How We Are Formed, Pt. 3 (The Critical Journey)
community group guide
Vision Series Session 7: How We Are Formed, Pt. 1
INTRO: (2-3 minutes)
Welcome to Community Group! Start off by introducing everyone in the group and then praying and asking the Holy Spirit to move and guide the conversation for the evening.
We have come to the end of our vision series with this most recent sermon. As we look back, it should be very clear to us that each of us are on a journey. However, each of our journeys are unique and require some good, regular introspection. Let’s do that now.
DISCUSSION: (10-15 minutes)
SAY the following: You and I are being led by something or someone on a journey to somewhere. It is crucial for us to be able to identify what or who is leading us and where we believe we are headed. Otherwise, we can easily find ourselves in a place we never intended to be.
ASK the group:
Have you ever followed after a trend or a person that resulted in you wondering what you were doing?
A. Where did it lead you?
B. Was it helpful or harmful?
After discussing, have someone read Psalm 23:1-4
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff--they comfort me.”
SAY the following: Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known passages from the Bible. It is beautifully poetic and unbelievably calming. Many of us have turned to it in times of darkness or trouble in order to find some type of comfort. We see it written on Thomas Kinkade style artwork and even quoted in movies.
But are we really grasping the imagery? David (the psalmist in this case) is referring to Yahweh as his “shepherd”--which makes David, and us, sheep. Sheep have no directional sense and no defense. Without a shepherd, sheep are simply a snack in the wild. However, when a sheep remains close to its shepherd it is led, protected and cared for in even the most predatory of spaces.
Similarly, when left to our own devices, we haven’t much directional sense or defense in regard to our life journey. This is why many of us jump from one thing to the next in order to get some new direction. This is also why we often get “stuck” on our journey. The second we stop allowing Jesus to be our shepherd is when our journey turns into survival mode. As we wander alone we find that the enemy takes every opportunity he gets to lead us further from Jesus.
One of the most important things we can do on this journey is to persist--remain steadfast. We can ask questions. We can wrestle with the truth. We can test the Scriptures against the strongest of opposition--they will never back down. As we persist we find more and more that God is who He says He is and that we are who He says we are: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)
APPLICATION: (approx. 10-15 minutes)
Break up into two groups of men and women. Discuss with your group these two questions:
1. What area in your journey are you stuck in?
2. What do you need to do to break free/move forward?
After discussing, have a person or two volunteer to pray for each person in the group regarding what was shared. It might be helpful to ask at least one other person to touch base with you this week to cheer you on in your journey.
CLOSING: (5-10 minutes)
Remember, we have all been stuck at some point. It’s okay! But in order to break free there has to be movement. We cannot just wait around like Dr. Seuss described for something to happen. God is waiting to lead us to our next stage, but we have to follow Him. It might be helpful to ask at least one other person to touch base with you this week to cheer you on in your journey.