In The Moment (Part 1): When There Is A Different Way...

TO START

Begin by asking these questions to get to know one another better:

  • If you could only have 3 apps left on your smart phone, what would you choose?

  • If you could go on any type of adventure at a moments notice, where would you go, what would you do and why??

TO DISCUSS

This week, Zane began a series called “In The Moment”, over these weeks ahead, he is inviting us to take a chance to be less reactive to difficult or mundane moments and to rather become more reflective of what God might be doing in this moment….Zane points us to the fact that it is in unexpected moments where we can expect to find God up to something but “ONLY if we are able to see the moment”.

  • So, what’s your tendency? Do you tend to be more reflective or reactive in the moment??

  • Next, we can’t avoid this question… What pivot did you choose of the scenarios in the adventure that Zane gave us Sunday??

    • Direct your team to retreat and run to the nearest hill (to get to the high ground)

    • Direct your team to dig a trench around themselves deep enough to block this fire.

    • Direct your team to climb the closest trees around you.

    • Direct your team to run through the flames of fire.

    • Google how to survive a wildfire.

TO READ

Read the first moment in the series from Mark 1:14-20 together.

This week we considered that in this story, Jesus interrupts the lives of 2 different groups of people with the same invitation, the invitation to life with God. While the church has often fallen into the trap of creating barriers of belonging, Mark makes it very clear that Jesus has obliterated those barriers and you don’t have to do something in particular or have something in particular to do life with God.

  • We wonder, have you felt like you had to do something or have something to be able to share life with God? If so, how did your mindset change to see that you are welcome to share life with God wherever you find yourself?

Additionally, Zane pointed us to the reality in the story that sharing life with God begins in one way…you have to “leave…part of Biblical faith is leaving. It’s a part of our discipleship”.

  • So, what have you had to leave behind in order to follow Jesus?

  • Do you struggle to believe that God is specifically asking you to be brave and to leave something or sacrifice something for the sake of following him? Why or why not?

  • Why is it our tendency to want to stay where we are even when we know leaving is the way?

Even more directly, Zane argues that choosing to leave something, not for the sake of leaving something but for the sake of living out something different is one of the easiest ways to know that Jesus is who he says he is because it’s the only thing that will make us whole. Ask if folks remember Zane’s story about “Christian trash” Then ask…

  • What are you depending on that you need to let go of in order to follow Jesus? In other words, what are you still struggling to leave behind to fully accept Jesus’s invitation?? (a feeling of unworthiness? A feeling of inadequacy?A fear of letting go?)

For the series, Zane defined a moment as: an opportunity to turn away from doing your things your way and to turn towards God’s way of doing things.

  • If you’re willing, would you share with us something in your life that you want to willingly choose to give up doing your way and to turn towards God’s way of doing things? (Give your group a minute of silence to think about it)

TO PRAY

At the end of worship, we handed out prayer cards for the series to help encourage and enable us to lookout for moments with God in the Fall ahead. We want to invite you to pray this prayer together with your small group this week and each week of the series!

God, may this moment be the first of many moments with you this week.

Meet me in the mundane & memorable

Move me to reflection instead of reaction

And mend my ways back to your ways

God, may this moment be the first of many moments with you this week.

Amen.

Matt DeLano