PLEASE DO NOT DUPLICATE. MAHALO!

Created in humility and love by:

New Hope Windward Small Group Curriculum Team

TABLE OF CONTENTS

New Hope Windward Mission & Values

Introduction

Group & Host Tips

Session One "DISCOVERING MY GOD-GIVEN S.H.A.P.E."

Session Two “TO GLORIFY GOD IN EVERYTHING”

Session Three “GET STARTED”

Session Four “TO LIVE A SELFLESS LIFE”

Session Five “TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS”

Session Six “TRUST GOD'S PROCESS”

OUR MISSION… LOVE GOD. LOVE PEOPLE. MAKE DISCIPLES.

Know God. Find Freedom. Discover God’s Plans. Make A Difference.

OUR VALUES… Services | Saved People Attend Services.

Regularly attending and inviting others to our weekly services is a vital part of God’s mission for your life.

Small Groups | You Can’t Do Life Alone.

The Christian life is more than a belief. It’s belonging to God’s family. Small groups meet during the week and provide encouragement, direction, laughs and support through the ups and downs of life.

Serving | Saved People Serve.

God shaped you to make a difference in this world by serving others with your gifts, talents, and interests.

Self-Feeding | Learners and Doers of God’s Word.

The number one way God speaks to you is through His written word in the Bible. Reading and feeding on God’s word daily is the common denominator for every great man and woman of God.

Stewardship | You Can’t Out Give God.

We believe that we are all stewards (managers) of what God has given to us.

SERIES OVERVIEW Each of us is created with a God-given SHAPE and placed on earth for a specific reason.

Let’s discover that together.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THIS COURSE That in studying the word of God with others,

you will become more like JESUS!

SERIES SCRIPTURE “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which

God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 ESV)

TIPS TO A SUCCESSFUL GROUP

Host Tips 1. Make new people feel welcomed. Take time to introduce new people.

2. Starting and finishing on time. Doing this will show your small group youvalue their time.

3. Break out into smaller and/or same-gender groups. This can increase moretransparent conversations and provide more time for each person to join the conversation.

4. Shared learning. Give advice from your own personal experiences rather thansomething you may have read from a book.

5. Plan something fun. Try to plan something fun with all your group members,such as a day at the beach, movie night, etc.

Group Tips 1. Turn off or silence cell phones. As a courtesy to those who are sharing inyour group, please try to stay off your phones unless for emergencies.

2. Make group a priority. Communicate in advance when you will be unable toattend by calling and/or texting your host.

3. Confidentiality is important. If possible, what is said in small group, stays insmall group. One motto groups use is: Share “nothing, to nobody, never” outside of the group.

4. No guilt, No shame. This series is not meant to guilt or shame anyone intodoing anything.

5. Avoid talking or teaching too much. Small groups are designed for everyoneto share and grow together.

1. Discovering my GOD-GIVENS.H.A.P.E.

To start off your small group, briefly share your response to the following question:

What do you like to do? Share with your group.

God has placed you on earth for a specific reason. But many of us don’t know what that reason is. Today, we will learn how God has hardwired us in specific ways to point us towards what He wants us to do.

ICEBREAKER

WHAT TO EXPECT

1.) There are somethings that we are naturally good at doing. God has hardwired within us some strengths. Those strengths define and direct our path. In other words, if you want to know what on earth you’re here for, start by looking at your strengths.

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous - how well You know it.” (Psalm 139:13-14 NLT)

During your job or at home, what are some things you are good at doing? Please share one. [ No shame : ) ]

2.) The way God SHAPED you will reveal your strengths. In fact, each letter in the word SHAPE will lead us to discover some of God’s purposes on earth. Take a look at the five elements of our S.H.A.P.E.

Spiritual Gifts - special skills God grants you on a spiritual level. Heart - the passions that get you going in life. Abilities - the things you are naturally good at. Personality - the way you interact with others or think of yourself. Experiences - the things you’ve done or that have happened to you.

Share with the group one aspect of your God-given SHAPE.

3.) What God made you to be determines what He wants you to do. Your God-given SHAPE points you to some of God’s purposes for your life. Let’s look at the first part of your SHAPE, your Spiritual gifts.

“…each person has a gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” (1 Corinthians 7:7b)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

A SHORT LIST OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS (From I Cor. 12, Eph. 4, Rom. 12)

ADMINISTRATION I Cor. 12 (This is sometimes called “Organization”) The ability to recognize the gifts of others and recruit them to a ministry. The ability to organize and manage people, resources, and time for effective ministry.

APOSTLE I Cor. 12 The ability to start new churches/ventures and oversee their development.

