Saturday, May 15, 2010

U+ I = WE Week 3: Adding Value to Each Others Lives



Miss this week's teaching conversation? You can listen in and download the message slides and a pdf of the info below on our POD CAST SITE.

SCRIPTURES FROM SUNDAY: Hebrews 10:19-25, 3:12-19; 1Thess 5:9-15;

OTHER PASSAGES: 1Thess 4:18; 1Cor 14:26; Gal 5:13, 6:1-2; Rom 14:19

REFLECT/DISCUSS:

Think of 3 people in your life you love to spend time with. What do they have in common? Would it be fair to say that they bring good things into your life?

Both the Hebrews 10 and the 1 Thess. 5 passages about encouragement start with retellings of the good things Jesus has brought into our lives. How often do you stop to remind yourself of those things? Talk w/God about them? Read Heb. 10:19-22 and 1 Thess. 5:9-11 out loud and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for Jesus’ work in your life.

Have you ever thought that the spiritual encouragement you get from others might be the only thing that stands between you and a hard, unbelieving heart? Or that your encouragement might be all that keeps someone else on course with Jesus? How do you feel about the idea that mutual encouragement is a spiritual necessity?

Would you agree that hard heartedness, spiritual deception and turning away from Jesus is a process that happens over time? If so, what are some signs that we might be headed in those directions?

What ties do you see between the calls to keep encouraging each other and to continue hanging out with other believers (Heb. 3:12-13, 10:24-25)? In your opinion, is attending a weekly church service all God has in mind for us in these passages? If not, what else might He be urging us toward?

If encouragement is supposed to speak specifically to our current needs and situations (1 Thess. 5:14-15), what would give you a boost in your walk with Jesus right now?

Who are you close enough to (both in proximity and trust) to be able to specifically encourage- including lovingly sharing the last 10% of the truth? If the answer is no one- what could you do this week to build those relationships?

PRAY: Who can I encourage this week? What will add value to their pursuit of Jesus?

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