Northshore Blogs

A New Reality - The Battle for the New Reality

Posted by chriss on November 30, 2008

Main Text - Ephesians 6:10-24

1. How is Christian life like a battle?

2. Explain the fight for the new reality. What does this look like in your life?

3.  What part of the battle do you find difficult?  Why?

4. How do we “grip” the new reality?

5. What would happen if we all lived in the new reality? In our homes, our neighborhoods, our jobs and our world?

6.  Why do people struggle to live in the new reality?

7.  How can your small group help you in your individual battle for the new reality?

8.  Discuss ways in which your small group can battle together for the new reality.

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A New Reality - Filled to Overflowing

Posted by chriss on November 23, 2008

Main Text - Ephesians 5:15-21

1.  Who are the people in your life that you know are filled to overflowing?  What are the characteristics that describe them?

2.  Identify the the things in your life that influence your decision making.

3.  If we are commanded to be filled by the Spirit, how do we do this?  What is our role as followers of Jesus?

4.  When you are making a decision, what is the process of discernment that you go through?

5.  What does worship look like in your life from Monday to Saturday?

6.  Specifically with humility, what does a posture of humility look like in a person’s life?

7.  What do you think you need to do in your life in order to be filled to overflowing?

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A New Reality - New Reality Relationships

Posted by chriss on November 17, 2008

Main Text - Ephesians 5:21-6:9

1.  Which relationships in your life have been used to teach you about your relationship with God?

2.  Read 5:21-33.  According to this passage, (and you can bring in other Scripture if you want to), in a marriage relationship, what is the husband held accountable for?

3.  In the marriage relationship what is the wife responsible for?

4.  How is the marriage relationship supposed to be a microcosm of the relationship between Jesus and the Church?

5.  How can you individually grow in taking responsibility for your role in your marriage according to Ephesians 5:21-33?

6.  Does it shock you that on average the father in the United States spends 12 minutes per day with their kids?    Why is time so valuable with them?

7.  What do you find to be most difficult in raising your children?

8.  What does it mean to exasperate your child, or to bring them to anger?  How can you avoid this while still expecting obedience from your kids?

9.  Have you ever written down goals for raising your kids so that you could be more intentional about trying to develop strong Christ-like characteristics in them?  

10.  After reading Eph. 6:5-9, describe what the perfect relationship between employer and employee looks like.  Does this describe your work situation?  If not, what can you do to influence the work environment toward that end?

11.  If it is true that our relationships in this world teach us about our relationship about God, what have you learned over the last number of years about who God is?

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A New Reality - Purity of the Heart

Posted by chriss on November 9, 2008

Main Text - Ephesians 5:1-14

1.  Do you agree with the assessment that we live in a highly sexualized culture?  It was powerful listening in on the discussion of the high school students and Pastor Jonathan talking about what it looks like in their life.  Describe how you see this in your world.  How is your world bombarded with sexuality?

2.  Read Eph. 5:1-14.  Describe a life of sexual purity.

3.  Why do you think that Jesus lays out boundaries for sexual purity?

4.  Why do you think the culture frequently rejects the boundaries the Lord has put into place?

5.  Is your sexuality submitted to God?

6.  What have you done to live purely in this culture?

7.  What concerns do you have in this area, for yourself, your children, the church, or the world?

8.  For those who have children who are single, what is the best way to address these issues with them?

9.  The closing song this week was “Mighty to Save” by Hillsong.  Here are the lyrics:

Everyone needs compassion,

Love that’s never failing;

Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.

Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave. (x2)

Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We’re singing for the glory of the risen King…Jesus (x2)

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave. (x2)

Shine your light and let the whole world see,

We’re singing for the glory of the risen King…Jesus.   

 

Jesus is mighty to save, to rescue us.  What has Jesus rescued you from and what do you need to ask Him to rescue you from?  Spend some time sharing and praying for one another.  

Also, this would be a good time to find out if everyone in the group is connected in an accountable relationship and if not to get everyone connected.

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A New Reality - The School of Jesus

Posted by chriss on November 2, 2008

Main Text - Ephesians 4:17-32

1.  What is your favorite memory from your school days?  What is the one memory you wished you could forget from your school days?

2.  If verses 17-24 is the lecture from “Professor Paul” what were his main points?

3.  How would you describe to a non-believer that their nature and your old nature is corrupted?

4.  As you have shared the gospel with people, how have people best understood this idea that a life apart from Christ is broken?  Discuss ideas here.

5.  When did you officially exchange identities from the old nature to the new nature?  Are you still in process?

6.  The second half of the text is the “lab” as Pastor Jonathan put it.  What part of 25-32 is the most challenging for you?

7.  Kind, Tenderhearted, and Forgiving.  Which one do you want to apply more in your life?  Share why.  Are you willing to allow this group to hold you accountable to that?

