Faithfulness: Week 25 (April 17-23)
Faithfulness Practice: Week 25| April 17 - 23
Communities @ Grace
Goal for Week: How to develop the practice of personal faithfulness.
Lesson 4 of 4
45 minutes: Welcome, Pray, Eat + Mingle
What’s your rule for making and keeping promises? How did you come by that value?
Do you have traditions for the Easter holiday?
15 Minutes : Review of last week’s practice experience
Review:
Practice the one thing you identified during last week’s Practice Together. Share your experience in doing this practice.
What feelings come up when you consider if God is always faithful? Think deeply about where you might harbor doubts. Pray, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal how he is being faithful and how you can wait actively in the situation. Record what you learn and how the situation evolves.
Are you cynical with God or others? - “I’ll believe it when I see it?”
Take time each day to ponder the thoughts and conversations you have to see if there are times when you don’t have faith.
What does it mean that faithfulness is a “Fruit of the Spirit”? (Another way we are transformed to be more like Jesus) Examine ways you can strengthen this in your life?
How did this practice go for you? What is the Holy Spirit doing in your heart as a result of practicing this last week?
What is hindering you from practicing during the week?
How can we support each other?
How was your connection with Jesus this week?
35-40 Minutes : Introduction of Practice + Discussion Questions
Faithfulness has a wide range of attributes. As we follow Jesus we should develop these qualities - trustworthy, consistent, firmly anchored, reliable, and steadfast in adversity. Read these passages as a group and discuss.
Proverbs 11:13 - How do you keep things told to you in confidence?
Luke 16:10 - What are examples of the little things, why do they matter?
Colossians 2:6-7 - What is evidence of being anchored (rooted) in our fatih? (Trusting in God’s faithfulness above the opinions of friends or world values. New situations don’t send you spinning because you are able to remember what God has done in the past.)
Faithfulness is “showing up”, fulfilling our promises and sticking it out in the hard times. Yet these are some of the hardest values for people to practice. Faithfulness can include:
Show up for someone (look for ways to support and be with people in awkward or hard times)
Keep your promises (make ones you can keep, follow through)
Sticking with someone or situations (work hard to make it work out, put in time and effort, get help to succeed)
James 5:12 “Let your yes be yes and your no be no.”
Most people tend to default to either being a “Yes” or “No” person. What is your tendency and why?
How do you know when you should say yes or no when asked to do a project, plea for money, or request etc.
Why is it hard for you to say either yes or no?
10 - 15 Minutes - Practice Together
Ask each person to think of someone who needs support. Discuss how you can care for them using something you learned in this lesson.
See next page for Practices next week, consider giving a copy to each member.
10 Minutes : Pray for One Another + Close
Consider praying as a whole group or in triads for personal prayer requests.
End on time in order to honor everyone’s time.
5 Minutes : Practices for Week Ahead
Think of someone who needs support. Decide what you will do to care for them using something you learned in this lesson.
What feelings come up when you consider if God is always faithful? Think deeply about where you might harbor doubts. Pray, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal how he is being faithful and how you can wait actively in the situation. Record what you learn and how the situation evolves.