The Big Idea: God has given us everything we need to be overcomers, and you are going to make it!

John 16:7-15

The Better Way:

Better than having Jesus right next to you is having the Spirit in you!

1. Never have to be Thirsty‭‭

John 7:37-39

John 16:8

2. Never have to be Lost

John 3:8

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John 16:12-13

3. Never have to be Confused

John 16:13b-15

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

What is holding me back?

Am I Ignorant?

Acts 19:1-3

Am I Negligent?‭‭

2 Timothy 1:6-7,14

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Am I Resistant?

Acts 7:51

RESPONSE:

• Confess your ignorance, negligence, or resistance

• Receive the Holy Spirit

• B.L.E.S.S. Your Oikos

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY

► This week's Passage: Proverbs 2:1-8

► Connection questions:

1. What are you thankful for?

2. What is a challenge you are facing?

3. How did you do with last week’s “I will” statement?

► Have at least one member of the group restate the passage in their own words

► Individual answers to five questions:

1. What stands out to you?

2. What does this passage tell us about people?

3. What does this passage tell us about God?

4. Based on the passage, what is one thing I could do differently starting now and what would happen if I did? (each person commits to their action for one week using an “I will…” statement)

5. Who are you going to tell about what you discovered? (each person commits to having that conversation before the next meeting)

The Big Idea: Jesus was the most free human ever and He can take us into that same level of freedom.

John 8:28-36

Three Steps to Total Freedom:

1. Make a Declaration of Dependence: 

John 15:1-8

2. Throw off Religious systems that create barriers rather than freedom.

The Truth sets you free. It does not bind you into religious obligations

Colossians 2:6-23

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3. Take up your cross every day

Luke 9:23-25

Philippians 3:10-11

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Response:

• Make a Declaration of Dependence

• Take up your cross daily

• B.L.E.S.S. Your Oikos

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY

► This week's Passage: Mark 10:35-45

► Connection questions:

1. What are you thankful for?

2. What is a challenge you are facing?

3. How did you do with last week’s “I will” statement?

► Have at least one member of the group restate the passage in their own words

► Individual answers to five questions:

1. What stands out to you?

2. What does this passage tell us about people?

3. What does this passage tell us about God?

4. Based on the passage, what is one thing I could do differently starting now and what would happen if I did? (each person commits to their action for one week using an “I will…” statement)

5. Who are you going to tell about what you discovered? (each person commits to having that conversation before the next meeting)

Proverbs 18:1-4, 10, 12-13, 15-17, 19, 21, 24

Exodus 20:16

The Big Idea: Stop mindreading and actually talk to people

• Stereotypes are thoughts.

- Thoughts produce prejudices

• Prejudices are feelings

- Thoughts and feelings lead to Discrimination

• Discrimination is an action.

- Action creates culture.

All of this began in Genesis 3:

• I was afraid

• Because I was naked

• So I hid

Three Skills of Relational Wisdom: 

Skill #1: Stop mind reading 

2 Corinthians 10:5-6 

Romans 12:1 

Skill #2: Start Talking. Specifically, Clarify expectations.

Expectations need to be validated.

• Conscious

• Realistic

• Spoken

• Agreed upon

Have a DTR!

B.L.E.S.S. Them

Skill #3: Forgive

• Forgive them 

• Forgive yourself 

• Forgive God 

Mark 5:21-34 

RESPONSE:

• Take control of your thoughts by the power of the Holy Spirit

• Have the difficult conversation

• B.L.E.S.S. Your Oikos

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY

► This week's Passage: Matthew 26:36-41

► Connection questions:

1. What are you thankful for?

2. What is a challenge you are facing?

3. How did you do with last week’s “I will” statement?

► Have at least one member of the group restate the passage in their own words

► Individual answers to five questions:

1. What stands out to you?

2. What does this passage tell us about people?

3. What does this passage tell us about God?

4. Based on the passage, what is one thing I could do differently starting now and what would happen if I did? (each person commits to their action for one week using an “I will…” statement)

5. Who are you going to tell about what you discovered? (each person commits to having that conversation before the next meeting)

1 Peter 2:4–10

Big Idea: Community is built on God, with God, and for God.

Observations from 1 Peter:

Begins with the Living Stone

Cornerstone

The plumbline, anchor, base from which our community is constructed.

Capstone

The top level, shielding the wall from the elements and protecting it from cracking.

Keystone

The final piece in the arch, supporting a bridge of stones across an entryway.

• Every follower of Christ is also a living stone.

• God is fitting us together into a beautiful place for His Spirit to reside.

• To be a priesthood—representing God to the world, inviting all in.

What can we learn?

1. Community begins with a relational life with God—foundational Living Stone.

“We don’t come to church, to be a church. We come to Christ, and then we are built up as a church. If we come to church just to be with one another, one another is all we’ll get. And it isn’t enough. Inevitably, our hearts will grow empty, and then angry. If we put community first, we will destroy community. But if we come to Christ first and submit ourselves to Him and draw life from Him, community gets traction.” - C.S. Lewis

John 15:13–17

2. Jesus is forming His Church, fitting each of us into place.

“Family is the one human institution we have no choice over. We get in simply by being born, and as a result we are involuntarily thrown together with a menagerie of strange and unlike people. Church calls for another step: to voluntarily choose to band together with a strange menagerie because of a common bond in Jesus Christ. I have found that such a community more resembles a family than any other human institution.” - Philip Yancey

3. A healthy community will display the Spirit of God, a royal representative of Him.

1 Peter 4:8–11

Romans 15:5–6

The Response:

• Savor the love of God for you.  

