Click the link to go to this week’s discussion guide: https://lifegroupscoc.org/discussion-guide

Be dressed for service and well prepared, as though you were waiting for your master to return from a wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. There will be special favor for those who are ready and waiting for his return.   Luke 12:35-37 (NLT)

Goals for this Week’s Study

·         Recall a time when you were faced with a major cleaning project. How did you handle it? What was the result?

·         Message Aim:  Recognize the need for preparation in order to be used by God and identify at least one step you’ll take this week.

Introduction

God created you in order to use you in this world. If that is your goal then it’s important, as Luke says above, to be dressed for service and ready to open the door when your master knocks. The Bible identifies five ways to prepare: I must 1) purify my heart; 2) sanctify my body; 3) simplify my schedule; 4) fortify my faith; and 5) I must intensify my passion for God. In this week’s lesson, let’s consider what God’s Word has to say about this preparation phase. What will you do to be ready?

Open your group with a prayer. This is only a guide – select the points you want to discuss.

“If you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for his purpose. Your life will be clean,

and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:21 (NLT)

1. Purify my heart.  Many find it helpful to do “spring cleaning” of their homes each year. In 2 Timothy 2:21 above, what are three (3) reasons the Apostle Paul gives believers for taking a personal inventory to periodically purify their hearts?

“Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you…? You do not belong to yourself,

for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)

2. Sanctify my body.  Once we’ve dealt with our hearts, then we need to dedicate our bodies to be used by God. We can’t accomplish anything for God without healthy bodies. How does 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 above indicate that our bodies have been dedicated to God?

“Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 (LB)

3.  Simplify my time.  God’s kingdom is eternal and deserves first priority in our lives. We’re called to simplify our lives and schedules to leave room for the work God has planned for us. For example, we don’t want to be distracted by envy (trying to be like others), greed (trying to have it all and do it all), and the expectations of others (wrong friends and acquaintances). Rather we want to eliminate distractions keeping us from God’s purpose for our lives. What might we include in a plan  to eliminate distractions?

 “Spend your time and energy in the exercise of keeping spiritually fit.”  1 Timothy 4:7b (LB)

4. Fortify my faith.  Faith is like a muscle; it must be exercised regularly to stay strong. Share some of your favorite habits for exercising your faith, such as classes, groups, or personal study. What has worked best for you, or, what is your plan for growth?

“I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”   John 17:4 (NIV)

5. Intensify my passion.  God is looking for people to use, and he wants to use you. Are you serious about living the life you were meant to live? If so, what step will you take this week to prepare? Personalize John 17:4 and pray about the next step God is nudging you to take. Is it time for some soul-searching or to focus on getting physically healthy? Do you need to weed out your schedule, or is spiritual growth needed in your life?   

Nobody can do what you ask! . . . What you're asking is impossible . . .  Daniel 2:10-11 (Msg) 

Suggestions for This Week’s Study

·         Why do you think we are so fascinated with things that seem to do the impossible?

·         Recognize that only God knows the future and only God can do what is impossible with people.

·         Close in prayer, recognizing that only God knows the future and ask him to help you take the steps Daniel took whenever you are asked to do the impossible. 

We all have an insatiable curiosity to know the future. Why? We think that by knowing it, we can control it. The more insecure you are in life, the more you want to control situations and people. Some of us are so desperate for control—and for hope, really—that we put our trust in all the wrong people and things in order to discover what our future holds. But there are reasons God doesn’t want you to know your future. One of them is so that when you’re asked to do the impossible, as Daniel was, you will put your trust completely in God. As an overview for the lesson, read Daniel 2 and then let’s Talk It Over. 

Open your group with a prayer. This is only a guide – select the points you want to discuss.

“Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends…He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven” Daniel 2:17-19 

1.       No one knows the future except God—not mediums, psychics, fortune tellers. They are just frauds and fakes. To consult any of these counterfeits is failure to trust God. According to Daniel 2:17-19, who did Daniel enlist for help and prayer when he found himself faced with an impossible situation? Who are the people you turn to when you have a challenge that seems impossible to overcome? 

God says, “Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” Jeremiah 33:3 (Msg) 

2.       Share a time when you called out to God and he answered you. How did that experience give you confidence and faith to ask him what you need?  

