LG LEADER GUIDE
Welcome / Share Vision for LG
Briefly welcome the group & pray before eating.
Welcome to life group! Life group is a safe, committed community to walk out our journey with Jesus together.
Dinner / Fellowship (30 mins)
We share dinner together as an act of fellowship. Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus constantly interacting with people over a meal. The act of eating is so universal that eating together both fills a practical need and helps us open up again to community together. As we eat and share, let’s intentionally reflect on God’s presence in our lives. Encourage people to share, not report.
Optional: you can have the elements of communion to take communion together to start or end the meal.
Welcome to life group! Life group is a safe, committed community to walk out our journey with Jesus together.
Dinner / Fellowship (30 mins)
We share dinner together as an act of fellowship. Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus constantly interacting with people over a meal. The act of eating is so universal that eating together both fills a practical need and helps us open up again to community together. As we eat and share, let’s intentionally reflect on God’s presence in our lives. Encourage people to share, not report.
- What is something you’re thankful for?
- How have you encountered God this past week?
Optional: you can have the elements of communion to take communion together to start or end the meal.
Announcements
(5 mins)
Evangelism Equipping | Sunday, October 22 from 7:15-8:15am in the Eastside Classroom
Are you looking to share your faith with the lost around you? Want some help and encouragement? Come get equipped and encouraged to engage those around you with the good news.
R&R Encounter Night | Friday, October 27 from 7-8:30pm in the auditorium
As part of our Revival and Reformation Gathering happening this weekend with young adults, this church-wide encounter night will be a special night with a guest worship team from the Antioch Movement. Come join us for a fun night worshiping and encountering God! While there are no classes or childcare, kids are welcome and enjoyed.
Baptisms | October 29 during the services
Our 13th anniversary as a church is coming up on October 29! Part of our tradition to celebrate is by also using it as a day to celebrate new life in Christ through baptisms! If you are interested in being baptized, you can register online at antiochfc.org/baptism.
Evangelism Equipping | Sunday, October 22 from 7:15-8:15am in the Eastside Classroom
Are you looking to share your faith with the lost around you? Want some help and encouragement? Come get equipped and encouraged to engage those around you with the good news.
R&R Encounter Night | Friday, October 27 from 7-8:30pm in the auditorium
As part of our Revival and Reformation Gathering happening this weekend with young adults, this church-wide encounter night will be a special night with a guest worship team from the Antioch Movement. Come join us for a fun night worshiping and encountering God! While there are no classes or childcare, kids are welcome and enjoyed.
Baptisms | October 29 during the services
Our 13th anniversary as a church is coming up on October 29! Part of our tradition to celebrate is by also using it as a day to celebrate new life in Christ through baptisms! If you are interested in being baptized, you can register online at antiochfc.org/baptism.
Bible reading
(10-15 mins)
Encourage everyone to sit comfortably as we engage the Word through Lectio Divina. Start with a prayer asking God to speak to each person through the passage you’re about to read. An option in group lectio divina is to have different people and translations used for each reading of scripture. Together, read out loud 2 Corinthians 4:1-12.
We’ll read the passage three times with a specific focus each time where we listen, ponder, then pray. As we listen to the passage, we’ll patiently wait for the Lord to speak to us through it. We don’t have to be in a hurry and can trust that God has something for each of us.
First, we’ll listen. Listen for a word or phrase that stands out to you or the Holy Spirit is impressing on you. Meditate on that word or phrase by repeating it to yourself in your head. You can write it down.
Read the passage. Sit for a minute after.
Then, we’ll ponder. Carefully ponder the word or phrase revealed to you. How do you feel about it? How does it specifically relate or connect to your life right now? Is this a single prayer or sentence that is coming out of how God is speaking through this word or phrase?
Read the passage again. Sit for a minute after.
Finally, we’ll pray. Pray into the Lord’s personal invitation from this passage. What is he inviting you to know, to become, or to do? In the silence following you can either ask for God’s grace to step into what his invitation or simply sit in his presence and truth revealed. You may want to write down the invitation from the Lord.
Read the passage a final time. Sit for two minutes afterward.
End the time of lectio divina with another prayer together thanking God for what he spoke.
Encourage everyone to sit comfortably as we engage the Word through Lectio Divina. Start with a prayer asking God to speak to each person through the passage you’re about to read. An option in group lectio divina is to have different people and translations used for each reading of scripture. Together, read out loud 2 Corinthians 4:1-12.
