U+ I = WE Week 5: Identical is not Ideal

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Scriptures From Sunday: Psalm 133; Ephesians 4:1-7; Romans 14:1-8, 12:3-8

REFLECT/DISCUSS:

What makes a great vacation for you? What’s the right blend of rest vs. activity, travel vs. staying put, socializing vs. solitude?

Read Psalm 133. Have you ever experienced the “living in harmony” thing? Why/how do you think that happened?

In your opinion, which is harder- staying focused on what we share in common or allowing for and celebrating our differences? Which is more important? Why?

What relationships in your life are struggling right now? What is the common focus you could appeal to?

Think of a time when you experienced relational conflict over a difference of opinion about the “right’ way to do things? Did you resolve it? If so, how? In reality, was there only one right way?

How do you feel about/respond to the idea in Romans 14 that there isn’t one “right” way for followers of Jesus to honor God? Can you think of a way you’ve seen this play out in a community of faith you are/have been a part of?

Why do you think Christians are driven to convince others that their attempts to honor God (w/diet, schedule, devotional life, etc.) are the right/best ways?

Can you think of a time where someone being very different from you has been a blessing?

Where would you fit into the Romans 12:3-8 n terms of your gifts? If it isn’t listed there, how would you describe the part you think God has for you to play in His body?

PRAY: Lord, give me the humility and determination to maintain the unity Your Spirit gives in my relationships.

U+ I = WE Week 4: Clearing Relational Clutter

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: Galatians 5:13-26, 6:1-2; 1 Peter 5:8; Romans 7:21-24; James 4:11-12, 5:9; Psalms 15:1-3

Other Texts: 1Peter 2:1-3, 3:8-12; 2 Corinthians 12:20-21; Romans 1:28-32

REFLECT/DISCUSS:

How do you deal with clutter? What prompts you to finally get rid of “excess baggage”? How do you feel afterward? What would you like to purge from your life right now?

Galatians 5:15 advises us not to “bite” each other. Talk/think specifically about some ways that we do this in our relationships (ex. gossip).

Have you ever seen a relationship “devoured”- i.e. ruined- by negativity and divisive behavior? What happened? How might it have been prevented?

Do you resonate with the struggle described in Gal. 5:16-17 & Rom 7:21-24? How have you seen this manifest in your life? Which part of your nature are you listening to and living through most of the time? How do you know?

What stands out to you about “the effects of the corrupt nature” listed in Gal. 5:19-21? In your experience, do Jesus’ followers treat all of these things the same? Should we?

Agree or Disagree & Explain: We can tell a lot about our relationship with God by how we treat other people? How do the passages above speak to your answer?

Look at the things that grow in us when we listen to and live into our spiritual nature (Gal. 5:22-23). What stands out to you about these things? In your opinion, do Jesus’ followers focus on these qualities enough? Can we be spiritually mature without them?

Read Galatians 5:24-26. Where does the power for us to live into our spiritual nature- and clear out negative relational clutter- come from? Can we do this on our own? Is it all God’s doing? Is our will and focus involved as well?

REFLECT: What negative and divisive clutter do I need to clear out of my relationships? Is there anyone in my life I need to apologize to for the way I’ve treated them?

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?

U+ I = WE Week 2: Pointing the Alligator's Mouth in the Right Direction

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: Philippians 2:1-8, John 13:1-5, 12-17

REFLECT/DISCUSS:

Think of a time when you had to choose between two good things. (Ex. Buying new TV vs. Putting $ in savings; Vacationing to see your family vs. Taking trip w/friends) How did you decide which had the greater value to you?

What symbol (>, <, =) would most people put in the middle of this equation: U __ I ? How do you usually answer it? Whose needs do you regularly put ahead of your own?

Based on what we read in Phil 2:1-2 and John 13:13-16, how important do you think it is to God that we follow Jesus’ example of putting others before ourselves?

Does considering others to be more important than ourselves mean that we can’t have any power, authority or a healthy sense of self-worth? How does your answer compare to what we read about Jesus in Philippians 2 and John 13 above?

What might it look like to put the needs of a stranger ahead of your own? A co-worker? A neighbor? A friend? Someone in your faith community? A family member?

If we put others first, how are our needs supposed to get met? (Hint see John 13:14.) Which is more rewarding & why- getting what you want/need or helping others get what they want/need?

In our culture “winners” focus on their own goals and create their own success. Look at the Luke 22 and Mark 9 passages above. Would Jesus offer us a different definition of greatness? If so, how would He describe the “winners”?

According to John 13:17- what brings God’s blessing in our lives? How does this compare to what we normally do with Jesus’ words?

ACT: Who will you put ahead of yourself this week? How will you do it?

U+ I = WE Week 1: You'll Actually Use This Stuff

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:

Genesis 2:7-9, 15-18, Romans 13:8-10, John 15:9-17, 1 John; 4:7-13, 19-21

REFLECT/DISCUSS:

Given the choice, would you rather spend a day alone by yourself, or with other people? Why? Do relationships energize you? Drain you? Both? Explain.

How would you describe the current state of health of your relationships? Where did you learn how to get along with other people? What was taught to/modeled for you?

Read Genesis 2. Make a list of everything Adam had going for him. How much of this is stuff we still seek today? Do you agree w/God’s assessment that it was “not good”?

What does it say to you about the importance of human relationships that Adam lived face to face with God in paradise & still needed another person to share it with? What do other people do for us that God can’t/doesn’t?

Read Genesis 3 & 4. What effect does sin have on the way humans treat each other? How has your brokenness hampered your relationships?

What’s your reaction to the idea in Romans 13 that love is a debt we never stop paying- not just to God- but also to each other? Who do you “owe” some love to right now?

Imagine talking with someone who didn’t know much about Jesus and telling them that He gave us 1 specific command to build our lives and churches around. What might they conclude the commandment was by looking at how we live and what we do? Do you think they’d guess anything close to what Jesus said in John 15:9-17?

Read through 1 John 3 & 4 and note all the verses that connect our love for God with our love for each other. Does what you see surprise you? Why/Why Not? Based on what you read, how would you describe the link between our relationship with God and the way we relate to each other?

PRAY: Talk with God about your relationships- both those that are healthy and those that aren’t. Ask Him to teach you something in this study that will change them.