Leader Guide week of October 7th

Small Group Leaders Guide
October 7, 2007

Small Group Announcements (please announce these to your group).

Here is an easy way to get started serving in a behind the scenes way. We need someone who is willing to come to the church and pick up the bulletins, then take them home and fold them in half. Please let Laurie know if you can help by calling 736-5433 or email her at Laurie@newlifecommunitychurch.net

Small Group Study Questions:

October 7, 2007
Can You Hear Me Now?
Getting Started:

1. Have you ever felt that you “heard” God? Describe what that was like.

Going Deeper:

2. God first began speaking audibly to Samuel in chapter 3, verse 4. What would you say Samuel’s relationship with God was like before this happened?

3. Verse 7 makes an interesting comment, that Samuel “did not yet know the Lord” What do you think is meant by that? What does it mean to “know the Lord”? What does it mean for us today to know to the Lord?

4. Read the rest of verse 7. What is the relationship between knowing the Lord and having the word of the Lord revealed to you? What “word of the LORD” is this verse speaking of? The Bible? Prophecy? A general knowledge of God? Do we need the word of God revealed to us?

• 1Corinthians 1:18
• 1Corinthians 2:14
• John 6:44
• Anyone who can read a book can read the Bible. However, it is the Sprit that causes the message of the cross to have salvific impact on the reader/hearer.

5. In reading verses 4-8, you see Samuel go through three round trips to Eli. Why do you think God allowed Samuel to go through a learning process. Why didn’t God just stop Samuel the first time He ran to Eli, and let Samuel know that is was God speaking to him?

6. Read 1Samuel 3:10-18. How did Samuel feel after hearing from God? How did he act on that feeling? Have you ever felt afraid to act on something God “told” you?

7. Learning is often an intentional act. What are some steps you could take to learn to “hear” God more/better? What points from the Sunday message were most relevant for you regarding this question?

• Check out the blog for a few thoughts I have on this subject. Newlifegroups.blogspot.com

8. How could a person know whether a thought, feeling, voice, teaching, prompting, etc. is from God? Read Acts 17:11 and 2Timothy 2:15. How do these verses help you to answer this question?

9. What would you say the difference is between hearing and listening? How is this related to our study?


Putting it into practice:

1) If you find it hard to “hear” God, pray about that in your group.
2) Commit to one action that you think will best help you to “hear” from God.


Quote Of The Day
The first step to wisdom is silence; the second is listening.


My Comments (for small group leaders and co-leaders)

Don’t forget to check out the small group leader blog at newlifegroups.blogspot.com
Feel free to offer comments and suggestions by clicking the comments on the blog post.
I look forward to hearing from you!