JNR Lifegroup Study - Discovery Church

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Study A - Hearing From God part 5

Introduction:

This week we are going to continue to take a look at our theme of Hearing from God, last week we took a look at a story in Judges where Gideon is struggling to believe in God. This week we are picking up a little further along in the story and how it relates to an interaction between Moses and God.

Ask:

Have you ever struggled to trust God?
Has God ever shown up to you through a sign or answered prayer

Read:

Scripture:

Judges 6:36-40

Observations:

What did God promise to Gideon?
How many times did Gideo ask for a sign? Why do you think he did this?
We know that God wants His people to trust Him, so was it ok for Gideon to ask for a sign? Why or why not?
How did God respond to Gideons request?

Scripture:

Exodus 3:1-15

Observations:

How did God show up for Moses and what was Moses' response?
What did God tell Moses he was going to do?
How did Moses feel about this?
How did God respond to Moses' uncertainty?

Discuss:

Have you ever felt unsure about your future? Or been going through something difficult and felt like it was never going to end?
What are some of the things you turn to in these situations?
What would it look like for us to trust God in uncertain times?
How do we think God would respond if we came to Him with our doubts or troubles?

Pray:

Ask the group for prayer needs
Also pray that God would reveal Himself to use in a new way, especially if we are walking through something difficult and struggling to see Him at the moment.

Study B - God’s Perfect Timing

Introduction:

Today we are going to be taking a look at some examples in scripture that address the issue of waiting on God’s timing and reflect on what this can look like for us.

Ask:

Have you ever felt like you don’t know what God has in store for you?
Has God even given you answers to a long awaited prayer?

Read:

Scripture:

Luke 1:5-25

Observations:

What was it that Zechariah and Elizabeth wanted so badly?
Who came to Zechariah in the temple to deliver him a message?
What was the message the angel gave to Zechariah?
What was God’s plan for John?

Scripture:

Ecclesiasties 3:1-8

Observations:

Why is trusting God’s timing so important?
What can happen if we doubt God’s timing?
Why does God give us time to experience both good and bad things?

Discuss:

Have you ever experienced a time of waiting?
How did you trust God in that time of waiting?
What should you do if you are waiting for something to happen and the outcome isn’t what you expect?
How do we embrace God’s plans for us when they come unexpectedly?

Pray:

-Ask the group for prayer needs

-Pray that God would give us patience and show us his wonderful plans for us

JNR Lifegroup Study: Week 4: 19/6/25

Study A: Hearing from God Part 4

Introduction: This week we are going to continue to take a look at our theme of Hearing from God, however following on from last week's Hot Seat, we will focus on what we can do when we have questions about faith or when we struggle to hear from God.

Pray: Invite God into the room, to speak and minister as you open the word. Commit this term to the Lord as we look into how we can hear from Him

Ask:

Have you ever felt annoyed/frustrated with God?
Have you asked questions to God about life or faith? What happened?
Has anyone ever felt like they couldn't hear from God or like they were distant from Him?

Read: Judges 6:1-4, 11-13

Context: Israel has lost their way with God, they were then attacked and is under the rulership of the midianites.

The story continues by Gideon trusting God and God uses him to win a great victory against the midianites
In this story Gideon questions God, is this ok or not ok? Why/why not?
Gideon and his people were going through a really tough time, would it have been easy for them to trust God?

Read: Psalms 13

How does David start and end this psalm? What's the difference?
We see that David is able to both cry out to and to worship God. What does this tell us about his relationship with God?

Read: Matthew 27:45–46

Context: Jesus is on the cross.

After reading this, do you think Jesus understands what it’s like to feel alone and unheard?
Jesus’ resurrection came after His death. Do you believe God is still at work even when we don’t feel it or see it?
Encourage students that they’re not alone in their feelings, Jesus also felt the hard and difficult emotions, He knows what hardship and struggle feels like.

Discussion:

Have you ever felt like God was silent or distant? What was that like?
Which person in today’s study do you relate to the most right now: Gideon, David or Jesus?
What do these stories teach us about what to do when we feel lost or confused?
What are some ways you can still connect with God even when you don’t feel Him? (e.g. prayer, worship, community, Scripture)

Pray:

Ask if there is anything that your students would like prayer for and finish the Lifegroup in prayer.
Prayer points suggestions:
- Pray for countries in conflict, for ongoing wars and unrest in the world and that God brings peace.

Study B: Acts - Generosity and Charity

Introduction: Across our church we have entered Vision Offering season. This is a time where we consider generosity and use what we have to help those around us, in particular the gifting, resources or finance. For our study we are going to take a look at how we see generosity outworked in the book of Acts:

Context: We are going to read a few stories/descriptions of what the church was like when it first began and how generosity and charity was a key value for the people in it.

