Timing is Everything

Connect Groups

Week of October 8, 2017

Timing is Everything

Romans 5:1-8

Hang Out/Fellowship/Commune/Eat Food (10-20 min)

It sounds like most of your groups have a good vibe going.  I encourage you to continue to encourage openness and hospitality with your group.  The more comfortable you are with one another, the more that the group will “feel like home.”

As you get ready to close this part of the session, invite people to respond to this question:

When is a time when your heart was right, but the timing of something you did was just off?

Prayer and Accountability (20-30 min)

I have heard that this aspect is going great in some of your groups, and in some groups people are hesitant to open up.  Some people really aren’t comfortable praying aloud.  There are a couple ways to solve this:

-You could let someone know that they’re going to pray for the group ahead of time, like the week before (Jennifer, would you pray for us next week?)

-You can pray in the group in small groups.  So get with groups of one or two and pray for one another and don’t bother with an entire group prayer.

I hope the Measures questions are working for your groups.  Let me know if some questions really resonate with your group, and if others are much tougher to answer. 

Passion: Where did I see God today?

Accepting: How am I building diverse relationships?

Invitational: Who am I connecting with God’s family?

Trusting: Where does God rank?

Active: How am I engaged with God’s work?

Bible Study and Discussion (20-30 min)

A scripture that connects to this idea about “timing” comes from 2 Peter 3:8-9:

^“8 Don’t let it escape your notice, dear friends, that with the Lord a single day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a single day.⁹ The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives.”

Discuss around these questions:

-What do we see about time as it relates to God in this passage?

-What is at the heart of God’s character? 

-How is God’s patience different from our patience?

Look at Romans 5:6-8 together and read it. 

-What is scandalous about “the right time” for God to send Jesus?

-What in your life needs to change to reflect the patience of God?