Believers Church of Statesboro

Resonate Life Group Discussion Guide • Week One – People

Believers Statesboro 07-07-10

Resonate is a production of Erwin Brothers Motion Pictures in association with Student Life. Some discussion material was developed by Brannon Golden in association with Sermon Cinema.

This “Resonate” series will lead believers towards acknowledging and accepting their responsibility as parts of the Body of Christ. We will be encouraged to resonate with those around us and feel what they feel. As we express love and concern for others, we believe that they will begin to resonate with the love of Christ Jesus within us and be drawn to discover salvation and eternal hope.

Compassion

Matt 9:35-36

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

It was upon seeing the crowds and their plight that Jesus was moved to compassion.

• In your own words, how would you describe or define “compassion”?

Compassion literally means to “suffer together.” Jesus felt their pain directly, and He shared in it.

Compassion – Sorrow or pity, sympathetic, tender, responsive.

Compassion seems to center on the needs of others.

• When was the last time that you actually “hurt” for someone else?

Could you share that experience with the group?

• If we believe we are to follow Christ’s example to a hurting world, what does that mean for us?

Matt 9:37-38 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

Sunday’s Homework asked you to identify three people this week that need to know that God loves them and offer them hope and a future.

• Who are those people, and how can you resonate better with them?

· Who do you know right now who’s going through something difficult?

· What do they need to know?

• If you don’t know of anyone right now, how can you find someone?

Compassion = Love in Action

“…Whatever you did for… the least of these… you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

When God’s love engages, it becomes active:

He loved, He sent, He gave, He sought, He saved, He healed, He bound up, He delivered, He went.

Just feeling it doesn’t count, unless it moves us to action.

• What action steps can you take this week to let the people around you know that you really care about them?

• Is there something you can do immediately?

Resonate

Take a good long look at the people who are around you.

Do you resonate with them?

Do you feel what they feel?

Can you sense what they are going through?

Let us be the “Remedy”.