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Community Group Discussion Questions

1. The Power of a Transformed Life

  Saul’s life changed dramatically after encountering Jesus. What is one area of your life where Christ has noticeably transformed you, and how can your testimony encourage others?

2. New Desires in Christ

  Following Jesus often changes what we value most. What are some desires, priorities, or pursuits that God has been reshaping in your life?

3. Called to Purpose, Not Comfort

  Paul faced suffering and opposition soon after his conversion. How do you respond when following God’s call leads to difficulty rather than open doors and easy success?

4. The Need for Community

  Even Paul, God’s chosen instrument, needed the support and protection of other believers. Why is it tempting to try to follow Jesus alone, and what are the dangers of doing so?

5. Being a Barnabas

  Barnabas advocated for Saul when others were skeptical of him. Is there someone in your life whom God may be calling you to encourage, support, mentor, or help connect to the church community?

Community Group Discussion Questions

1. What “higher powers” compete with the power of the gospel in our lives today?

2. What stands out to you about Philip having no positional power, yet being used powerfully by God?

3. How can we use the power God gives us to lift others up rather than ourselves?

4. What can we learn from Simon’s wrong motive toward spiritual power?

5. How does the Eunuch’s story remind us that Jesus comes toward us when we cannot reach Him on our own?

6. Why is humility and having others help explain truth that is important in our spiritual growth?

1. Growing pains can expose neglect and tension. In Acts 6, the church leaned toward unity instead of division. Where have you seen conflict become an opportunity for growth, and how can we pursue unity when people feel overlooked?

2. The early church shared leadership and raised up Spirit-filled servants. How has serving alongside others strengthened your faith, and where might God be inviting you to plug in and serve more deeply?

3. Acts 6:7 shows that healthy community fuels mission. How can leaning in through diversity, serving, and perseverance help us stay focused on Jesus’ mission rather than be distracted by growing pains?

Discussion Questions:

1. Can you think of a time when telling the truth was costly? What held you back—or helped you move forward? How do we discern when to speak boldly versus when to remain silent?

2. Stephen prays for those who are killing him. What is your honest reaction to that?

Why do we naturally lean toward fairness or justice rather than grace?

Who in your life is difficult to extend grace to right now? What would it look like to pray for them?

How does remembering the grace we’ve received change how we respond to others?

3. Stephen sees Jesus even in the midst of suffering. Where do you tend to look when life gets hard?

How can hardship either draw us closer to God or push us away from Him?

What practical habits help you “keep showing up” and seeking God during difficult seasons?

How does the promise that God is present with us change the way we endure challenges?

⸻

Living It Out

Which of these three areas (bold truth, extending grace, trusting God in hardship) is most challenging for you right now?

What is one specific step you can take this week to live a life that honors God like Stephen?

Community Group Questions:

1. Joy under pressure (Acts 5:41):

   When you’re “in hot water,” what tends to come out of you—fear, frustration, or joy? What does that reveal about where your identity is currently anchored?

2. Identity in “the Name”:

   In practical terms this week, what would it look like to live from who Jesus says you are rather than from achievement or others’ opinions?

3. Freedom and obedience:

   Where do you most resist obedience right now? How might that resistance actually be limiting your freedom rather than unleashing it?

4. God’s mysterious favor:

   Think of a recent closed door or confusing situation—how could God be “weaving” something you can’t yet see, and how does that perspective change your response?

Community Group Questions:

1) What could be some common, practical examples of how we can demonstrate value for people over possessions?

2) Share of a time when you sensed the Holy Spirit guide you to give unto the Lord sacrificially.

3) Do you recall a time when you did something with mixed motives? How did the Holy Spirit bring this to your attention?

4) Pray that the Lord will strengthen our inner lives so that we will be people of integrity and not hypocrisy. 

2. What is some other “cornerstone” that you might have built your life upon at some time in your past (or even now, if it applies)

3. What may be a circumstance when civil disobedience as a church may be not only acceptable but even required in order to honor God?

4. Take a moment to pray for boldness in standing our ground when it comes to subtle pressures and oppositions, and to pray for strength for churches in persecuted places.

Bonus Question: What about the life of the early church might have been helpful to turn the multitude towards Christ in such an exclusive claims of Christ in a pluralist culture?

Community Group Questions:

1. Would people that know you well generally find you interruptible by people, or rather protective of your boundaries?

2. When was the last time you found yourself interrupted by the Spirit of God? What were the circumstances, what happened? Briefly share. 