Read: Acts 2:44-45

Why do you think they were so generous with each other?
How is this different from the way most people live today?

Read: Acts 4:32-35

What does this tell us about how we should treat people in need?
How can we live like this kind of community today? Does this mean we should go and sell everything? If not then what does it mean for us today?

Read: Acts 9:36-42

What kind of person was Tabitha?
What do you think it means to be remembered as someone who “always did good”?

Discuss:

What does generosity look like for us as students today?
Have you ever received help from someone that made a big difference in your life?
Why is it hard sometimes to be generous with money, time, or even attention?
How can you be more generous this week in your home, school, or at church?

Pray:

Ask if there is anything that your students would like prayer for and finish the Lifegroup in prayer.
Prayer points suggestions:
- Pray for countries in conflict, for ongoing wars and unrest in the world and that God brings peace.

JNR Lifegroup Study: Week 3: 6/6/25

Study A: Hearing from God - Speaking through people

Introduction:

Have you ever felt like God was trying to get your attention?
What do you think a prophet is?
Can you think of a time someone told you something that really made you think or helped you do the right thing?
What Is a Prophet? What Is Prophecy?

Teaching:

A prophet is someone who shares a message from God.

Prophecy is when God gives someone a message about what’s going on now, or what could happen in the future.

Important: Prophecies aren’t always about telling the future, they’re often warnings, encouragements, or reminders to turn back to God.

Think of it like this: “If you keep staying up too late, you’ll be tired at school.”

That’s a warning. Likewise, saying “keep up the practice and you’ll be a star” is an encouragement speaking life into someone's future. A prophecy is like this, but it’s from God, and it’s for helping people.

Read: Isaiah 6:8-10

Quick summary: Isaiah hears God asking, “Who will speak for me?” and Isaiah says, “Send me!” God gives him a hard message to share but many people won’t really listen.

What does it mean that people would "listen but not understand"?
Have you ever heard something over and over but didn’t really do anything with it?

Read: Jonah 3

Quick summary: Jonah tells the people of Nineveh that they need to stop doing evil things or they’ll be destroyed. They actually listen and God shows mercy.

Why do you think God changed His mind about destroying Nineveh?
Does this mean Jonah was wrong or that the people did the right thing?
What does this tell us about God’s heart?

Read: Jeremiah 29:11

Quick summary: The people of Israel are in a really tough place, far from home. God speaks through Jeremiah to give them hope.

What kind of message is this? A warning? Encouragement?
How do you think the people felt hearing this?

Discuss:

God doesn’t just speak through prophets from the Bible, He can speak through people today, too.

Can you think of a time someone gave you advice or encouragement and it really stuck with you?
Do you think God might have been speaking through that person?
How can we know if a message is really from God? (Hint: it lines up with the Bible, brings peace, builds others up, and points to Jesus.)

Application:

Are you open to hearing from Him?
Is there someone in your life God might want you to encourage or speak truth to?

Pray: Invite students to share anything they’d like to pray for, big or small.

That we’d be able to recognize when God is speaking.
For friends or family who need encouragement or hope.
For anyone feeling worried, left out, or unsure about the future.
Close in prayer, thanking God for speaking through His Word and through people.

Study B: Acts - God Goes Beyond Expectations

Reflect:

What was something good or challenging about your week?
Did anyone have a chance to pray for someone or ask for prayer since last time?
Has anyone seen God do something unexpected recently?

Read: Acts 12:1-17 Have two students read in two parts:

Verses 1-11: Peter’s imprisonment and rescue
Verses 12-17: The reaction of the believers
Optional: Have someone retell the story in their own words afterward.

Study:

What stands out to you in the story? Was anything surprising, funny, confusing, or powerful?
What do we learn about God?
- (Possible insights: God hears prayer, God is powerful, He can act in unexpected ways)
What do we learn about people?
- (Possible insights: Even strong believers can doubt, the early Church prayed together in crisis, Peter was calm even in prison)
What does this teach us about prayer and faith?
Why do you think the people were surprised when Peter showed up, even though they were praying for him?

Discuss:

How does this story encourage you to pray?
What is something in your life or a friend's life you could pray for?
What’s one step you can take this week to trust God more, even if it feels like a “locked door”?

Pray:

Ask if there is anything that your students would like prayer for and finish the Lifegroup in prayer. Prayer points suggestions: Pray for the opening of our Frankston campus this weekend. For people who are struggling financially, in need of a job, healing, people who are feeling isolated

JNR Lifegroup Study: Term 2 Week 2

Make sure to mention Undivided next week and encourage them to bring their friends!

