the power of small.
The Kingdom of God takes root in the small ways and hidden places. Life with God is lived out in the ordinary and the everyday. Almost imperceptible at first, the Kingdom expands until it reaches far and wide. It doesn't take a crowd to make an impact. In the way of Jesus, small is powerful. In the days of Covid-19, our gathering sizes are incredibly limited, but fear not, the Holy Spirit is on the move. There is power in small.
The Smallest Seed
Sunday June 21, 2020
Matthew 13:31-33
What is the Kingdom of God like? What is the nature of God's movement in our lives and in our world? Almost imperceptible at first, the Kingdom expands until it reaches far and wide. There is power in small.
Questions for Small Groups:
Do you agree with the premise that in God's Kingdom there is power in small? Why or why not?
Have you seen a small group of people make a difference for the Kingdom of God? Share an example.
How does this passage speak to our life together as a smaller group? What do you sense the Lord saying to us?
Spend some time praying for the Kingdom impact that the Lord desires to bring about in and through your group.
Get Small
Sunday June 28, 2020
Judges 7:1-8
Why does the Lord reduce the size of Gideon's army? What is the Lord revealing to us about His power and strength and how it works in our lives? Do you ever feel small? Too small to make a difference? Even when we feel weak, the Lord's power is at work.
Questions for Small Groups:
Why do we devalue “small” in our culture?
Why does the Lord choose to work through weakness? What does this reveal about God?
How does this passage speak to our life together as a smaller group? What do you sense the Lord saying to us?
Spend some time praying for the Kingdom impact that the Lord desires to bring about in and through your group.
Small Offering
Sunday July 5, 2020
John 6:1-14
The Lord invites us to participate in his work in our world. That’s good news. But it’s good news on top of good news, because the invitation is to offer simply what we have. What do you have? Do you feel like resources are strapped? Wonder what difference our loaves and fish can make? What you can possibly offer? Just watch what Jesus does.
Small Community Questions:
In our passage for today, there is a need -- a hungry crowd. What needs do you see around us today?
The Lord graciously gives us resources -- our hearts, our time, our abilities, our stuff -- to join him in his Kingdom renewal project in our world. But at times, we hold back. What keeps us from offering those things to the Lord?
What gifts, passions, or Kingdom dreams are contained within this group?
How does this passage speak to our life together as a smaller group?
Spend some time praying for the Kingdom impact that the Lord desires to bring about in and through your group.
Still Small Voice
Sunday July 12, 2020
1 Kings 19:1-3a, 9-13
Dear God, could you thunder from the mountaintop? A giant billboard with neon lights catching my attention? Perhaps, a message written in the sky? We love the overwhelming experiences of God. But, time and time again, the Lord speaks in the quiet. The still small voice. What tendermercy do we discover not in the loud, but in the quiet? Not in the BIG but in the small? Lean in, get quiet, Jesus is speaking.
Small Community Questions:
Why do you think God reveals himself in the quiet, gentle whisper?
If making a Kingdom impact is about hearing God’s voice and responding -- about noticing what God is doing and joining in -- then our spiritual practices are missional practices. Our time in silence and prayer is imperative to joining God in God’s work. If this is true, what practices can we take up as a group that help us to hear God’s quiet whisper?
How does this passage speak to our life together as a smaller group? What is God saying to us today?
Spend some time praying for the Kingdom impact that the Lord desires to bring about in and through your group.
A Model for Changing the World
Sunday July 19, 2020
Luke 9:28-36
Here at Corona Church, we want to cultivate a culture of disciple-making. What do we learn from Jesus about disciple-making? In the course of his earthly ministry, Jesus routinely invested in a very small group of just three men: Peter, James, and John. Who are you called to invest in?
Small Community Questions:
Has anyone intentionally poured into your life, helping you grow as a disciple of Jesus? Tell that story to the group.
Have you ever intentionally poured into someone’s life, discipling that person or group? What was it like?
How does this passage speak to our life together as a smaller group? What is God saying to us today?
What is one next step we can take as a group to encourage each other in disciple-making?
Spend some time praying for the Kingdom impact that the Lord desires to bring about in and through your group.
Kingdom Impact
Sunday July 26, 2020
Luke 10:1-17
How is the Kingdom spread? Jesus unleashes 72 disciples, 2 by 2. Who is your buddy in the work of the Kingdom? Never underestimate what can happen through 2. Or what can happen through 72.
Small Community Questions:
Why do you think Jesus sends his disciples out two by two?
What do we learn about God in this passage? What do we learn about us -- the body of Christ -- in this passage?
How does this passage speak to our life together as a smaller group? What is God saying to us today?
Spend some time praying for the Kingdom impact that the Lord desires to bring about in and through your group.
Small Things
Sunday August 2, 2020
Mark 10:13-15
We think kids are adorable and always “Instagramable.” But in Jesus’ day, children were seen as insignificant (even disposable). What do little kids -- people without any power, without any social standing -- teach us about what it means to participate in God’s Kingdom?
Small Community Questions:
Why do the disciples rebuke the people bringing their kids to Jesus? What does this reveal about how the disciples understand the mission of Jesus at this point in time?
Are there people around us (or in our midst) who are getting pushed aside or ignored? What does it look like to welcome them in the name of Jesus?
How does this passage speak to our life together as a smaller group? What is God saying to us today?
