Category: Discussion Questions

Main Idea:
God wants to fill our empty spaces of fear and insecurity with purpose and potential.

Discussion Starter:
There are targets or goals in all areas of life from sports and health to school and work. Share about a time you tried to hit a target. Were you successful?

Introduction:

Watch this brief intro together with your group (click picture below):

This is our final week of Empty Spaces. We know that God has designed each of us for a purpose, but we also know that as Paul cautions in Romans 12:2, we are tempted to conform to this world rather than God’s purpose for us. This week Pastor shared about aiming and shooting for the mark of our full God-given potential.

Encounter God

Primary Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Discussion Questions:
1. Read 2 Corinthians 5:1-5. Have you experienced this feeling of weariness in your earthly body? What hope do you find in these verses?

2. Read verses 6-10. What is our target, and why are we aiming at it?

3. Once we know what to aim for and why we are shooting, we need to work on how to get closer to the bullseye. If you are currently following a Bible reading plan, share with your group how this regular reading has given you better “sight” of the target.

4. Do you have a spiritual growth plan, or have you used one in the past? Share with your group how this plan has helped you to shoot closer to the mark. If you don’t have a plan, share with your group one thing you think a growth plan would change in your life.

Discovery Bible Method:
For deeper study, as an alternative to the questions above, read 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 and use the Discovery Bible Method to explore the passage.

Main Idea:
Walking with God in your weaknesses will lead to walking in His strength.

Discussion Starter:
We face the challenge of filling spaces in different settings almost daily. Think back to a time you needed to fill empty space in a gift box. What was the most creative way you filled that empty space?

Introduction:
Watch this brief intro together with your group (click picture below):

Even after we begin a relationship with Christ we still have weaknesses, make mistakes, and struggle with things we struggled with before we met God. Why does it feel like there is empty space between us and God? It might not be a bad thing. God can fill this empty space with His strength.

Encounter God

Primary Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 12:9 and Romans 8:26-27

Discussion Questions:
1. Read 2 Corinthians 12:9. God says His power is perfected in our weakness. Have you found this to be true in your life? Discuss why God can work better when we are weak.

2. Too often we try to fill the empty space with activities, self-help, or false strength. Discuss why this makes it difficult for God to work in our lives.

3. Read Romans 8:26-27. What do you feel is meant here by the Spirit interceding for us in prayer with unspoken groanings?

4. Do you feel that God can still hear and understand your prayers even when you don’t use words, just groans and expressions of feeling from the heart? Have you ever prayed like that? Can you share an example?

Discovery Bible Method:
For deeper study, as an alternative to the questions above, read Romans 8:26-30 and use the Discovery Bible Method to explore the passage.

Main Idea:
God’s real love is everything you want and everything you need.

Discussion Starter:
Name a “want” you have right now, and name a “need.”

Introduction:

Watch this brief intro together with your group (click picture below):

This weekend, we explored how the world divides itself into an “IN” ring, where those inside enjoy privilege and fortune, and an “OUT” ring, where it is clear that those inside “don’t belong.”

We need a new ring, the third ring of this 3-ring circus, filled with real love where there is true celebration of God’s creation in all its brokenness and beauty. We need to return to the Creator who made us, to the Father who loves us, and to a Savior who longs to walk with us in the way we’ve always wanted. He alone is the Greatest Showman, because His forgiveness, mercy, and sacrifice is all we will ever need, and it is on offer to all who call on His name!

Encounter God

Primary Scriptures: Genesis 1:26-27, Matthew 11:25-30

Discussion Questions:
1. Read Genesis 1:26-27. God spent the first 5 1/2 days creating the universe, planet, heavens, vegetation, and living creatures in preparation for His final creation: humanity. To whom was God referring when He used the pronouns “Us” and “Our”?

2. Discuss what it means to be created in the image of God. How does this differ from the rest of creation? How does this perspective impact your view of God? How does it impact your view of yourself?

3. Read Matthew 11:25-26. Jesus encountered the “IN” crowd, many of which were “intellectuals” that stubbornly did not believe in Him or were indifferent. He shares in these verses true wisdom. What was hidden from the “IN” crowd? What kind of people made up the “OUT” crowd? Why is this important?

4. Read Matthew 11:28-30. Who did Jesus have in mind when He extended this invitation? What kinds of burdens are people carrying today?

