Us for Them- Week 8
Opening
How have you understood faith up to this point? Did Sunday’s message shift anything in your understanding?
Overview
The Bible never describes following Jesus as simple or easy. Instead, we see story after story where people who are walking in obedience are also experiencing disruption, depletion, and doubt. We are not called to a life absent of those things; we are called to cultivate sustainable faith in those things.
There are three powerless ways that we often try to fuel our faith. We conjure faith, chase faith, or we cancel faith. These methods produce fragile faith and a weak church. Instead God needs to fuel our faith through the legacy and testimony of others, by our repentance and perseverance, and with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Discussion Questions
- How often have you tried the powerless ways to fuel your faith?
- What is one simple way to shift how you are fueling your faith?
Practice
Hebrews 12: 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
Fill your group time with the legacies and testimonies of others as fuel for your faith. Sometimes, especially in dark seasons, we need the stories and faith of others to hold us up. Consider discussing who is in your life right now that champions your faith. What stories do you have of times that God proved Himself faithful? What Bible story do you fall back on when you struggle to believe? Do you know any stories from church history that remind you that God is present, powerful, and good?
Closing
Pray for sustainable faith for each of your group members. Be specific with what you know of their current lives and their stories.