Thank you for humbly leading your group members in a conversation about faith.
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Typical Starting Point Session
Welcome & Sharing Stories
Discuss Section One (Conversation Guide and Podcast Episode)
Discuss Section Two (Conversation Guide and Podcast Episode)
Watch Video (Optional)
Discuss Section Three (Conversation Guide and Video)
Equipped to Lead Well
If you are new to leading Starting Point groups, make sure you check out our Intro to Leadership guide.
Start
Week 1
Bottom Lines
Faith has a starting point.
The starting point for the Christian faith is a question: Who is Jesus?
The Christian faith isn’t about what Jesus said before he died. It’s about what happened after he died: he rose from the dead.
Weekly Win
The win for week one is to get to know your group members and to create a safe environment that makes them want, or at least be willing, to come back next week.
Problem
Week 2
Bottom Lines
Jesus raised the behavioral standard so high that no one could make a passing grade.
God is on an endless pursuit to restore his relationship with sinners.
Jesus never minimized the seriousness of sin, but he did not condemn sinners.
Weekly Win
The win for week two is for participants to realize they are more than "mistakers," that they are, in fact, "sinners" according to the biblical definition; that sin is the "problem" that must be resolved if we are to have the relationship with God we were intended to have.
Trust
Week 3
Bottom Lines
The introduction of sin into the human experience left God with a choice. Instead of walking away, he waded into the mess.
God’s solution to the problem of sin began with three promises he made to one man.
The righteousness available to Abraham through faith is also available to us.
Weekly Win
The win for this week is for participants to understand that God moved toward humanity, and a right standing with him is available to all of us.
Rules
Week 4
Bottom Lines
Rules always assume a relationship.
God’s rules didn’t establish his relationship with Israel; they were a confirmation of his relationship with Israel.
God’s plan, beginning with Abraham, always included us.
Weekly Win
The win for this week is for participants to understand that God’s rules are designed to protect and provide for us, which is evidence of a loving relationship.
Jesus
Week 5
Bottom Lines
Experiencing personal forgiveness for personal sin is often the starting point for personal faith.
In all of history, only Jesus offered himself as the answer to the question of what to do when we can't forgive ourselves.
You don't have to forgive yourself; yourself has already been forgiven.
Weekly Win
The win for week five is for participants to understand that only Jesus offers himself as the solution to our need for forgiveness and as the exclusive means of reconciliation with God.
Grace
Week 6
Bottom Lines
People often relate to God on a performance basis.
With God, grace is the rule, not the exception.
One hundred percent of the "to dos" in the Christian faith are responses to what God has "to done" for us.
Weekly Win
The win for week six is for participants to understand the biblical definition of grace and how that impacts the Christian life.
Faith
Week 7
Bottom Lines
Faith is one of the most powerful tools at humanity's disposal.
The thing that makes Jesus different from other religious leaders isn't something he taught; it's something he did. He died and came back to life.
Christianity requires faith in a person. This is why for anyone investigating Christianity, the first question that must be answered is, Who is Jesus?
Weekly Win
The win for week seven is for participants to understand that the Christian faith is founded on a person and an event that are supported by historical evidence.
Invitation
Week 8
Bottom Lines
Your uniqueness finds its fullest and best expression when connected to God's divine purpose in the world.
The church began as a growing gathering of men and women who believed Jesus was the Son of God.
We have the opportunity to do for others what others did for us by joining our generation's Jesus gathering.
Weekly Win
The win for week eight is that participants would understand that God has designed them with a purpose for a purpose.