This small group discussion guide draws directly from The Watchman's sermon “Follow-Up Materials - Initial Analysis” 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
"You Are Not Your Own: Prayer, Faith, and the Body of Christ"
Based on Sunday's Sermon | Week of ___________
A Note to Facilitators: This guide is designed for 60–90 minutes. You know your group best — feel free to skip questions that don't fit your time or context, and linger on the ones that spark the best conversation. There are no wrong answers here. Your goal is to create a safe space where people can engage honestly with God's Word and with each other. You've got this!
SERMON OVERVIEW
This sermon explores three interconnected truths: that faith grows through repeated, consistent exposure to God's Word; that prayer is essential because God works on earth through His people; and that our bodies belong to God — purchased by Christ and meant to glorify Him in every area of life. The preacher challenges us to take our role as the Body of Christ seriously, recognizing that what happens in heaven is connected to what we do — and pray — on earth.
SECTION 1 | ICEBREAKER
Getting Comfortable Together (5–10 minutes)
Choose one of the following to open your time:
Option A (Lighter):
"Think of something you had to hear or practice over and over again before it finally 'clicked' — a skill, a lesson, a piece of advice. What was it, and what finally made it sink in?"
Option B (More Personal):
"Has there ever been a time when someone was praying for you without you knowing it, and you later found out? Or a time when you felt prompted to pray for someone and didn't know why? Share what you remember about that experience."
[Leader Tip]: The icebreaker is just to get people talking — don't let it run too long. If Option B feels too personal for a new group, start with Option A. Both connect naturally to the sermon's themes of repetition, faith, and intercessory prayer.
SECTION 2 | SCRIPTURE READING
Grounding in the Word (5 minutes)
Have someone in the group read each passage aloud. You may want to assign them ahead of time.
Passage 1 — On Faith and Hearing
"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." — Romans 10:17 (NKJV)
Passage 2 — On Prayer and Partnership with God
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" — Matthew 7:7–11 (NIV)
Passage 3 — On Being the Body of Christ
"And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way." — Ephesians 1:22–23 (NIV)
Passage 4 — On Glorifying God in Our Bodies
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." — 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NIV)
[Leader Tip]: After the readings, you can simply say, "Let's keep these passages in mind as we talk through the sermon together." You don't need to explain everything — the questions will draw the group into the text naturally.
SECTION 3 | DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Exploring the Message Together (30–45 minutes)
Work through as many questions as time allows. Questions are grouped by theme and move from easier to deeper. Bold questions are the most important — prioritize those if time is short.
THEME A: Faith Grows Through Hearing
Based on Romans 10:17 and the sermon's opening stories
1. The preacher told the story of a woman with terminal cancer who was healed after listening to the same faith-filled teaching tape over and over again. What does that story tell us about how faith actually works?
Follow-up if needed: Why do you think repetition matters so much when it comes to building faith? How is that different from just "having heard" something once?
2. The preacher said, "Faith doesn't come from having heard — faith comes from hearing and hearing." What's the difference between those two things in your own life? Can you think of a truth from Scripture that you've heard many times but are still in the process of really believing?
[Leader Tip]: This question invites vulnerability, so model it yourself if you can. Share something you're still working to believe — it gives others permission to be honest. There's no pressure to have "arrived."
3. In what practical ways do you currently "keep hearing" God's Word? What habits or rhythms help you stay spiritually charged — and what gets in the way?
THEME B: Prayer — Our Partnership with God
Based on Matthew 7:7–11; Matthew 9:35–38; Matthew 18:18; Ephesians 6:18
4. The preacher made a bold claim: that God has chosen to work on earth through the prayers and actions of His people — that in some sense, He waits for us to ask. How does that idea sit with you? Does it challenge, encourage, or unsettle you — and why?
[Leader Tip]: This question may generate some theological tension, which is healthy. Some group members may push back ("Can't God do whatever He wants?"). Acknowledge the mystery — the sermon doesn't deny God's power, but highlights His chosen method of working through His people. Encourage curiosity rather than debate.
