THREE THINGS TO KNOW

DON'T MISS THIS. Join us for an unrushed evening of music, Scripture, and prayer at our PRAYER AND WORSHIP NIGHT, Thursday, June 25, at 6:30 pm at our East Paris and Knapp campuses. Acoustic worship will lead the whole night as we pray and praise together. Prayer teams will be present throughout. Register for EAST PARIS or KNAPP STREET.

GROUP VALUES. This week, we continue our focus on the group value of RELATIONAL INVESTMENTS. One of the best ways to invest in your group is simply to spend time together outside of your regular meeting. Consider reaching out to someone in your group this week and schedule coffee, a meal, or a walk. Small, intentional steps of connection go a long way toward building the kind of trust where real community happens.

GROW AS A LEADER. We are excited to invite you to complete our SPRING SPIRITUAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT! Twice a year—in fall and spring—we offer this simple tool to help you reflect on your spiritual journey and identify areas where you might want to grow. This isn't about us measuring you. It's about you having a snapshot of where you are right now in your walk with Jesus and where God might be inviting you to lean in. We find it most helpful if everyone in your group takes the assessment, both leaders and participants. You can find the assessment HERE.

SERMON DISCUSSION GUIDE

Welcome to the final week of our sermon series, POWERFUL PRAYERS, and the conclusion of our 50 Days of Prayer Challenge. This week, Pastor Aaron Buer walked us through the apostle Paul's prayer for the church in Colossae—a rich template for how to pray for the people we love most.

ICEBREAKER

Who is someone in your life who has prayed for you? What did that mean to you?

THIS WEEK'S TEXT

Have someone read Colossians 1:9–14 aloud.

How would you describe the tone or emotion of Paul’s prayer for the Colossians? 

What does Paul ask God for, and what does he not ask for?

How does Paul describe what God has already done for believers?

THIS WEEK'S SERMON

Pastor Aaron Buer concluded our POWERFUL PRAYERS series by exploring Paul's prayer as a template for praying for the people we love. As a group, recall some of the sermon's big ideas and main points.

How does our culture tend to measure a worthy life, and how does that differ from what Paul prays for the Colossians?

Bearing fruit includes character that looks like Jesus and impacts other people. Who has been a good example of a fruitful life, and how did they impact you?

The primary way we grow in knowledge of God is through making his Word a priority. How has your knowledge of God and love for him grown as you’ve spent time in Scripture?

What are some ways you can make God’s Word more of a priority in your life this summer?

Paul prays that God's power will strengthen believers so they can endure difficult circumstances and remain patient with difficult people. Which of those two—endurance or patience—do you need God’s help with most right now, and why?

Paul says God has qualified believers to receive the inheritance—past tense, already done. How does knowing that God makes you worthy through Jesus (not your own efforts) change how you live or how you pray for others?

Paul's prayer for the Colossians is specific. Who do you want to pray for this way, and what one element from Colossians 1:9–14 do you most want God to develop in them?

WRAP UP

As we close out both Powerful Prayers and the 50 Days of Prayer Challenge, what has impacted you most? Was there a particular prayer that stood out or a way you've seen God work over these past fifty days?

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