Engage the Spirit – leader guide #6

Christ Community Church   -  

IF YOU’RE LEADING THIS STUDY…                                                                                 
Engaging with the Spirit in Praying
 3 Insider Insights: 

Remember that the key idea is: Praying in (or by) the Holy Spirit is to responsively pray at His prompting, about His concerns arising from attacks which threaten the faith of God’s people.  This comes from Ephesians 6:17-18 and Jude 1:17-23.
In the GETTING STARTED section, people may be reluctant to admit that praying is more of an uphill climb than a joy. GIVE THEM THE FREEDOM to admit this…your own struggle in prayer – if you share it – will likely open the door for some honest sharing and support giving.   

NOTE:  You may want to DIVIDE THE GENDERS for this opening part (perhaps give 15 minutes for women to share with women and men with the men any struggles or frustration in prayer.

AS YOU LEAD THE STUDY: tease out the real-life stresses people likely felt in the situations the Bible’s accounts describe. Remember, these are real people, just like us, who struggled with situations that seemed impossible and daunting. Again…there may be some of those within your own Connect Group.

A helpful CONNECT GROUP LIFE idea:
 Are you as a leader promoting some “fun” and “personal discovery” within the group?  Sometimes some light-hearted fun gets things headed in the right direction.  Here are some “fun conversation starters” suggestions. Choose one or two to get the ball rolling…

What do you think the world will be like in twenty-five years?

Name one thing we use today that will be gone and one thing we will use that is not here yet

Is there life on other planets? What is the reason for your opinion?
Whose the most famous person you’ve ever personally met? How did it happen?
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?