Pursuit Week One

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PURSUIT: Week 1 – Pursuing Righteousness Open in Prayer W elcom e/Introductions/Cast Vision Rem ind the Grow Group of the ground rules Share context of the story [Provide context by sharing the information below.]

During the next four weeks, we will be looking at I Timothy 6:3-11. In this passage, Paul is challenging Timothy to flee the evil desires of the flesh and pursue righteousness and godliness. Paul warns Timothy to be careful in his journey of following Jesus Christ so that he can clearly distinguish the truth of God from the false teachings of this world. Tell the story – I Timothy 6:3-11 [Have someone tell the story.] Rebuild the story [Group members tell the story together based on what they remember.] Read the story out loud [Read the scripture passage to see if anything was added or omitted.] Discuss these questions:

1. What do we learn about God from this passage? [God is Truth; success in God’s eyes can look very different from success in man’s eyes; God is the giver of all good things; God is holy and perfect; God desires for us to love others “as He has loved us”; God commands us to flee from immorality; God clearly warns us about the adverse effects of loving money; God brings conviction to our hearts concerning sin; a relationship with God is to be valued more than any financial gain; etc.]

2. What do we learn about Man/Us from this passage? [In my own personal strength, I cannot love as God intends for me to love; I can place a higher value on earthly things over godliness; I must be very careful from whom I seek counsel and wisdom; I can often let pride guide my thoughts and actions; I can let the most innocent desire draw me away from fully following Christ; I am greedy and can trust in money for security rather than the Lord; etc.]

3. What is God saying to you specifically through this passage as it pertains to your life, marriage, family, and work? 4. In light of what you’ve learned today, what do you need to do to obey God? Other Q uestions specific to this passage:

1. Can you think of a time in your life when you sought advice about a situation and received counsel that did not align itself with God’s Word? 2. How can you encourage your children to seek godly counsel from others? Assign Next week’s passage – John 15:1-17 [Ask someone to tell the story next week.] Close in Prayer

PURSUIT: Week 1 – Leadership Coaching The purpose of this page is to help you sharpen your skills as a Grow Group leader. Each week, we will include concepts, challenges, and resources designed to assist you as you lead and shepherd your Grow Group and grow as a disciple yourself.

Leading [learn to facilitate your group more effectively] Your goal, as facilitator, is to keep the Grow Group on track during discussion. Focus on questions that guide your group members through the Head, Heart, and Hands process. Head questions examine what the Word shows. Heart questions help us wrestle with what we believe. And finally, Hand questions help us bring truth and beliefs into our everyday realities. How will we apply this Biblical truth? Encourage your Grow Group to write down at least one takeaway for every week. I encourage you to leave time to discuss what each member has written down.

Shepherding [know the sheep, feed the sheep, lead the sheep, protect the sheep] A spiritual parent is someone who is intentional about living out the mission of making disciples who can make disciples. Spiritual parents reproduce disciples, feed themselves and others from God’s Word, and value the church team in accomplishing the mission. You may see this in their actions and hear it in their conversations. To shepherd someone who is a spiritual parent, you will begin by explaining the discipleship process (teach them the discipleship wheel). As they begin discipling others, you will coach them throughout the process. You will help them intentionally plan times of connection with the person they are discipling. You will help them assess where that person is in their spiritual growth. Make sure that you maintain a relationship with those that you have released to disciple others on their own. You want to provide them with encouragement and accountability.

Developing [grow as a disciple yourself] We just completed a study on the Israelites. One minute the Israelites were following God and the next minute they were living in sin completely forgetting God and His faithfulness. Take time this week to think about the major “God moments” in your life. Remind yourself of how He has been faithful to you and how He has blessed you. I pray that this will encourage you to serve Him with an even greater fervor this week.