Introduction
As we begin a new year of Fellowship Groups, we want to help your group start strong. For the first three weeks, the Discussion Guides will not follow the current sermon series in Proverbs. Instead, they will focus on helping your group connect and renew a vision for cultivating deep Christian community in the year ahead. Starting September 28, we’ll kick off a new sermon series in Hebrews, and from that point, the discussion guides will align with the sermons.
Conversation Starter:
- What is one habit you don’t like and wish you could break? Why?
Goal for the Evening:
- Talk through the 7 Habits of Fellowship Groups and dream about how your group will live them out in the coming year.
Discussion Questions
In many ways, we are the sum of our habits. Poor habits tend to culminate in dysfunction, frustration, and suffering, whereas good habits generally lead to life, health, and happiness. The same is true for our Fellowship Groups: a healthy Christian community grows in the garden of good habits! At FDC, we have identified 7 habits that we believe will lead your group to a place of health and flourishing. Tonight, we will look at the first three. Begin by reading Acts 2:42-47 and praying together.
Habit 1: Breaking Bread
Luke highlights how the earliest Christians devoted themselves to breaking bread in their homes (Acts 2:42, 46). These meals were more than fellowship; they were celebrations of their common life in Christ. Eating from one loaf reminded them of Jesus, the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35), broken on the cross for their sins. In this way, their tables became not merely places to eat, but places to celebrate the victory of Jesus over sin and death. In the same way, we want our Fellowship Groups to regularly feast together in celebration of Christ and his grace.
- What are some of the obstacles your group faces that make it difficult to “break bread” together? How can you overcome these?
- What are some ways your group can make your times of “breaking bread” more than just eating and mingling? In other words, how can you also infuse these times with a tone of Christ-centered celebration?
Habit 2: Engaging Scripture
We also see that the earliest Christians devoted themselves to “the apostle’s teaching” (Acts 2:42). This apostolic teaching, now canonized in the pages of Holy Scripture, captured the essential message of Jesus and His Kingdom. Today, devotion to the apostle’s teaching is synonymous with a commitment to reading, studying, meditating upon, and obeying God’s Word.
- In what ways does your group engage Scripture well?
- What are some ways your group could grow to engage Scripture better?
Habit 3: Praying Fervently
The early church devoted themselves to “the prayers” (Acts 2:42)—both set prayers like the Lord’s Prayer and spontaneous prayers of praise, confession, and intercession. Prayer wasn’t an add-on but a constant rhythm of their life together, echoing Paul’s call to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Whether before meals, during conversation, or in response to needs, prayer seems to have permeated their gatherings.
- Would you describe the habits and culture of your group with the words “fervent prayer?” Why or why not?
- What are some concrete ways your group could lean into this habit in the coming year?
Close in Prayer
Every meeting should close with a time of prayer for one another and for our broader church family. At this time, leaders should also introduce the Fall Prayer Guide and explain how you will utilize it as a group each week when you pray.