3.       The test of a true prophet is 100% accuracy. After Daniel prayed and sought God, the Lord revealed to him what the king’s dream had been. As a result of Daniel’s sharing that revelation with the king, others were saved and the king praised Daniel’s God (see Daniel 2:24, 27-30). Who in your life does God want you to talk to about him?  

4.       How do we overcome the things that keep us from sharing what God has shown us?  

5.       There are eight steps Daniel took when he was asked to do the impossible (Daniel 2:14-30): 1) don’t panic or be afraid; 2) ask why; 3) ask for time to get a solution; 4) enlist prayer support from friends; 5) pray and expect God to give you supernatural help; 6) worship God; 7) use what God shows me to save others; and 8) point people to God. In preparation for facing the impossible, which step most needs strengthening? How will you go about fortifying this area?

Sermon Discussion Guide WHEN YOUR FAITH IS CHALLENGED Thriving Under Pressure – Part 3 Dr. Dewayne Winrow

“Always remember what you have learned. Your education is your life, so guard it well.”  Prov 4:13

Most people don’t care what you believe. But there are a vocal few who want to belittle your faith. Daniel gives us an example of someone who was indoctrinated against God’s teaching for three years, yet grew in God’s wisdom and understanding so his advice was ten times better than all the king’s other advisors (see Daniel 1). Proverbs 23:23 (CEV) tells us to “invest in truth and wisdom, discipline and good sense, and don’t part with them.” We need to be lifelong learners and remember that God will reward us. Let’s learn more about how to have an unshakable faith.

Suggestions for This Week’s Study

•  Icebreaker: Briefly share a time when you stood up for something you believed in.

• Goal:  Learn how to grow in wisdom and understanding so our faith is strong when we are challenged and need to defend our beliefs.

• Pray:  Lord, help us grow strong in our faith, so we can attract others to you. Show us how to be more disciplined with our time and use it to draw closer to you. Let us decide in advance to stand for you, to keep learning all our lives, to steep ourselves in your word, to choose believers as our best friends, to stay connected to a church, small group and ministry, and to remember that you will reward us in heaven. In Jesus name. Amen.  

Open your group with a prayer. This is only a guide – select the points you want to discuss.

“Start with God - the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.” Proverbs 1:7 (Mes)

1. Starting with God requires that you read the Bible to acquire wisdom and learning.  How can you set yourself up to take a stand for God?  Have you ever been belittled because of your beliefs and how did defend your faith in God?  Please share your story.

“Your commandments give me great understanding. It’s no wonder I can see and hate every false way of life.” Psalm119:104 (NLT)

2. Reflect on a time you encountered the living Christ through the Scriptures. If you remember, share with the group what you were reading at the time. How does Scripture help you know (not intellectually, but in your heart) about Jesus or about yourself? Then, as a group, discuss how meditating on the Bible’s truth could positively change your life and/or how you relate to others.

“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”  1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV)

3. If bad company corrupts good character, then it follows that we should choose believers as our best friends. What poor choices about friends you have made in your life?   Share a significant character changing experience with the group.

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, r . . .”​Hebrews 10:25a (NIV)

4. Have each member share a time when their faith was strong. What key relationships with other believers kept their faith growing? How does a small group help members hold firm in love, compassion, joy and commitment to the ways of Jesus? Encourage one another by explaining how group members filled you with hope during difficult times.

Sermon Discussion Guide - Under Pressure To Conform - Thriving Under Pressure – Part 2

Dr. Dewayne Winrow

Review any assignments or commitments made during your previous meeting.

“Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart. Proverbs 17:3” (NLT) 

Suggestions for This Week’s Study

·         Recall a time when you were a kid and you were pressured to go along with the crowd. Did you stand or fall? What did you learn?

·         Recognize that we all will, at some time and in some way, be tempted to conform. For that reason, it’s critical to have a plan for staying true to who God made you to be.

·         Close in prayer, thanking God for Daniel’s example. Ask him how he might like to use you in the life of a young person in order to raise up more Daniels in our time. 

