Week 1: How do you know? – 1 John 1:1-7
1 John was written “so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). So, how do you know? This week we introduced this new series and introduced the book of 1 John, as well as introduced the first test: Am I walking in the light?
LIVE OAK CONNECTION POINT:
If your group would like to serve together, we have some great opportunities for you to do so! Check them out here
ICE BREAKER QUESTIONS:
*For a NEW GROUP meeting together or a group with new people, or a group that has had a long time not meeting together, you can use these Ice Breaker Questions to get people talking and start making connections.
**For an EXISTING GROUP without a lot of new people, feel free to use or adapt the 3 ice breaker questions below but also spend some time catching up with each other by sharing highlights and challenges since you last met. You may also want to have everyone share a hope for your small group for this Spring.
ICE BREAKER 1: “Unique Introductions”
Have everyone introduce themselves this way:
- A) A UNIQUE GREETING (Example: Hi, Hello, Hey, Aloha, Bon Jour, Greetings, What’s up, etc.) Everyone has to have a unique opening greeting line. No repeats. Must be a unique greeting word or phrase that has not already been used by someone else during this ice breaker.
- B) Name and a 1-MINUTE BIO of who you are (include any family info, what you do during the week, what you do for fun, and how long you have attended Live Oak)
Example: “Hi. My name is Doug Halcomb. I’m Senior Pastor at Live Oak, married to Jennifer, 2 kids, Jean & Graycia. And I Graduated from Tech in 1994. For fun I like enjoy movies, music and travel. I’ve attended Live Oak from 1993- 2004, and again since 2012.”
ICEBREAKER 2: “Lightning Round”
Start with the leader and ask a question that is either an “either/or” type question or a “what is your favorite___________” fill in the blank type question.
Example: Beach or mountains? TV or Movies? Favorite movie? Favorite food? Favorite hobby?
- Each person in the circle answers the question with the one who asked the question answering last.
- Then, the person to the right asks their own “either/or” or “favorite” question.
- Each person in the circle answers that question with the person who asked the question
- answering last.
- Go all around the circle until everyone in the circle asks a question.
- This gets everyone talking and participating.
- Try to keep the pace up and keep a lightening round type of feel with quick questions and quick answers.
ICEBREAKER 3: “Hopes for our Small Group”
Have everyone share why they were interested in joining a small group AND what they might be hoping to experience in this small group.
DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
READ: 1 John 1:1-7.
Spend some time SOAPing this passage. You can either spend time SOAPing individually and documenting for a several minutes and then spend time sharing with each -OR- SOAP in real time with each other. Either way make as many observations as you can.
- Observations: What are the things that stand out to you about this passage?
- How would you summarize this passage in one sentence?
- What does this passage tell me about who God is?
- What does this passage tell me about who I am?
- 1 John 1:5 lays down a foundational truth: “God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.” Why does that truth matter? When are the times you might feel doubtful about that?
- 1 John 1:7 instructs us to “walk in the light”. To think about what that means, read and discuss each of these passages:
John 3:19-21 John 12:35 Ephesians 5:8-16 Psalm 119:105
- So, what do you think it means to “walk in the light”?
- What does it look like for you to “walk in the light” this week?
READ: Matthew 5:14-16. Doug challenged us to shift our mindset of how we respond when things seem dark in the world. We were challenged to look at darkness and say “this is our chance!”.
- What does it look like for us to take those opportunities to live as a light in a dark world?
- What else stood out from this week’s sermon?
- APPLICATION: What is your big takeaway from this week’s sermon? Be specific.
NEXT STEPS:
Everyone has a next step to apply what we have learned. What is your next step?Be specific.
MEMORY VERSE: *Challenge yourself or your group to commit this verse to memory:
1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
PRAYER:
Spend some time praying for each other.
Scripture References:
1 John 1:1-7; Matthew 7:15-20, 21-23; 1 John 5:13; John 1:1-18; John 3:19-21; John 12:35; Ephesians 5:8-16; Psalm 119:105; Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 24:12-14