Online Connect Group // Week 5
Posted May 29, 2020 — Lincoln Berean
May 30-31, 2020 // Happy Are The Feet Washers // John 13:1-20
Getting Started
Welcome to another week of our Online Connection Groups! It’s our hope to get to know each other a bit better, support one another through this time, pray together and discuss the scriptures using questions connected to last Sunday’s sermon in the “That You May Believe” series on the Gospel of John.
We don’t provide a lot of space for your answers to these questions, so we suggest having a journal handy to write down your thoughts. You’re not expected to have time for all these questions during your online meeting, but we encourage you to reflect on them and jot down thoughts on your own.
Getting to Know Each Other (Suggested time: 30 min)
Take some time to get to know catch up with each other or learn something new. By now you may have gained enough familiarity among your group to make both the study and prayer time more meaningful. If you need them, here are some questions:
- What’s your favorite rainy-day activity?
- Share a story from the past couple weeks when you saw people reaching out to help each other in your neighborhood.
- Have you had any up-close encounters with wildlife in and around your home lately? What was that like?
Study Questions (Suggested time: 40 min)
Please complete these questions prior to your group’s meeting time.
1) When you think about what it means to be a humble person, what qualities come to mind?
→ Who is someone you know that exemplifies humility and what does that look like?
2) In verse 3 we’re told that Jesus decided to wash the feet of His disciples to identify His close relationship with the Father. He knew where He came from, where He was going and the authority He had been given.
→ On a scale of 1-10 how closely do you identify yourself with God?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
(1=not sure where I stand with God // 10=confident as a Child of God)
→ How did you decide on the number you chose on the scale?
3) When Jesus laid aside His outer garment to take up a towel, He became a living metaphor of humility, breaking accepted roles of what it meant to be a leader. Read Philippians 2:5-8 and discuss other examples when Jesus took on a humble position (human birth, life and death).
→ When do you notice that, for Jesus, humility and love go hand-in-hand?
4) In verse 17, Jesus says “you are blessed” or happy if you follow the example of humble, servant leadership He expressed in washing the feet of His disciples.
→ How does that kind of leadership run counter to our current culture?
5) In this passage, John wants us to notice how Jesus relates to two disciples in particular – Peter who was concerned with position and Judas who was weighing betrayal. Knowing their hearts, Jesus still offered both of them His humble service and attention.
→ If you were in that room, how might you have responded to Jesus’ lavish love?
→ Knowing the acceptance and love of Jesus, how could you go about serving others this week?
Group Prayer (Suggested time: 10 min)
Prayer is an important part of each Online Connect Group. It’s natural for some to be reluctant to pray aloud; others are so comfortable that they can unintentionally take over the prayer time. Continue to deepen your relationships through prayer as you gain trust with one another.
Share short prayer requests and be mindful of needs throughout your discussion. Hosts will wrap up your time with prayer; pray aloud if you’re comfortable, but everyone enters into prayer as you reflect together.
This is the final week in this group series before our break. New Online Connect Groups will begin June 21st!
You will have the opportunity to stay with your group or find a new group.
Look for emails with more information!