3. What are some things or someone other than Christ that you might lean on for security? How does that kind of ‘security’ differ from when our security is in our Lord Jesus?

4. Pray that Jesus be the source of our unflinching security and for healings and restorations that may be necessary in your group in His name!

Community Group Questions:

1. From Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, preaching was multiplied by the Spirit through the people of God. It was often not from behind a pulpit. But the Jesus people preached wherever they went. Speak about a time that God used you to proclaim His Word in ordinary ways. (refer to Act 8:1)

2. When we are encouraged to ‘preach,’ what are some usual objections that arise in your heart?

3. Share about a time when you were “cut to the heart” from someone else preaching. What did you do?

4. Peter’s preaching answered the questions that the crowds are asking. What are some of the questions that your friends have? How can you listen more closely to them, and how does Jesus answer them?

5. Make a commitment to preach the gospel in team and pray for opportunities to do so.

2. What step can you take this week to be bold in proclamation while walking in Spirit-empowered love?

3. What does being “clothed with power” look like in everyday life (home, work, school)?

4. How can the church live as evidence that the curse of "Babel-like" division has been broken?

5. Calling on witnesses: How has the Holy Spirit moved you during this week? Any testimonies?

6. Please take a moment to pray for each other’s in-filling of the Holy Spirit in his Revelation, and powerful Presence

1. What are some things that people speculate about than being obedient to what is already in scripture?

2. What are some ways that you have relinquished control since you have been trusting the Lord more?

3. Through Jesus’ Ascension, He is now even more accessible than ever before. What are some ways you sense the Holy Spirit empowering you to partake in His mission? (Ie. Who would you invite to Alpha, for example?)

4. Close in prayer to the Ascended Lord Jesus by the Holy Spirit so that our worship will be true and that we become obedient participants of His will and mission in our lives. 

Community Group Questions:

1. What does it mean to you practically, to grasp the baton of Jesus’ message and mission and to pass it on to the next generation?

2. How does our gathering together help us to grow more certain of the faith we proclaim? Share insights from your own experience.

3. When was the last time you had waited on God with anticipation and expectancy? Whether it was as an individual or as a group, share the outcome of your waiting and God’s response.

4. Pray for a great Holy Spirit renewal at Southlands in each of our lives, that He would do it again, as He passes the baton unto us, to partake in His mission until His Kingdom come!

Community Group Questions:

1. What is alluring about the promise of paradise through technology?

2. What do we notice God doing both in our lives and in Scripture to expand His Kingdom and to have us participate in this?

3. How might we become “the light of the world, the salt of the earth” and “aroma of Christ”?

Community Group Questions:

1. Share of a time when you noticed someone apply good information and good ethics to real life situation(s). 

2. What are some ways that God’s wisdom may appear counterintuitive, while the so-called wisdom of the world, more appealing?

3. Share if you can, of a situation when having the right information and the right motives was simply not enough.  

4. Pray for Godly wisdom with thanksgiving for the blessings of those around you as well as your own flourishing in the Truth of God.

Community Group Questions:

1. What in your life is causing you to become more "chaff like"? Pray that God would give you disciplines to reduce these influences in your life.

2. If you become more like the sturdy, fruitful tree in Psalm 1, how does that serve your neighbor and a lost world? What's the missional value in being a person of depth rooted in God's Word?

3. What practical habits can help you become more biblically literate and fed from the nourishment of God's Word? 

Community Group Questions:

1. In what ways has digital media caused you to conform to the patterns of the world in habits, values, or thinking?

2. How has this disrupted your connection to God and people?

3. What apps on your phone would you consider “distraction” apps that consume a lot of your time?

4. What uncomfortable symptoms are you experiencing so far during this digital fast?

5. Over the next 28 days, what are you hoping to experience and learn during this digital fast?

6. What has excessive screen time stolen from you? For example; sleep, family time, joy, energy, peace of mind, etc.

1. What are some ways in which Jesus and the Gospel invert our idea of power in the world?

2. How does Jesus being pierced for our sake restore unto us our inability to be with God because of Sin?

3. The fact that Jesus was pierced for all, is compelling for a Missional impetus in our lives. What are some practical ways in which we can participate in His saving Grace?

4. Take a moment to reflect on any need for repentance in your life, as well as to thank God for having been pierced and having died for us, and for His unrelenting pursuit of us through His Spirit. 