DISCERNMENT 1 Cor. 12 The ability to distinguish between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. The ability to detect inconsistencies in another’s life and confront in love.

ENCOURAGEMENT Rom. 12 (This is sometimes called “Exhortation”) The ability to motivate God’s people to apply and act on biblical principles, especially when they are discouraged or wavering in their faith. The ability to bring out the best in others and challenge them to develop their potential.

EVANGELISM Eph. 4The ability to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ to unbelievers in a positive, non-threatening way. The ability to sense opportunities to share Christ and lead people to respond with faith.

FAITH I Cor. 12 The ability to trust God for what cannot be seen and to act on God’s promise, regardless of what the circumstances indicate. The willingness to risk failure in pursuit of a God-given vision, expecting God to handle the obstacles.

GIVING Rom. 12The ability to generously contribute material resources and/or money beyond the 10% tithe so that the Body may grow and be strengthened. The ability to manage money so it may be given to support the ministry of others.

HEALING I Cor. 12 The ability to pray, in faith, specifically for people who need physical, emotional, or spiritual healing and see God answer. The ability to sense when God is prompting you to pray this kind of prayer.

HOSPITALITY 1 Peter 4:9-10 The ability to make others, especially strangers, feel warmly welcomed, accepted, and comfortable in the church family. The ability to coordinate factors that promote fellowship.

I may have

this gift

I’m pretty sure I have

this gift

I don’t think I have

this gift

Spiritual gifts are a divine ability God gives you through His Holy Spirit living in you. This ability from God helps you do certain things well. Please take the

Spiritual Gifts assessment below to help you identify what gifts you may have.

LEADERSHIP Rom. 12The ability to clarify and communicate the purpose and direction (“vision”) of a ministry in a way that attracts others to get involved. The ability to motivate others, by example, to work together in accomplishing a ministry goal.

MERCY Rom. 12The ability to manifest practical, compassionate, cheerful love toward suffering members of the Body of Christ.

MIRACLES I Cor. 12 The ability to pray, in faith, specifically for God’s supernatural intervention into an impossible situation and see God answer. The ability to sense when God is prompting you to pray this kind of prayer.

PASTORING Eph. 4 (This is sometimes called “Shepherding”) The ability to care for the spiritual needs of a group of believers and equip them for ministry. The ability to nurture a small group in spiritual growth and assume responsibility for their welfare.

PRAYING WITH MY SPIRIT I Cor. 12 (This is sometimes called “Tongues/Interpretation”) The ability to pray in a language understood only by God or one who is given the gift of interpretation at that time.

PREACHING Rom. 12

(This is sometimes called “Prophecy” ) The ability to publicly communicate God’s Word in an inspired way that convinces unbelievers and both challenges and comforts believers. The ability to persuasively declare God’s will.

SERVICE Rom. 12The ability to recognize unmet needs in the church family, and take the initiative to provide practical assistance quickly, cheerfully, and without a need for recognition.

I may have

this gift

I’m pretty sure I have

this gift

I don’t think I have

this gift

TEACHING Eph. 4The ability to educate God’s people by clearly explaining and applying the aBible in a way that causes them to learn. The ability to equip and train other believers for ministry.

WISDOM 1 Cor. 12 The ability to understand God’s perspective on life situations and share thoseivinsights in a simple, understandable way. The ability to explain what to do andy how to do it.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS ASSESSMENTS

This week, commit to doing the following things:

• Take the step of faith in discovering your SHAPE bymaking the time to take the Spiritual Giftsassessment.

• Thank God for the Spiritual gifts He has placed inyou.

• Pray and ask God what area of ministry He may beleading you to inquire about and test-drive.

Take a few minutes to close your time together with prayer and to pray for each other’s prayer requests. Below is a sample prayer to read if you choose to. You can also choose to write down each other’s prayer requests to remember throughout the week.

Sample Prayer:“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your amazing love for us and for giving each of us a specific Spiritual gift that we can use to serve You and the church for your greater purpose. Guide and direct us according to Your good and perfect will. In Jesus’ name we humbly pray, Amen.

Group Prayer Requests:

Name Request

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WHAT WILL YOU DO?

CLOSE IN PRAYER

S C R I P T U R E… “God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.”

(1 Corinthians 12:6)

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DAILY DEVOTIONS: DAY 1

DAILY DEVOTIONS: DAY 2S C R I P T U R E… “Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.”

(Romans 6:13)

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S C R I P T U R E… “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.”

(Philippians 2:13)

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DAILY DEVOTIONS: DAY 3

DAILY DEVOTIONS: DAY 4

S C R I P T U R E… “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.” (Galatians 6:4)

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