UNLEASHING THE CHURCH
LIFE GROUP SERIES - SPRING 2022
Brandywine's mission from the very begging has been "To reach those far from God and lead them to become fully devoted followers of Christ". But what does that look like in a practical sense for us to be able to live that out in our daily lives? In this series we will learn what it means for every member to live on mission by breaking down the following statment: "Ordinary people empowered by God making a difference together wherever we are."
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7 [BONUS]
Week 8 [BONUS]
Week 9 [BONUS]
Week 1
WHO DOES GOD CHOOSE TO USE?
The Church Unleashed - Part 1 of 6
LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION
Choose one of these discussion starters:
If you are group is new, take a few minutes to get introduced and share something you are hoping to gain from this group experience.
Share one good thing and one challenging thing you have experienced since the group last met.
If you were considered an “amateur expert” in anything, what would it be?
2. Two Sunday’s ago Pastor Mark introduced this phrase to summarize what it means to live on mission everyday: “Ordinary people, empowered by God, making a difference together, wherever we are.” Which part of that phrase resonates with you the most?
3. In the message this week, we talked about Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Samuel, David, Mary and Peter; all of whom might seem unlikely to have been used by God at first glance. Who are some other unlikely characters in the Bible that you can think of? What are some things that they all have in common?
4. One character in the Bible who struggled with not feeling qualified for God to use him was Moses. Read Exodus 3:11-12 and 4:10-13.
Have you ever personally struggled with not feeling qualified or good enough, or just too ordinary, for God to use you? How did Moses overcome these feelings? How can you?
5. Read 1 Corinthians 1:27-29. God seems to delight in using ordinary, even unlikely, people. Why do you think he does that?
6. God uses a heart that is available, faithful and humble. Of these three, where do you want God to grow you the most and why?
7. Take prayer requests and allow some time to pray for one another.
Week 2
EMPOWERED BY GOD
Church Unleashed - Part 2 of 6
LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE
DISCUSSION STARTER: Do one or both!
Describe a time God used you to minister to someone else.
What is one thing you appreciated about your parents and one thing you want to do or tried to do different?
1. Acts 1:8 says “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere.” In what ways does the Holy Spirit help us to be his witnesses? God empowerment looks different for different people. What do you see in the Bible? What have you experienced?
2. How can I experience his empowering more often? What practices help me be more spirit-led in my everyday life?
3. Read Luke 10:1-3. Pastor Hubert spoke about his conversation with God in the pig pen. Have you ever had an eternal conversation with the Lord about his plans for your life? What did you hear? What are you hearing?
4. How can I discern the Spirit’s guidance as opposed to just my own thoughts or desires? Read Acts 13:1-4. What do you see here about confirming a leading of the Holy Spirit?
5. Pastor Hubert shared how he felt under qualified with too many obstacles to overcome (like the farm). What sort of obstacles/excuses do I need overcome to follow God’s call?
6. Where am I right now in being willing to surrender those things to him? In what ways have you already seen God at work as a result?
7. Take time to pray for one another!
Week 3
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Unleashing the Church – Part 3 of 6
LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE
DISCUSSION STARTER:
TIME Magazine ranked the most influential people in history. Spoiler alert:
Jesus was number one. As a group, can you guess anyone else in the top ten?
(https://ideas.time.com/2013/12/10/whos-biggest-the-100-most-significant-figures-in-history/)
Read our Mission Strategy: “Ordinary people empowered by God making a difference together wherever we are.” Share one truth about this Mission Strategy that has encouraged you personally over these past several weeks.
Read Luke 7:11-16 and 8:40-48. No one has made a greater impact on the world than Jesus. Identify the following “difference making” moments from the verses: He saw, He felt, He acted.
When Jesus was surrounded by the crowds, He had a way of zooming in and focusing on one person at a time. With whom and how did Jesus use the one at a time zoom-lens to influence people?
Pastor Mark said, “The closer I get to Jesus, the less I care about me, and the more I care about people.” How have you found this to be true for you?
Share a time when you showed compassion and it ended up changing you more than the person you were caring for.