• Commit to discovering your SHAPE and be a part of the community-building solution.

• B.L.E.S.S. your Oikos

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY

► This week's Passage: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

► Connection questions:

1. What are you thankful for?

2. What is a challenge you are facing?

3. How did you do with last week’s “I will” statement?

► Have at least one member of the group restate the passage in their own words

► Individual answers to five questions:

1. What stands out to you?

2. What does this passage tell us about people?

3. What does this passage tell us about God?

4. Based on the passage, what is one thing I could do differently starting now and what would happen if I did? (each person commits to their action for one week using an “I will…” statement)

5. Who are you going to tell about what you discovered? (each person commits to having that conversation before the next meeting)

The Big Idea: We grow and thrive together or we do not grow much.

Mark 3:31-35

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Two Things This Means to Us:

1. Jesus’ vision for the church is that of a family.

2. Family is the place of our deepest hurt and our deepest healing.

Adult Patterns of Relationship as established in our childhood: (Attachment Theory)

1. Avoidant - People cannot be trusted.

2. Anxious attachment - People are consistently unreliable.  

3. Scattered -I cannot trust other people or myself.

4. Secure - “I can trust most people and I can trust myself.”

Our discipleship to Jesus is about God, our Father, rewiring our brains and re-parenting us into the family of God.

We are hurt at the deepest level by relationship and we are healed at the deepest level by relationship.

RESPONSE:

• Join the Family of God through Jesus

• Participate in the family of God

• B.L.E.S.S. Your Oikos

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY - A TOOL FOR GROWING TOGETHER

A DBS is a small group that meets weekly (in person or on zoom) for about 45-60 minutes. Groups typically keep meeting for a minimum of 4-6 weeks, studying one topic from a Biblical perspective each meeting. The goal is to win, disciple, and multiply believers in your Oikos!

https://www.evergreenpnw.com/dbs

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY

► This week's Passage: Ephesians 4:1-6

► Connection questions:

1. What are you thankful for?

2. What is a challenge you are facing?

3. How did you do with last week’s “I will” statement?

► Have at least one member of the group restate the passage in their own words

► Individual answers to five questions:

1. What stands out to you?

2. What does this passage tell us about people?

3. What does this passage tell us about God?

4. Based on the passage, what is one thing I could do differently starting now and what would happen if I did? (each person commits to their action for one week using an “I will…” statement)

5. Who are you going to tell about what you discovered? (each person commits to having that conversation before the next meeting)

Romans 12:9-21

Big Idea: Honor others above yourself.

Honor: (timé): a valuing, a price

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

How it is, we honor others within community: 

1. Cultivate Humility

Romans 12:14

Matthew 5:44 

Philippians 2:3-4 

"True honor comes from selflessness, placing the needs and interests of others above our own, and esteeming them as valuable in God's eyes." - Rick Warren

2. Extend Grace

Romans 12:21

1 Thessalonians 5:15

"In a culture of contempt, our response to evil should be unwavering goodness, for it is through our actions that we can make a lasting impact." - Max Lucado

​​3. Value Uniqueness

Romans 12:16

1 Corinthians 12:21-23

“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.” - C.S. Lewis

Response:

• Make honor the center of your community

• Acknowledge the value in others

• B.L.E.S.S. your Oikos

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY

► This week's Passage: Galatians 5:13-15

► Connection questions:

1. What are you thankful for?

2. What is a challenge you are facing?

3. How did you do with last week’s “I will” statement?

► Have at least one member of the group restate the passage in their own words

► Individual answers to five questions:

1. What stands out to you?

2. What does this passage tell us about people?

3. What does this passage tell us about God?

4. Based on the passage, what is one thing I could do differently starting now and what would happen if I did? (each person commits to their action for one week using an “I will…” statement)

5. Who are you going to tell about what you discovered? (each person commits to having that conversation before the next meeting)

The Big Idea: Christian community, while difficult and terrifying, is God’s ongoing incarnation of His love.

Read the 4 biographies of Jesus and it is clear that he had 2 core commitments:

• Solitude with the Father

• Life in Community

1 John 3:11-18

What is Community:

Not Connection  

Not Chemistry

But Koinonia: People with a shared commitment, physical proximity, and regular engagement.