Community group questions:

1. Do you recall a time when you waited for someone for a long time, and when that person finally showed up? 

2. Was there ever a time when you were able to just be there for someone during a difficult time, or when someone made your hard times more than bearable because of his or her compassion and solidarity?

3. Share about a time when you felt like an outsider, and there was someone who made you feel welcomed.

Community group questions:

1. How has the Grace of God helped you to serve Him, rather than yourself?

2. Have you ever found yourself disappointed for breaking a promise or a vow?

3. The message talked about Israel serving the gods of Egypt and the gods of the Ammonites. These could represent nostalgia or relevance. We can also find ourselves serving the gods of money, media, or sex. If you find yourself serving other “gods,” which ones do they tend to be?

4. What are some ways God comes to intervene to help you stay faithful to Him?

5. Take a moment to recount God’s faithfulness in your life and to give Him thanks.

Community Group Questions:

1. When you think about your own story, what are one or two “faith steps” God has already brought you through? How does remembering those moments build courage for what’s ahead?

2. How have you seen comfort slowly lead you away from spiritual hunger? What tends to make your heart drift when life is calm?

3. What is one area where God might be calling you to obedience right now? What’s holding you back from taking the next step?

4. Which ditch do you fall into more easily, fear or comfort? Why do you think that’s the case?

5. What’s one practical step you can take this week to return to Shiloh, not a place but a Person? What rhythms help you live presence-centered instead of self-centered?

Community Group Questions

1. What do you do to “be filled with the Holy Spirit?”

2. Can you share of a time when you were distinctly visited by the Holy Spirit’s Presence?

3. How might you describe the nature of your relationship with the Holy Spirit?

4. Share of a time when you felt the Holy Spirit carrying you through a difficult season.

5. Pray for one another an overflowing Presence of the Holy Spirit.

1. Share about a time when you had to stand up for what you believe in.

2. What are common challenges for us to wholly follow Christ today?

3. What has God promised in His Word that you have struggled to believe?

4. In what ways are what we are promised superior to what Caleb had access to?

1. Share about a time when you had to stand up for what you believe in.

2. What are common challenges for us to wholly follow Christ today?

3. What has God promised in His Word that you have struggled to believe?

In what ways are what we are promised superior to what Caleb had access to?

1. What are some tangible descriptions of your eternal inheritance in Jesus? (1 Peter 1:3-4, Hebrews 11:16)

2. Share about a time when you had an unexpected “job description” and how did God lead you through that?

3. How do you resist the temptation of retiring from service to God?

4. Where are you tempted to swap your eternal inheritance for an earthly one?

5. What does it mean for you to see yourself as a priest whose inheritance is God Himself?

Community Group Discussion Prompts

I. Do you tend to “let go and let God” or take matters into your own hands?

2.Share about a “little by little victory” that God brought about in your life.

3. What is a giant in your life that you fear, and how do you face it?

1. When was the last time you prayed a bold, faith-filled prayer that God answered? What was that prayer?

2. What miracle are you trusting God for in this season of your life? How have you seen God work miraculously on your behalf in the past?

3. Which promises of God are anchoring you right now, or have anchored you during difficult seasons?

4. How do the truths about the defeat of Satan, sin, and death help you pray bold prayers of faith?

1. Has there ever been a time when you were led to disobedience because of a deception by someone or by self-deception (that you later realized as such in hindsight?)

2. What are some consequences that you had to suffer or others suffered because of your disobedience to God? Share if you can.

3. What are some ways your “position in Jesus” was not conveyed well to others by a moment of poor “posture in Jesus?” (ie. speaking truth without love, shielding from the world in self-righteoueness… etc.)

Community Group Discussion Questions:

1) Israel experienced God’s discipline in defeat but that discipline led to victory as God redirected them. Tell of a time when you experienced God’s discipline that resulted in your good. (Heb 12:5)

2) Israel had to flee from Ai in order to win the battle. This was counter intuitive and describes the way in which we often experience victory in God’s kingdom . In what ways have you felt like you are ‘losing’ as you follow Jesus ? How has that resulted in victory?

3) Contrast the King of Ai hanging from a tree with what Gal 3:13 says about Jesus hanging from a tree. What does this teach us about how the cross of Christ redeems us? Spend time thanking God for his blessing upon you because of Christ’s cross.” 

1) Has there ever been a time when you thought that God's judgment was harsh? Share from either scripture or your own life.

2) What are some things of this world that captivate you with allure?

3) How do you practice consecration? (ie. Dedicating yourself to serve a Holy God) Share your habits or ideas that you sense the Lord tell you.

