Men's Group Weekly

We start every meeting with an opening prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to be with us. Without God's help and presence, we're wasting our time. Some groups will also begin with singing a hymn or worship song. Some have tacos.

Our group expectations are for men to regularly attend, be honest, no cross-talk but wait for your turn to share, take responsibility for yourself and your recovery rather than giving advice to others, and confidentiality.

You can use your first name only if you prefer. The only time a group leader would not be able to keep a disclosure in confidence would be if there is a threat to the safety or life of another person or as required by law. 

"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” 

Matthew 18:20

Next, each guy will recite memory verses of entire chapters from the Bible. If it's your first meeting, you get a pass. After all, we used to fill our minds with garbage. Now, we fill our minds with God's word. 

If you're looking for some memory verses to memorize, here are some suggestions: Galatians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20; Matthew 5:27-29; Romans 6:12-14; Hebrews 4:15-16; Psalm 51; 1 Peter 4:3-8

"I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you." 

Psalm 119:11

Next, we will do between 1-3 rounds of prayers where each guy will have a chance to thank God for something that he's done for us, something in his creation, a person he's brought into our life. These are short, focussed prayers - we don't go on babbling. 

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." 

Psalm 100:4

Starting with the group leader, everyone takes turns sharing. We start by introducing ourselves by first name, then say whether it's been a "clean week" or not. If it has been a clean week, we praise God since it's by his grace. If not, we thank the person for their honesty. We then share: (1) how was your time with Jesus this week? (2) If it was a clean week, what helped? If it wasn't, what will you do differently. We confess what the sin was clearly, without triggering details.

What is a "clean week"? We follow the Bible as God's word, including Jesus' teaching from the Sermon on the Mount:

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." 

Matthew 5:27-28

So a clean week means no sexual fantasy, masturbation, lustful images, pornography, sexual webcams/chats, sexual establishments, or any sexual activity outside of marriage between a man and a woman. Click here to read more about what it means to "look lustfully".

After everyone has shared, one of the group members will lead us in practising a tool we use throughout the week called "RAW". We know we'll be tempted, so the split-second an ungodly thought enters our mind, we say:

No! I Renounce that thought, in Jesus' name.

I Announce that I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, I choose to Worship you.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

"...we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 

2 Corinthians 10:5

Finally, we close with a pray for the days ahead.

What happens after the meeting? People sometimes hang out and chat, exchange contact info with each other. 

Many guys attend multiple weekly groups - which we recommend, especially in the first 100 days of recovery. 

Many groups also have a WhatsApp/Signal chat group for guys to stay connected and get prayer and support.

One-on-one calls with other group members on days you don't have a group is also a great idea. 

"If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up."

Ecclesiastes 4:10