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10 Insights for Hosting
- Pray. Feel free to share anything that’s on your heart with your heavenly Father before your group meets. Asking God to bring wisdom and guidance is central to any work of His people. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).
- Serve your group “In View of God’s Mercy” to you. Hosting a Life Group will take sacrifice of time, energy, emotion, possibly a dollar or two for snacks... etc. Rather than serving out of guilt or fear or pressure – serve in response to being served by God. His unmerited love and mercy toward us can motivate us to love those in our group with the same kind of love. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). “For Christ’s love compels us…” (2 Corinthians 5:14).
- Remember: You’re not alone. Gathering around with others to talk about real questions of life and faith can be intimidating for some. What’s great is that God knows your every need and will be with you! “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). “He is not far from each of us” (Acts 17:27).
- Be yourself. God has made you into who you are in a purposeful way. “You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13-14). “Your hands have shaped and made me” (Job 10:8). God isn’t expecting you to be someone else, bring your own uniqueness to the study. He has brought you to this place and time of service. Where He guides, He provides.
- Don’t worry about how much you know. While knowledge of what the Bible says is helpful when it comes to talking about our faith, most of us can point to a story from our life that reveals God’s continued work. If you truly don’t have the answer, don’t feel the need to make one up. Maybe someone else in your group will have a great insight. If there is still need for further clarification ask someone on the pastoral staff to give assistance.
- Nervousness is normal. The apostle Paul (who wrote much of the New Testament) had similar moments, “I came to you brothers in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power…” (1 Corinthians 2:3-4). God does not choose the qualified, but qualifies the chosen. God says, “My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a).
- Prepare ahead of time. While you won’t be the only one answering the questions, prayerfully work through them and know your own answers ahead of time. This will keep your from feeling the pressure of the moment, and give you a chance to focus in on what others are saying. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).
- Be patient. While you have reviewed the questions for the session ahead of time, the people in your group are likely hearing these questions for the first time. If silence doesn’t bother you, it won’t bother anyone else. Affirm whatever answers are shared when someone does speak. Be sure to ask, “How about someone else?” or “Would someone who hasn’t shared like to add anything.”
- Enjoy yourself. More than working through a study, you are getting to interact with other members of God’s family. Together you are then getting to talk about, pray to, and hear from a God who can do more than we ask or think. What an exciting time! What an adventure! Focus on enjoying the journey with those God’s assembled around you.
- Trust God. God is the one who brings change and makes things grow. “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).
