We Exist to Bring Hope

Community Group Guide

Vision Series Session 1: We Exist to Bring Hope

INTRO: (2-3 minutes)

Welcome to Community Group! Start off by introducing everyone in the group and then praying and asking the Holy Spirit

to move and guide the conversation for the evening.

Let’s start by looking at the HOPE Church Mission Statement together:

“ We exist to bring HOPE to our community by practicing the way of Jesus until it is in Nashville as it is in Heaven.”

DISCUSSION: (10-15 minutes)

Now, as a group, let’s talk about:

1. What “hope” is. (see talking points below)

  • What does it look like?

  • What does it feel like?

  • What does it sound like?

2. What “hope” is not .

  • What do we call it when we face a situation that doesn’t have hope? (answer: hope-less)

  • Have you ever experienced a situation that felt “hopeless”?

After discussing, have someone read Romans 15:4-6.

“For whatever was written in former days, was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope . May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

Ben Craver insists that hope is experienced and acted out when we trust God in our current circumstances because of his faithfulness in the past. By doing so, we will experience the “fullness of God’s goodness both in the present and in the future.” Another way of saying it is that “ hope is born when we cultivate the promises of God in our everyday lives. ” Cultivation requires effort, intentionality, and patience.

To cultivate hope, we have to recognize 3 things:

1. Hope is based on what God has done in the past (“...through the encouragement of the scriptures…” v. 4)

  • ASK : Where is a place in your past/present (no matter how small or insignificant) that you have seen God keep his promise?

2. Hope requires endurance (ex. Running a race requires training and perseverance, it doesn’t come naturally)

3. Hope is meant to be shared (“...may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another …”)

Look at Paul’s words in verse 4, “...that through endurance.” Hope does not necessarily happen overnight. It must be cultivated. A seed that is planted must be watered and cared for but its growth happens over a period of time. Patience is an equal part of the growth of everything--including hope. So practicing and bringing hope requires a willingness to endure a time of barren ground.

How does the passage we read in Romans and Craver’s understanding of hope challenge our traditional understanding of that word? What does it look like to have hope?

APPLICATION: (approx. 5-10 minutes)

Now break off into groups of two to three (guys with guys and girls with girls) and discuss the following:

1. What does hope look like in your marriage/as a parent/at your work/when you go to the gym/etc?

2. What are two action steps you can take to bring hope to those areas?

3. Spend a few moments making a plan to encourage one another this week to pursue hope in your everyday life. (TIP: You may need to exchange contact info.)

CLOSING: (10-15 minutes):

Come back together and spend a few moments praying for one another, that you each might have confidence, humility and wisdom as you pursue hope daily.

Jason Rumbough