The Apostle Paul could certainly relate. We first learn about his dream to preach the Gospel in Rome in Acts 19:21, but it wasn’t until years later that Paul finally boarded a ship to Rome as a lowly prisoner. And, as we shall read together this week, his journey was still far from complete.
What can we learn from Paul about moving toward dreams and setting goals? How can we adapt to changing circumstances and delayed timelines? Where can we recover hope for drifting and derelict dreams? And what will sustain us in the dark before the dawn?
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(WEEKLY COMMUNITY GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE)
DATE: April 2, 2017 // Title: Goal
Scripture: Acts 27
ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes
Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
For us, sometimes the journey to accomplishing a dream is long, and we face many delays. The Apostle Paul could certainly relate. We first learn about his dream to preach the Gospel in Rome in Acts 19:21, but it wasn’t until years later that Paul finally boarded a ship to Rome as a lowly prisoner. What can we learn from Paul about moving toward dreams and setting goals? How can we adapt to changing circumstances and delayed timelines? Where can we recover hope for drifting and derelict dreams? And what will sustain us in the dark before the dawn?
THE MAIN THOUGHT Keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion
A dream is your calling applied to real life.
SEE IT – Questions 10-15 minutes
Picture (What is the story saying?):What was Paul’s big dream? What does the sea represent in the Bible? (see Gen. 1:2; Ex 14; Ps 89:9; Jonah 1; Rev. 13)
Mirror (Where am I in the story?): How am I balancing leaning into the NOW and at the same time pressing into the NEXT phase of the journey? How can we keep hope alive when we’re in the open sea, between where we started and where we want to be?
Window (How does the story change how I see those around me?): God’s design for our sea journey is that we go port to port. Who is a port for you? Let that encourage you think about how to be a port for someone around you.
BE IT – Practice
Change UP // Exercise 5 minutes
There are three ways to maintain hope in the rough seas of the journey: diving into the Word of the Lord, maintaining confidence in God, and continuing to worship Him. Use music or scripture to help you focus on who God is and declare that your hope is anchored in Him.
Change IN // Group Activity 5 minutes
On the Dream for ’17 tool from this week, work on the 90-day Goal Worksheet. In each of the three columns, reflect these capitals (resources): spiritual, relational, physical, intellectual, and financial. Take a few minutes to share with the group what you come up with. If you want to learn more, here’s a video of Dave Rhodes teaching about the Five Capitals: https://vimeo.com/118067865 Also, all the Dream for ‘17 tools are here: http://gfc.tv/snellville/2017/02/younique-tools/
Change OUT // Life Application Assignment 5 minutes
On the back of the week five tool is the 90-day goal exercise. Pick one of the capitals from the front and use it to set one 90-day goal for yourself. Is God tugging your heart toward teaming up with Neighborhoods, Next Generation, or Nations this year? Email to join one of the pop-up groups that will meet to process the five tools that we’ve used with this sermon series.
CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.