Jesus finished his time on earth two thousand years ago, he said he’d return! He said we’d know he was coming back because there would be wars, catastrophes, and confusing religious teaching. We have all that! Are we living in the “end times?” In this five-week series, we’ll look at the New Testament book of 1 Thessalonians, which was written to people who had a lot of questions about the return of Jesus and the end of the world. We’ll discover God’s advice for living in a world that appears to be on the brink of self-destruction. Check Yourself Group Discussion Guide Memory Verse “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:9 Opening Have you ever done something with what you thought were good intentions but later realized your intentions were not as noble? This can be as simple as being kind, so others think you’re a good person, offering to buy someone food only to view them as being in debt to you, or telling someone what they want to hear to make them happy. As we begin to talk about what it looks like in the “end times,” we must remember that God is calling us to live well. He is just as interested in our motivation as our results. Our main calling as Christians is to live as a testament to who Christ is and invite others to join us. Big Idea for this weekThe best way to face the future is to let God influence our motivation Connect Which do you think is more important about the end times: What will happen or how to respond to what happens? Why? What motivations do you think are important when it comes to living a life of faithfulness to Christ? Share an experience where you, or someone you know, had poor motives in an interaction. Why was that meaningful to you? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses. Don’t comment specifically after each one, but rather use the questions below to guide your responses as you consider all the verses: READ 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6 Philippians 3:7-9 DISCUSS What do these verses say about our motivations as we live out our faith? How do these verses change how we view our lives and goals as we tell people about Jesus? Now we’re going to read a little bit longer of a section. The Apostle Paul, in these next verses, is writing to the church of Colossae, encouraging them in their practice of how to live together. Notice how he calls the Colossians to act and relate to one another as you read these verses. READ Colossians 3:12-17 DISCUSS What benefit is there to being gentle, humble, compassionate, etc., when living together? How can we “let the peace of Christ rule” in our hearts, as it says in verse 15 when thinking about the end times? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are a few things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these application questions as a group: How can you put these verses into practice in your daily life? What is one unhealthy motivation or idol in your life you can identify and give to God? For those comfortable, would you mind sharing this? What are some ways you can imitate God’s gentleness and love in your relationships this week? If there is a specific relationship someone has shared, how can the group help them continue to be an example of God’s love for that person? Closing Our lives cannot simply be full of Christian Do-s and Don’ts; God wants our hearts and intentions to be pure and full of love in the way we live. We have read examples of how we are being called to live as Christians in the end times. We can do the same if we rely on the truths of God! How can we, as a group, keep each other accountable to live like Christ this week? What is one practice we can do together to make this happen? Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.K. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture, what do you observe?Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Kneel: This is a chance to pray about what you have read and learned. Day 1: Colossians 4:2 Day 2: Jude 1:20-22 Day 3: 1 Peter 3:15-16 Day 4: Hebrews 13:15-16 Day 5: Ephesians 4:1-3 Day 6: Philippians 4:4 The post Check Yourself appeared first on Journey of Faith.