True compassion demand action. Share an example of something you would say you care about that you don’t do anything about. Try to identify what’s keeping you from turning those feelings into action.
Small things done with great love will change the world. Share an example of someone who seemingly did a small thing for you, yet made a big impact on your life.
We have the sacred privilege of loving people one at a time with the love of Jesus. Who is the Holy Spirit prompting you to focus on this week? Share what action you plan on taking to meet their need.
Take time to pray for one other!
Week 4
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN A POLARIZED WORLD
Unleashing the Church – Part 4 of 6
LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE
DISCUSSION STARTER:
Share something good that happened to you in the past week!
Did you have opportunity to “see, care and act” this past week?
1. Over the past couple years, our country has had more than its share of “hot topics” (political priorities, COVID related practices, etc.) which has caused friends and even families to divide into two opposing groups. Share a “hot topic” that can easily cause you to be offended and angry?
2.Have someone in your group read the following verses:
Our self-indulgent nature shows itself...in conflict, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts
of anger, selfish ambition, causing divisions among people, and the feeling that
everyone is wrong except those in your own little group.” Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT)
Pastor Mark mentioned that “We can be right, and still be wrong.”
In what way can that be true? Can you think of a good example?
3. Read 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Is Paul suggesting that we conform our beliefs to those around us? What is he saying? How can divisive matters distract us from our greater mission?
4. Read Proverbs 18:2. What does that Proverb mean? How can I be more wise in my everyday interactions? Does this mean we should never voice our convictions or thoughts about anything? How can we discern when it’s helpful and when it’s not?
5. Read Ephesians 4:29 & Romans 12:18. Share some examples of how we can become peacemakers in our home, at work, and at church.
6. Read John 17:20–23. Jesus prays for the same unity among us as between him and the Father. According to his prayer, why is unity among us so important? How would you define unity (what it is and what it isn’t?)
7. LOVE IN ACTION: We are not always going to agree with other believers on every talking point, yet we must never let issues such as politics and Covid divide us. Is there a person or group that you need to forgive or seek forgiveness from, to answer Jesus’ prayer for unity?
8. Take time to pray for one another.
Week 5
A HEART FOR THE HOUSE
The Church Unleashed - Part 5 of 6
LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION
DISCUSSION STARTER:
Describe your family’s relationship to church growing up.
Re-read our mission strategy: “Ordinary people, empowered by God, making a difference, together, wherever we are.” This week Pastor Mark shared how the Church is God’s idea and we fulfill our purpose - to gather, grow and go - better when we do it together! Why are we better on mission together?
Together also means we have a “Kingdom-mindset” and partner with other gospel centered churches. What was your reaction to the report of our congregation’s big gifts to other churches? How did it make you feel?
3. We often say “The local church is the hope of the world”. In what ways do you see our church functioning that way?
4. Read Hebrews 10:24-25.
Why is it so easy to get out of the habit of church?
Why is it important to worship together regularly and not just alone?
What is the difference between legalism and putting healthy spiritual disciplines in your life (like regular worship)?
5. Read Psalm 92:12-15. From your own experience, how does being “planted in the house of the Lord” cause me to “flourish”? In what ways do we need each other to grow? Why not just read christian books and listen to christian podcasts?
6. How has “consumer Christianity” changed the way we view the church? How should we view the church?
7. Take time this week to reflect on this question: Would my local church be healthy if it were full of people like me? What is something I can do to love God’s church more like He loves it?
8. Take time to pray for one another.
Week 6
CHURCH UNLEASHED - PART 6 OF 6
LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION
DISCUSSION STARTER:
What is the furthest/most interesting place you have traveled to, or where would you most like to go?
Share a person or event that was in your “chain of dominoes”, someone that made a positive difference in your spiritual journey.
2. Read Matthew 9:35-38. Jesus saw the people around him as ripe for the harvest. Do the people around you seem that way? Why or why not?
3. Read Romans 10:9-17. It may seem simple to say, but people can only be saved by hearing the Good News, and people can only hear the Good News if someone tells them. Talk about someone that God has put on your heart to share the good news with.
