Matt Zainea Rockford Campus January 23, 2023
GET IT TOGETHER – Grace and Peace
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE
REMINDERS
- It’s a New Year and we have an updated Sermon Discussion Guide! We’re excited to bring back the SDG again to help you and your group to have great gospel-centered conversations!
- Men’s and Women’s Ministry Groups begin again this week – be sure to check out more to see how you might be able to check it out: https://magnifychurch.org/events
- Pray for our Middle and High School Retreats that are going on over the next couple of weekends. Pray for many students to hear the Gospel and respond with a willing heart!
TOGETHER IN LIFE
** Matt shared a story of an interaction with a customer service rep at Meijer that went pleasantly well and surprised him. Share a story from your life where you were either pleasantly (or unpleasantly) surprise with an interaction with a business and your disposition was changed as a result.
TOGETHER IN THE WORD
THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
** Beginning this week, we start a new sermon series Get It Together, focusing on Paul’s first letter to the church of Corinth known as 1 Corinthians. In it, we will consider the eternal truths for our time in history. There’s so much that is profound, yet very meaningful to our day-to-day lives.
Breakdown of 1 Corinthians:
- Division (Ch 1-4)
- Sexual Sin/Marriage (Ch 5-7)
- Discernment (Ch 8-10)
- The Body (Ch 11-14)
- Resurrection (Ch 15)
QUESTION: Before we begin this series: What do you know of 1 Corinthians right now? What do you know of Paul? Discuss and allow for those of all levels of understanding to share their understanding.
“Grace and peace to you from God…” (v3)
** Grace and Peace are two key pillars of Christian living. Matt said, “Our disposition ought to be marked by grace and peace”.
QUESTION: What is “disposition”? What other words would you use for it? What does it look like when someone’s disposition is marked by “Grace and Peace”?
QUESTION: What is your ‘natural’ disposition toward others?
GRACE
*Biblical grace is free, yet costly…
– Free to all who believe
– Costly in its expectation upon receiving the gift.
QUESTION: When you think of the concept of “Grace”, how would you define it? Do you find it challenging to consider grace in terms of “free” and/or “costly”?
QUESTION: What are the possible responses to the grace of God? How have you responded?
*How we reply to the Grace of God ought to have a direct impact on our daily life.
**Possible Opposition to Grace:
- Pride: arrogance based on one’s own abilities or perceived strength
- Approval: using grace as a mechanism to be liked or noticed
- Power: using intimidation to instill fear, getting others to act as we desire.
- Dismissing: giving a stiff arm to others in order to not be bothered
QUESTION: Based on the above list, do you tend toward one of these? Are there others you would add?
DEEP TRUTH: God’s grace is extended to us all right now. There is no prerequisite to receive his free gift to us; no need to ‘get it together’, have the ‘right’ answers, or to behave properly. Ephesians 2 reminds us that we were once dead, but God (two of the greatest words in all of Scripture) loved us enough to offer us the chance to be brought back to life, apart from our striving. The only condition is to desire that new life found in him. Do you desire him? Do you believe?
If so, talk about this and pray about it with your group right now!
PEACE
*Biblical peace is grounded in the Peace that radiates out from God’s presence. The concept of “Shalom” is significant and provides a sense of wholeness or completeness. There is no true peace apart from Christ. True peace involves the pursuit of good relationship and moving into challenging situations, not removing ourselves from them. We are called to bring peace and unity into chaos and division.
** For more details on PEACE, check out this video by The Bible Project titled “Peace”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLYORLZOaZE
QUESTION: What would a “peace filled” day look like to you? How does this compare to the biblical idea of “peace”?
QUESTION: Why is it so hard to move toward others in challenging situations?
QUESTION: What are some of the situations in life that prove most challenging to a sense of peace in your life? What would it look like for you to move toward those situations to bring peace?
**Possible Opposition to Peace:
- Aloofness and Apathy: moving away from situations that are hard because we don’t want to be bothered.
- Gossip, Cynicism, Discord, Slander: actively perpetuating division out of a self-centered desire for ‘something interesting’ or simply to know (voyeurism).
- Revenge and Vengeance: seeking to “get even” or to “get yours” in light of harm done to you.
QUESTION: Based on the above list, do you tend toward one of these? Are there others you would add?
GRACE AND PEACE
QUESTION: Who is someone you know who generally has an attitude of Grace and Peace toward others? Share an example of how this plays out in real-life.
QUESTION: What 2 words would mark you general disposition to others at home, at work/school, in the community, at the gym, at church?
*Matt said, “What flows out of a disposition of grace and peace are things like gratitude”
QUESTION: What else flows out of a disposition of grace and peace? What Scripture can we look to as a “test” of our disposition? (cf Gal. 5:22-26)
REMEMBER: God’s faithfulness is what grounds us in fellowship with others. We can bring God’s restful peace and loving grace as we count on God’s steadfast faithfulness for our own hearts.
TOGETHER IN PRAYER
Take time to assess your ‘default mode’ disposition toward others. Pray with your group that God would help you develop a sense of Grace and Peace that would mark everything you do, in every situation you find yourself.
TOGETHER IN ACTION
Take time to consider one relationship that feels broken or chaotic. Ask and answer “How can I bring peace and grace to this person?”
