This small group discussion guide draws directly from the sermon “Showcase - The Holy Spirit Can Change What You Can’t” so you can keep engaging with the message all week. Read, reflect, and share it with your small group or friends.

Small Group Discussion Guide

Supernatural Series — Part 2: The Holy Spirit

"You Were Never Meant to Do This Alone"

A Note to Facilitators: Welcome, and thank you for leading! You don't need to be a theological expert to guide a great discussion — your job is simply to create space for honest conversation and let the Holy Spirit do the real work. This guide is designed to be flexible. Feel free to skip questions that don't fit your group, spend more time where conversation is flowing, and adapt the language to feel natural for you. Estimated times are guidelines, not rules.

📋 OVERVIEW

In this message, Pastor Craig explored the person and work of the Holy Spirit — the most powerful yet least understood resource available to every Christian. He challenged us to stop trying to live the Christian life in our own strength and instead learn to depend on the Holy Spirit, who doesn't just walk beside us but actually lives within us. The key invitation of the message: stop resisting, grieving, or quenching the Spirit — and instead learn to keep in step with Him.

🧊 ICEBREAKER

(5–10 minutes)

Choose one of the following to open your time together:

Option A (lighter, fun)

"If you could have a personal guide or helper available to you 24/7 — someone with perfect wisdom, perfect knowledge, and unlimited power — what's the first thing you'd ask them to help you with?"

Option B (more reflective)

"Growing up, what was your experience with hearing about the Holy Spirit? Was He talked about a lot, a little, or not at all?"

[Leader Tip]: Don't rush this section — it helps people relax and transition into the discussion. Laughter and light sharing here makes deeper conversation easier later. Both options work well; choose based on your group's personality.

📖 SCRIPTURE READING

(5 minutes)

Have someone in the group read each passage aloud. You may want to assign them in advance so readers are prepared.

Passage 1 — Jesus Explains Why the Holy Spirit Is Better

"But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don't, the Advocate won't come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you." — John 16:7 (NLT)

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth... You know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you." — John 14:16–17 (NLT)

Passage 2 — The Power That Lives Inside You

"The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you." — Romans 8:11a (NLT)

Passage 3 — The Fruit the Spirit Produces

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." — Galatians 5:22–23a (NLT)

Passage 4 — Keeping in Step

"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." — Galatians 5:25 (NIV)

💬 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(30–45 minutes total)

Work through as many questions as time allows. Questions are organized from lighter/observational to deeper/personal. Feel free to skip or combine.

SECTION 1: Opening the Conversation

(Observational — 5–10 minutes)

1. What was one thing from Sunday's message that stood out to you, surprised you, or stayed with you this week?

[Leader Tip]: This is a great "no wrong answer" opener. It helps you gauge where people are and what resonated most. If the group is quiet, share your own answer first to model vulnerability.

2. Pastor Craig said, "The Holy Spirit is not weird — sometimes Christians are weird." What do you think he meant by that? Why do you think the Holy Spirit is often misunderstood or avoided in many churches?

SECTION 2: Who Is the Holy Spirit?

(Interpretive — 10–15 minutes)

3. Jesus told his disciples it was actually better for them that He go away so the Holy Spirit could come. That's a stunning statement. What do you think the difference is between having Jesus walking beside you versus having the Holy Spirit living inside you? What changes about that relationship?

[Leader Tip]: Help the group sit with the word "in" — Jesus said the Spirit would not just be with them but in them. This is the key shift. If discussion stalls, ask: "What's the difference between a coach who stands on the sideline and one who somehow lives inside the athlete?"

4. Pastor Craig described the Holy Spirit using the Greek word parakletos — "the one called alongside to help." He listed several roles: Advocate, Helper, Comforter, Counselor. Which of those words resonates most with you right now, and why?

SECTION 3: What the Holy Spirit Does

(Interpretive + Personal — 10–15 minutes)

5. The sermon covered four key things the Holy Spirit does in a believer's life:

Prays for you when you don't have words (Romans 8:26)
Convicts you of sin and draws you toward righteousness (John 16:8)
Changes you by producing spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22–23)
Empowers you with spiritual gifts and boldness (1 Corinthians 12; Acts 1:8)

Which of these four feels most real or active in your own life right now? Which feels most unfamiliar or hard to access?

