Getting Your Small Group Ready for Explore God
by Tom Goodman
August 14, 2013
Our small-group ministry has a vital role to play in the "Explore God" campaign. So now's the time to join one, and now's the time for our groups to prayerfully prepare.
After a two-month media blitz and church training in July and August, the "Explore God" campaign will move into a two-month sermon series and small-group study in September and October. The sermon series and small-group study is perfectly designed to
address the spiritual issues most people struggle with. Here are the seven questions in the order we'll cover starting September 8:
- Does Life Have a Purpose?
- Is There a God?
- Why Does God Allow Pain & Suffering?
- Is Christianity Too Narrow?
- Is Jesus Really God?
- Is the Bible Reliable?
- Can I Know God Personally?
Firm answers to these vital questions can change our lives. But something powerful takes place when we're studying the answers to these questions with others. And that's why I want you and your seeking friends in a Sunday School class or
Common Ground group in September and October.
The accountability, the friendship, the insights from others: This and much more is only available to those who participate in a small study group during the Explore God campaign. So, if you're not already in a group, find one! And as you talk to
spiritually curious people about Explore God, invite them to the group you're in!
I love that story in Mark 2 where the four men bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus. Verse 5 says, "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'"
Did you catch that? It was upon seeing their faith that Jesus healed their friend. As your small-group members work together with spiritually curious people -- praying for them, modeling Christ for them, seeking to answer their questions
and objections -- it's often only when evangelism is a "group project" that fruit is found.
This Sunday I'll share some principles about the faith of these men that prompted Jesus to heal their friend in Mark 2. Since we'll be focusing on our small-group ministry, it would be a perfect day to join a small group if you're not in one. And, if
you're already in a group, ask your leader how you can help your group prepare for Explore God!
--Tom
Beacon Articles Available Online: The staff newsletters that appear each week in the Beacon are also available on our website. You can find them here.
Check out my weblog here.
Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them!
Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can
automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail.
FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org
LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here.
MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.