Grow Group Questions – June 27, 2021 – Life According to Jesus
Conversation Starter/Questions (10 minutes)
What are your first memories of praying or being taught to pray? How has that helped your experience in prayer and/or how has it hindered your prayer life?
Sermon Based Questions (15-20 minutes)
Read Matthew 6:5-8; 16-18
How strong is the relationship between time spent in your private prayer and how comfortable you are in public prayer (because you are used to connecting with God in a personal way, He remains your primary goal and audience)?
Rewards are mentioned several times in these verses. What do you think the rewards are that “hypocrites” receive? Do you find any of those earthly rewards tempting?
Matthew 6:6 refers to “going into your room” to pray. What is your favorite place to meet with God? Why? Discuss with your group some practices or tips for prayer time that might help others who struggle with setting aside a time to pray or maybe struggle with a focused time of prayer.
Digging Deeper (20-25 minutes)
If we should, in prayer, strive to connect with God, we should also develop our desire to want to connect with God. What do you do to fuel your desire to connect with God? What lies does Satan tell you or that you tell yourself so as to not want to connect through prayer?
Do you feel like you need to use eloquent phrases to pray to God? Do you feel that pressure in public or privately?
Have you been in situations that have caused you to desire to fast? If so, what, and why? During and after the fast, how did this change your connection to God?
Based on your experience and connection with God, do you think you should fast more or less, why?
Read Matthew 6:16-18. Discuss privacy in fasting vs public calls to fast. How do we not fast like a hypocrite? Should fasting always be private, or what is the heart behind this verse?
Challenge and Prayer (10-15 minutes)
Share with the group an aspect of your prayer life that you know needs to improve. Then spend a time in prayer for those things.