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Hiddenness
Matthew 6:1-4
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This guide walks through Anders' message on serving in hiddenness, moving from what Jesus teaches in Matthew 6 to what stirs in our own hearts and what we might try this week. Give people a moment of quiet before the reflection questions so no one feels rushed to answer, and remember that the goal this week is to share what you noticed in your heart, not what you did.
Part One
Warming Up
Think of a time someone quietly did something kind for you that you only noticed later, or that they never mentioned. What was it, and how did it feel?
Anders talked about the unseen practice that shapes the public moment, like Kobe's form shooting before the game. What is something you do that nobody sees, but that shapes how you show up for the things everyone does see?
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Part Two
Understanding the Passage
Hiddenness isn't about being unseen. It's about being seen by the right Audience.
In Matthew 6:2, Jesus says those who serve to be honored by others "have received their reward in full." What do you think he means, and why does Anders call this a "false end"?
Anders said hiddenness doesn't mean all our service has to be secret, and that Jesus never said "make sure nobody ever sees you." So what is hiddenness actually protecting? How does the picture of the trellis and the vine help explain it?
In John 13, Jesus washes the feet of the people closest to him, including Judas and Peter. Why do you think Jesus began with the people at his own table, and what does that tell us about where service begins?
Anders pointed to 1 Corinthians 13: the poor gained everything, but the one serving "gained nothing" if love was missing. How does this change the way we think about whether our service "counts"? What does it say about God's grace toward our mixed motives?
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Part Three
Personal Reflection
When we serve to be seen, our lives start looking more loving without actually forming us into people who are more loving.
Anders asked, "Whose bumper is starting to twist in your house?" Who in your closest circle might need to be seen, stopped for, or served right now?Reflect
It can be easier to serve a stranger than the people who know us best. Where do you notice that tension in your own life? What makes the kitchen at 9 o'clock at night harder than a shift at the food bank?Reflect
Anders admitted there are days he works harder on the things people will see and coasts on the things they won't. Where do you feel the pull to be noticed, even in small, "churchy" ways like mentioning how late you were up or saying "oh, it was nothing"?Reflect
Anders offered this prayer: "God, here's the truth. My motives are not entirely pure." What comes up in you when you imagine praying that honestly? What might it feel like to bring your mixed-up heart to God instead of trying to fix it first?Reflect
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Part Four
Application & This Week
Do one hidden act of service. In an ordinary place. For someone who knows you. And keep it quiet.
What is one hidden act of service you could do this week for someone who knows you well? Think small and sustainable, something you could picture doing again next week too.Apply
You will likely feel the pull to tell someone what you did. What might help you notice that pull and bring it to God instead of acting on it? What could that conversation with him look like?Apply
Anders buried the ice cream under the frozen peas to make the craving easier to ignore. What is a practical "bag of peas" that could help you set aside the craving for a thank-you?Apply
Anders said the people we love most often get the worst of us. What is one way you could make sure they get your best this week, and how can this group encourage one another without asking for a report on what we did?Apply
Close your time together in prayer.
Father, thank you that your loving gaze is always on us and that no quiet act of love escapes your notice. Help us to serve in familiar and hidden places, and give us a few moments this week where we forget ourselves and taste service your way.
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The Service Practice: Love
Matthew 7:16-20; Matthew 20:28; John 13:34
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This guide moves from getting to know one another, to the sermon's big idea that Jesus measures our spiritual health by the fruit of love, to honest reflection and a practical week of service. Tip: you might invite everyone to jot down their answers to the reflection questions before sharing, and let the quieter voices speak when they are ready.
Part One
Opening Questions
What brought you to the Service Practice? What are you hoping to see God do in your life through it, and what is one question you would like to explore along the way?
Share about a time when someone loved you by meeting one of your practical needs, whether big or small. What made that experience memorable for you?
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Part Two
Understanding the Passage
The goal isn't simply to become really good at the practices. The goal is to become like Jesus. To become a person of love.
What stood out to you from the teaching? What feelings came up for you as you listened?
In Matthew 7:16-20, Jesus says we recognize a tree by its fruit. Tina suggested we may sometimes be using the wrong thermometer to measure our spiritual health. How have you typically measured yours, and how is that the same or different from Jesus' metric of love expressed through service?
The Pharisees were devoted to Sabbath, prayer, and Scripture, yet Jesus saw something different in their fruit. What does their story show us about the difference between the how and the why of a practice?
Jesus said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve," and then he washed his disciples' feet. In John 13:34 he calls love a new command. What makes his love different from other forms of love? And how do 1 John 4:19 and John 15:5 shape the way we understand where our love comes from?
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Part Three
Personal Reflection
You never see a branch sweating to produce fruit.
When you think about living more deeply into Jesus' vision of service, what is your primary feeling? Excitement? Feeling overwhelmed? Inadequacy? Something else?Reflect
Think about the different ways Jesus loved people in the Gospels. Which examples of his love most challenge or confront you?Reflect
If you surveyed your life, what are your guiding criteria for who you consider worthy of your love and service? Is serving someone you know well easier or harder for you than serving someone unfamiliar?Reflect
Tina said that moments when we feel like we are failing at a practice can become invitations to grace. Where do you notice impatience, selfishness, or reluctance to be inconvenienced in yourself, and what might it look like to bring that to Jesus instead of trying to sweat harder?Reflect
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Part Four
Application & This Week
We don't have to wait until we're perfectly formed. We can start where we are. We can start today.
Reflect on where you are right now when it comes to practicing service. What could it look like for you to start where you are?Apply
This week's practice is one act of service for someone in your family or relational circle, not a stranger, done without announcing it. What do you plan to do, and what inner or outer barriers might make it hard? How could you address them?Apply
For a reach exercise, consider serving somewhere in the church, ideally far from the stage, such as children's ministry, early setup, facility care, greeting, or cleanup. What might you try, and who are the overlooked or vulnerable people near you that you could love up close?Apply
Set aside 5 to 10 minutes to journal before we meet next week. Where did I feel resistance? Where did I feel joy? Where did I most experience God's nearness? How might your private time with Jesus shape the way you serve others?Apply
Close your time together in prayer.
Jesus, you came not to be served, but to serve, and you gave us yourself in love. Help us remain in you, follow you in the way of love, and be led to people and places we would not otherwise go. Amen.Description text goes here