This week we finish our Doors series with the greatest door of all! Jesus said he is standing at the door of our lives and asking us to come in. Join us this weekend for a special time of celebration, reflection, and invitation to new life with Jesus! The Door of Invitation Group Discussion Guide Memory Verse And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 Opening Welcome to the last week of our “Doors” series! Over the last 5 weeks, we have been getting to know each other and talking about different “doors” that God has taken us through. Today we are talking about The Door of Invitation. Begin your time with prayer. Share about a time when you were invited to an event that you were excited about. What made the invitation special? Share about a time when you didn’t get an invite. How did that make you feel? Our Big Idea for today: Jesus is inviting us to follow Him. Watch the Video Connect Discuss the following questions together: Have you ever felt like you weren’t deserving of God’s love? What are a few reasons people might think they aren’t included in the invitation to know God? When did you first hear about Jesus? Share your story about the first time you accepted God’s invitation. How would your life look different if you had never taken that first step to follow Jesus? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses. Don’t comment specifically on each one, but rather use the questions below to guide your responses as you consider all of the verses. READ Romans 10:9-10 1 John 1:8  Matthew 16:24-25 Colossians 2:6-7 2 Peter 1:3 DISCUSS What stands out to you in these verses? What does it say about us? What does it say about God? Now let’s read a story from Jesus’ life. In this next section of the Bible, we see Jesus asking two men who had been John the Baptist’s disciples to become his disciples. As you read these verses, pay attention to how the disciples respond. READ John 1:35-50 DISCUSS What are some specific ways that the disciples responded to the invitation to follow Jesus? Why is it important to be like the disciples and share the good news of Jesus to those around us? What stops you from telling others about that invitation? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are a few things that we can do in response. Take a moment to reflect on these responses and then discuss each one together as a group. Is there something Jesus is inviting you to say “yes” to today? Are there any areas in your life you know Jesus is inviting you to change that you resist? If you’re comfortable sharing, what are they and why? Who in your life can you go to and share the good news? How can we encourage and keep each other accountable as a group? Closing Invite each group member to think of a specific “yes” to do this week. Encourage each other to set up a physical reminder they will see throughout the day to encourage them to follow through. (Examples: a post-it note on your bathroom mirror or a reminder on your cell phone’s background) Take a few moments to share prayer requests with each other and then close in a time of prayer. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.K. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture, what do you observe?Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Kneel: This is a chance to pray about what you have read and learned. Day 1: Romans 10:13 Day 2: John 5:24 Day 3: Ephesians 2:8-9 Day 4: 2 Corinthians 5:17 Day 5: Revelation 3:20 Day 6: Ephesians 2:10 The post The Door of Invitation appeared first on Journey of Faith.

Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble.” It’s certainly not the kind of promise from Jesus we like to think about. The good news is we can get through crises with the help of God and others! Pastor Jason looks at how God can help us face crises, navigate the grief process, and find courage with the help of others we trust. The Door of Crisis Group Discussion Guide Memory Verse “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 Opening Begin your time with prayer. Go around and share celebrations and challenges from the week. What is one thing you are celebrating? What is one thing that has been challenging this week? Share our Big Idea for today with the group: We can let God and other people help us through crisis. Watch the Video Connect Discuss the following questions together: What have you observed about how people respond to crises or difficult situations? Do you have an example of when someone helped you or someone you know through a crisis in a helpful way? What is one way you experienced God during a time of crisis or difficulty? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses. Don’t comment specifically on each one, but rather use the questions below to guide your responses as you consider all of the verses. READ Psalm 23:4 Psalm 55:16-17 Psalm 91:4, 14-15 Matthew 11:28-30 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 DISCUSS What can you learn about God from these verses? What do you find the most challenging about these verses? What encouragement do you receive from these verses? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are a few things that we can do in response. Take a moment to reflect on these responses and then discuss each one together as a group. Go to the God of All Comfort We learn throughout the Bible that God wants to walk alongside us in every season of life and give us His comfort through it all. What’s one practical way you can go to God in your difficult seasons of life and allow Him to comfort you? Many metaphors in the Bible describing God and His relationship with us revolve around a parent-child relationship. Like a truly good Father, He desires the very best for us and loves us more than we can fully comprehend. What is one thing you can imagine this heavenly-loving Father wanting to say to you when you go through times of hardship? What are some ways we can respond to God when He answers our prayers or doesn’t answer our prayers in the way we would want? Lean Into Community God created us to live in relationships and community. Because of this, when we’re experiencing difficult seasons, He intends that we support and encourage one another with the loving heart of Jesus. What are some ways that you could bravely invite others into your life’s challenges? Seek Peace in God’s Word A great way to find peace in any season of life is to immerse ourselves in God’s Word. Let’s try it together! Bring to your mind a difficulty you’re currently going through personally or helping someone else through. Then, spend a couple of minutes reading Psalm 23 quietly to yourself. Afterward, have one person read it out loud for the group. How are you feeling after doing that exercise? Do you notice anything happening in your soul? Psalm 23The Lord is my shepherd;I have all that I need.He lets me rest in green meadows;he leads me beside peaceful streams.He renews my strength.He guides me along right paths,bringing honor to his name.Even when I walkthrough the darkest valley,I will not be afraid,    for you are close beside me.Your rod and your staff    protect and comfort me.You prepare a feast for me    in the presence of my enemies.You honor me by anointing my head with oil.    My cup overflows with blessings.Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me    all the days of my life,and I will live in the house of the Lord    FOREVER. Closing Share with each other which application sticks out most in your life as you think about your current decisions. Use this closing time to share prayer requests with each other and then close in a time of prayer. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.K. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture, what do you observe?Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Kneel: This is a chance to pray about what you have read and learned. Day 1: Psalm 91 Day 2: Psalm 121 Day 3: Nehemiah 9:19 Day 4: Isaiah 49:14-16 Day 5: James 5:10-11 Day 6: Matthew 6:7-15 The post The Door of Crisis appeared first on Journey of Faith.

We face so many doors of decision in our lives we’re bound to walk through a few that we shouldn’t. In fact, some of us feel like we’re prone to picking the wrong doors at key moments in life. Can we go back? Is it worth the pain to turn around and face that same door again? How do we handle the feeling of regret that comes along with poor decisions in our past? This Sunday, we’ll explore how God wants to help us turn around and find a new path. The Door of Regret Group Discussion Guide Memory Verse But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9 Opening Begin your time with prayer. Go around and share “highs and lows” from the week. What have been the highlights of your week? What has been hard this week? Share our Big Idea for today with the group: We can walk through regret into new life and forgiveness in Jesus. Watch the Video Connect Discuss the following questions together: Which do you think brings people more regret: things they’ve done or should have done but didn’t? Why? What kind of situations and decisions do people often regret? Share a time someone told you about a significant regret in your life. Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses. Don’t comment specifically on each one, but rather use the questions below to guide your responses as you consider all of the verses. READ 1 John 1:9 Acts 3:19 2 Corinthians 7:10 DISCUSS Based on the verses we just read, what are the benefits of choosing repentance over regret? If you practiced repentance, what would change in your life that might help you feel more freedom in your relationship with God? Now let’s read a longer section of scripture about this same topic. In Psalm 51, King David is processing a very poor decision he made to have an extramarital affair and violently cover it up. Despite his grave sin, this psalm gives us a window into his process of repentance. Read Psalm 51 together. What are some specific ways that David responds in repentance in Psalm 51? Which of David’s repentant responses could you integrate into your own life to help you overcome regret? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are a few things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these application questions as a group. If you’re comfortable, what are some situations of regret that you would like to share with the group What would be the next step toward repentance in your life? What lessons has God taught you through your regretful experiences? How can you use those lessons to help others? Closing In this group, we can be vulnerable and ask for help. This week let’s make sure we’re staying connected with one another and asking for the support and encouragement we need to turn to God and let him help us process our regrets. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.K. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture, what do you observe?Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Kneel: This is a chance to pray about what you have read and learned. Day 1: Hosea 6:1 Day 2: Luke 15:7 Day 3: Psalm 30:5 Day 4: Psalm 103:12 Day 5: Isaiah 43:18-19 Day 6: Romans 8:28 The post The Door of Regret appeared first on Journey of Faith.

