· When have you been successful at tending a garden or a plant? When have you been unsuccessful?
· Read II Corinthians 3:16-18. What words does Paul use to describe the process of spiritual growth that we are invited to?
· Where have you seen growth in your life? In other words, how would you fill in the sentence, “Once I was ….., but now I ….”?
· From the sermon, “In the physical realm we reach a point where we stop growing and begin to diminish.” How does that idea sit with you? Do you see this in your own life and if so how?
· How has the reality of your physical limits strengthened your spiritual growth?
· From the sermon, “Growing means you’ll look more like Jesus.” In John 15, Jesus tells his disciples that by being connected to Him, the Vine, they will bear fruit that is sourced in Him.
o Who do you know who reminds you of Jesus? What is it that you see in them?
o When would you say you most clearly reflect Jesus?
o How would those closest to your say you most clearly reflect Him?
· From the sermon, “Growing means you’ll be pursuing unity rather than division.” Where are you being challenged to live into this right now? What is at stake in these situations?
· Can you think of a time when the call to unity was unhealthy, because it was authoritarian and oppressive?
· How do you create space in your life where unity can co-exist with diversity?
· What unites us as Christ-followers? What divides us?
· From the sermon, “Growing means increasing discernment.” Ephesians 4 describes the body of Christ at its best, where followers of Christ are in tune with Him and one another, using their gifts to bless and encourage one another. The fruit of this is discernment that keeps us from being “infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.”
o How have you experience growth in discernment in your life?
o Who has contributed to your growth, providing perspective and wisdom?
o Who needs your wisdom and perspective to grow in discernment?
· Growth is orchestrated by God. We cannot control it, but rather we can tended to the soil of our lives, and keep it soft and nourished for the seeds God desires to plant in us.
o What do you do to till the soil of your heart?
o What role does community play in this work?
o What role does interaction with the world play?
o What role does solitude play?
· List one step you can take this week to prepare and nourish the soil of your heart to participate in the growth that God wants to do in your life.