Connect20-25 minutes
Connect with your group about life this past week and then discuss the following questions.
- When you were growing up, what rule at home or school seemed unfair—but later made sense?
- What’s a “guardrail” you’ve been thankful for in life—literal or metaphorical?
Also take time to reflect on your action steps last week:
- After reflecting on your calling this week, what surprised you? What do you feel excited about? What seems daunting? As a group, encourage each other and pray for one another's nudges.
- If you watched the Jarrett Stevens clip, what did you reflect on regarding your identity, calling, and assignments? What steps will you take?
Learn5-7 minutes
You will watch a short clip of the message from this series to set up your group discussion. The full version of the message is also available
online to reference before or after your group meeting.
Discuss20-30 minutes
- If you were explaining the ladder illustration to a friend, how would you describe what it reveals about God’s love?
- Which commandment feels most relevant or challenging for you right now?
- How does seeing the Ten Commandments as guardrails of grace—instead of rules—change the way you think about obedience?
- Read Exodus 19:3-8 aloud. Moses mediates a covenant between God and the Israelites. Describe this covenant relationship. How is this unique?
- This covenant creates a sacred, ever-deepening relationship between God and His people and lays out a pathway for holy living. Read Hebrews 9:18-28 aloud. What is the significance of blood as it relates to the covenant and our faith? If you are a follower of Jesus, how did it change you as a person when you understood that you were forgiven?
- Deuteronomy 11:1 says, “Love the LORD your God and keep His requirements, His decrees, His laws and His commands always.” Was there a time in your life when you started living God’s way? In your walk with God, what are the blessings you have experienced in this? What are the challenges?
- The Bible speaks of identity and status. God identifies Himself as the God of Israel and we have the status of God’s people. Together, we are in partnership, God and His people, to carry out His purpose. How are you in partnership with God, carrying out His purposes? How is The Crossing, a local church body of God’s people, in partnership with God carrying out His purposes?
Pray10-15 minutes
Ask for prayer requests and then you may opt to pray the following prayer.
God, I thank You for how much You love us. I thank You that we don't have to earn our way to You. I thank You for Jesus; His perfect life, death, and resurrection. Because of Jesus, I can have eternal life and forgiveness of my sins.
I confess that I don't always get it right. Sometimes, I try to earn Your love by doing good instead of trusting Your grace. Your grace is given, not earned. Help me continue to trust You and thank You that You know what's best.
I pray this all in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Action Steps5-10 minutes
Between now and next week, here are some suggestions for action steps.
Attend the Weekend Service: Note any takeaways, next steps, or reflections in your Peak Experiences notebook. These will help you prepare to participate in your small group, and your small group will benefit from your insights and questions as you learn together.
Other Practical Action Steps: Select one of these practical steps to commit to this week and bring your reflections with you next week.
- Serve our Community: Choose an outreach opportunity that's interesting to you and sign up! Go to thecrossing.church/forthelou to browse current opportunities. Bonus: Consider serving with your group. These serving opportunities give us opportunity to spend time together while allowing us the chance to partner with God in what He is doing in our city.
- Digging into the 10 Commandments: In her bible study Beyond Egypt, Kari Minter discusses how in the book of Exodus, prior to the 10 Commandments, people had seen the hand of God and they followed God by what they had seen. She goes on to say that the 10 Commandments challenged folks to learn to walk by faith and that true joy occurs when you walk by faith. She challenges us to read Exodus 20:1-17 and to look at each commandment independently, identify the boundary God is setting, and what the commandment says about God’s character.
- Example: Commandment #1 (Exodus 20:3) is “Do not have other gods besides me.”
- Boundary: We are to worship God only.
- What it says about God’s character: He alone can satisfy us.