This guide is designed to help your group create a space for genuine connection and conversation within your discussion time. Don't feel pressured to address every question each week. Instead, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you as you lead your group in uncovering what God intends to communicate during your time together.

This guide comprises three sections: Loving, Learning, and Living. Each section aims to steer your conversation towards meaningful discussions about spiritual growth as individuals and as members of the body of Christ.

First moments together as a group to connect and pray (approx. 10-15 min).

• How have you seen God at work in your life since the last time we met?
• What has been one high and one low since the last time we met?
• How did you do with living out what we talked about last time we met?

Open with prayer and invite God to be part of your conversation and relationship.

The majority of the group discussion is devoted to open dialogue, reflecting on God’s Word and its personal application to each of our lives (approx. 60-75 min).

Scripture References from Message: Mark 10:17-23; Luke 12:13-21
Big Idea from Message: Keeping fills our hearts with stuff, leaving less space for God.

Read Mark 10:17-23 together as a group. The man in this story says that he has kept the Commandments Jesus lists. Interestingly, the Commandments he keeps are all about how he relates to others, but he makes no mention of keeping the first and most important Commandment, having no “god” above God (see Exodus 20). How might this man’s bent toward “keeping” regarding his possessions highlight the fact that he has not kept this most important of the Commandments?

Read Luke 12:13-21 together as a group. Verses 13-14 suggest that Jesus knows something about the motive behind the request made by the man in the crowd. What do you think the motive is and how does that help you better understand Jesus’ response?

Verses 16-18 point to what many of us would consider wisdom when it comes to good stewardship of what we have. What would you say is the difference between being a good steward (planning well or not being wasteful) and “keeping” in the sense of clinging to things in an unhealthy way?

Verse 19 is the turning point in Jesus’ parable. What is it about the man's disposition toward things that makes the difference here and what do you think of God’s response in verse 20?

Look again at verse 21. What does it mean to you to be “rich toward God?”

The challenge for the week ahead is to grow in our faith and lovingly hold each other accountable through the community.

This week, spend some time focusing on Tyler’s last point in his Generosity Checkup: “Do I believe God can ‘refill’ what I empty?” Is there some area of your life that needs “emptying” into the work and will of God? This doesn’t have to be financial things. It might be time you are keeping to yourself or the talents you have that are from God that he wants to release to change the lives of people in our church and all across St. Pete and Pinellas County. If you offered all of these things to God, what would it look like for him to “refill” you with his joy, peace, strength, faith, love, etc?