LESSON EIGHT Discussion Guide for Group & Individual Use (click more)
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time you have provided for us to come together to hear from you and have fellowship in your Word and to learn and apply your Word to our hearts. We need you, Lord. We need your grace all the time. We praise you for your goodness and your love and mercy. Please open our hearts to you and to one another and lead our discussion. Help us not to fear, but to put all of our hope in Christ. Help us to remember there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. May you be glorified in all our thoughts and words and deeds. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I. LECTURE
Will someone share how the Lord used the lecture to speak to your heart? Did anyone have any questions or concerns about the lecture? If you ever have a question or something is unclear, please let us know. We want to serve you in any way we can!
II. PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK
The only reason we can love Jesus at all is because He first loved us! God’s Word teaches us that the way we respond to the love of Christ is by knowing His Word, believing His Word, and obeying His word out of love for our Savior. Receiving God’s unconditional love for us is integral to our faith. When we humbly seek His mercy and gratefully receive His grace – we are then able to extend to others that which we have received. We must continually remind ourselves of the basis of our acceptance – it is entirely because of what Christ has done for us. Only by receiving His love for us are we able to love Him and others. Allow yourself the freedom to surrender and entrust your heart to the Lord. You may have a hard time trusting. Ask Him in faith to help you. Allow Jesus to develop in you the selfless, all-encompassing love that is possible only through Him.
III. QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK
1. Go through the homework, occasionally calling on women. Read scriptures aloud. After asking a question, remember to allow a brief period of quiet “wait-time” to give women a chance to think before answering. After pausing, if no one shares, go ahead with your answer, rephrase question, and/or move on.
DAY ONE Devotion: Jesus, I Want to Love You
2. Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One?
DAY TWO
3. Quiet Moment - Without sharing names, when have you been unfairly or unkindly treated or judged by family, friends, work associates, or others?
4. Going Deeper Question #1 - In what situations do you find yourself judging others? Whom do you judge, perhaps a bit too often and a bit unfairly? Describe what you do or how you feel in these instances.
5. Question #4 - How can you consider others higher than yourself? What do you need to change in the way you relate to others? How can you pray for them?
DAY THREE
6. Quiet Moment - Describe in your own words what the wide gate looks like considering the world around you.
7. Going Deeper Question #3 - What is it that the Lord revealed to you that you would be unwilling to do to follow Him? What would you be afraid to lose?
DAY FOUR
8. Quiet Moment - Where do you look for help, for answers, for the way?
9. Going Deeper Question #2 - If Jesus were to take a look at your deeds, at the things you do from sunrise to sunset, what would He see? Whose to-do list are you doing each day, yours or God’s?
10. Question #3 - What spiritual disciplines have you established that have helped you to walk with the Lord? What disciplines do you want to work to incorporate into your life?
DAY FIVE
11. Quiet Moment - According to Matthew 7:24-29, what is the consequence of not obeying and what causes this consequence?
12. Going Deeper Question #1 - What is your house built on? How do you withstand the lie, the crisis, or the famine when it comes?
13. Question #2 - What does the Bible say about love and obedience?
IV. PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER
V. TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART TIME
We will now focus on taking God’s truth to our hearts and bringing it to life. James 5:16a states; “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” And 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
Please turn to your Taking the Truth to Heart and Bringing It to Life page. We will each have 3 minutes so that every woman will have a chance to share. Please record one another’s confessions on the Taking the Truth to Heart Guide on the following page so you can pray for one another throughout the week. Leaders, please set the example by always going first.
VI. PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER
