Housegroups 

Sermon: Encouragement
Date: Oct 20th

 
Ice Breaker

Q1 - Have you ever been part of a team that worked very well? What about it got you enthused? How were you encouraged by others in the team?

Q2 - Can you think of someone who is an encourager? Why do you see them that way? Can you remember an example of them encouraging you or someone else?

Study

As part of our Shaping Church Culture series we think it is very important to look at encouragement. We want to be a Church that is known by how we encourage one another, we want this to be part of our DNA. Throughout the Bible we find that God is the great encourager, He encourages his people, He builds them up and cheers them on. We can see this clearly in Jesus’ ministry and the life of the early Church.

Please read John 21:15-19 together

Q3 - Do you remember why Peter needed encouragement?

Q4 - Was Jesus’ reaction what you would have expected after being betrayed?

Q5 - What can we learn from this interaction between them?

Please read 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11

In verses 4-10 we find that we are expected to respond to God’s love and salvation by living a life that is different to how we’ve been living and to others around us. We can see this throughout the Bible, a call to change, not only to stop doing harmful things but to be proactive in living a life that follows Jesus. The heart of the message is the response to God’s grace, Paul says in verse 11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing”.

Q6 - In what way can you see in this verse that Paul is both calling them to be encouragers and also encouraging them?
(Hint, he is saying “just as in fact you are doing” encouraging them as they are encouraging each other)

Q7 - What do you think “encourage one another and build each other up” looks like in our Church today?

Q8 - How do you feel people encourage others in our Church? What have you seen others do that you might learn from?

Q9 - Can you remember a time wehn someone “built you up”? Can you share your experience with the rest of the group?

Action

Q10 – How can you encourage someone this week? What could you do? How can you make this part of your weekly routine?

Q11 – How can you as a group try and build each other up? What can you do to build others up?

Jesus is the great encourager, so encouraging others is being a bit more like Jesus. We are all called to encourage others.

Prayer

Spend some time asking God to help you be encouragers, looking for opportunities to encourage those who are going through a difficult time and those who aren’t.


Lord,
You are the wind in my sails
You guide me as I steer and find direction.
You give me the strength to keep on going.
You watch over me as I navigate stormy seas.
You are the harbour where I stop for rest.
You are my encourager when I lose hope.
You are the lighthouse that keeps my path safe.
You are with me always. Thank you. Amen.

 
 

 

Nico Ohlsson, 30/09/2019