Power is not meant to be held; it’s meant to be given away. It’s a natural urge to want to acquire and retain power, but real influence is a dynamic process of “catch and release.” Rather than holding onto our power, God invites us to share who we are and what we have with others. This week, we’ll see how Jesus believed that we are better together and teaches us to intentionally invest in others.

Group Discussion Guide 

To see the Leader Guide for this week, click here

Introduction

Last week, we talked about this idea of compassionate candor and how we can be a positive influence in our communities by connecting with the people around us authentically. Spend a few minutes discussing how the application from last week’s discussion went.  

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

Key Verse for the Week  

*Read this verse to your group first, then encourage the practice of memorization through the week.  

Ephesians 3:20 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” 

**When practiced consistently, memorizing Bible verses can be an important spiritual practice that centers your mind around the truth that God has given us. 

Opening Thought 

Have you ever approached a task that someone else should do, but it would take too long to teach them how, so you just did it yourself? Then you are like everyone around you! Every day we make the choice of how to spend our time and resources. It can be faster, easier, and less complicated to do it your own way! But, in the long run, it will make a more significant impact if you bring others in and share what you know.  Jesus modeled what it can look like to bring others in and empower them to carry out his mission.  His time on earth would be limited, so Jesus intentionally developed the people? How could your influence multiply if you spent some intentional effort multiplying yourself in others? 

Big idea for the week
We can be a positive influence by empowering others. 

Connect   

• What is the main difference between empowering or encouraging? Which is more difficult? 
• Share a time when you were empowered to do something.  How did you feel during that moment? 
• What are some reasons that can get in the way of empowering others? 
• Gatekeeping means to withhold information or access that would be beneficial to others.  How does that give you power over others versus power through others? 

Unpack  

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

Read  

These 5 sections of scripture are just a few examples of the way Peter, who was one of Jesus’ most faithful followers throughout the course of his life, was empowered by Jesus to make a huge impact on the early church.  

Have each person in your group take a passage of scripture and read through them all before moving on to the discuss portion. 

• Matthew 4:18-20 
• Matthew 14:22-31 
• Matthew 16:15-19 
• John 13:6-17 
• Acts 2:36-41 

 
Discuss  

• When reading these scriptures, did you read them from the perspective of Jesus, or the perspective of Peter. What did you notice about the process of empowerment?  
• Now change perspectives. Does anything different stand out to you? 

In her sermon, Pastor Jill talked about 5 steps we can take when raising others up:  

Recruit (identifying, vetting, inviting), 

Ready (equipping, preparing, clarifying),  

Release (giving opportunity with the right authority level),  

Reflect (constructive feedback and debriefing), 

Renew (ongoing nurturing for rest, growth, redirection as needed).  

• Go through each section of scripture again and discuss as a group how Jesus modeled one of these steps in each passage. (There is no correct answer; more than one step can be seen in each passage).  
• Revisit each of these steps and discuss the ramifications if it were left out of the process of empowering others. 

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 to decide what your personal action steps for the week can be: 

• Which one of the five steps for raising others up are you good at?
  • Which one could you grow more from?  
• Which relationships in your life can you be more intentional with empowerment, moving beyond just encouragement?  
• Think of someone in your life with untapped potential. How could you invest in them this week? 
• Which area in your life can you see yourself having more of an individualistic mindset?
  • How could bringing others into this benefit that specific area?  
• How can we as a faith community empower one another to grow in our faith and our pursuit of Jesus? 

Closing 

It is clear in the verses we read this week that Jesus intentionally developed and invested time into His disciples. In the same way, God challenges us to consider how our influence can multiply when we empower the people in our lives. Let’s consider how we can follow Jesus’ example of what to do in our own lives and relationships throughout this next week.  

Remember, empowerment doesn’t always need to be a grand gesture. Instead, think of the little influences you can incorporate into your relationships that overtime, cause a subtle impact (i.e., actively listening, having hard conversations, acts of service). As a faith community, let’s commit to empowering one another in our collective pursuit of Jesus, keeping in mind the positive influence that we can have when empowering others.  

Prayer and Verses 

Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer then share the Key Verse for the Week and Daily Devotional Verses with the group. 

Daily Devotional Verses  

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

Scripture: Read the verses several times. Reading out loud can be helpful as well. 
Observation: What can you see about the scripture you read? 
Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do, or feel, based on what you have read? 
Kneel in Prayer: 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: Deuteronomy 31:6 

Day 2: Ephesians 2:10 

Day 3: 2 Corinthians 4:16 

Day 4: 2 Peter 1:3 

Day 5: 1 Timothy 4:12 

Day 6: 1 John 4:4 

Key Verse for the Week  

Ephesians 3:20 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”