Introduction
We hope you had a fantastic first week in your groups! As we persist in prayer for Pastor Jeremiah as he continues to heal and get stronger, our plan for the Small Group Questions and Leader Packets until Pastor is back in the pulpit is to do a quick stand-alone series, beginning this week.Watch Service Leader Packet
Getting Started
1. Read John 3:16 out loud, together as a group. When did you first hear, or read, this passage? If you don’t have a memory of this, how do you now view this verse in connection to your own journey of faith?
2. When have you read the book of John from beginning to end? What about this book stood out to you? If you have not read it all the way through, what parts do you remember about it from books you may have read, sermons you may have heard, or conversations you may have had with others?
Going Deeper
3. Read John 20:30-31. Why did John write this book? What does he tell his readers?
4. Re-read the verse above. Now look at the words “believe” and “believing.” How does belief play into these two verses? How has belief factored into your own journey of faith? When did you first believe? How did your belief change the way you viewed God, yourself, the world, and history?
5. Read the following verses. What do these verses teach us about Jesus’ humanity? How does this impact your understanding of Jesus’ human experience on earth? Describe your ability to relate to Jesus being a human being…like you.
John 1:14
John 4:6
John 11:35
John 19:28
6. If these concepts are new to you, what are you thinking about Jesus right now? What are you thinking about His humanity and His divinity?
7. If they are known concepts to you, describe your process from learning these truths for the first time and then growing in your understanding of them over time.
Applying the Message
8. Of the four statements below, which one best describes you?
1. You are a Christian and working through this lesson has drawn you closer to Jesus than ever before. He is more meaningful to you.
2. You are not yet a Christian or you are a new Christian. This lesson has helped diminish (or minimize) some of the intellectual doubts that you’ve struggled with.
3. You are Christian but have not (historically) been concerned for the lost. With this lesson, you have become aware of 1) Jesus’ love for you and 2) Jesus’ love for the lost, as well. With that awareness has come a love for those who are lost.
9. In what way will you take what you have learned here today and live differently? How might you show love, in a more Christlike way, to those in your family, your friends, the strangers in the grocery store, or at work?
