Connect Small Group Question 8/27/2014

Luke 12:22-31

1)   82% of teenagers in a recent survey admitted that they experienced extreme to moderate stress in the past school year.

a.     Do you think that is accurate? Fair? or should the number be higher or lower?

2)   What are some things that stress you out the most?

3)   Do you ever hear your friends talk about how stressed they are?

4)   Summarize verse 24 – What was Jesus really saying about the Ravens?

5)   Most of us don’t have to worry about food and clothes, so what would Jesus tell us not to get worried or stressed over?

6)   What does Jesus mean when he says all these things will be added to you? (God will take care of our real needs – the context of the needs Jesus is talking about here)

Connect Teaching Series Overview - Jesus and Stress

Jesus and Stress Series Overview

Stress. It’s a dominant part of your teenagers’ daily lives. Stress over schoolwork, sports, jobs, and friends. Teenagers in our culture juggle so many responsibilities and deal with so much pressure and expectations. How can we lead them to deal with stress in a Godly, Christ-centered way? Good thing Jesus had a ton to say about this.

We’re about to jump in to a new study entitled Jesus and Stress. Over the course of the next four weeks at Connect we will discuss what it means to trust God with the stress of life; that we all have a choice when it comes to dealing with our stress; that choosing to trust God with our is the right decision even if we don’t understand exactly what God is doing; and that the Holy Spirit is present in our lives to give peace and comfort.
 
I’m looking forward to learning with your teenager what Jesus teaches us about dealing with our stress. To prepare to engage with your teenager, think about doing the following:

• Pray for your teenager and the group of friends in his or her Connect Small Group.
• Think about some of your struggles and victories in how you dealt with stress in your own life during your teen years and be ready to share those with your teenager.
• Consider leading your teenager to think of a way the two of you can show the love of Christ to others in the form of a ministry action before the series is over.

Thank you for encouraging your student to be involved in this study. Please let me know if I can answer any questions you may have.

Grace,
Don

Connect Questions - 8/20/2014

Small Group questions 8/13/14

Scriptures: John 13:31-35; John 15:12-13; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

1. What do you think its like to be known by everyone for one aspect of your life?
2. Someone share a time when you had to “go solo”, for the first time. Were you given a lot of instructions right before facing the task alone?
3. In verse 34 Jesus talks about loving the way He showed love; Can you think of some words or phrases that describe the way Jesus showed His love to others?
4. In 1 Corinthians Paul lists characteristics of love; which characteristic s do you think you do well on? Struggle with?
5. What does it take to become more comfortable with living out more of the characteristics in your life?

Charactersitics of love outlined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

·      Love is patient. (Some versions endures, puts up with good and bad times)

·      Love is kind. (Does good things, is gentle, treats people with respect)

·      Love is not jealous. (Is content, does not hate others because of things, is happy when good things happen to others)

·      Love is not boastful. (Boasting about self can diminish others instead of encouraging them)

·      Love is not proud. (Does not look down on others, is not a snob)

·      Love is not rude. (Includes both saying and doing rude things)

·      Love is not selfish. (This word has in it the idea of always putting the sake of the Gospel first instead of our own interests and motives)

·      Love is not irritable. (Or provoked to do evil things to others or be tempted to sin)

·      Love does not keep a record of wrongs. (Follows the example of Christ to live forgiveness each day)

·      Love does not rejoice in injustice but in rather in truth. (Think of being moved when seeing inequality in the world, those who are mistreated, the poor used for slave labor)

·      Love never gives up. (Again some versions use bears all things here, never gives up showing grace and mercy to others) 

·      Love never loses faith. (Especially in people, believes the best in others, not willing to listen to negative reports of others)

·      Love is always hopeful. (Living out the hope of Christ, showing love in hopes of people finding Christ)

·      Love endures in all situations. (Whatever may happen to us we endure in hopes that the love of Christ will be known through because of the way we handle the circumstances of life)