4) We generally think of sin as personal, but Achan’s hidden sin had affected the whole community. Why is it important for us to see that personal sin carries communal ramifications?

5) Thank Jesus for how He took on God’s judgment for our sin in our place. Spend some time praying prayer of repentance thanksgiving for His gift of His righteousness.

Community Group Questions:

1) Has there ever been a time when you thought that God's judgment was harsh? Share from either scripture or your own life.

2) What are some things of this world that captivates you with allure?

3) How do you practice consecration? (ie. Dedicating yourself to serve a Holy God) Share your habits or ideas that you sense the Lord tell you.

4) We generally think of sin as personal, but Achan’s hidden sin had affected the whole community. Why is it important for us to see that personal sin carries communal ramifications?

5) Thank Jesus for how He took on God’s judgment for our sin in our place. Spend some time praying prayer of repentance thanksgiving for His gift of His righteousness.

Sermon Questions:

1. There is no inheritance without a fight for God’s people. Talk about a battle you are facing that requires brave faith. Share about a past battle that God won in your life that required brave faith.

2. How often do you try to defeat your “Jerichos” with your own skills and methods? How can you better hand your battles over to God? 

3. What does the fact that Rahab was spared from destruction (and included in the human ancestry of Messiah) say about God?

4. What are some ways you find yourself fighting for unity, in your family, in your church, in your workplace for God’s glory (as we see it done in Israel’s marching around Jericho)?

1. According to Dr. Corey’s message and your understanding of scripture, what does it mean to “take your sandals off?”

2. What effect does it have on the person who takes his or her sandals off because the awareness of God’s holiness where he or she is standing?

3. Can you recall a moment when you realized you were on holy ground and felt compelled to “take your sandals off?” What were the circumstances and what did it entail? Share your story succinctly.

Luke 18:18-27 - 19:1-10 (CSB)

8:30 AM Service

Sermon Questions:

1. How has fear played a role in your life? 

2. Ryan said fear is an invitation to seek wisdom or ask for help. Have you found that to be true in your own life? 

3. In times of fear, how do you personally access the peace Christ offers through prayer? What has this looked like for you? 

4. How has fear kept you from pursuing the things of the Lord or obedience to his word?

1. What has Jesus healed you from in the past? 

2. What freedom have you found in being forgiven of sin? 

3. What form of healing are you in need of today?

4. Who is God calling you to carry to the feet of Jesus that they may be healed?

Sermon Questions:

1. If you took time to examine your prayer life, what are the top three things you most often pray for or ask other people to pray for? 

2. Ryan invited everyone to make a prayer list of "kingdom prayers" to better align our hearts with the Lord's. What are some kingdom prayers that are currently on your heart? 

3. Do you find it easy or difficult to trust the Lord in your current situation?

4. How do we grow in allowing the Lord to direct our hearts to the love of God? 

1. What comes to mind for you when you think about the judgement of God? 

2. What comfort can we take knowing that God is the perfect judge who rules with righteous judgement? 

3. How should we respond to Jesus, the only righteous one who received the full judgement of God so we can receive his mercy? 

4. Spend some time praying for boldness to plead with others to receive the love of God through Christ. Make a list of people God is calling you to invite to Easter Sunday in two weeks.  

2. What does it look like to boast in the Lord?

3. Whose faith, love, and steadfastness in trial do you admire? 

4. What would it look like for you to boast in others and in the Lord?

5. At the end of your life, what do you want people to say about your faith and how you followed Jesus?  

1. What most robs you of peace? 

2. How have you found wholeness in Christ?

3. How has community helped you heal?

4. How does spirit filled worship and prophecy at church make you feel? 

1. What most robs you of peace? 

2. How have you found wholeness in Christ?

3. How has community helped you heal?

4. How does spirit filled worship and prophecy at church make you feel? 

1. What end times culture and theology did you grow up with and how did that impact you?

2. How are you preparing yourself to meet and be with Jesus? 

3. How does the certainty of Christ’s coming judgment and salvation give you courage to live for God? 

1. How has your faith in Christ helped you grieve the loss of loved ones? 

2. How has your faith in Christ helped you overcome a fear of death? 

3. How can the way we face death be a witness to the world? 

4. How does reflecting on the end times motivate you to share the gospel? 

Sermon Questions: 

1. What are some godly qualities of good Christian leaders? 

2. How well do you receive Christian leaders in your life? 

3. How have negative experiences impacted how you relate to Christian leaders? 

4. Share about a Christian leader who has shaped your life. 

5. How are you developing people to love and serve others in Jesus' name? 

1. Do you find yourself to be more bold or shy? 

2. Can you think of a time recently that God has given you the boldness to speak the gospel?

3. What is something you have done in your life that God has asked you to do that made an impact on the people around you?

