All posts tagged Small Group Study

Crave Pure Spiritual Milk – Group Study Questions

Hope-Eternal---MM

Read: 1 Peter 2:1-3

Discuss:

  • Go around the room and talk about a craving you have had, or still have
  • Discuss together whether it’s healthy or wise to have similar feelings for Christ?
  • What might account for the reality that we do not often feel an intense desire for Christ?
    • Are we people of lesser faith than Peter’s readers?
  • “Knowing Jesus and growing up in him becomes the criteria by which everything we do is evaluated.”
    • How would living by this rubric change
      • How you conduct yourself in your workplace
      • How you do relationship with your loved ones
      • How you read your Bible
      • How you approach corporate worship
  • How has this passage and this message challenged you? What changes is God calling you to make?
  • Prayer for one another and uphold each other in the things you are setting out to do
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by davidgroenenboom on December 1, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Christian Reformed Churches of Australia, Gateway Community Church, Home Group, Small Group, Uncategorized
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Posted by davidgroenenboom on December 1, 2015

https://sermonandstudy.com/2015/12/01/crave-pure-spiritual-milk-group-study-questions/

Love One Another Deeply – Group Study Questions

1 Peter 1:22–25 (NIV)

22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,

“All people are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word that was preached to you.

1 Corinthians 13:1–8a (NIV)

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails.

Discussion questions

1. “Christianity is cruciform. There’s the vertical dimension where we love God with all our heart, soul mind and strength. There’s also the horizontal dimension: love your neighbour as yourself. Love for God demands love for others. Being joined to God in faith means being joined to others in love. When God’s people love one another deeply, it’s like a new reality, new creation is born. It doesn’t get any better.”

  • Where have you see these vertical and horizontal aspects working in harmony together? What were some of the outcomes?

2. “Sincere love for each other is the sole distinguishing characteristic of Gospel community. Not truth. Not doctrine. Not systems of church government. Not your affiliation. Not the level of your commitment or the amount of your tithe. These are all important, but if you do not have sincere love, it’s irritating, useless and ultimately destructive.”

  • What do you think about this statement? What Bible passages might underpin this assertion? What might this mean for how your church or Christian community operates?

3. Do you agree with the statement that we tend to underestimate God’s power to bring new life to expression in our lives (See Romand 6:1-4)? What are the common ways we do this?

4. “Christian you are not the same as the unsaved, powerless, sinful person you were before Jesus entered your life! Just as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the father, we too may live a new life (Romans 6:4). God is saying: here’s my prescription, I have saved you for this very purpose, and you can do this, I will do this through you, you can obey my call in my power! Jesus frees us to be a community of sincere love, deep love, because the God of love has redeemed us with the precious blood of his son!”

  • Discuss this statement
  • Assuming you are in agreement, how would applying these truths impact on how your church or Christian community goes about its mission and ministry?

5. What specific actions will you take to love your brothers and sisters in Christ more sincerely?

6. What specific steps does your church need to take to be a more intentional community of sincere love?

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by davidgroenenboom on November 10, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Bible Teaching, Christian Reformed Churches of Australia, Christian Teaching, Gateway Community Church, Home Group, Reformed Sermons, Reformed Spirituality, Small Group
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Posted by davidgroenenboom on November 10, 2015

https://sermonandstudy.com/2015/11/10/love-one-another-deeply-group-study-questions/

From Hope to Holiness – Group Study Questions

Share a few stories about times when you were really focussed on achieving a very important goal. What was it like to be so focussed? How did it impact on your life and relationships?

Read 1 Peter 1:13-16

Looking at the passage above, what does Peter want his readers to focus on?

If they follow Peter’s call, what impact might this have on their lives?

Thinking about our culture, what might the average people in our neighbourhood expect a ‘holy person’ to look like?

What does a holy life look like according to Peter?

What does this mean in concrete practical terms for a) individuals?    b) local churches?

What would your church community need to do differently for such holiness to come to greater expression?

For Peter’s readers, living a holy life would have come with many challenges and risks. Looking at the context of these verses, what would have given them strength and resolve to face these challenges courageously?

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by davidgroenenboom on October 27, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Christian Reformed Churches of Australia, Christian Teaching, Christianity, Gateway Community Church, Small Group
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Posted by davidgroenenboom on October 27, 2015

https://sermonandstudy.com/2015/10/27/from-hope-to-holiness-group-study-questions/

Our True Identity – Group Study Questions

Read 1 Peter 1:1-9

Questions:

How would you explain the idea of ‘identity’? How is the idea of identity relevant to what the author is discussing in 1 Peter 1:1-2?

