WEEKLY HOME GROUP GUIDE

Belong
Welcome Jesus always seemed to keep His followers off balance. I believe He did it on purpose so that people would not get comfortable in their present condition. Comfort sometimes leads to complacency. Tonights Home Group will focus on how the teaching of Jesus flips our thinking & living downside-up. Ask the Holy Spirit to cause each of your group members to feel unsettled a bit in their lives.

June 3-9, 2012

Become
Family Time Which list would you choose? List #1 Health, Fun, Vacations, Food, Family, Laughter, Friends, Games, Easy List #2 Sorrow, Hunger, Sadness, Loneliness, Difficulty, Crying, Enemies, Labor, Burden

Probably not too difficult of a choice for you, is it? Why would anyone choose List #2 over List #1? (let the group answer) What if Jesus asked you to choose List #2. Sometimes Jesus said some difficult things to His followers. Read together Matthew 5:1-12 The KEY though is that we have a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus. Hes not just someone who tells us what to do & doesnt care about us. He cares so much for us & wants the best for us & He showed how much He cares by dying for us, right? So...even though He says some hard-to-understand things, what can we be sure of? Kids Time The Bible calls Jesus a King. But Jesus is not like the president of the US, who gets elected & only rules over America for a few years. Jesus was not elected; He was appointed King by God the Father. He is the eternal King of Kings & Lord of Lords...that means He is the ruler over all the earth forever & ever. What do you think about Jesus being the King & you being a citizen of His Kingdom? What do people in Jesus Kingdom act like? How do they treat each other? What does life in Jesus Kingdom look like? Have kids draw a picture of what life looks like in Jesus Kingdom. Have them talk about their pictures & share how living in Jesus Kingdom is the best way to live. Adult Time Living according to the ways of the world vs. living according to Jesus Kingdom. Jesus flips the world on its head. What seems like the natural thing to do in the world is the exact opposite (at times) of the way Jesus calls His followers to live. Examples: If you want to gain your life, you must lose it. If you want to be rich, give your stuff away. If you want to be move ahead in life, choose humble service. The wide, easy, appealing road leads to destruction; the narrow, hard, less traveled road leads to life. Downside-up living. Go over each verse in Matthew 5:3-12 & ask your group to talk about how each of these verses flips the worlds ways on its head. Next, lets get down to the nitty-gritty. How do you live out each of these verses in a practical way? Prayer Time At times, all of us will fall short of the standard that God ascribes for us to live...holiness (I Peter 1:16). But in Christ, God provides us with His righteousness, His holiness, His perfection, His provision. He who began a good work in (us) will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:16) Take time in your group to praise the Lord for all He has done & is doing for us. Praise His work of salvation; praise His work of sanctification (making us more & more like Christ) & praise Him for His future work of complete glorification!

Beyond
Community Calendar Before it gets too hot, plan a night at the park with your HG or CG. Plan a backyard BBQ & swim night with your group! Take advantage of the summer activities & make some memories with your church family! Church Calendar Register online (www.pantego.org) for the Womens Ministry Summer Studies! Morning & evening classes begin June 13. Childcare is available (childcare@pantego.org).

Pantego Bible Church