4. How can you grow in being like a mother and a father in the community? For example, in gentle care, opening up your life, being more generous, or in the encouraging and exhortation of others. 

Pray that God would make you more bold in one of these areas of your life. 

1. How did you receive the gospel? Though proclamation, demonstration or acts of service? 

2. Which of the above three categories do you feel most and least equipped in to share the gospel?

3. How is God calling you to create a culture of hospitality and sharing the gospel? 

4. Who is God calling you to pray for their salvation? 

Ryan MacDonald // Acts 2: 42-47

What do you spend most of your time thinking about?

What was your experience of starting to read the church-wide Bible reading plan this week?

What growth factor: Bible, church community or prayer do you feel God is calling you to give greater attention to this year and why?

What daily habits is God inviting you to prioritize this year?

1. How has God been with you in your uncertainty?

2. How did Jesus experience uncertainty? 

3. What uncertainty are you currently facing?

4. How can you support someone in your life experiencing uncertainty?

Sermon Questions

1. How are you going to prepare your heart to receive Jesus this advent? 

2. Share of a time when God provided for you in a season of scarcity? 

3. What type of scarcity are you currently experiencing? 

4. What resources (your time, prayers, money, etc.) can you share with those in your life experiencing scarcity? 

Sermon Questions

1. How are you going to prepare your heart to receive Jesus this advent? 

2. Share of a time when God provided for you in a season of scarcity? 

3. What type of scarcity are you currently experiencing? 

4. What resources (your time, prayers, money, etc.) can you share with those in your life experiencing scarcity? 

1. In John 20, who do you most relate with in the story? John who sees’ and believes? Mary who weeps then rejoices? The disciples who fear then have peace?

2. How have you experienced life in His name? 

3. Who is God sending you to tell about life in his name? 

4. Spend sometime praying for the Spirit to empower you to share the good news of Christ’s resurrection.  

Sermon Questions:

1. Four times in the text we are told that the events of Jesus' crucifixion "were to fulfill the Scripture." What confidence does this give us in the plans and purposes of God? 

2. How has Jesus satisfied the deep desires of your heart?

3. What does Jesus' willingness to pay the price of his very life communicate about your value to God?  

4. How have you benefited from Jesus setting you in the family of God? And what is your responsibility to care for those in your community?

1. How have you been shaped by important leaders (positively or negatively) in your life?

2. Do you experience Jesus as trustworthy? Explain. 

3. How can we grow in learning to submit our will to the will to God? 

4. What is one area of freedom you are trusting God brings to your life this community group term? 

Sermon Questions //

1. The betrayal and arrest of Jesus is a tragic scene, but we should not see a Jesus helpless victim here. He is a sovereign savior. In what ways can we see Jesus divinity shining through in this dark moment? 

2. Three times Jesus claims “I Am He.” What is the Biblical significance of this claim - especially in the gospel of John, and what is an appropriate response from us? 

3. When Peter denied Jesus three times John says he was ‘warming himself.” This speaks to a motive of self protection, which is ironic because Jesus shows himself to be such a faithful protector of his disciples here. In what ways have you been unfaithful to Jesus out of self protection? 

4. Peter is also guilty of misguided loyalty when he tries to send Jesus by cutting off Malchus’s ear. Are there any ways in which you have been misguided in trying to represent Jesus in ways that leave a mess, and how can we avoid that, especially in this election season? 

5. If we see a Jesus only as a model of faithfulness here it will crush us. But if we see Jesus ultimately as a scapegoat, (Deuteronomy 16) absorbing our punishment and giving us his life, it will bring great joy. He was bound for our freedom, drank the cup of judgement so that we could drink the cup of mercy and was stricken for our healing. Thank him for that and respond in celebration for his profound gift. 

Sermon Questions :

1. What does it mean to glorify the Lord? 

2. What does it mean to be in the world but not of the world? 

3. How is God calling you to preserve unity within the church?

4. What mission is God currently sanctifying you for? 

Sermon Questions:

1. Have you ever been through a season when God turned your sorrow into joy? 

2. Share about a time when God answered your prayer. 

3. How has God sustained you through times of unanswered prayer? 

4. What current prayer are you hoping Jesus answers? 

Questions for Community Groups -

1. What signs have you seen God perform in your life that have led you to believe in Jesus?

2. John 12:40 says some people did not believe in the signs Jesus performed because God "has blinded their eye and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” What thoughts, feelings and emotions come up for you when you read this passage? 

