Disciplined LiSTeNeRs

Connect: Tell us about a time in your life when you were the most disciplined in a certain area of your life. Example: When I played b-ball in high school, I went to the park late at night to practice while other kids were sleeping.

Surrender: Psalm 141: a prayer for discipline and protection. You could have each person read a verse and mediate for a 15 seconds on each verse (play some background music if you want).

1 A psalm of David. O LORD, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help!
2 Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.
3 Take control of what I say, O LORD, and keep my lips sealed.
4 Don't let me lust for evil things; don't let me participate in acts of wickedness. Don't let me share in the delicacies of those who do evil.
5 Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they reprove me, it is soothing medicine. Don't let me refuse it. But I am in constant prayer against the wicked and their deeds.
6 When their leaders are thrown down from a cliff, they will listen to my words and find them pleasing.
7 Even as a farmer breaks up the soil and brings up rocks, so the bones of the wicked will be scattered without a decent burial.
8 I look to you for help, O Sovereign LORD. You are my refuge; don't let them kill me.
9 Keep me out of the traps they have set for me, out of the snares of those who do evil.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own snares, but let me escape.

Grow:
1. In what ways is discipline implied in being "Living Sacrifices", "Transformed", "Not Conforming" and "Renewed"? 2. Read aloud 1 Corinthians 9:25-27. Discuss together what this discipline might look like in our lives.

What difference would it make in our church?

How do these verses challenge us regarding our perspective toward discipline?

3. In what ways were individuals challenged regarding the "2 Secrets of Learning Discipline"? (1. Start where you are 2. Don't avoid community)?

What other "secrets" have people found helpful in learning to discipline themselves?

I broke the group up into smaller groups for this next question…

4. How might we come alongside one another, like the coach in the film clip, and challenge each other to become all that God has desired for us to be?

Develop:
Do you need help with anything in your group? Ask someone to help.

Ask the guys if they plan to attend Men’s Fellowship on Saturday 7:30-9:30am. Perhaps the guys in your group could encourage each other to attend and sit together during this.

Share:
This is the week that you should begin shaping your outREACH ideas. If you didn't brainstorm last week, make sure to leave plenty of time (10 minutes) for this at the end. If you did the brainstorm thing last week, this is the week to evaluate the ideas you had and pick one or more to begin working on.

Before you brainstorm, you may want to have some ideas of your own (search the Internet for “evangelism ideas” or “servant evangelism” ideas). One of my groups had a hard time and I had to prompt them with ideas.

Pick the one that is the best fit for the group.

Pick the one that will make the biggest impact for Christ.

Think relational (there needs to be a relational component to outREACH). The idea to build relationships that could one day include God’s redemptive work in someone’s life.

Think community transformation (how could we make a difference that will impact our community?).

Whatever your idea--double it! Then ask God what it would take for your group to accomplish it. It might mean engaging others (who haven't gotten connected to a LIFE group or people outside the church) to help you. These are the type of things that can lead us toward community transformation. Think outside the box.

Start planning the outREACH for late May early June.

Check with the church office to make sure you don't schedule the outREACH during another church event.