Week Five: Quitting is not an option
Connect: 7:00-7:20
Are you a natural optimist or pessimist? Why?
Surrender: 7:20-7:30
Topic of Sunday’s talk: not quitting. Let us pray for perseverance. One way to stretch ourselves in worship is to read prayers that others have written and use them as our own or use them as a springboard for our own prayer.
Prayer for Perseverance
Lord,let Thy wisdom melt into my heart...And give me courage to be always true...Teach me to be sincere in what I do...And keep the honor of my daily art...Show me the way to make another start... Where life is young and melodies are
new... Where goodness grows and jealousies are few... And perseverance plays a noble part... For that is all that I would have today...To take the proper path and and persevere... And be un-
noticed all along the way... Until the end of everything is near ...And then, before I go, to hear them say... This life was like a prayer from year to year. James J. Metcalfe
Does anyone in the group need special prayer for perseverance?
Grow: 7:30-8:00
Romans 12:11
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
How much does the world’s motto “If it doesn’t work for you, dump it” affect us as Christians?
Bruce brought up the phrase “One eye on the EXIT sign.” Does this describe how to approach certain aspects of your life?
The distinguishing mark of saving faith is not perfection. The mark of faith is not that I never sin…The mark of faith is that I fight. I fight anything that dims my sight of Jesus as my glorious Savior. I fight anything that diminishes the fullness of the lordship of Jesus in my life. I fight anything that threatens to replace Jesus as the supreme Treasure of my life. Anything that stands between me and receiving Jesus. Faith fights -- not with fists or knives or guns or bombs, but with the truth of Christ. John Piper
What biblical material supports this idea of the Christian life being a fight?
The illustration for fervor was a “slow boil.”
How is that apt word picture?
What helps you keep your spiritual fervor?
What situation these days is trying your ability to persevere?
Spiritually speaking, what discourages you the most so that you consider quitting?
You could also take a look at
Ephesians 6 where it talks about putting on the whole armor of God.
Galatians 6 where it talks about reaping a harvest if you don’t quit.
James 1:4 where it talks about letting patience have its way with us so that we might be fully mature.
You could pray for any issues that arose during discussion.
Develop: 8:00-8:15
Since we don’t have a mission team at the church, I wonder if your small group would be interested in ministering to a missionary family. The Forsens and Muttis have both ministered here in our church recently. Would your group be interested in making a connection either of them? Ideas: pray for them, write them, visit them on the field, etc.
What is the next step for your group? Does the group want to continue focusing on the sermon scriptures each week or branch out into something different (I have plenty of curriculum ideas and material at the church).
Share: 8:15-8:30
Group Outreach Project
This brainstorm exercise should be completed within the next few meetings so that the group can perform the outreach before Christmas.
Ask people to throw out ideas, and write them on a whiteboard or poster board. DO NOT evaluate whether or not the idea is a good one, just write it down. Ask them to think outside the box. You can come back next week and evaluate which ideas make the most sense for the group. People will come up with better ideas if they know no one is going to judge it on the spot.
The only request I have, at this point, is that you focus their attention on personal type outreach (something that will touch people personally as opposed to impersonally).
Example: Instead of just collecting books for the local hospital waiting room, ask if you could host a story time when the room is full of anxious children waiting for a doctor’s visit. Instead of just raking leaves for the elderly, ask if you could throw a party and get to know them too.
Thanks for offering up your homes and/or hearts to give people a place to gather and live life together this week.
Vinnie C.
Connect: 7:00-7:20
Are you a natural optimist or pessimist? Why?
Surrender: 7:20-7:30
Topic of Sunday’s talk: not quitting. Let us pray for perseverance. One way to stretch ourselves in worship is to read prayers that others have written and use them as our own or use them as a springboard for our own prayer.
Prayer for Perseverance
Lord,let Thy wisdom melt into my heart...And give me courage to be always true...Teach me to be sincere in what I do...And keep the honor of my daily art...Show me the way to make another start... Where life is young and melodies are
new... Where goodness grows and jealousies are few... And perseverance plays a noble part... For that is all that I would have today...To take the proper path and and persevere... And be un-
noticed all along the way... Until the end of everything is near ...And then, before I go, to hear them say... This life was like a prayer from year to year. James J. Metcalfe
Does anyone in the group need special prayer for perseverance?
Grow: 7:30-8:00
Romans 12:11
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
How much does the world’s motto “If it doesn’t work for you, dump it” affect us as Christians?
Bruce brought up the phrase “One eye on the EXIT sign.” Does this describe how to approach certain aspects of your life?
The distinguishing mark of saving faith is not perfection. The mark of faith is not that I never sin…The mark of faith is that I fight. I fight anything that dims my sight of Jesus as my glorious Savior. I fight anything that diminishes the fullness of the lordship of Jesus in my life. I fight anything that threatens to replace Jesus as the supreme Treasure of my life. Anything that stands between me and receiving Jesus. Faith fights -- not with fists or knives or guns or bombs, but with the truth of Christ. John Piper
What biblical material supports this idea of the Christian life being a fight?
The illustration for fervor was a “slow boil.”
How is that apt word picture?
What helps you keep your spiritual fervor?
What situation these days is trying your ability to persevere?
Spiritually speaking, what discourages you the most so that you consider quitting?
You could also take a look at
Ephesians 6 where it talks about putting on the whole armor of God.
Galatians 6 where it talks about reaping a harvest if you don’t quit.
James 1:4 where it talks about letting patience have its way with us so that we might be fully mature.
You could pray for any issues that arose during discussion.
Develop: 8:00-8:15
Since we don’t have a mission team at the church, I wonder if your small group would be interested in ministering to a missionary family. The Forsens and Muttis have both ministered here in our church recently. Would your group be interested in making a connection either of them? Ideas: pray for them, write them, visit them on the field, etc.
What is the next step for your group? Does the group want to continue focusing on the sermon scriptures each week or branch out into something different (I have plenty of curriculum ideas and material at the church).
Share: 8:15-8:30
Group Outreach Project
This brainstorm exercise should be completed within the next few meetings so that the group can perform the outreach before Christmas.
Ask people to throw out ideas, and write them on a whiteboard or poster board. DO NOT evaluate whether or not the idea is a good one, just write it down. Ask them to think outside the box. You can come back next week and evaluate which ideas make the most sense for the group. People will come up with better ideas if they know no one is going to judge it on the spot.
The only request I have, at this point, is that you focus their attention on personal type outreach (something that will touch people personally as opposed to impersonally).
Example: Instead of just collecting books for the local hospital waiting room, ask if you could host a story time when the room is full of anxious children waiting for a doctor’s visit. Instead of just raking leaves for the elderly, ask if you could throw a party and get to know them too.
Thanks for offering up your homes and/or hearts to give people a place to gather and live life together this week.
Vinnie C.
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