1 John 2:12-14 | The Power of Encouragement

Pray

Church of the Week

Hillside Church & Pastor Doug Manson

Missionary of the Week

Local Ministries CRU Campus Ministry, Harvest Christian School, Redwood Gospel Mission, & Salvation Army

Suggested Outline for Your Group: 

• Share “God Stories” 

• Share testimonies of where you have seen God working in your life lately. 

• Read 1 John 2:12-14 out loud together 

• Invite one person to read the verses for the week 

• Go through the Discussion Questions: 

• Don’t feel like you need to get through them all 

• Use the ones that are the most helpful in stirring up meaningful conversation 

• Make sure you save enough time to pray together 

• Share prayer requests 

• Pray for one another 

• Thank God for the ways He’s answered the prayers of the group lately 

• Invite the Holy Spirit to speak through you as you wait on Him 

Discussion Questions: 

Three Truths

• Pastor Zach shared three truths from 1 John to strengthen you in the face of discouragement:

• Your sins have been forgiven

• You know God

• Your have overcome the evil one

• How do these truths encourage you in your Christian walk and in life?

• Which truth is the hardest for you to believe? How can you resist the lies of Satan in that area?

Five Ways to Respond

On Sunday we were given five ways to respond to the message. Spend time in your group discussing how you can respond to each of the invitations for personal application. Be careful to avoid making general statements about how Christians in general should respond and look for specific actions and attitudes you can take in your life this next week. Share with your group and pray for one another this week as you respond. 

1. Start and end each day in the truth - My Sins are forgiven because of His name.

2. Stop believing you can’t change

3. Embrace the messiness of Spiritual growth - read the quote from C.S. Lewis and discuss your experience and expectation of how God brings about spiritual growth. 

   “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

   ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

4. Recognize you are in a spiritual battle - renovating your home in the midst of a warzone.

5. Seek encouragement - Look for others who are encouraging in the Christian walk and if you are in a season of discouragement start by finding someone in your life that you can encourage.