There’s a saying that the only constant in life is change. Not true! God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So God can help us navigate change well. This week in our ‘Doors’ series, we’ll be exploring how to walk through The Door of Change / Life Transitions. We’ll see how Jesus’ final instructions to his first followers helped them face the future with curiosity and connection with God. The Door of Change Group Discussion Guide Memory Verse Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  Colossians 3:1 Opening Begin your time with prayer. Go around and do basic introductions. Try not to spend too much time on this. Share name, and one fun fact. Our Big Idea for today: God wants to be part of your decisions! Watch the Video Connect Discuss together the following questions: How do you typically handle life changes? When was a time that you were fearful of making a decision? Did it stop you from pursuing something you really wanted? As you think about changes you have made in your life, are there decisions that you made that seemed undesirable at the time but, looking back, resulted in positive change? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses. Don’t comment specifically on each one, but rather use the questions below to guide your responses as you consider all of the verses. READ Hebrews 13:8 Ecclesiastes 3:1 Deuteronomy 31:6 Philippians 4:6–7 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 Colossians 3:1 says that because we have been raised with Christ, we should see the world and what He is doing in it (or what Jesus calls the “Kingdom of God”) through Jesus’ eyes and with the good things he has done in mind. DISCUSS What encouragement do you receive from these verses? What can you learn about God from these verses? Apply Based on the verses we just read, there are a few things that we can do in response. Take a moment to reflect on these responses and then discuss each one together as a group. Look at your life. As you think about your own life, are there areas where you identify changes you could make in light of these scriptures? Change your perspective. Are there any areas in your life where you can trust God more and have this kind of perspective? Establish non-negotiables. What are some ways you can stay rooted in God when you go through times of transition in your life? Closing Invite each group member to share which application sticks out most in their life as they think about decisions they are currently facing. Use this closing time to share prayer requests with each other and then close in a time of prayer. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.K. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture, what do you observe?Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Kneel: This is a chance to pray about what you have read and learned. Day 1: Ephesians 4:21-24 Day 2: Habakkuk 3:17-19 Day 3: Proverbs 3:5-6 Day 4: Colossians 2:6-7 Day 5: 2 Peter 3:18 Day 6: Psalm 139:23-24 The post The Door of Change appeared first on Journey of Faith.

We’ll start our series this week by looking at what we need when making BIG DECISIONS in life. Big Decisions can make us nervous and anxious, but Jesus teaches that God is ready to give us the wisdom we need! The Door of Big Decisions Group Discussion Guide Memory Verse If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.  James 1:5 Opening Begin your time with prayer. Go around and do basic introductions. Try not to spend too much time on this. Share name, and one fun fact. Our Big Idea for today: God wants to be part of your decisions! Watch the Video Connect Discuss together the following questions: What brought you here? What do you hope to get out of this group? What is one of the most important decisions you’ve made in your life? What makes that decision stand out to you? What kind of decisions do people make that they wish they could have a “do-over” on? Unpack Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses. Don’t comment specifically on each one, but rather use the questions below to guide your responses as you consider all of the verses. READ Proverbs 3:5 James 1:5 Proverbs 11:14 Philippians 4:6 2 Timothy 3:16 DISCUSS What do these verses teach us about God? What do these verses encourage us to do? What do these verses encourage us NOT to do? Apply Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses. Don’t comment specifically on each one, but rather use the questions below to guide your responses as you consider all of the verses. READ Proverbs 3:5 James 1:5 Proverbs 11:14 Philippians 4:6 2 Timothy 3:16 DISCUSS What do these verses teach us about God? What do these verses encourage us to do? What do these verses encourage us NOT to do? Closing Which application sticks out most in your life as you think about your current decisions? Close your time in prayer. Daily Bible Reading Use the S.O.A.K. method to reflect on the verses below. Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.Observation: As you read the scripture, what do you observe?Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?Kneel: This is a chance to pray about what you have read and learned. Day 1: James 3:17 Day 2: Proverbs 12:15 Day 3: Psalm 25:4 Day 4: 1 John 5:14 Day 5: Romans 12:1-2 Day 6: Hebrews 11:6 The post The Door of Big Decisions appeared first on Journey of Faith.