Ice breakers: (Suggestions)

Common ground: (5 minutes)

Split into pairs or small groups. Give 2 minutes for each group to find as many things in common as they can (favorite food, movies, fears, sports, etc.). The team with the most genuine commonalities wins.

Celebrity Heads: Need paper, pens and sticky tape (10-15 minutes)

Have everyone write down a name of someone famous and then put them in a bowl, each player then draws one out and sticks it to their foreheads. Go around in a circle asking questions about or guessing the person written on your forehead.
You could limit this to Bible characters or do it as just the people in your lifegroup to see how well they know each other

Study A: Hearing from God

Context:

We are going to read a story about a time when Peter hears from God through a vision/dream. This takes place when the disciples/apostles are still only sharing the gospel with the Jewish people, however after this story Peter starts to share Jesus with the gentiles as well.

Study/Discussion:

Read Acts 10:9-20
What was Peter's vision and what was it actually about?
When Pete had the vision did he immediately know what it meant?
Peter spent a lot of time with Jesus which would have helped him become more familiar with knowing God’s voice, yet even he struggled to understand what God was saying.
Does Jesus God always speak plainly in the bible? Why or why not?
What can we do if we are unsure if we are hearing from God or not?
God can often speak to us through analogies or images that represent something else. Have you ever had an image or vision pop into your head while praying, worshiping or spending time with God?

Prayer:

Go around the group and give each person the chance to share something they would like to pray for
Prayer points suggestions: Pray for UNDIVIDED night that students who don’t know Jesus or go to a church or youth come along. For courage that each of us is able to represent Christ well in our schools and community.For the opening of our Frankston campus in 3 weeks. For people who are struggling financially, in need of a job, healing, people who are feeling isolated.

Study B: Acts - Faith communities

Discussion:

Context - This is a passage about the beginning foundations of the early church and start of the christian movement following pentecost and receiving the Holy Spirit
Read Acts 2:42-47
What four things did the early believers devoted themselves to in verse 42?
What do you think the bible means by “the breaking of bread”? (Is it just eating, or also communion?)
How did the believers handle their possessions in verses 44-45? Why do you think they did this?
Which part of the early church’s lifestyle stands out most to you? Why?
What does it look like to be “devoted” to something in today’s world? What are you devoted to right now?
How do you experience fellowship with other believers? Do you think it’s strong or weak in your life? Why?
What role does prayer and worship play in your life? What could help you grow in those areas?

Prayer:

Go around the group and give each person the chance to share something they would like to pray for as well as pray that God will help us be examples of His love.

Study B: Acts - Faith communities

Prayer:

Go around the group asking if there are any prayer needs
Prayer points suggestions: Pray for UNDIVIDED night that students who don’t know Jesus or go to a church or youth come along. For courage that each of us is able to represent Christ well in our schools and community.For the opening of our Frankston campus in 3 weeks. For people who are struggling financially, in need of a job, healing, people who are feeling isolated.

JNR Lifegroup Study: Term 2 Week 1

Ice breakers: Silent Message

Time: 10–15 minutes

How to Play:

Have students stand in a line facing the same direction (not facing each other).
Quietly show the first person a simple phrase or action (e.g., “baking a cake,” “fighting off a bee,” “jumping on a trampoline”). They don’t say it, only act it out.
The first person taps the next person on the shoulder, who turns around. The first person silently acts out the phrase for them once (no talking, no repeating!).
Each person passes on what they saw, not what they were told. It continues until the last person receives the acted message.
The last person says out loud what they think the original action was. Then compare it to the original phrase to see if it's changed or stayed the same.

Example Prompts:

Walking a dog that won’t behave
Getting caught in a rainstorm
Swatting a fly in church
Playing a video game and losing
Making a smoothie that explodes

Study A: Hearing from God

Study/Discussion:

Read: 1 Kings 19:11–13
Sometimes it can be hard to hear from God, in this story we see Elijah struggling to hear from God and all these other things, fire, earthquakes and wind fighting for his attention.
Do you ever struggle to hear from God?
What are some things that get in the way of us hearing from God or listening to God?
What can we do when we are struggling to hear from God?
What are some ways we can hear from God?

Prayer:

Go around the group and give each person the chance to share something they would like to pray for
Pray that we would have open ears and that when God speaks we would be able to hear from Him more.

Study B: Faith in action

Discussion:

Read: Acts 1:8 and Ephesians 5:1-2
What does it mean to be a witness?
What are ways that we can imitate Christ?
What does it mean by “walk in the way of love”? How can we do this?

Prayer:

Go around the group and give each person the chance to share something they would like to pray for as well as pray that God will help us be examples of His love.