You’re a teenager whose whole community has just been taken captive. You and your three closest friends now serve the leader of the captors. You’re away from your parents for the first time, your entire way of living has been changed along with your name and even your diet. The pressure to go along with what the king wants you to do is overwhelming. How will you withstand it? This is the story of Daniel, who, as a teenager, was so confident in who God had made him to be that he resolved not to conform. How did he do it? Let’s Talk It Over.  

Open your group with a prayer. This is only a guide – select the points you want to discuss. 

“If you do your job well, leaders will notice, and you will serve before kings.” Proverbs 22:29

1.       If you asked a coworker to describe your work style or reputation, what do you believe they would share with you? What would you want coworkers to say about your work?   

“Don’t demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great.”  Proverbs 25:6 (NLT)

2.       Describe a time when someone was pushy or belligerent in their demands to you. How did that make you feel? Now, talk about a time when someone had a humble attitude. Which one were you more interested in fulfilling and why?

“We reject all shameful and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know that.” 2 Corinthians 4:2 (NLT)

3.       What behaviors in 2 Corinthians 4:2 are we encouraged to embrace and how do they help guard against being deceitful or manipulative?   

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests,  but also to the interests of others. Phil. 2:3-4

4.       When you have a new idea or project to present, how can applying Philippians 2:3-4 help you be successful in making your argument? 

“A wise mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words,”

The more persuasive he is.  Proverbs 16:21 TEV

5.       When making a case to an authority, it is important to choose the right place, time, and words. Recall a time when choosing pleasant words led to success. Why is it important for Christians to choose their words carefully? 

6.       If your appeal is rejected, trust God that he let that happen for a reason. How can knowing God’s promises help you to hold on in the face of apparent failure? There are more than 700 promises that God has given us in the Bible. Spend time over the next week finding a promise to claim.

PDF Version for both Leaders and Attendee’s

Review any assignments or commitments made during your previous meeting.

“… all the foundations of society are being shaken to the core.”  Psalm 82:5 (LB) 

Sometimes our world feels like it’s being turned upside down and we may encounter idolatry, immorality, or injustice. Scripture shows us that these kinds of situations happened to God’s people many times throughout history. Nevertheless, in a rapidly changing world God wants us to be unshakable – not just surviving, but thriving. Here we’ll discuss how we shouldn’t be surprised by adversity, but instead look at how God could use it for good to inspect us, correct us, direct us, protect us, or perfect us. Finally, we need to learn to trust God for the situations we don’t understand. 

Open your group with a prayer. This is only a guide – select the points you want to discuss. 

“The Lord searches our hearts and examines our deepest motives.”  Jeremiah 17:10 (LB)

1.       God may shake things up in our lives to inspect us and reveal our motives. Why are the motivations for our actions more important than what we actually do with our lives? 

2.       The ways in which we handle life’s difficulties can reveal important aspects of our character. Give some examples of this. 

“Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.” Proverbs 20:30 (TEV)

3.       God sometimes shakes things up in our lives to direct us. What are some painful experiences that might cause people to change their lifestyles, ways of thinking, or behavior?  

“A person may plan his own journey, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (GW)

4.       God often shakes things up to change our direction. Share a time when something unexpected changed your plans and the situation turned out better than you anticipated. 

“How he wanted to lure you away from danger into a wide and pleasant valley and to prosper you there.” Job 36:16 (TLB)

5.       God sometimes shakes things up in our lives to protect us. What roadblocks may prevent us from responding to God’s protection when disappointments and regrets arise in our lives?  

 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” Genesis 50:20 (NIV)

6.       Share an undesirable situation such as unemployment, ending a relationship, or a health concern that led you to something better.

• PDF Version for both Leaders and Attendee’s

Breakthrough Prayer Campaign - Reseda Church Family 

As was announced, we are calling the congregation to participate in a thirty day period of Seeking for a Breakthrough" through prayer and fasting.  The focus of this prayer campaign for a Breakthrough is twofold:  

The first is personal:  It will be for you and members of your Prayer Circle who are in need of a personal breakthrough in a particular area of their life:  it may be for... 

Health,
A relationship,
Finances,
Career,
Marriage or family
Or Spiritual Growth.    