We often get confused by discussions about election. What reason would Peter have for introducing the subject here? What effect might this have on his readers?

Peter calls these Christians ‘exiles’ …

  • What does this term convey, and what has brought this exile about?
  • How does the church you are part of embody the characteristics of being ‘in exile’?

New Testament commentator Tom Wright says “This is God’s purpose: to set people aside from other uses so that they can be signposts to this new reality, this new world. … They are therefore to be ‘holy’, both in the technical sense that God has set them apart for this purpose and in the practical sense that their actual lives have been transformed. The way they behave  now reflects God’s desire for his human creatures. That—however daunting and unlikely it seems—is who we are as Christians.”[1]

  • How does this compare with what we normally think about holiness?
  • What does the sentence “The way they behave now reflects God’s desire for his human creatures” say about you?

How has this passage influenced how you see 1) yourself 2) God’s work in Jesus?

 

[1] Wright, T. (2011). Early Christian Letters for Everyone: James, Peter, John and Judah (p. 50). London; Louisville, KY: SPCK; Westminster John Knox Press.

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by davidgroenenboom on September 15, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Christian Reformed Churches of Australia, Gateway Community Church
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Posted by davidgroenenboom on September 15, 2015

https://sermonandstudy.com/2015/09/15/our-true-identity-group-study-questions/

Living Members: A Church of Character – Group Study Questions

LM ppt background

Read Matthew 5:1-16

Which churches in your local community have ‘social standing’? What might the reasons be for this? Is their social standing a positive or negative thing?

How would you respond to someone who says the church should just stick to spiritual matters and should not involve itself in their local community? Which New Testament passage would you refer to to answer them?

In Matthew 5:1-16 Jesus does not say the church is ‘called’ to be salt and light, or that they should ‘strive to be salt and light’ He simply makes a declaration ‘you are the salt of the earth … you are the light of the world’ What’s the difference? And what does this mean for your church?

Read 1 Peter 2:11-12 What’s the ultimate motive for Christians to live a good life? What does this passage imply about the world around us?

Share some ideas about what things your church could do to live ‘a good life among the pagans’

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by davidgroenenboom on August 25, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Christian Reformed Churches of Australia, Small Group
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Posted by davidgroenenboom on August 25, 2015

https://sermonandstudy.com/2015/08/25/living-members-a-church-of-character-group-study-questions/

Marriage Equality & Same Sex Attraction: Group Study Questions

Introduction:

Go around the room and share how these issues impact each one of you

Discuss together how the church – your church – has typically responded to these issues.

Read: Romans 1:16 – 2:1

What would make people read this list and single out same sex attraction/homosexuality as being more grievous than any of the other behaviours listed?

Discuss together whether this passage has the effect of lessening the importance of same sex attraction, or whether it more underscores the gravity of all sin and rebellious acts.

“Instead of reading this passage and recoiling in horror, we should read this passage and weep for all humanity, for the brokenness of our our lives”

  • Why do we tend to see this passage as more about “them” and less about “us”? (…see Romans 2:1)

“Same sex attracted people are not kept out of the Kingdom of God because they are gay. In the same way heterosexual people do not make it to heaven because they are straight. What keeps us out of heaven, out of the Kingdom, and away from God is sin. What brings us to God and his heaven is Jesus and his grace.” 

How does this change the way you think about this issue?

How could your church do a better job of being God’s new community for those who live with same sex attraction? Identify one thing you can do together to help your church make some of these changes.

To close

Spend time together in prayer bringing these things before God’s throne of grace.

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by davidgroenenboom on August 3, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Christian Reformed Churches of Australia, Gateway Community Church, Reformed Spirituality
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Posted by davidgroenenboom on August 3, 2015

https://sermonandstudy.com/2015/08/03/marriage-equality-same-sex-attraction-group-study-questions/

Living Members – Apostolic Teaching – Group Study Questions

Read Acts 2:42-47

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘devotion’?

Read the following passages, and distill their core elements of Apostolic teaching

Are there any aspects of Apostolic teaching that is not covered by these verses?

What are they, and where do you find them in Scripture?

To what extent is it possible to accept apostolic teaching in an intellectual sense only?