8.  Pray for one another.

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A New Reality - Spent for Jesus and the Gospel

Posted by chriss on October 26, 2008

Main Text - Phil. 4:10-21

1.  Who are the “heroes” of the faith that you have connected with over the years.  Pastor Jonathan shared that one of his is Hudson Taylor, missionary to China.  What is is about this person or people that makes you admire them?

2.  It seems like if you are going to make a difference in people’s lives there is typically a cost that is attached with that.  What was the cost for the apostle Paul?

3.  What are some character traits that Paul displayed and perhaps some of the “heroes” that we were discussing earlier that allowed them to persevere through difficult times?

4.  Read 2 Timothy 4:6-8.  Paul was being poured out on behalf of Jesus and the gospel.  If you were to do an inventory of your life, what have you been spending yourslef on over the last few years?

5.  What do you want to be spending yourself on in the next few years?  If this is a change, what needs to change in your life to make this happen?  How are you willing to let the group help you in this?

6.  Paul goes on in the letter to the Phillippians and he challenges followers of Jesus to be willing to spend their time, talent, and treasure for the Kingdom.  Which one of these is easy for you to give, and which one is the most difficult? Why?

7.  Do you honestly believe verse 19?  What are the implications of this verse even in the midst of the current economic situation our nation, if not the world, is facing?  If you believe this, what are the practical applications of this verse currently for you today?

Think about ways in which you as a group could be spent for Jesus and the gospel.

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A New Reality - Becoming What You Already Are

Posted by chriss on October 22, 2008

Think about attending REAL PRAYER. ALL NIGHT. this Friday together as a small group.

Main Text - Ephesians 4:1-6

1.  Read the text.  What is the worthy calling that we have been called to?

2.  Are you and your family fulfilling this calling?  How so?

3.  What part of this calling is the most difficult part for you and your family?

4.  Why does the Church (universal) look so bad to the rest of the world?  In other words, why do people like Jesus, but not the Church?

5.  Have you ever been dissappointed by the Church?  Describe.

6.  How can your struggle to live out this worthy calling actually bring God glory?

7.  How can you practically help your neighbors who don’t know Jesus as their savior, see the church the way in which Jesus intends for the church to be?

8.  List some people in your life that you know that have been burned by the Church.  Commit to praying for those folks now and through the week.

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A New Reality - The Most Powerful Prayer in the World

Posted by chriss on October 12, 2008

Main text - Ephesians 3:14-21

1.  When you read this prayer, what is it that stands out the most to you?

2.  Describe your own prayer life.  Where would you like to grow in the area of prayer?

3.  Read vss. 14-15.  What type of father did you have while growing up?

4.  Have you found it difficult to connect with God as a Father?

5.  As you think about the fact that God wants to set up a dwelling in your life, what is significant about that for you personally?

6.  Read vs. 17-21.  How important is understanding that God loves you?

7.  Do you find it more difficult to accept God’s love for you or to love other’s the way that God loves them?

8.  How would your life be different if you were able to accept the love of God completely in your life?

9.  How would your life be different if you were able to love other’s the way that God loves them?

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A New Reality - No Plan B

Posted by chriss on October 5, 2008

Main Text - Eph. 3:1-13

1.  Describe a time in your life where you or your family had no plan B. 

2.  With today’s current economic instability, have you found yourself struggling to stay focussed on the security we have in Jesus?

3.  Define hope.  Where do you see your friends/neighbors/co-workers placing their hopes?

4.  Pastor Jonathan claimed this morning that the Church is the hope of the world.  Discuss this statement.

5.  After reading the main passage and looking at Eph. 1:22-23, how is the church the the fullness of Jesus?

6.  Jesus’s plan for the world was to use the church, there was no plan B.  How do you think the church best becomes the hope for the world?

7.  As followers of Jesus, do you see yourself as part of the hope for the world?  What are the implications of this?

8.  What can our small group do to play an active role in helping our friends/family/neighbors/co-workers know that they can put their hope in Jesus Christ?

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A New Reality - A Transformed Community

Posted by chriss on September 28, 2008

Main Text - Eph. 2:11-22

1.  What do you like best about community?

2.  What made you want to join a small group?

3.  Are you presently involved in some intergenerational ministry?  What has your experience with this type of ministry been like?

4.  Read Ephesians 2:14-18.  Is there someone in your life that you have a need to reconcile with?  What are the appropriate next steps for you and how can your small group help?

5.  Read Eph. 2:19-22.  Define Transformation.

6.  Are you experiencing transformation in your life?

7.  In what areas of your life are you asking God to transform you?  How can your small group help? 

8.  How does Jesus being the cornerstone help the church to experience transformation?

9.  How does living in community help the individuals of the church to experience transformation?

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