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

What is the best way for you to be encouraged by someone — a handwritten note, a gift, time together, or some other way?

Scripture

Take a moment and read this weekend’s passage from Matthew 6:5-15.

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

Based on the observations above, what can you apply to your life and your understanding of God?

The message’s main point was that “Prayer is personal fellowship with God.” How does prayer create fellowship with God? How have you experienced a deepening of your relationship with God through faithful prayer?

Public prayer can be a challenge. What are challenges, fears, or tendencies you have that make praying publicly difficult?

• Private prayer can also be a challenge. What are challenges you face in praying alone to God?
• How can you begin to make changes that lessen these challenges so that you can have closer fellowship with God?

How does Matthew 6:8 change your thoughts about how to pray? If God already knows all we need, how does that give you peace and confidence when you pray?

What areas of the Lord’s Prayer are easy for you to pray? What are the areas of the Lord’s Prayer that are more difficult for you? Why?

• What can happen to our hearts as we daily pray the easy and the challenging parts? 
• Why does this take commitment to experiencing fruitfulness in this spiritual discipline?

What was your big takeaway from this weekend’s passage and message?

Prayer

Take time this evening to pray for these topics:

• Begin by thinking about what you know to be true about God. Tell Him these things you are want to praise Him for.
• Think about the areas of need you have but also the areas of need you see around you. Ask God to provide the help you need or other people need from Him.
• Take a moment and think about the areas of temptation you have or that are around you. Ask for His deliverance and protection from these difficult areas.