Overcoming Fear: Driving Out Fear With Love (06.28.21)

Together Processing Our Sermons and Checking In on Rule of Life

Opening Prayer

After the group welcomes one another, have one person open in prayer and then take 5 minutes of silence. As you sit in silence, ask the Holy Spirit to help you be lovingly open to God and your groupmates.

Sermon Response

Sunday’s sermon examined 1 John 4:7-21, which is the Apostle John’s profound explanation of how God is love and perfect love casts out fear. Use these questions as a jumping off point for an open, vulnerable, and intimate group discussion:

  1. Learning: Read the sermon text 1 John 4:7-21. What stands out or surprises you in this passage of Scripture? What parts from the sermon particularly inspired or challenged you?
  2. Confession: In the sermon, Dave taught on the ways fear can fuel hate and envy. How do you see fear tempting you toward hate or envy?
  3. Invitation: How do you believe God has invited you to respond to this message and scripture?
  4. Practice: If perfect love is when love is made complete—when it truly connects with another—then it’s important to make a practice of completely loving others. Practically, this can look like eye contact, respectful touch, empathizing emotionally, or speaking affirming words to one another. Given what your group has shared over the last several weeks on fear, enter freeform into a practice of loving one another in pursuit of casting out fear.

Repeatable Sharing on Rule of Life

If time permits, open up some space for sharing about Rule of Life.

Three foundational practices in our Rule of Life right now:

Share about your experience of the Rule of Life honestly, prompted by the questions below, and follow these steps for each person sharing:

  1. Share – A person responds to any of the prompts below.
  2. Discern – The group pauses for 30-60 seconds to take in what was shared. After pausing the sharer can add anything they want, and the group can ask clarifying questions.
  3. Offer – The group gets to make offers of support for the person, such as offering prayers, one-on-one connections, financial care, acts of service, verses from scripture, or words of encouragement.
  4. Bless – One person in the group prays blessing over whoever shared.

If helpful, set a timer to make room for everyone to share or allow your group to focus on just a few people each week.

Take turns responding to any of these questions:

Closing Intercession

Pray for your group, our church, our city, and our world.