3. How do we reconcile God blinding people so they can't believe Jesus with the truth that Jesus "did not come to judge the world but to save the world" (12:47)?

4. Believing in Jesus is a public action. How is Jesus calling you to live out your faith in public this week? 

Community Group Questions:

1. What is your reaction to Mary's extravagant act of worship?

2. When people observe your life is it evident that you love and cherish Jesus? 

3. How has Jesus taken you - like Lazarus - from death to life? 

4. How is Jesus calling you into deeper devotion and relationship with Him?

5. How can you adore and show gratitude to Jesus this week? 

Sermon Questions:

Jesus is the good shepherd. All who come to the Father through him will receive his love and care. Jesus knows us, providing what we need. Jesus guides us, keeping us safe from the enemy's plans to separate us from God's love and salvation. Jesus leads us, even when we can't make sense of our circumstances. And Jesus lays down his life on the cross, bringing us into a joyful relationship with the Father. 

1. How has Jesus led you through trial and danger? 

2. How are you taking time to listen to Jesus our shepherd's voice in daily life? 

3. In what ways are you straying for the path of Jesus your shepherd? 

4. What other sheep outside the faith is Jesus calling you to remember? 

Spiritual blindness is hard to detect. It's difficult to see your blind spots. Thankfully the healing of the blind man in John 9 shows us that Jesus can give us the spiritual sight we need to believe in his name. Once we believe, we can also grow in seeing more clearly by testifying about God's goodness and worshiping his holy name.

1. How have you seen God reveal himself in your suffering and where might God be calling you to partner in his work through hardship in your life?

2. Testify to one another about God’s goodness and power in your life!

3. Where have you carried blame or shame in your suffering?

4. Where do you want to grow in your “spiritual eyesight” as you mature in your faith?

5. How has worship been a way for you to adjust the posture of your heart and understanding of Jesus?

In John 8:12-59 we encounter a group of people who love Jesus' claim to be the "light of the world," yet try to kill him when he claims to be preexistent like Yahweh. The passage serves as both a warning and an invitation. The warning is against only believing in the parts of Jesus you like. The invitation is to accept Jesus as he reveals himself so that you can be delivered from the kingdom of darkness and welcomed into the kingdom of light - no longer living as a slave, but adopted into the family of God. 

1. How has Jesus, the light of the world, helped you navigate the darkness you have encountered in your life?

2. What part of Jesus' character is hard for you to accept? 

3. Why do you think this group of Jews so quickly moved from believing in Jesus (8:30) to attempting to kill him (8:59)? 

4. How is God inviting you to live more like a son and less like a slave (8:31-38)? 

Sermon Questions:

1. What temporary satisfaction are you most prone to pursue? 

2. How have you experienced Jesus as someone who feeds and protects? 

3. Can you relate to the disciples, exhausted and rowing in the storm at night? What is/was that season like for you? 

4. When are you most tempted to grumble and complain? 

5. How is God calling you to feast and abide with Jesus this week? 

Sermon Questions:

1. In this passage Jesus calls God "My Father" which is a statement that would eventually get him crucified as a blasphemer. Jesus is not just an important religious leader, a great healer, a moral teacher, or a prophet, he is God and must be honored as God. How does this change the way you see Jesus? How does this make him distinct from all other religions? We don't want anyone to be forced to choose Jesus, so how would you describe Jesus to a world of tolerance?

2. Jesus' life is a life of a u-curve. Jesus was exalted as God but he also humbled and emptied himself to bring himself low, and was honored again as he was resurrected and ascended into heaven and seated at the right hand of the Father. If we want to follow Jesus, our lives will look the same, like a u-curve. Can you describe a time when you had to go low and humble yourself but in doing so, God met you in that place and you felt his pleasure in doing so? Can you remember a time in your life when you had to say, "Not my will be done, but your will be done Jesus?"

3. Jesus is exalted as the justifying judge, Scripture says that Father judges no one but has given all judgement to the Son. In life, we hate to be judged but as sinners, when we plead for mercy from the only true and righteous judge, Jesus, we are set free. The perfect judge takes off his judge's robes, stands in our place, declares us righteous, and gives us true life, that is the beautiful doctrine of justification. We stand justified, just as if we have never sinned and as if we have always obeyed. How has the doctrine of justification impacted you and the way you live your life? Pray for one another that this truth would settle into the depths of your hearts so you can truly live free! 

