Imagine you are driving on the freeway when smoke and steam suddenly begin to pour from beneath the hood of your car. Alarmed, you quickly maneuver your rapidly decelerating vehicle to the shoulder. Once you come to a stop and take a deep breath, you cautiously step out of the car to assess the situation. When you look beneath the hood, however, you are dismayed when you see what so many of us see looking at an engine: absolutely nothing you know how to fix.
But then, against all odds, a car pulls off the road behind yours, and a kind-looking stranger gets out. He walks to the front of the car and looks at the engine.
“I know exactly how to fix this,” he says. “ In fact, I have everything you need to get back on the road!”
Your eyes light up with newfound hope until he continues speaking: “Actually, though, I am about to leave. But don’t worry! I will send an invisible helper who can help you fix it just like I would have.” And then he leaves.
How would you feel? Would you wait for the “invisible helper?” Or would you look for other options?
On the night before he was crucified, Jesus told his disciples, “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7).
This Sunday on the church calendar is Pentecost–the great day of the giving of the Holy Spirit (see <a href=”http://gfc.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9ccb7027cbbed56bb72e84a0b&id=5a6ce42101&e=a0440cd3cf” target=”_blank”>Acts 2:1-41</a>). We will celebrate by looking at the thread of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel of John and by remembering afresh how He gets us moving when we feel broken down and stuck on the side of the road.
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(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)
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
On the night before He was crucified, Jesus told his disciples, “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7).
On the church calendar this Sunday is Pentecost–the great day of the giving of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:1-41). In the book of John we see that as Jesus came to show us the Father, He was sending the Holy Spirit to help us show us Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes with five promises. Let’s see how these enable us to live in power!
THE MAIN THOUGHT keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion
The Holy Spirit cannot fill something that is not empty.
SEE IT – Questions 10-15 minutes
Picture: What are the promises of the Holy Spirit? (John 1:32; 3:5; 4:23; 6:63; 7:37-39) What did Jesus say that His disciples would do? How were they supposed to do that?
Mirror: Am I relying on the Holy Spirit’s power in everyday life? When Jesus said that the disciples would do more than He did, it didn’t mean just the spectacular things He did, but also the everyday things. What are some everyday things that Jesus did? How do they relate to your own life? Which is the one promise of the Holy Spirit that you need to press into right now?
Window: How can you take the statements of Jesus about His disciples doing greater things than Jesus did, into your interactions with people this week? Take time to read the statements that are listed on the Grace Notes and discuss the possibilities. How does this change our chance to live with power this week?
BE IT – Practice
Change UP // Exercise 15 minutes
The Spirit can’t fill us if we’re already full of other things. Take a minute of silence and ask the Spirit to speak to your heart about what is filling it. What are you striving to do in your own strength? What did He say? Let Him speak His truth into that place, filling it with Himself.
Real reliance on the Spirit begins when we relinquish control. Go around the group, each person stating their “I can’t _______.” The group response to each should be: “but God can!”
Change IN // Group Activity 5 minutes
Take time to pray over each other regarding your “I can’t” statements.
Ask the Holy Spirit to give you words for one another. What is God telling you about someone else in the group? Either share these things during your group time or communicate with that person sometime this week.
Change OUT // Life Application Assignment 5 minutes
“What’s next, Lord?” Who is your group praying for? Go around the group, saying whom you are praying for. Now take time to pray and ask the Spirit, “What’s next?” for that relationship. It might be something simple like taking them to eat, praying with them, or helping them with a task. We want to get into the habit of asking the Spirit for those next steps.
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.