Last week, we started our new series called “Unstuck.” Jon taught us about Jesus healing the leper and this set up our summer journey: no matter how you may be stuck, and no matter how long you may have been so, Jesus is in the business of setting people free.This week we’ll turn to Luke 5 where we’ll read the story of a few friends who brought a paralyzed man to Jesus. In spite of their obstacles, they persist and get a front-row seat to the miraculous. This story has a lot to say to us today about both faith and friendship.

I’m praying that God will release miraculous healing on Sunday for anyone who’s stuck, and that our faith could be on display as we join together for the sake of the hurting in our community.

DOWNLOADS

See It Be It Video Audio iTunes

SEE IT // BE IT

(WEEKLY COMMUNITY GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE)

DATE: May 21, 2017 // Unstuck: Faith and Friendship  //

Scripture: Luke 5

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

This week Aaron Keyes continued our series Unstuck—looking at places in the Gospels where Jesus helped people who were stuck in their lives get unstuck. In Luke 5, a paralyzed man was brought to Jesus by his friends. Jesus heals the man both physically and spiritually by strengthening his legs and forgiving his sins. Also present were Pharisees who were unable to be vulnerable, admit their own weakness and brokenness, and missed the power of Jesus in their lives. Using this passage, Aaron focused our congregation on the power of faith formed in community and challenged us to become vulnerable with our weaknesses and brokenness and together form the kind of faith that testifies to God’s faithfulness.

THE MAIN THOUGHT  keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.

Faith is often formed and focused in community.

SEE IT – Questions 10-15 minutes
Picture  (What is the story saying?): How was the man stuck in Luke 5:17-26? What did this man’s friends do for him? How did his friends help change his predicament? What is the difference between the paralytic’s friends and the Pharisees? How did the Pharisees try to stand in the way of the man’s healing? What was Jesus’ response?

Mirror (Where am I in the story?): Where are you paralyzed in your life right now? What keeps you from getting to Jesus? What would it look like for you to be vulnerable with your weakness? What stands in your way of being vulnerable? How can your community leverage their faith for you? What needs are present in your community? How can you leverage your faith for those who are struggling in your community?

Window (How does the story change how I see those around me?) : How do we live in “mat management” of our lives instead of becoming vulnerable for our own healing? How can your community become the kind of community that carries each other’s mats? How does hurry keep us from creating this kind of community?

BE IT> – Practice
Change UP //  Trophy Club

In the sermon this week, Aaron mentioned the fact that in Luke 5, the man’s mat changed from a testimony of his brokenness to a trophy of God’s faithfulness. So, take a moment this week to draw out your own trophies and testify about some of your community’s experiences of God’s faithfulness together. Take a few minutes to think through places God has worked in your life. Draw a picture of those things. Then take time to allow each person to hold up the picture of their trophy to God’s faithfulness and testify about the things they have seen God do.

Change IN //  Help from Hurry

One of the things that stands in the way of “carrying each other’s mats” is hurry. Take a few moments to brainstorm together some specific ways that your community can make sure you don’t pass over or pass by places where your own faith gets stuck simply because you are in a hurry. Think through how your community might find ways to make it normal to slow down by sharing your weaknesses and brokenness with each other and praying for one another. This could be as simple as utilizing Facebook as a place to collect prayer requests for your group throughout the week, or making space regularly and intentionally once a month to spend some extended time praying for the needs in your group that arise in normal day-to-day life.

Change OUT // Graduation Celebration

May is a month of celebration and transition. This week we celebrated in our community of faith the students who were graduating from high school. Make time this week to celebrate those in your community group, or those in your neighborhood, who are graduating from high school, college, graduate school, middle school or elementary school. Talk about how you have seen faith in these individuals and celebrate these moments of accomplishment.

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.