Sermon Questions:

1. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night to publically debate with him, he wanted to be known and seen. The Samaritan woman comes to the well in the heat of the day, alone and full of shame, because she didn't want to be seen. Describe a time in your life when you have wanted to hide or felt like you were unseen? How does the truth that Jesus sees you and desires to have a relationship with you change the way you feel regarding your loneliness or feeling of being unseen?

2. Nicodemus probably found satisfaction and worth in his status, power, education, wealth, and religion. The Samaritan woman seemingly tried to find her satisfaction and worth through relationships with men. Both Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman looked for satisfaction in worldly, temporal things. What are the ways that you have tried to find satisfaction in your life? How does Jesus, who offers you living water, change your perspective on the only thing that can truly satisfy you? What does this satisfaction look like for you?

3. In this passage Jesus says, "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth." What are some of the truths about God that have been revealed to you that bring you to a place of worship? What are some of the truths about God that need to move from your head to your heart so you can truly worship him in Spirit and in truth?

4. The Samaritan woman knew that the Messiah was coming and would explain everything to them. Jesus explained to her that he was the Messiah, so the Samaritan woman went back and "gossiped" the gospel to her town. The gossip of the town became "the gossiper" of the town! Pray for one another that you would be bold "gossipers" of the good news about Jesus Christ. 

2. Even though we all have different experiences with church leadership, in your own words, how have you experienced biblical, church leadership as a gift to you?

3. What is hard for you to hear as you listen to (or read) the script that is written to you by God, for how you should live your life regarding biblical, church leadership?

4. Elders are called to create a culture of care in the life of the church. How can you practically continue to help cultivate this culture of care in your sphere of influence or together as a Community Group?

5. How is the Holy Spirit leading you to pray for the elders of Southlands?

Community Group Questions....

1. How do you pursue rest in your life? 

2. What ways have you felt let down by the false promises of self-care and self-denial? 

3. How does the picture of Adam and Even in the garden of Eden help us understand the importance of abiding in and obeying God? 

4. Read Matthew 11:28-30 aloud. Once at a regular speed. And a second time slowly. 

5. How are you currently finding life by abiding and obeying Jesus? 

6. What is God inviting you to do in response to this passage? 

Joel Baker // Ephesians 2 : 1-10

1. Ephesians 2 tells us that we are no longer dead in our sins and trespasses if we have chosen to follow Jesus. What is one area of sin that God has freed you from?

2. How does the truth that we cannot earn salvation or the approval of God cause you to rejoice in the good news of God's grace and challenge you in your efforts to do it on your own?

3. What is one good work that you feel that God is calling to to step into in this season?

Sermon Questions....

1. How should the truth that our older brother, Jesus, has given us his righteousness change how you are approach God?

2. Our father is not blind to us but sees us fully as we approach him. How have you been trying to hide parts of your heart from God?

3. Share areas of your life where God has recently given you spiritual blessings. Celebrate those things as a group. 

Compare the way in which Isaac and Rebekah show favoritism towards their sons with the way in which God shows favor? How is this a glimpse of the gospel of grace for us? How can it free us from trying to earn God’s unmerited favor? 2. Read 1 Cor 1:27-29) Tell how a willingness on your part admit our weakness and foolishness has enabled you to receive the God’s grace. 3. One implication of God’s disruptive, unmerited favor, is that we are freed to inquire of God in prayer about things that make no sense, like Rebekah did. What is this for you right now? 4. Another implication of valuing God’s favor is that we are able to defer gratification, knowing we have a good Inheritance in Christ. What is the ‘bowl of lentils’ in your life that tempts you to give up long term inheritance for momentary pleasure? pray for each other in this regard.

In this passage we see Abraham’s urgency before his death to find a wife for his son, Isaac. He calls his chief servant totravel back to his homeland in Mesopotamia to find a wife, thus ensuring that God’s promise of a faith family that blesses all nations would be fulfilled. God’s steadfast love is mentioned three times. Th word in Hebrew is ‘heed’ which means lovingkindness. God is watching over his covenant with loving kindness to fulfill it and it is fulfilled in minute detail. We see a glimpse of the way's in which God builds his family. 

