The Sunday message is the open door to encountering what God has in store for you! Many of our Life Groups use the Sermon 2.0 Discussion Guide to go deeper into the passage of Scripture and application points from the weekend’s message. This is a time to have open conversation, ask questions, laugh a little or a lot, and learn from others. Our heart is to see your faith in God grow as you apply the truths of the Bible to your everyday life.

We believe you can encounter God through the context of relationships and want you to experience this in a Life Group! Apply the truths of the Bible and see your faith in God grow as you build new relationships with others in your group.

Icebreaker

Where in the world would you like to travel at some point in your life?

Scripture

Take a moment and read this weekend’s passage from Mark 2:1-12.

Observation

What do you observe within this passage of Scripture? Some basic observation questions are:

• What is the setting? What happened before this? What is confusing, is interesting, is humorous, etc? Where else within the Bible talks about a similar topic? If you were within this passage, what would you be experiencing and noticing? What was the intended message to the audience this passage was written to?
• Based on the observations above, what can you apply to your life?

Application

This evening the group will be taking time to share their Life-Change Story of how people accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. You may be in the middle of your faith journey or have not made that decision yet. That’s OK! You can be honest about that and still participate by sharing. We pray this will be a part of you experiencing God’s love through Jesus. Use these questions to help your discussion:

What was your life like before you encountered Jesus?

• What problems or feelings were present within your life? How did these impact you?
• In what ways were you restless or searching before knowing Jesus?
• Who were key people or groups who impacted you to follow Jesus? 

When was the first time you heard the message of the Gospel?

• What were the circumstances of your life at the time when your faith became real?
• When you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, how did you initially react?
• How was the role of Christian community a part of this decision and a part of future growth?

If you had to tell someone why you are a Christian, what would you say?

• How does knowing Jesus now compare to your previous periods of life?
• Whether subtle or obvious transformational changes, how have you been changed by God?
• What has been your journey (ups and downs) since knowing Jesus?

Prayer

Take a moment and pray for BOB to close out your evening:

• Pray that you may have a burden for the lost in our community and beyond. Pray for anyone on your mind that you hope to experience Jesus.
• Pray for an open door for opportunities for your group and yourself to share the gospel.
• Pray for your group and yourself to have a boldness to share the Gospel.