Welcome to Week Eight of The God Experiment! During these 12-weeks, we are personally testing the extreme nature of God and talking about it with others.  Building on Pastor Josh’s weekend message, we will be unpacking his content and taking it further. Feel free to use this guide or change it to fit the dynamics of your unique huddle. Reminder: While people can journey at their own pace, Monday (February 21) starts Week Eight of The God Experiment. Pastor Josh will be teaching on the weekends and huddles will be written on this schedule. 

Icebreaker: Getting the conversation started. 

  1. In your daily readings, do you have any “ah-ha” moments, questions, or challenges to what you’ve been reading? Maybe share something you wrote in the “Seek and Simmer”section for this week – pages 158-159. 
  2. Optional: Need something lighter to open your huddle? Try this…Pastor Josh opened this weekend talking about getting caught in a snow storm. Have you ever been caught in a storm or stranded anywhere?

Focus Questions: Going deeper together.  

  1. In this week’s reading, we will be talking about walking in step with the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit a new idea for you? How have your ideas about the Holy Spirit changed over the years? What questions do you still have?
  2. We were challenged this weekend to set our minds on the things of the Spirit. What are some ways that you have been intentional about doing that? Are there areas that you’d like to be more intentional about directing your mind toward the Spirit?
  3. Turn to John 14:15-31 and John 15:26-16:15. (Tip: By now, people in your huddle should be more comfortable reading the Bible to others. Ask a few to help you read the passage.)  
  4.  (Optional) Choose 2-3 Discovery Bible Study questions to talk about: (1) What do you like about this passage? (2) What is confusing about this passage? (3) What does this passage say about God? (4) What does this passage say about us? (5) How do we obey this passage? (6) Who else needs to hear this passage?
  5. In this passage, Jesus uses the word Advocate to describe the Holy Spirit. What word picture comes to mind when you think of that word? How is the idea of an Advocate meaningful for followers of Jesus? 
  6. Reread John 14:26. This verse tells us that the Holy Spirit teaches us ALL things and reminds us of EVERYTHING Jesus teaches. What has been a truth that the Holy Spirit has taught you and reminded you about in this season? (Optional follow up: Did you attribute that to the activity of the Holy Spirit in your life or to something else?)
  7. In John 16:8-11, we learn about the Holy Spirit’s responsibility in the world. What do we learn there? Have you ever found yourself assuming these roles instead of relying on the Spirit? (Optional follow up: How do you know the difference between what the Spirit needs to do and what you need to do?)
  8. Pastor Josh closed his message this weekend by challenging us to put desires of the flesh to death – Remember: “One strike and you’re out!” Where do you need clarity and courage this week to put fleshly desires to death? What is your next step?  

Final Challenge: Walk in step with the Holy Spirit. Let Him guide you, teach you, remind you, correct you, and encourage you this week. 

Consider closing your huddle with a simple ancient prayer of the church: “Come, Holy Spirit” with a time of listening and even sharing how the Spirit showed up in your time of prayer.

Be sure to gather names/contact information for your weekly report.