Only :: Faith

• First things first ask about the thing they remember most about the 7 Deadly Sins series.

• Secondly make sure you have any student there who haven’t filled out a connect card fill it out so we can make sure and get an accurate list of groups this semester. (This can be found in the momentum app or by texting moxie to 555888)

• Today we started a new series called Only. This whole series is an attempt to explore some theologically dense but important truths about what it means to follow Christ. It is possible to get stuck in the weeds with this kind of content but that does not negate its importance. At the same time though we have limited time with these students so if you feel your group is headed down a real rabbit trail that will not bear fruit in your group just take note of the student who started you down that path and explain how that is a much bigger conversation you’d like to pray and think about and that you guys can come back to it once you have had a chance to do that. (Make sure you give them some kind of realistic follow up date and follow up no matter what)

• Watch this 6 minute video as a group: (It is a great sumarization of justification)

• Have a discussion about what the video teaches us about faith and justification.

• Read Hebrews 11

  • Ask the students which example of faith stood out to them the most?

  • Discuss how each of the stories of faith required trust in something they could not see

• Ask the question if faith is how we are justified do they think that means we don’t really have to do anything else except trust Jesus? (This is a tricky road, it is true we do not have to do anything to gain our justification, but it is also true that genuine faith in Jesus produces fruit. It is not that we act to gain justification but instead that we act because we are justified, changed by faith)

• Read James 2:14-26

  • Ask the students what does this teach us about faith?

  • Ask the students when we think about this understanding of faith what will we do this next week to step towards Jesus and away from our own works?

• Finish with Prayer

We will know we have hit our target if:

-The students have a deeper understanding of what Faith in Jesus means.

-Students spend some time actively in the Bible.

-As a family we worship together side by side.

-You have succesfully learned at least one new thing about a student in your group (for example what is their middle name, or how many sisters they have)