Constructing or reconstructing our faith is not a solo project. We must connect with and rely on each other for input and encouragement. This week we’ll look at a biblical example of how people on the journey of faith can form a solid team that keeps them stay motivated, disciplined, and focused on the goal of building a strong faith.

Group Discussion Guide

To see the leader guide for this week CLICK HERE

Introduction

Spend a few minutes discussing with your group how their application of last week’s group discussion went. What were the highs and lows of their last week?

After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer.

Key Verse

1 Corinthians 3:9
“For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.”

Opening

One of the tensions of living as a follower of Jesus in America is that we have a highly individualistic culture. There’s a sense that we need to go through our faith alone because it’s “between me and Jesus”. This could be because we are a private person or do not want to be influenced or judged by others for one reason or the other. Inherently, there is nothing wrong with being private or needing less social interaction with others; people are different in their social needs. When we read the teaching of Jesus, however, we can understand that Jesus taught the opposite of that. The first followers of Jesus were taught for faith to be practiced and constructed well then it must be done alongside others.

Our big idea for the week
We can build our faith as a team.

Connect

• When was a time where you thought you should do something alone but later realized you needed other people to help you?
• When has a group experience been positive when you thought it might be negative?
• Do you believe that God works when you ask?
• Share a time when God worked in a meaningful way in your life.

Unpack

Go around your group and have someone read each of the following verses, then discuss the connected questions.

The first verse we will read in this section is from a letter that the Apostle Paul (one of Christianity’s first missionaries) wrote to the church in a place called Ephesus. This was a thriving port city that had many different ethnic communities, and the Ephesian church was no different. There were Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) together worshipping God in one place, which was a huge deal at the time. Notice how Paul refers to these two groups of people as you read these next few verses.

READ

• Ephesians 2:19-22

DISCUSS

• What are some reasons we tend to want to do faith alone or privately?
• What experience do you have working through your faith with people that are different than you? Share an example or two, if you’re comfortable.
• Why does Paul refer to the people in these verses as “family”? How does this change your view of how Christians should think of each other?

READ

• Hebrews 10:23-25
• Matthew 18:20
• 1 John 4:10-12

DISCUSS

• How have you had your faith nurtured by other people?
• Is there a place in your faith that you need to bring people into? What barriers do you have that would prevent you from doing that?
• What are some practical ways you can love those around you well to help build their faith?

Apply

Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group in order to determine what your personal action steps for the week can be:

We’ve talked about how faith is meant to be a communal or team effort, not individualistic.

• What steps can you take to practice your faith with this perspective from now on?

Pastor Jason talked on Sunday about making goals for building your faith. This group you are in right now should be a place for you to ask for help in those goals.

• What are some of your “faith-building goals” you have that you can share with your group today? If you don’t have any, work together as a group to come up with some goals together.
• How can you as a group help each other carry out these goals together?

Closing

As we grow in our relationship with other followers of Jesus, it’s important to remember that our faith was never meant to be done alone. God made us as communal and social beings. This doesn’t mean we cannot spend time alone; in fact, being alone with God is an extremely healthy spiritual practice. Working through our faith and the implications it has in our life, however, must also be done through a system of community of other believers. Let’s do our best to try to see our faith as something to be constructed as a team. We can do it together!

Daily Bible Reading

Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below.

Scripture: Read the verses several times out loud.
Observation: As you read the scripture what do you observe.
Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do or feel based on what you have read?
Pray: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read, and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned.

• Day 1: Proverbs 15:22
• Day 2: Romans 12:4-5
• Day 3: Proverbs 27:17
• Day 4: Romans 14:1
• Day 5: 1 Corinthians 12:13
• Day 6: 1 Corinthians 1:10