Have you ever been stuck on the side of the road? It may have been that you thought the fuel gauge was a little off, so you postponed making a stop only to run out of gas. You might not have noticed the pool of liquid that was leaking out of your car before you left your house only to make it five minutes down the road with smoke billowing from your engine. It could have been that you had a flat tire and didn't have all the tools in your trunk to fix it. Being stuck is always difficult in a car, but it is even worse when you feel stuck spiritually. Through the past few weeks, we have been talking about being open to being led by the Holy Spirit. It may be that instead of feeling open to God's lead or moved by the Spirit, you feel stuck. Our hope is that in this study, you can receive the encouragement to plug into the power of the Holy Spirit so you can get unstuck.
When was a time in your life when you were stuck? It might be on the side of the road or it could have been a season where you weren't moving forward.
1. How do people get stuck spiritually?
2. Read John 15:1-5. In what ways does remaining or abiding in Jesus help you to thrive? How does not connecting with Him lead to feeling stuck?
John 15:1-5 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:1-5
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
3. What are some steps that you are taking to connect or abide in Jesus? What do you notice about yourself when you are not taking these steps?
4.In what ways does a follower of Jesus bear fruit (John 15:8)? How do you know good fruit from bad fruit?
John 15:8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
John 15:8
When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
5. Read Galatians 5:22-23. Which one of these fruits is missing or somewhat absent from your life right now? How can you rely on the Holy Spirit's power to produce this fruit in your life in the future?
Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Galatians 5:22-23
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
6. In what ways does a life that is connected to the Holy Spirit attract others to the gospel? How does it push them away if we are not connected?
7. What are some steps that you can take this week to get unstuck and to bear fruit?
Get a roll of tape and some markers before your group and have it ready for this moving forward section. Have your group members think through all the things right now that have them stuck spiritually. Have them write it on a piece of tape, and then have them put it up in a place where the whole group can see. Have that person talk about what it is and why it is holding them back from bearing fruit. When everyone is done sharing what is holding them, as a group leader, pray for your members. Pray for each one of them and specifically for the things they wrote on the tape. As you are praying for that person, rip the tape off the wall (let them hear it when you do it). When you are done, squish all the tape you have removed into a ball and get rid of the things that have held people back from experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit.
Available for download in the Sagebrush App
Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:33
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
©2024 Sagebrush Church
