In this week’s message, entitled “Developing Personal Convictions”, we looked at Ephesians 5:8-10. We heard how, in light of God’s love towards us, we should walk towards him. To better understand this path of developing personal convictions, let us consider these questions:
- How clearly have you understood the distinction between “principles” that we are all called to and “practices” that we each must discover? How has this understanding affected the way that you have lived and related to others?
- Why is it so important recognize the ongoing nature of learning what is pleasing to the Lord?
- How does your understanding of the patience of the Lord affect the way that you relate with others as they seek to develop personal convictions?
- Have you tended to see your development of personal convictions as primarily a relational pursuit or an establishment of rules? How was Sunday’s message a help in this? Why is our having a relational perspective so important?
Let’s give thanks this week that as each of us grows, we have a loving, ever patient, heavenly Father who is constantly drawing us to him.
This week’s message was entitled “Parenting in Weakness”. Dave Harvey taught us from 2 Corinthians 11:30-12:10. We heard how, for the Christian, power flows through weakness. In application, we were pointed to the reality of this truth in our parenting. In order to better understand how God’s power is made perfect in our weakness, consider these questions:
- Why is trusting God over methodologies so important? How has this played out in your life?
- In grace, God is inclined to come to us in our weakness. Are you typically aware of this gospel truth when you feel weak, or even desperate? What is the effect of remembering, or not remembering, this truth?
- Who knows where you are weak? How can you grow in pursuing relationships in which your weaknesses are known?
- Instead of hiding your weakness, how can you boast in your weakness? How does this magnify God’s grace?
- How has God used “thorns” in your life to reveal his strength? How can you share this story with others in order to display the grace of the gospel?
Let’s pray for one another this week, making our weakness known and then placing our trust in God’s strength.
In this week’s message, entitled “Celebrating Our Differences”, we examined Romans 14:1-10. We heard how we can extend a wholehearted welcome to others because we have been accepted by the Father. To better understand the significance of this kind of acceptance, let us consider these questions:
- One of the greatest enemies of grace is legalism. Why is this so?
- If acceptance is defined as “wholehearted welcome”, how would you describe how you accept others?
- When do differences in others tempt you to think something like, “what is wrong with this person?” How can you better deal with these kinds of temptations?
- How can standards in peoples lives begin to replace your trust in God’s faithful activity? How can you resist this inclination?
- How can we not only accept different convictions in the body of Christ, but celebrate them? Why is this so important?
Let’s give thanks for this week for our differences, with an awareness of God’s grace at work in our lives and in the lives of others.
This week’s message was entitled “Ambassadors of Christ”. From Romans 15:1-7 we heard how we can be ambassadors of grace in the way that we welcome and accept others. In order to better understand this aspect of being a community of grace, consider these questions:
- When are you tempted to evaluate how much someone is like you rather than extending immediate welcome?
- What differences in others make it hard for you to accept them? How can you overcome these kinds of obstacles and extend grace?
- How does Christ’s example help you in evaluating the way that you accept others?
- As you have grown in your understanding of God’s love for you, how has this affected your acceptance of others?
- How can you better love those outside of the church, in your school or workplace, in your neighborhood, and in your family?
Let’s ask in prayer this week, “Who can I accept? Who can I serve? Who can I encourage?” as we grow in being a community of grace.
In this week’s message, entitled “Growth is a Community Project”, we examined Ephesians 4:11-16. We heard how the church is a gift to us and how it is God that places each member as he desires. To better understand the importance of this in our lives, let us consider these questions:
- We heard, “it takes a church to raise a Christian.” What did you think of the statement and what it implied?
- When it comes to the importance of “church”, how has your view changed over time, and what difference has this made in your life?
- How would you describe the importance of Sunday meetings and community group meetings? What scriptures would inform your understanding?
- How has your understanding of our various roles in the church grown over time? How has your view or your role changed?
- In what ways can you better embrace the local church as a means of grace in your life?
Let us give thanks for, pray for, and fully participate in our local church that we may grow in God’s transforming grace together.