The second area is to seek a breakthrough for our church ministry and mission to our community and the world, that God will bless this church in our quest to be The Oasis of Life for this community.     

If you are personally in need of experiencing a breakthrough, we are requesting that you form a Prayer Circle with three or more close friends.  Meet together physically or electronically, and pray for a breakthrough for each participant in the group.  As the leader of your Prayer Circle, we will supply you with a "Talk It Over" Sermon Discussion Sheet that you can use in discussing the principles of the weekend message that will be guiding the Breakthrough Prayer campaign.   

Blessings to you all through Jesus our Lord.

This entire two week of February 11th thru the 22nd we are asking all guests and members of Reseda Church of Christ to fill out our Member Assessment Form so that we can begin to lay the foundation of a new and exciting transformation of our Life Groups this month. Your input and detailed info will be useful to incorporate you into our unique DNA at Reseda Church of Christ both in ministry and Fellowship. Please visit the Member Assessment for at https://lifegroupscoc.org/your-purpose-driven-form/ and we thank you again for your participation.

Breakthrough Prayer Campaign - Reseda Church Family 

As was announced, we are calling the congregation to participate in a thirty day period of Seeking for a Breakthrough" through prayer and fasting.  The focus of this prayer campaign for a Breakthrough is twofold:  

The first is personal:  It will be for you and members of your Prayer Circle who are in need of a personal breakthrough in a particular area of their life:  it may be for... 

Health,
A relationship,
Finances,
Career,
Marriage or family
Or Spiritual Growth.    

The second area is to seek a breakthrough for our church ministry and mission to our community and the world, that God will bless this church in our quest to be The Oasis of Life for this community.     

If you are personally in need of experiencing a breakthrough, we are requesting that you form a Prayer Circle with three or more close friends.  Meet together physically or electronically, and pray for a breakthrough for each participant in the group.  As the leader of your Prayer Circle, we will supply you with a "Talk It Over" Sermon Discussion Sheet that you can use in discussing the principles of the weekend message that will be guiding the Breakthrough Prayer campaign.   

Blessings to you all through Jesus our Lord.

Breakthrough Prayer Campaign - Reseda Church Family 

As was announced, we are calling the congregation to participate in a thirty day period of Seeking for a Breakthrough" through prayer and fasting.  The focus of this prayer campaign for a Breakthrough is twofold:  

The first is personal:  It will be for you and members of your Prayer Circle who are in need of a personal breakthrough in a particular area of their life:  it may be for... 

Health,
A relationship,
Finances,
Career,
Marriage or family
Or Spiritual Growth.    

The second area is to seek a breakthrough for our church ministry and mission to our community and the world, that God will bless this church in our quest to be The Oasis of Life for this community.     

If you are personally in need of experiencing a breakthrough, we are requesting that you form a Prayer Circle with three or more close friends.  Meet together physically or electronically, and pray for a breakthrough for each participant in the group.  As the leader of your Prayer Circle, we will supply you with a "Talk It Over" Sermon Discussion Sheet that you can use in discussing the principles of the weekend message that will be guiding the Breakthrough Prayer campaign.   

Blessings to you all through Jesus our Lord.

Breakthrough Prayer Campaign - Reseda Church Family 

As was announced, we are calling the congregation to participate in a thirty day period of Seeking for a Breakthrough" through prayer and fasting.  The focus of this prayer campaign for a Breakthrough is twofold:  

The first is personal:  It will be for you and members of your Prayer Circle who are in need of a personal breakthrough in a particular area of their life:  it may be for... 

Health,
A relationship,
Finances,
Career,
Marriage or family
Or Spiritual Growth.    

The second area is to seek a breakthrough for our church ministry and mission to our community and the world, that God will bless this church in our quest to be The Oasis of Life for this community.     

If you are personally in need of experiencing a breakthrough, we are requesting that you form a Prayer Circle with three or more close friends.  Meet together physically or electronically, and pray for a breakthrough for each participant in the group.  As the leader of your Prayer Circle, we will supply you with a "Talk It Over" Sermon Discussion Sheet that you can use in discussing the principles of the weekend message that will be guiding the Breakthrough Prayer campaign.   

Blessings to you all through Jesus our Lord.