Related scripture to reference if helpful: "Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." — Matthew 9:38
5. The preacher shared the remarkable story of a missionary in Africa who was saved at midnight — not by coincidence, but because a woman on another continent was praying in the Spirit for an hour and a half without knowing why. What does that story stir in you about the power and purpose of prayer?
Follow-up: Have you ever felt a strong, unexplained urge to pray for someone? What did you do with it?
6. Jesus said in Matthew 7 that "everyone who asks receives." Yet many of us have prayed for things and felt like nothing happened. How do you hold those two realities together — the promise of answered prayer and the experience of unanswered prayer?
[Leader Tip]: Be sensitive here — some group members may have prayed for healing, a prodigal child, or a broken marriage and feel the weight of that. Don't rush to resolve the tension or offer easy answers. The goal is honest conversation, not theological tidiness.
THEME C: You Are the Body of Christ
Based on Ephesians 1:22–23; 2 Corinthians 6:14–16
7. The preacher used a simple but powerful image: a head cannot do anything without a body. If Jesus is the Head and we are the Body, what does that mean for how we think about our everyday lives — our words, our choices, our presence in the world?
8. The preacher said, "Whatever God does on earth, He does through His Church." How does that truth change — or challenge — the way you see yourself? Do you tend to see yourself as an active participant in what God is doing, or more as a bystander? What shapes that?
THEME D: Glorifying God in Your Body
Based on 1 Corinthians 6:19–20
9. "You are not your own — you were bought at a price." The preacher said this applies to how we dress, how we eat, how we speak, how we live. What area of your life does this truth most challenge you to think about differently?
[Leader Tip]: The sermon touches on some pointed examples — diet, appearance, sexuality, habits. You don't need to recreate every specific point the preacher made. Keep the focus on the principle: Does this glorify God? That question is personal and will land differently for each person. Create space for honest reflection without turning this into a list of rules.
10. The preacher suggested a simple test: before making a decision, ask yourself, "Does this glorify God?" How practical or helpful do you find that question as a daily guide? What would change in your life if you asked it more consistently?
SECTION 4 | PERSONAL APPLICATION
Taking It Home (10–15 minutes)
These questions are for quieter, more personal reflection. You can share in pairs, go around the group briefly, or simply give people a moment to write before sharing.
1. The preacher said that Smith Wigglesworth's secret was simple: "I just get in the privacy of my own bedroom and edify myself a couple hours a day praying in tongues, go out at night and edify the people." What would it look like for you to invest more intentionally in your own spiritual life this week — not for performance, but to be genuinely "built up" for what God has called you to?
2. Looking at your life right now, where do you sense God might be prompting you to pray more specifically or persistently — for a person, a situation, or a need in the world around you?
3. The declaration "I am not my own — I belong to God" is meant to be freeing, not burdensome. In what area of your life do you most need to receive that truth right now? Is there something you've been holding onto as "yours" that you sense God inviting you to release?
4. The preacher said, "If it's good, it's God's will — just ask." Is there something good you've been hesitant to bring to God in prayer? What's held you back — and what might it look like to simply ask?
✏️ THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE
Choose one of the following to put into practice before your group meets again:
The Hearing Challenge: Identify one specific truth from Scripture you want to build your faith around. Listen to a sermon, read a passage, or memorize a verse on that topic every day this week. Notice what shifts.
The Prayer Challenge: Set aside 10–15 minutes each day to pray specifically for one person or situation — not a quick mention, but sustained, focused prayer. Keep a simple note of what you pray.
The Glorify Challenge: For one week, before a habit, choice, or action, ask yourself: "Does this glorify God in my body and spirit?" Notice what the question reveals — and write down one thing you want to change.
The Ask Challenge: Bring one specific, concrete request to God this week — something good that you've been hesitant to ask for. Pray it every day and trust Him with the outcome.