Matthew 10:1-4

Enemies of Community:

Individualism:

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Francois Fenelon -  “Within every person is a vain, complaining, babbler - self love. We can identify it because it always wants to entertain itself and never feels sufficiently attended to. I beg you not to listen. Self-love whispers in one ear and the love of God in the other. The Self is grasping and impulsive, whereas the love of God is peaceful and simple. When we listen to the self, we no longer hear the whispering of the Spirit.”‭‭

Idealism:

“He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

The two resident realities inside true community:

Vulnerability and Accountability 

James 5:13-16

Response:

Commit to the two core practices of Jesus

Partner with the Holy Spirit to build community

B.L.E.S.S. Your Oikos

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY

► This week's Passage: Joshua 1:7-9

► Connection questions:

1. What are you thankful for?

2. What is a challenge you are facing?

3. How did you do with last week’s “I will” statement?

► Have at least one member of the group restate the passage in their own words

► Individual answers to five questions:

1. What stands out to you?

2. What does this passage tell us about people?

3. What does this passage tell us about God?

4. Based on the passage, what is one thing I could do differently starting now and what would happen if I did? (each person commits to their action for one week using an “I will…” statement)

5. Who are you going to tell about what you discovered? (each person commits to having that conversation before the next meeting)

Hebrews 5:7-14

The Big Idea: We become complete in God the same way Jesus did.

How Jesus Was Made Complete

The Barrier to our perfection

Learning the Jesus Way

Jesus was made perfect through His faith, fervency, and submission in suffering.

The Barrier to our perfection is laziness. (v11)

“There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen.‭‭” (NLT)

“Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your [spiritual] hearing and sluggish [even slothful in achieving spiritual insight].” (AMPC)

Learning the Jesus Way:

The Milk vs Meat Problem:

Spiritual Adults, by constant use and practice, have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil, choose the good, and take responsibility for their actions.

Hebrews 12:1-3

Throw off everything that hinders, and sin that entangles

Run with perseverance our own race

Focus on Jesus 

Response:

• Accept responsibility for your spiritual growth

• Create some fresh focus for your own growth

• B.L.E.S.S. your Oikos

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY

► This week's Passage: Romans 12:3-8

► Connection questions:

1. What are you thankful for?

2. What is a challenge you are facing?

3. How did you do with last week’s “I will” statement?

► Have at least one member of the group restate the passage in their own words

► Individual answers to five questions:

1. What stands out to you?

2. What does this passage tell us about people?

3. What does this passage tell us about God?

4. Based on the passage, what is one thing I could do differently starting now and what would happen if I did? (each person commits to their action for one week using an “I will…” statement)

5. Who are you going to tell about what you discovered? (each person commits to having that conversation before the next meeting)

Philippians 4:4-13

The Big Idea: The antidote for anxiety is the Presence of God.

The Call:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

“Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” - Charles Spurgeon

1 Peter 5:7 

The Cadence:

• Rejoice in the Lord 

• Present your requests to God

• Get your mind focused - “Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.” - Arthur Somersault Roche

• Actually Practice your faith

• Learn the Secret of Contentment - “One of the best anti-anxiety medications available is generosity. Helping others reduces stress by helping us feel valued and capable. Talking through someone else’s problems can give us wisdom for our own challenges - and motivates us to follow through.” - Adam Grant

The Key to it All: 

The Lord is near!

Response:

• Cast your anxiety on Him

• Practice your faith every day

• B.L.E.S.S. your Oikos

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY

► This week's Passage: John 15:1-5

► Connection questions:

1. What are you thankful for?

2. What is a challenge you are facing?

3. How did you do with last week’s “I will” statement?

► Have at least one member of the group restate the passage in their own words

► Individual answers to five questions:

1. What stands out to you?

2. What does this passage tell us about people?

3. What does this passage tell us about God?

4. Based on the passage, what is one thing I could do differently starting now and what would happen if I did? (each person commits to their action for one week using an “I will…” statement)

5. Who are you going to tell about what you discovered? (each person commits to having that conversation before the next meeting)

James 5:13-16

What if the thing that leads to our greatest security in life is not building walls barriers, but rather building a connection?

Big Idea: The greatest peace we can experience is by living in authentic connection. 

Authenticity with God

"Our relationship with God is the foundation of our entire lives. It affects how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we see the world." - Charles Stanley

Genesis 3:6-10

• “made coverings for themselves.”

• “and they hid from the Lord God” 

• “I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

James 5:13

Psalm 139:23

“Vulnerability is the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experiences.” - Daring Greatly, Brene Brown

Authenticity with Ourselves

James 1:6-8

Romans 8:1-2

2 Corinthians 3:4-5

World’s view: You are/what you made yourself into.

Christian view: You are/what Christ has made you into.

Authenticity with Others.

"When we live in authentic community, we learn to trust, to forgive, and to serve one another. We become more like Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve." - Timothy Keller

1 John 1:9

Proverbs 28:13

Response:

• Enjoy vulnerability before God. 

• Be authentic with ourselves. 

• Experience healing in community.

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY

► This week's Passage: Matthew 22:34-40

► Connection questions:

1. What are you thankful for?

2. What is a challenge you are facing?

3. How did you do with last week’s “I will” statement?

► Have at least one member of the group restate the passage in their own words

► Individual answers to five questions:

1. What stands out to you?

2. What does this passage tell us about people?

3. What does this passage tell us about God?

4. Based on the passage, what is one thing I could do differently starting now and what would happen if I did? (each person commits to their action for one week using an “I will…” statement)

5. Who are you going to tell about what you discovered? (each person commits to having that conversation before the next meeting)