Go around the room and give your definition of the word ‘devoted’

Does your definition of ‘devoted’ describe your approach to learning from Scripture?

What might account for the ‘gap’ between your definition of devotion and your practice of being devoted to apostolic teaching?

What would have to happen in your church community to bring this sort of devotion to greater expression?

In closing: Spend some time in prayer asking God to help you work toward greater devotion to apostolic teaching in your church

Feel free to leave comments as feedback…

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by davidgroenenboom on June 30, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Reformed Sermons, Small Group
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Posted by davidgroenenboom on June 30, 2015

https://sermonandstudy.com/2015/06/30/living-members-apostolic-teaching-group-study-questions/

What Jesus Thinks About the Church – Study Group Questions

Living-Members-Promo

Read Ephesians 5:21-33

Click this link to re-read the sermon 

Discuss

  • To what extent do you think our consumer driven culture interferes with how we connect with our local church?

Read Ephesians 5:25b-27

“…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

  • What factors influenced Jesus’ decision to love the church? Find passages elsewhere in Ephesians to confirm your answer
  • What are the key implications of Jesus’ love for the church, and how does this impact you?
  • In Ephesians 5:25-27, is the emphasis more negative or positive, and what does this mean for
    • How we view the church?
    • How we engage with the church?
  • Looking back over your life, who has shown you the greatest example of what it means to love the church?
  • What are three things your local church could do differently to bring this powerful picture to greater expression?
  • Spend some time praying for what you have just discussed, asking God to work in you to bring these things about.
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by davidgroenenboom on June 23, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Reformed Spirituality, Small Group
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Posted by davidgroenenboom on June 23, 2015

https://sermonandstudy.com/2015/06/23/what-jesus-thinks-about-the-church-study-group-questions/

Deep – Confused – Group Study Questions

You can also refer to the sermon text

Discuss
  • Has there ever been a time when you’ve been really confused about what God is doing in your life? Feel free to share with the group
  • To what extent do we expect following Jesus to be easy? What factors might be adding to this expectation?
  • In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul tells us about his thorn in the flesh. Views vary widely as to what this might have been, but there’s no doubt about its intensity. Besides the direct revelation of God, what Scriptures might have been a particular encouragement to Paul?
  • “We are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is about abandoning ourselves and following Jesus” – David Platt
    • What can we do to avoid the temptation to make worship serve our own ends? What would you say is the biblical focus of corporate worship?
In closing: spend some time praying through the issues you have discussed. Find a way to express your prayers in specific commitments to action. Covenant together to do what you have prayed for and discussed.
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by davidgroenenboom on June 8, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Home Group, Small Group
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Posted by davidgroenenboom on June 8, 2015

https://sermonandstudy.com/2015/06/08/deep-confused-group-study-questions/

God’s Heart for the Victim – Group Study Questions

Read Jeremiah 22:1-16

Share a few examples of injustices you see in your local community or in your world. Are these affecting people known to you, or are they more situations that you are aware of but you don’t now the people concerned? If we are not particularly close to victims of injustice, how might this alter our perception of this issue?

To what extent do we regard injustice as a core factor in the decline of the Old Testament kingdoms of Israel and Judah?

The injustice of Jehioakim, Jehoiachin, Shallum and other rulers would one dat lead to exile and to Jerusalem’s destruction (see Jer 22:5, 8-9). It seems unthinkable that God would visit such terrible punishment on his own people. What does this tell us about God’s heart for victims of injustice?

“When God’s people allow injustice to thrive, they break the Covenant with the Lord” – Explain

Read Luke 4:18-19 and Mark 11:15-17. What do these passages tell us about Jesus’ views on injustice, and the place they occupy in his Kingdom mission? How do these words of Jesus reflect what we read in Jeremiah 22?

How does the death and resurrection of Jesus impact on what we think and do about injustice?

If it’s true that the things that matter to God should also matter to God’s people, what does this mean for

* how we do church

* what we do as church?

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These questions relate to “Time for Justice – God’s Heart for the Victim”. You can read the full text here.

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by davidgroenenboom on March 3, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Bible Teaching, Christian Teaching, Christianity, Home Group, Reformed Sermons, Small Group
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Posted by davidgroenenboom on March 3, 2015

https://sermonandstudy.com/2015/03/03/gods-heart-for-the-victim-group-study-questions/

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