This week’s message was entitled “Spiritual Disciplines”. From Psalm 63:1-8 we heard how spiritual disciplines are about receiving from God through seeking God, seeing God, and savoring God. In order to better understand the means of grace the spiritual disciplines really are, consider these questions:
- At the start of Sunday’s message, what did you first think of when you heard the words “spiritual disciplines”?
- Have you seen spiritual disciplines more as measuring sticks or aqueducts? What affect has your view of the disciplines had on your practice of the disciplines?
- In your devotions, what are you typically seeking after? How are you seeking merit? How are you seeking relationship?
- When reading your Bible what are you typically looking for? How can you better look for the face of God as you read?
- What would the practice of savoring God look like in your life? How can you grow in this?
Let’s pray as we practice the spiritual disciplines this week, that we would seek, see, and savor God - and grow in God’s transforming grace!
In this week’s message, entitled “Of Chains and Vines”, we examined John 15:1-11. We heard that because we as Christians have been set apart, we will progress in growth. The chains that once held us are now gone. To better understand this implication of the gospel, let us consider these questions:
- If elephants are chained when they are young, they will allow a slender rope to hold them back in the future. What chain do you envision in your life that may only be a slender rope?
- Have you ever had the perspective “God helps those who help themselves”? What negative affect has this kind of thinking had on your life?
- In what ways does the gospel communicate the reality that God helps those who can’t help themselves?
- What is your understanding of God’s pruning work in your life? Why is it a good thing?
- Would you say that you regularly seek Christ’s help every day or more when you are desperate? Why is this so?
- How does understanding that Christ is your true vine affect your understanding of how growth will take place in your life?
Let’s seek to abide in Christ daily, and may he be glorified by the growth that this produces.
This week’s message was entitled “Colossians Overview” was our last message in our Alive in Christ series. From the book of Colossians we heard how, if we have been made alive in Christ, our lives should show it. In order to better understand this work of grace in our lives, consider these questions:
- Why is it important that we remember our state prior to God transferring us and transforming us by his grace? How can you make this kind of remembering more of a practice?
- What traditio
ns, values, or practices compete for the preeminence of Christ in your life? How can you keep your hope in Christ alone?
- What part of your life have you considered as being separate from the reality of being alive in Christ? Marriage? Parenting? Friendships? Work? Leisure? How can you better allow life in Christ inform this area of your life?
- If you were to choose one truth from the book of Colossians that God is calling you to apply in your life, what would it be?
Let’s pray this week for God’s empowering grace to help us live our lives as men and women who are alive in Christ.
In this week’s message, entitled “The Gospel and the Church”, we examined Colossians 4:7-18. We heard how gospel ministry advances through relationships. We saw this in Paul’s apostolic ministry, regional ministry among the churches, and ministry in the local church.
To better understand this relational aspect of gospel ministry, let us consider these questions:
- When dealing with even the wayward, Paul’s ultimate aim was not correction, but encouragement. How well would this characterize your relationships? How can you better pursue the aim of encouragement?
- How strongly would you see yourself as connected with the gospel ministry of churches in the region? How could you grown in this?
- If someone were to say to you, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord?” how would you respond? What would the further pursuit of your gospel ministry look like?
Let’s determine to pray for and encourage one another as we minister the gospel this week.
This week’s message was entitled “Christ in the World”. From Colossians 4:2-6 we heard how we are to respond to the world around us, talking to God and talking to them. In order to better understand this call on our lives, consider these questions:
- To what degree would you describe yourself as thankful and watchful, regularly grateful for what Christ has accomplished and looking forward to Christ’s return? What serves you in this? What would help you to increasingly live this way?
- When it comes to praying for divine activity in the lives of others or for help with your communication, what tends to hinder you? How can you deal with these hindrances?
- When you heard that reading and training aren’t enough to make sharing the gospel easy, how did that affect you? How should this understanding affect the way that you pray and live?
- Could you relate with the temptation to “be available”, waiting for God to drop the perfect opportunity in your lap? How about the temptation to “be comfortable”, desiring smooth conversations and relationships? How do we overcome these temptations?
Let’s pray this week for God’s divine activity in the lives of those around us, and let’s also pray that God would help us to speak clearly, graciously, and winsomely of the Savior.
