Getting Started

Main Idea:
Seeking God first in all you do brings genuine and lasting contentment.

Discussion Starter:
What is something you wanted very badly? When you finally got it, how did you feel? How long was it before you starting wanting something else very badly?

Introduction:
Comparison is in constant competition with contentment. It seems that there’s always someone who is just a little ahead of us. The purpose of this study is to understand how to move from living in competition to living a life of contentment. In almost every group we join, we feel pressured to become the best or be “king of the hill.” Most often that pressure comes from inside us. There’s still someone who has more or is better. We learn that having stuff never fills that emptiness inside, no matter how much we have or how valuable it is. However, contentment isn’t based on a situation or a thing; it’s based on a Person. If you have given control of your finances to God, you have come to realize that contentment is not only real and lasting, it gives us freedom. Like the apostle Paul (Philippians 4:11-13), we too can be content in whatever our circumstances.

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Encounter God

Primary Scripture:  Matthew 6:24-34

Discussion Questions:
1. Jesus taught that we must choose our loyalty. Why must we do this?

2. As you have gone through stages of life (adolescence, young adulthood, etc.) how have you changed in your relationship with God? Is there a constant?

3. In considering life, food, clothes, shelter, how does Jesus explain what’s important? How do you set priorities in your life?

4. These verses add up to a guide to contentment. Can you summarize it?

Discovery Bible Method:
For deeper study, as an alternative to the questions above, read Matthew 6: 24-34 and use the Discovery Bible Method to explore the passage.

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Embrace Others

Suggestion: Consider breaking the group into dyads or triads for this section.

How can we work with others in our group to experience contentment and let go of comparisons?

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Engage the World Around Us

Engaging at Faith Promise: Is there an area of ministry you are wanting to try? Contact the person in charge and do a trial run.

Engaging in Community: Visit Faith Promise local missions page at https://faithpromise.org/love-local and find a ministry your group can do together.

Engaging the World: Visit Faith Promise missions page and look at upcoming mission trip opportunities. Are you interested in going on a mission trip? Can you support someone else financially so that they can go? Pray for the teams serving on these trips.

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Expand God’s Kingdom

Who are you bringing to group or worship at Faith Promise next week? Pray as a group for opportunities to invite and share God’s love with those around you.

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Leader’s Notes

1. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other.
3. Jesus gives examples of nature and how God provides for animals and plants. Seek God’s way of doing things.
4. Give your attention to what God is doing right now. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when they come up.

ALL groups at Faith Promise should participate in ALL 4 characteristics of a disciple of Christ (encountering God, embracing others, engaging the world, and expanding God’s Kingdom). However, each individual group may be primarily focused on one of these “Es” for a season, or for the life of that particular group. Below is an explanation of each type of group.

– Encounter Groups: the primary focus of Encounter Groups is the deeper study and application of God’s Word.

– Embrace Groups: the primary focus of Embrace Groups is making friends and being friends on a deeper level.

– Engage Groups: the primary focus of Engage Groups is serving the people of our area through our local partners and through God-directed opportunities.

– Expand Groups: the primary focus of Expand Groups is the development and multiplication of disciple-makers to lead more groups at Faith Promise.