Gcf Austin

Life Group Questions 1. Mark 11:25 – “Whenever you stand and pray, forgive, if you have anything against anyone…” Have you built a habit in your life of forgiving others when you “have anything against anyone?” Why or why not? 2. Hebrews 12:15 describes bitterness in our hearts as a bitter root. A bitter root of unforgiveness will grow until the whole field of your life is spoiled. How has bitterness caused trouble in your life? 3. In Matthew 18:23-35, we find the story of the slave who owed the king 10,000 talents, was forgiven his debt, and then had another slave thrown in prison for the debt he owed. When the king heard about this, he handed the slave over to his torturers until he repaid all that was owed. Jesus said, “So shall my heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” How will this story change how you view forgiveness moving forward? 4. Pastor Ryan gave five reasons why we don’t forgive:- Our hearing has become dull & our hearts have become hard- We

Life Group QuestionsKey Verse: Romans 15:7 — "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." 1. Share your Grace story…your first time at Grace — Which building, who welcomed you, etc. Did you feel accepted? [everyone answers] 2. Kasey listed seven primary essentials of the Christian faith. With short explanations in your own words, what are they? 3. What so-called “non-essential” Christian beliefs/practices of a believer would make it difficult for you to accept them in accordance with Rom 15:7? For example, you might have difficulty accepting someone unbaptized and unwilling to be baptized. 4. Our credo is “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Diversity, In All Things Love.” What does this mean? Why might this be difficult to achieve? 5. When was the last time you had church family into your house? When was the last time you were invited into a church family’s home?

Life Group Questions 1. Please share an example of when you were warmly welcomed, and it was clear to you that you were valued. 2. Pastor Ryan shared the biblical principle that our Vertical Relationship with God is intimately connected to our Horizontal Relationship with one another. In what ways does this impact your view of relationships within the church family? 3. We all have different things to battle and overcome. What are the top 3 things that keep you from practicing hospitality more than you currently do? 4. One of the big payoffs to building hospitality into your life is that God will sometimes bring “His messenger” to you in that forum of welcoming people into your home. Have you had a time when God spoke a message/word to you in the midst of hospitality? Please share that experience.

Life Group QuestionsKey Verse: Galatians 6:1 (NASB) – "Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness;"1. What does it mean to restore someone when they are caught in any wrongdoing? 2. Share a time when someone went out of their way to restore you. 3. Pastor Rob used the analogy of a “hook” when fishing and his dog being “wrapped around a pole.” Are you currently trapped by sin, feeling like you are “hooked” or “wrapped around a pole” without hope? 4. When you are caught in a wrongdoing, do you seek out a spiritual person for restoration? Read James 5:16. How does this verse apply? 5. Are you gentle when restoring someone?

Life Group Questions Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 1:4 - Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 1. What changes have you made and how have you grown since the start of the “Flawless Family” series?·     Serve one another·     Connect w/ one another·     Comfort one another 2. 1 Thessalonians 4:18 is a command for us to comfort one another. What does comfort mean in this verse? How does that differ from your instinctual understanding of the word? 3. Do you have compassion for others? Share an example of how you have grown in compassion towards someone you had little to no compassion for in the past? 4. When trouble comes, do you immediately turn towards God and earnestly pray? If yes, how has God comforted you? If not, what do you need to change moving forward & why? 5. Who have you had the honor of comforting in their time of trouble?

Life Group Questions 1. Pastor Ryan said that we, as a church family, should live together famously. What did he mean by this? 2. When you read Jesus’ words in the gospels, do you think of Him as suggestive Jesus or Lord & Savior, Commander Jesus? Explain why. 3. Read 1 John 3:16-18. What does this mean to you and how will it change your life moving forward? 4. Psalm 100:2 – “Serve the Lord with gladness.” No matter who we serve, we are always serving the Lord, so we should serve with joy in our hearts. Do you serve others? If not, get in the game! If so, do you serve with joy in your heart or with a bad attitude?

Life Group Questions1.        Would you consider yourself an encourager? Why or why not? 2.        Describe a time in your life when someone gave you the encouragement that you needed. Does this inspire you to encourage others? 3.        What is the difference between flattery & encouragement? Why is it important for our encouragement to not turn into flattery? 4.        Read 1 Corinthians 13:13. We should be full of faith, hope, & love. What does “full of hope” look like for you?