Series Resources
sermon-based study guide
This guide is designed to guide a group discussion around the weekend sermon. You can also use this as an individual, but we highly recommend finding a friend and inviting them to discuss with you. Menlo Church has Life Groups meeting in-person and online using these guides. We’d love to help you find a group.
What you will find in this guide: A discussion guide for groups and individuals. If you are using this as an individual be sure to engage with each question in a journal or simply in your mind as you prayerfully consider what you heard in the sermon and seek to discover what God is inviting you to know and do.
SG20240915
STORYTELLERS • September 15, 2024
CONNECT
Think about a time in your life when you faced a challenging season, but in hindsight, you saw God’s faithfulness and how He worked through it. What was the key moment when you realized that God’s story for your life was still filled with hope? How did that experience shape your perspective going forward?
ENGAGE
Read Matthew 5:14-16; Romans 15:13 as a group and discuss:
- What are some ways you can contribute to the “surplus of hope” within your community, just as Menlo Church has experienced over the years?
- Paul talks about joy and peace that overflow with hope by the Holy Spirit. What does it look like for you to live in that overflow?
- Have you ever experienced a “waiting season” that turned out to be worth the wait? How did that build your faith?
- What are the areas of your life where you feel hopeless? How can you begin to trust that God is writing a story of hope in those areas?
- Are there any past hurts or challenges that have narrowed your vision of hope? How can you allow God to expand your perspective to see beyond your current circumstances?
APPLY
- What is one practical thing you can do to cultivate more joy and peace in your day-to-day life?
- Are there any past hurts or challenges that have narrowed your vision of hope? How can you allow God to expand your perspective to see beyond your current circumstances?
PRAYER
Pray together as a group asking God to fill you with His joy and peace, and to help you trust in His plan, even in difficult seasons. Ask God to help you live with an overflow of hope by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that others may see His faithfulness in your life. Pray for eyes to see the bigger story He is writing in you and in the community around you.