5. How does this invitation speak to you? In what ways are you weary or burdened?

6. Is there someone in your life who needs the true inner rest found in Jesus? How will you pray for them? How will you ask God for the wisdom and courage to speak to them and share where true relief from life’s burdens can be found?

7. What does Jesus say we must do to find rest?

8. In Jesus’ day, the Jews were yoked to an unbearable system of laws. It was a heavy load, and they were bruised by it, but remember, Jesus was a carpenter! He could fashion a yoke that fit perfectly so that the animals yoked together would share the burden and not be hurt. How does Jesus’ yoke work in the life of a Christ follower?

Discovery Bible Method:
For deeper study, as an alternative to the questions above, read Matthew 11:25-30 and use the Discovery Bible Method to explore the passage.

Main Idea:
Surviving the jungle is only possible together and with His help.

Discussion Starter:
What is your favorite board game? When you play a new game, do you read all of the instructions first, or do you dive right in and figure it out as you go?

Introduction:

Watch this brief intro together with your group (click picture below):

For your next study, consider starting with Week 1 of “I Am Faith Promise!”

Or sign-up to go through the new Next Steps together as a group!

Encounter God

Primary Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Acts 2:1-4, Acts 4:31, John 14:18, 27

Discussion Questions:

1.  Alan and Sara begin their game of Jumanji without thoroughly reading all the directions. Have you ever felt like you were handed the game of life without knowing all the rules? How does God’s Word function as a guide in your life?

2. Alan became trapped in the game because Sara didn’t take her turn. Just like in the game of Jumanji, in the game of life we benefit from other people playing the game with us. Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. How have you experienced this verse in your life and within your group?

3. Judy and Peter request Alan’s help to finish the game of Jumanji, because he knows his way around the jungle. As Christians, we have God the Father who created our jungle, God the Son who experienced our jungle as a human, and God the Holy Spirit who guides us through the jungle today. Read Acts 2:1-4. What do you notice about the believers who received the Holy Spirit? How have you experienced the Holy Spirit in your life?

4. Read Acts 4:31. Again, notice that the believers were not alone. How has the Holy Spirit given you boldness? If you do not feel bold, pray as a group that God would fill you all to speak the Word of God with boldness in your own lives and in the lives of others.

Discovery Bible Method:
For deeper study, as an alternative to the questions above, read Acts 2 and use the Discovery Bible Method to explore the passage. If you are pressed for time, focus on verses 1-4, and 42-47.

Main Idea:
It’s not what is happening on the outside, but what is happening on the inside that matters.

Discussion Starter:
Have you ever felt trapped? Perhaps by a job you dreaded going to every morning or a class you felt wasn’t worthwhile. Maybe you were trapped in a relationship, or an illness or disability kept you from achieving your desires and finding peace. Share with your group how this experience and feeling trapped affected you.

Introduction:
Watch this brief intro together with your group (click picture below):

This week Faith Promise continues in At the Movies with Disney’s Aladdin. Aladdin and Jasmine both feel trapped in their circumstances, while Genie is physically trapped in his lamp. Disney capitalized on a feeling common to the human condition: God put in us an innate desire for the perfection He created in the Garden of Eden, and as humans we often believe the lie that if we can just achieve the right circumstances then that perfection will be ours again. God has a better life in store for us, but the way to this new life is through placing our faith within on our Creator above, rather than a change of circumstances on the outside.

Encounter God

Primary Scriptures: 1 Samuel 16:7, Mark 5:25-43

Discussion Questions:
1. Aladdin wishes for the Genie to make him a prince, but ultimately this doesn’t make him happy because it is not who he truly is. Read 1 Samuel 16:7. How have you been deceived by the appearances of others or deceived yourself based on outward appearances or circumstances? What steps can we take to stay grounded in God’s truth about who we are?

2. When have you treated God like a genie in a bottle? Maybe you prayed to get out of a speeding ticket or to do well on a test for which you didn’t study. What does real faith ask for, hope for, and believe in?

3. Read Mark 5:25-43. This woman pursued healing for years and from different doctors. However, when in the presence of Jesus, she had faith that if she could just touch him, she would be healed. How has God’s presence changed your life?

Discovery Bible Method:
For deeper study, as an alternative to the questions above, read Mark 5:21-43 and use the Discovery Bible Method to explore the passage.