John 21:1-14
- If you have been a part of a small group, how has it changed your life?
- What does it mean to “abide”?
- What does it mean to “associate with Christ’s righteousness”?
- Why do you think that Jesus revealed Himself not to individuals but to a group of people?
- How does Acts 2:42-47 demonstrate the importance of community in the early church?
- How did Peter demonstrate his zeal to be close to Jesus?
- What might you need to do to get close to Jesus?
- What, specifically, did Jesus call His disciples to do in Mark 1:17?
- What is the promise of James 4:8?
- What example did Jesus give in John 21 about the importance of community?
- How is encounter better than argument? (John 1:45,46)
- What does it mean that “life groups are the primary means of care in our church”?
- What next steps might you need to take to get more connected?
- What does Jesus offer the disciples after they return from a long night of fishing?
- What is the “ministry of presence”?
“More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them.”
- Henri Nouwen