Belong

Last Edition Recap

How have you applied the last edition to your life?

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, many of us struggle to find our place in this world. Please help us to know that we will always belong to you. May we know that you always have a place for us to belong. Help us realise this truth. Amen.

Intro

It’s no secret that we feel the pressure of today’s negativity and pessimism. The media is inundated with negative topics that affect us profoundly and influence how we respond to life. It seems that wherever we go, someone has something to complain about. Maybe we are the ones who are constantly complaining? There is nothing wrong with venting out frustration to someone or seeking advice, but it does become a problem when our complaining becomes a pessimistic rot within our hearts that slowly destroys our joy and optimism.

Chat Point 1

  1. What does it mean to ‘have joy’?
  2. How do negativity and pessimism rot our joy?
  3. Think of the following question as you read the next section, then answer the questions together:
    a) Which one must be sacrificed: The Fruit of the Factory? Why?
    b) What do the factory and the fruit represent in your life?

Imagine this:

You are a fruit farmer. You have the ability and means to grow excellent organic fruit that gets exported globally. There is a massive demand for your fruit. You have more than one kind of fruit, and each crop produces better fruit than the last crop. There is a fresh underground spring that waters the roots of your trees. Your fruit plantations are succulent, juicy, and filled with goodness. One day, your fruit trees take a turn. It’s harvest time, and your fruit has become sour, dehydrated, and grainy. Your trees start wilting. There is a global demand for the kind of fruit you produce, but you cannot deliver. Everything good has now become bad. You investigate to find; that the unstoppable flowing toxic waste has poisoned your underground spring from the nearby factory. You also own the factory and have invested millions in establishing it. Both benefit you. But now, the factory is killing your plantations. Not producing fruit will destroy your future.

Key Focus

John 15: 5

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Chat Point 2

  1. What stands out for you in this passage?
  2. What do you think the main point is?
  3. What would it look like if every Christian applied this principle or lesson to their lives today?
  4. How do these passages relate to:
  5. Joy and Optimism vs Negativity and Pessimism? Belonging?
  6. How can you make your group a place to belong?
  7. How can we personally apply this lesson to our lives this week?

Final Thought

 Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

– Greg Anderson.

What are your prayer requests?

Closing Prayer

Holy Spirit, show us how to have the heart of Christ. Please help us create places where people are accepted for who they are and know that they belong. Let us find opportunities to apply this teaching this week. Amen.

In-between Chats: Personal Reflection

Remain in Jesus if you wish to have complete joy. Ask yourself:

  • Do I have absolute joy?
  • Do I feel like I belong? Do I remain in Jesus?
  • Am I producing the fruit he wants me to grow?
  • What is stopping me?

Edition Writer: Rev Kevin Zondagh

Executive Coach, Life Coach, and Ordained Minister. Founder of CoffeeChatConnect and the Exemplar Coaching Company.