WAYMAKER-Study-Guide-for-the-week-of-November-22-2020 PDF Version
Community Group Study Guide
For the week of November 22, 2020
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ANNOUNCEMENTS ⇨STF Couples’ 30-Day Prayer Challenge Sign up to receive daily prayer prompts via email or text, and use them to pray together with your spouse/significant other. The Prayer Challenge runs from Sunday, November 22, through Monday, December 21, and you can register any time during the 30-day period. Register for Couples’ Prayer Challenge ⇨STFKids is back! On December 6, elementary children will re-gather at Ballast Point, for the 11 a.m. service only. And at the Davis Islands Campus, our kids will re-gather on December 13. We request that you pre-register your kids at the link below. Pre-Register for STFKids ⇨ December 6, Tampa Bay Rays’ star Brett Phillips will be with us at South Tampa Fellowship to talk about baseball and his faith in Christ. Brett won the Major League Baseball Legendary Moment of the Year award for his outstanding performance in Game 4 of this year’s World Series. This will be a great Sunday to invite your friends! ⇨ Women’s Night of gathering, Dec 6 – Our gathering will include worship, a message from biblical counselor Michelle Horton, a Q & A session, and more. As in past years, we’ll be blessing one of our local schools by collecting donations for teenagers in the after-school program. If you would like to participate, please consider bringing a cash donation of any amount or one or more Walmart gift cards, valued at $5, $10, or $15. (This is completely optional.) Register |
QUICK REVIEW
Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything you heard for the first time or something that caught your attention, challenged or confused you?
MY STORY
1. Where is gratitude expressed most clearly in your life? Can you think of any areas where gratitude is harder to see?
2. God is continually at work in our lives as followers of Jesus (Philippians 1:6). As you look back on this quarter, what are some things you’re thankful for in your own life and your Community Group experience? (It can be a specific way God encouraged you, time spent together in your group, how your group has helped you to continue to live your life for Jesus, something new you learned, a service project, spiritual breakthrough, challenged you to grow or anything else.)
DIGGING DEEPER
1. In Philippians 4:4-14, Paul gives us a game plan for God’s will no matter where we are in life. Read the passage and jot down three or four things that catch your attention that we can do to be grateful regardless of our circumstances.
Philippians 4:4-14 New International Version (NIV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.
2. This week we focused on the fact we are called to thank God in everything. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18. What does this look like in your life?
3. One reason we can struggle with gratitude is because God isn’t working the way we want or expect him to. Often, God’s will unfolds very differently than we expect so we miss what he’s doing in our lives. One example of this is found in 2 Kings 5:1-15. After reading the story, answer the questions below.
How do Naaman’s expectations of how God would heal him compare to how it actually happened?
Why do you think he was so angry at how God chose to heal him?
What is the impact of his response to his healing on his “attitude
of gratitude?”
What can we learn about how we and others respond to God’s will from
this story?
TAKING IT HOME
The theme of the 100-year-old hymn “Count Your Blessings” echoes what we heard this weekend about gratitude. The chorus goes like this; “Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God hath done!” Take some time to do just that. Take out a pen and a piece of paper and count your blessings by writing down what you are thankful for.
PRAYER REQUESTS