SECTION 5 | PRAYER FOCUS
Closing in Prayer Together (5–10 minutes)
Use one or more of the following as a guide for your closing prayer time:
Suggested Prayer Topics:
🙏 For growing faith — that God would give each person in your group ears to hear His Word more deeply and consistently
🙏 For prayer lives — that your group would become a community of people who pray with boldness, persistence, and faith
🙏 For laborers — following Jesus' instruction in Matthew 9:38, pray specifically for God to raise up workers for the harvest — in your community, your city, and around the world
🙏 For the church — that the Body of Christ would take its role seriously, representing Jesus well in every area of life
🙏 For one another — invite group members to share one personal prayer request, then pray for each other by name
Suggested Closing Declaration (You can read this together or have the leader close with it)
Lord, we declare today that we are not our own. We have been bought with a price — the precious blood of Jesus. We belong to You — spirit, soul, and body. Help us to glorify You in everything we do. Teach us to pray with faith and persistence. Build us up in Your Word. And send us out as Your Body — to do the works You have called us to do. In Jesus' name, Amen.
SECTION 6 | OPTIONAL DEEP DIVE
For Groups Wanting to Go Further
These bonus questions are for groups with extra time or those who want to dig deeper into the biblical themes of the sermon.
Deep Dive 1 — The Three Heavens and Spiritual Authority
The preacher referenced 2 Corinthians 12:2 and Matthew 18:18 to talk about the spiritual significance of what we bind and loose on earth. Read these passages together:
"I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven." — 2 Corinthians 12:2
"Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." — Matthew 18:18
Discussion: What do these passages suggest about the relationship between prayer and spiritual authority? How does understanding that there is a spiritual realm — with real spiritual forces — shape the way you think about intercession and prayer?
Deep Dive 2 — The Temple of the Holy Spirit
Read 1 Corinthians 6:15–20 in full:
"Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, 'The two will become one flesh.' But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." — 1 Corinthians 6:15–20 (NIV)
Discussion: Paul's argument here is deeply relational — our bodies are connected to Christ Himself. How does that change the way you think about physical choices? What does it mean practically that your body is a temple — not a project to manage, but a dwelling place for God?
Deep Dive 3 — God's Self-Imposed Limits and Human Responsibility
The preacher quoted John Wesley: "It seems God is limited by our prayer life — He can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him."
Explore this idea further with these passages:
"Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." — Matthew 6:8
"You do not have because you do not ask." — James 4:2b
"Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." — Matthew 9:38
Discussion: If God already knows what we need, why does He ask us to pray? What does it tell us about God's character — and His relationship with us — that He has chosen to work through our prayers rather than simply acting unilaterally? How does this understanding motivate you to pray differently?
QUICK REFERENCE | SCRIPTURES FROM THIS SERMON
| Reference | Topic |
|---|---|
| Romans 10:17 | Faith comes by hearing |
| Matthew 6:8 | God knows our needs before we ask |
| Matthew 7:7–11 | Ask, seek, knock |
| Matthew 9:35–38 | Compassion for the harvest; pray for laborers |
| Matthew 18:18 | Binding and loosing on earth and heaven |
| 1 Corinthians 14:2, 14–15 | Praying in the Spirit |
| 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 | Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit |
| 2 Corinthians 6:14–16 | We are the temple of the living God |
| 2 Corinthians 12:2 | The third heaven |
| Ephesians 1:22–23 | Christ is Head; the Church is His Body |
| Ephesians 6:18 | Praying always in the Spirit |
Related Passages for Further Study:
- Hebrews 10:24–25 — On not forsaking the gathering of believers
- Romans 8:26–27 — The Spirit intercedes through us
- James 5:16 — The prayer of a righteous person is powerful
- John 14:12 — "Greater works than these shall you do"
This guide was prepared for small group use based on Sunday's sermon. Permission granted to reproduce for church use.
Questions? Contact your small groups pastor or ministry coordinator.
Next Week's Sermon Topic: (Fill in as available) Next Group Meeting: (Date/Time) Group Leader: (Name/Contact)