We’ll read the passage three times with a specific focus each time where we listen, ponder, then pray. As we listen to the passage, we’ll patiently wait for the Lord to speak to us through it. We don’t have to be in a hurry and can trust that God has something for each of us.
First, we’ll listen. Listen for a word or phrase that stands out to you or the Holy Spirit is impressing on you. Meditate on that word or phrase by repeating it to yourself in your head. You can write it down.
Read the passage. Sit for a minute after.
Then, we’ll ponder. Carefully ponder the word or phrase revealed to you. How do you feel about it? How does it specifically relate or connect to your life right now? Is this a single prayer or sentence that is coming out of how God is speaking through this word or phrase?
Read the passage again. Sit for a minute after.
Finally, we’ll pray. Pray into the Lord’s personal invitation from this passage. What is he inviting you to know, to become, or to do? In the silence following you can either ask for God’s grace to step into what his invitation or simply sit in his presence and truth revealed. You may want to write down the invitation from the Lord.
Read the passage a final time. Sit for two minutes afterward.
End the time of lectio divina with another prayer together thanking God for what he spoke.
Practice: Encouragement & Exhortation
Read this overview aloud together. (5 mins)
We need the embodiment of Jesus through others in our community and families. There are some specific ways, including encouragement and exhortation, that most often occur through other people. Encouragement is simply building each other up, often through biblical or revealed truths. Exhortation is a strong urging to action, often through encouragement. When we get together with other believers, we should have hopeful expectations to encounter God through one another. This is a practice of both giving and receiving - choosing to engage through being fully present with another person, risking speaking and humbly receiving. Just like with prophetic words we honor others’ perspectives and voices in part through weighing their words - checking them against the word of God.
As a group (15-25 mins)
Tonight as a group, we’re going to spend some time praying into and giving words of encouragement to one another. These can either be encouragements that are divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit or encouragements from your own thoughts and perceptions about each other. They both matter and are influenced by God as we become more like Jesus.
Give 5-10 mins for the first part of silently praying and reflecting about others. Then announce a shift and move into worship and share encouragements for another 5-10 mins.
Some worship songs you could use during this time are
I’m Abandoned - Eyes on Him
Jesus Have It All - Jeremy Riddle
If this is already something your group feels comfortable with and engages in, you could optionally do encouragement as a group. Take turns having one individual sit or stand in the middle of the group. Take turns giving brief prayers and encouragements aloud over the individual. Ensuring that each sharer is brief helps honor everybody by making space for each other.
On your own during the week
Make a point to connect with one or two others from the group in the coming week. This could look like inviting someone over for a meal or just meeting up for coffee. Come into this time with hopeful expectation of Jesus speaking into and through both of you during this time together.
We need the embodiment of Jesus through others in our community and families. There are some specific ways, including encouragement and exhortation, that most often occur through other people. Encouragement is simply building each other up, often through biblical or revealed truths. Exhortation is a strong urging to action, often through encouragement. When we get together with other believers, we should have hopeful expectations to encounter God through one another. This is a practice of both giving and receiving - choosing to engage through being fully present with another person, risking speaking and humbly receiving. Just like with prophetic words we honor others’ perspectives and voices in part through weighing their words - checking them against the word of God.
As a group (15-25 mins)
Tonight as a group, we’re going to spend some time praying into and giving words of encouragement to one another. These can either be encouragements that are divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit or encouragements from your own thoughts and perceptions about each other. They both matter and are influenced by God as we become more like Jesus.
Give 5-10 mins for the first part of silently praying and reflecting about others. Then announce a shift and move into worship and share encouragements for another 5-10 mins.
Some worship songs you could use during this time are
I’m Abandoned - Eyes on Him
Jesus Have It All - Jeremy Riddle
If this is already something your group feels comfortable with and engages in, you could optionally do encouragement as a group. Take turns having one individual sit or stand in the middle of the group. Take turns giving brief prayers and encouragements aloud over the individual. Ensuring that each sharer is brief helps honor everybody by making space for each other.
On your own during the week
Make a point to connect with one or two others from the group in the coming week. This could look like inviting someone over for a meal or just meeting up for coffee. Come into this time with hopeful expectation of Jesus speaking into and through both of you during this time together.
End with Prayer
(15 mins)
Split into groups of 2-3 to pray together to end the time. You can either share praise & prayer points or base prayer from what was spoken during the practice. One of the leaders should close out the night with a final prayer and thanking everyone for coming.
Split into groups of 2-3 to pray together to end the time. You can either share praise & prayer points or base prayer from what was spoken during the practice. One of the leaders should close out the night with a final prayer and thanking everyone for coming.