4. Read Romans 12:3-8.
What is a spiritual gift God gave you that you need to use more?
Take a look at the PEACE ministry handout on the back. Is there one that lines up with your gifts, life experiences and interest?
Sometimes it’s hard to identify where we could be used. Encourage the group to speak life and purpose into one another!
5. Take time to pray for one another.
Our church is partnering with other churches in the community for a community serve day on Saturday, April 9th. Take a look at the list of opportunities at www.brandywinechurch.org/community-serve and consider doing one of them together.
Thank-you for your commitment to grow together over the last 6 weeks! If you would like to continue on, We will offer a discussion guide for a new 3 week sermon series on principles of financial peace from Proverbs, or you can choose another study (let us know if you need help finding one).
Week 7 [BONUS]
There's an app for that
Study in Proverbs
DISCUSSION STARTER: How much closet space do you have for yourself? If you lost all your stuff tomorrow, how would you feel? Why?
1) How do you define “Contentment”?
2) Why is contentment a godly virtue? What does it have to do with my spiritual formation?
In what ways/area’s do you feel contented? In what ways do you struggle with contentment?
3) Read Proverbs 30:7-9 & Philippians 4:11-13. Discuss what stands out to you in these verses.
4) Read 1 Timothy 6:6-10. In your own experiences, what have you discovered to be the key to contentment? How does your life change when you are truly content?
5) When Pastor Mark said, “Cut back,” what’s the first thing you thought of?
6) We experience transformation as we apply God’s Word to our lives. What's a doable starting point for Cutting back, Clearing out, and Paying off? What one thing will you do in each area—this week—to make progress?
7) Take time to pray for one another.
8) If you haven’t already, go to www.brandywinechurch.org/community-serve and decide what project your group can do together!
Week 8 [BONUS]
There's an app for that
Study in Proverbs
DISCUSSION STARTER:
What is something you saved up for as a kid?
1) Read Proverbs 6:6-9, 13:11, 22 and 21:20.
What are the practical benefits of saving for the future?
What are the spiritual issues involved?
2) Proverbs advises wise saving, and yet In Matthew 6:25-34 and 19:21 Jesus says not to worry about tomorrow and tells the rich young ruler to sell all he has and give it away. How do you reconcile those seemingly different thoughts?
3) Read Luke 12:26-21. What is the sin Jesus is condemning? Is there a difference between wise saving and foolish hoarding? How do you discern one from the other?
4) How can we apply wise financial principles while still trusting the Lord and not our bank account?
5) If you had the opportunity to pass on a bit of financial wisdom to your children/grandchildren, how would you summarize the lessons you have learned?
6) What could I do to better implement the wisdom of Proverbs in my finances?
7) Take time to pray for one another
Make final plans to serve as a group on Saturday, April 9th at the Community Serve Day. You can go to
www.brandywinechurch.org/community-serve
to browse options and register your group for one of them.
Week 9 [BONUS]
GIVING IS GOOD!
There’s an App for that: A Study of Proverbs
Part 3 of 3
DISCUSSION STARTER:
Describe a time someone was generous to you - with their money or time or knowledge.
1) Look up the following Proverbs and briefly discuss each one:
Proverbs 3:9-10, 11:24-25, 14:21,31, 19:17, 21:25-26, 22:9, 28:8, 28:20-22, 28:25, 28:27, 31:20
2) Look up these New Testament references to generosity. What parallels do you see?
Mt 23:23-24, Acts 20:35, 2 Cor 9:6-15, Gal 2:10, Phil 4:14-20
3) When you see a need, what hesitations come to your mind? We can't help every need, so how do you discern when and how to give?
4) Have you taken Financial Peace University? If so, share your experience and the biggest lessons you learned.
5) Have you tested God in the tithe? How has He been faithful to you? If that is a new idea, share your thoughts (and even fears) about it.
6) Take time to pray for one another!
7) If your group is able, make final plans for the community serve day on Saturday, 9-12 am.
Looking to start a group?
Contact Pastor Matt @