6. Pastor Craig used a memorable image: a tree doesn't try to produce fruit — it just does, as long as it's rooted in good soil. He said the Holy Spirit produces what our flesh simply cannot.

What's one area of your life where you've been straining and striving to produce something — patience, forgiveness, peace, self-control — mostly in your own strength? What might it look like to let the Spirit produce that instead of forcing it yourself?

[Leader Tip]: This question often surfaces real honesty. Affirm whatever people share. Remind the group that admitting we've been "trying harder" is not failure — it's actually the starting point for depending on the Spirit.

7. Pastor Craig shared that God convicted him about becoming too cautious in his preaching out of fear of criticism — and that it wasn't a dramatic temptation, just a quiet drift. He said, "The devil didn't need to tempt me with some big sin, just a little bit of fear."

Can you relate to that? What does a "small drift" away from full dependence on God look like in your own life — not a big fall, just a quiet pull toward self-reliance or fear?

SECTION 4: Responding to the Spirit

(Application — 10 minutes)

8. The Bible describes three ways we can resist the Holy Spirit's work in our lives:

Resist — pushing back against His promptings
Grieve — choosing sin when we know what's right
Quench — shutting down what the Spirit is doing

Which of these three do you find yourself most prone to? What tends to trigger that response?

[Leader Tip]: This is a vulnerable question. Model honesty if you can. Remind the group this isn't about shame — it's about awareness. The goal is to recognize our patterns so we can respond differently.

9. Pastor Craig described "keeping in step with the Spirit" as a series of small, responsive steps — the Spirit prompts, you respond; the Spirit prompts, you respond — until you're walking by faith rather than by logic or sight.

Has there been a time when you sensed the Holy Spirit prompting you to do something — reach out to someone, apologize, speak up, give something away — and you followed through? What happened? Or is there a prompting you've been sitting on that you haven't yet acted on?

🪞 PERSONAL APPLICATION

(10–15 minutes)

These questions are for quieter, more personal reflection. You may want to give people 2–3 minutes to think or journal before sharing.

1. If you're honest, would you say you're currently living more by your own strength or by the Spirit's power? What's one specific sign of that in your life right now?

2. Pastor Craig said, "Whenever God calls you to do something, the Holy Spirit always gives you the supernatural power to do what God calls you to do." Is there something you feel God has been calling you toward that you've held back on because you didn't feel equipped or strong enough? How might this message change how you view that calling?

3. The sermon mentioned spiritual gifts — wisdom, faith, healing, discernment, prophecy, service, teaching, giving, and more. Do you have a sense of what spiritual gift(s) God may have placed in you? If not, what would it look like to begin exploring that this week?

[Leader Tip]: Some people may feel uncertain or even skeptical about spiritual gifts — especially gifts like tongues or prophecy. That's okay. Encourage honest questions. You don't need to resolve every theological debate; just help people stay curious and open.

4. Is there someone in your life you've been trying to change, fix, or help in your own strength? What would it look like to specifically pray and invite the Holy Spirit to work in that situation instead of — or alongside — your own efforts?

🙏 PRAYER FOCUS

(5–10 minutes)

Close your time together in prayer. Use one or more of the following approaches based on your group's comfort level:

Suggested Prayer Topics:

Surrender — Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any area where you've been resisting, grieving, or quenching His work.
Empowerment — Pray for boldness, spiritual fruit, and the activation of spiritual gifts in your group.
Specific needs — During the message, Pastor Craig invited people to raise their hands if they were in a battle — fighting temptation, fighting for a marriage, fighting fear, fighting for a child. Invite people to share one thing they need the Spirit's power for, and pray over those specifically.
Keeping in step — Ask God to make each person sensitive to the Spirit's promptings this week and give them the courage to respond.

Optional Guided Prayer:

If your group is less experienced with open prayer, you can close with this together:

"Holy Spirit, we confess that we've often tried to live the Christian life in our own strength. Forgive us for the times we've resisted, grieved, or quenched your work in us. We want to keep in step with you. Teach us to recognize your voice, respond to your promptings, and depend on your power — not our own. Produce in us the fruit we cannot produce ourselves. Activate the gifts you've placed in us for your glory and the good of others. We surrender our plans, our fears, and our striving to you today. In Jesus' name, amen."

