Matt Zainea Rockford Campus April 28, 2024
Storytellers: Kingdom Blessings
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE
REMINDERS
Leader Development Class (Sunday nights) – This week (4/28) LDC will wrap up the series on Gospel Conversations and celebrate the end of our first year as a class. We hope to see you there! We’ll be taking the summer off and meetings will resume this fall.
Leader Appreciation Gathering – May 8, 6pm – We want to take time with all of our Life Group leaders to thank you, feed you, and talk about what God has done in your group this year. Please join us for a meal and fellowship at the Heaton household (9385 Myers Lake Ave, Rockford, MI 49341). RSVP’s are helpful as we plan for food, etc.
Send RSVP to Kim at [email protected].
Magnify Church Prayer Room is OPEN! – Please feel free to come and use the prayer room as a group! To use it during the day, please stop in the office during normal business hours. To use it on off-times, please arrange this with our receptionist Sandy so that she can make sure the room will be available for you. Remember: this is not to be used as a regular meeting space, but specifically as a special place to pray.
Our hope is that all our Life Groups are praying groups, and we look forward to seeing God use this space to facilitate that.
TOGETHER IN LIFE
Matt began the sermon by asking whose opinion of you matters most to you. Name one or two people who are important in your life and explain why you respect their opinion about you.
TOGETHER IN THE WORD
THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Luke 6:17–26
Note: We encourage you to read the entire text together as a group out loud.
Blessings and Woes
In His “Sermon on the Plain,” Jesus taught on the Kingdom of Heaven in a series of 4 blessings and 4 woes.
| Blessed are | Woe to |
|---|---|
| Poor – v20 | Rich – v24 |
| Hungry – v21 | Full – v25 |
| Weeping – v21 | Laughing – v25 |
| Persecuted – v22 | Popular – v26 |
QUESTIONS
- Do any of the items on these lists surprise you? Are there any you don’t feel you understand very well?
- Has there been a time in your life where you especially related to one of the items in the left-hand column?
- Has there been a time in your life where you especially related to one of the items in the column on the right?
A Kingdom Perspective
Following Jesus often means finding yourself poor, hungry, weeping, or persecuted now—in this life. There is a cost to discipleship. Those who live for now and seek consolation in their money, fullness, laughter, and popularity solely in this life will find themselves without these things for eternity. “If your focus is on getting ahead now, there’s nothing for you in the Kingdom.”
QUESTIONS
- As you think about your life right now, in which area are you most tempted to “get ahead now”? (For example, do you feel the sting of being poor and want to seek comfort in riches? Are you weary of persecution and tempted to seek popularity?)
- One day Christ will return to make all things new, and those who have put their faith in Him will be with Him forever. What do you do to remember this hope? How often do you do it?
- Is there anything in your life right now that tends to distract you from this hope and God’s Kingdom priorities?
TOGETHER IN ACTION
Living to Please
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” – Galatians 1:10
Ultimately we have two paths open to us: we can live to please God or live to please man. This is a recurring theme in Scripture. We need to investigate our hearts to find out what’s really going on. Matt gave us four categories to consider:
- Anxiety – what makes you anxious?
- Jealousy – where are your jealousies?
- Fantasy – what do you daydream about, and what feeds that?
- Resentment – which hurts do you continue to carry?
Challenge
- Take a few minutes to consider each of the four categories in your life and write down one or two items for each. Share the results with your group and why you chose them.
- What’s one thing you can do to take a first step to addressing one or more of these issues? Pair up with others in the group for prayer and accountability, and check in with each other on your progress.
- Continue to meditate on these questions throughout the week to see if God brings to mind more than you initially thought of.
TOGETHER IN PRAYER
God is incredibly generous with us. And no matter how much or little you have, God makes us the same offer of salvation by grace through faith. Only He Himself can meet our ultimate needs, and we find ourselves satisfied when we learn each day to rest in Him. If you find you’re on the wrong path this week, it isn’t too late to change! God always stands ready to forgive and to offer life to those who seek Him.
Pray for one another about the areas you discussed in group today. Take time to pray for our church as well, that we would be a people who walk the path God blesses no matter how difficult it may be. Pray that we would be a people who have our hope fixed firmly on Jesus Christ.
