ICEBREAKERS
Make sure to start off with prayer. Then choose one or more questions to open up with.
- Who is your favorite musical artist? What are 2 things that you like about that person?
- If you wrote a song about your life, what genre would it be and why?
- If you had to listen to only one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Message Review
Main points and scriptures from this week's message.
Thank you to all those who voted for which songs we would be using to develop our weekend messages during the Summer Concert Series. This week, for Father's Day Weekend, you have selected "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson.
I’ve picked a few lines from the lyrics of this song to talk about:
1) "I'm starting with the man in the mirror."
James 1:22-25
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Our tendency, when we see the problems that are in the world or things around us, is to start everywhere else and with everyone else.
I’m starting with the man in the mirror! Life rewards action! Not knowledge, not awareness… BUT ACTION!
2) "I’m asking him to change his ways."
Many of us do not like change. The reason we do not like change is we associate it with the cost rather than the benefit of change. But the truth is that change is the constant companion of progress.
3) ”If you want to make the world a better place, then look at yourself and make that change."
Wise words from an unknown monk dating back to the 1100’s.
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.
Message Discussion Questions
The following questions will help guide your discussions and give your group some opportunities to open up and share.
- When you honestly look at your life, are you overly critical of others or overly critical of yourself? Why do you think that is?
- Have you ever experienced a time where God was asking you to change your ways? What did that look like?
- What is one thing that you can do to make sure that you are focusing on the man in the mirror rather than the problems of everyone else?
- Do you like change? Why or why not?
- Describe how making you better can make the world better. Think even within your family, workplace, or community.
Live It Out
Encourage your group to start doing. Commit to a step, and live it out this week.
- Most of us look in the mirror every day. Use erasable marker to write down an encouraging word or maybe something that God is asking you to change.
- Make an intentional effort to use I, me, and we statements when talking about change. Avoid saying, "you should do this or that," and move towards, "I need to change this or that," or "we should change this or that."
- In your journal use two columns. On one side write down a change you could make in your life. On the other side write down how that will make the world a better place, even if it is just going to make your family better, or your workplace better.
Closing Thoughts
- Finish group with prayer requests and praise reports.
- More resources always available here: Small Group Resources