📅 THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

Choose one of the following to practice before your group meets again:

Option 1 — Spirit Awareness Each morning this week, before you start your day, take 60 seconds to pray: "Holy Spirit, I'm not doing this on my own today. Lead me, prompt me, and I'll try to keep in step with you." Notice what happens.

Option 2 — Act on a Prompting Pay attention to any nudge or prompting this week — to reach out to someone, apologize, encourage, give, or pray for someone. Take one step of obedience and see what God does with it.

Option 3 — Explore Your Gifts Look up a spiritual gifts assessment online (YouVersion, Lifeway, or similar) and take it this week. Share what you discover with someone in your group or a trusted friend.

Option 4 — Prayer Journal When you don't have words to pray this week, try writing a few sentences to God about what you're feeling — even if it's just "I don't know what to say." Remember: the Spirit intercedes for you even in those moments (Romans 8:26).

Church Connection:

If you haven't been baptized and this message stirred something in you, consider taking that step. Baptism is an outward declaration of an inward decision — and a beautiful act of obedience.
If you're not yet reading the Bible regularly, consider joining the 30-Day Bible Challenge as a practical way to stay connected to the Spirit's voice through God's Word.

🔍 OPTIONAL DEEP DIVE

For groups with extra time or those who want to go further

Deep Dive 1 — The Transformation of Peter

Read Acts 2:14–15, 36–41 together. Peter — the same man who denied Jesus three times before a servant girl — now stands before thousands and boldly proclaims the gospel. Three thousand people respond.

What changed Peter? What does his transformation tell us about what the Holy Spirit can do in a person who was previously defined by fear and failure? What would that kind of transformation look like in your own life?

Deep Dive 2 — Spiritual Gifts in Community

Read 1 Corinthians 12:4–7 together:

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."

Notice that gifts are given "for the common good" — not for personal status or individual benefit. How does this reframe the way we think about spiritual gifts? What would it look like for your small group to intentionally identify and use each other's gifts to serve the community around you?

Deep Dive 3 — Fruit vs. Striving

Read Galatians 5:16–25 in full. Notice the contrast Paul draws between "acts of the flesh" and "fruit of the Spirit."

Paul doesn't say "produce the fruit" — he says the Spirit produces it. And yet he also says "keep in step with the Spirit," implying we have a role to play. What is our role in spiritual growth if the Spirit does the producing? What does it look like to be "rooted" in a way that allows fruit to grow naturally?

📚 FURTHER SCRIPTURE EXPLORATION

For groups or individuals who want to continue studying the Holy Spirit this week:

Topic	Passage
The Spirit at Pentecost	Acts 2:1–41
The Spirit interceding in prayer	Romans 8:26–27
Spiritual gifts overview	1 Corinthians 12:1–31
Walking by the Spirit	Galatians 5:16–25
Don't grieve the Spirit	Ephesians 4:30
Don't quench the Spirit	1 Thessalonians 5:19
The promise of the Spirit	John 14:15–27
Filled with the Spirit	Ephesians 5:18

🗒️ FACILITATOR NOTES AT A GLANCE

Section	Estimated Time
Icebreaker	5–10 min
Scripture Reading	5 min
Discussion Questions (Sections 1–4)	30–45 min
Personal Application	10–15 min
Prayer Focus	5–10 min
Total	55–85 min

Quick Tips for Leading Well:

✅ Silence is okay. Give people 5–10 seconds to think before jumping in to fill the quiet.
✅ You don't need all the answers. "That's a great question — what does everyone else think?" is a perfectly valid response.
✅ Watch your time. If one question generates great conversation, it's okay to skip ahead. Depth on a few questions beats rushing through all of them.
✅ Protect vulnerability. If someone shares something personal, thank them and protect the group's confidentiality.
✅ End on time. Respecting people's schedules builds trust and keeps them coming back.

This guide was prepared for small group use in connection with the Supernatural sermon series at Life Church. Permission granted for congregational use.