1. Radical Servanthood. Abraham’s servant and Rebekah are examples of radical servanthood in this passage. Remind one another of the length he went to, to find Rebekah and the lengths she went to, to water his casmels. We don’t realize that our inheritance is closely connected to our willing ness to serve those that cannot serve us back. Talk about a time you did this. What did you learn? 

2. Disctinctive Presence  Isaac’s wife was to be found from Abraham’s household. They were to live in Canaan but not intermarry with the Canaaninites. This is reminiscent of Jesus prayer in John 17 for his disciples to be in the world but not of the world. What would this look like practically in our lives, if we were in the world but not of it? 

3. Prayerful Expectation  The servant prays an expectant prayer that God answers before he is even finished speaking. Essentially, God is building his faith family at a well with a sudden answer to prayer. On Pentecost Sunday, the theme of God's faith family by suddenly refreshing His people with the Spirit is an enduring one. Read John 7:37-39 to see Jesus referring to this. Acts 2 is also an account of a sudden answer to prayer bye the outpouring of the Spirit. 

4. In John 4 Jesus speaks to another woman at a well. She is a Samaritan who has had five husbands and is now living with a man she is not married to. Unlike Rebekah, she is neither pure nor from the family of faith. She is viewed as defiled and stint from God’s people,e. She also has no way to get Jesus a drink, but he tells he that through faith, she can be included in God's family. This is a reminder of the gospel. What qualifies us to join his family is our need, and simple faith in his grace, because he was rejected and defiled on the cross for our sin and shame. This is ultimately how God builds his family. Pray that those who feel distant and defiled would put their faith in Jesus saving work. 

Sermon Questions:

1. Because of disappointment and delay, Abraham and Sarah laughed with skepticism at God’s promise of a child in Genesis 17 and 18. Skepticism protects us from the vulnerability of hope but it is a shallow kind of joy. Talk about your struggle with skepticism and how we can be a community that helps one another to keep hoping in God, even though this makes us vulnerable to disappointment.

2. God is faithful and he gave the good gift of Isaac as he promised. However, very quickly Isaac became an idol to his parents, and Ishmael’s mocking laughter in Genesis 21 revealed this. Keller says that an idol is often a good thing that becomes an ultimate thing. Talk about how God’s good gifts can become idols in your life and how this makes your joy fragile.

3. God’s joy is abiding because it rests upon his faithfulness rather than ours.

Reflect on the joy of justification, (Romans 4) the wonder of transformation (2 Cor 5:17) and the thrill of obedience (Luke 10:12 -17) which of these sources of joy do you most need right now? Ask for the joy of the Holy Spirit.

How have you seen God work through delay?

Do you find it comforting that God's "no" to you maybe God's "yes" to someone else?

How is God currently calling you to trust Him through delay and disappointment?

1. When we put our faith in Jesus we are declared righteous and receive the peace of God, what are some of the other blessings we receive in Jesus?

2. Do you have a hard time receiving the blessing of God and living freely? Please explain to the group why you think it's hard to receive His blessing.

3. Do you feel at peace with God right now? If not, can you identify some reasons why you may feel that way? Pray for one another.

4. What happens in your heart when the church speaks on tithing or giving? After speaking about vulnerability in week 2 of our Meaningful Community packets, are you willing to be vulnerable and let the group know how they can pray for you in the area of giving?

1. What aspect of hospitality is more difficult for you? Hospitality of heart or hospitality of resources?

2. Share about a time where you received biblical hospitality and it made an impact on you.

3. Brainstorm easy and unconventional ways you as a group could be hospitable to your neighbors.

4. Where might God be inviting you to extend hospitality? Consider those within your household, your neighborhood and beyond. 

1. Philip the evangelist and his daughters used their family stability to offer gracious hospitality to strangers - the controversial Paul, the unknown Luke and mysterious Agabus. Talk about how this connects with Jesus teaching on enemy and neighbor love in Matthew 5 and how He might be calling you to offer hospitality to either strangers or those with whom you are estranged.

2. Agabus the prophet brought a foreboding prophetic drama

About Paul being imprisoned if he went to Jerusalem. Everyone except Paul interpreted this as the Spirit saying that he shouldn’t go. Talk about the power and complexity of the prophetic, why it’s vital and yet difficult to interpret and apply. What are some wise Biblical ways of weighing up the prophetic. (Read 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20)

3. As parents we need to recognize the transitions we need to make in our approach as our children get older. This means that we allow other followers of the Way to help shape our children. Philip was wisely allowing both Paul and Agabus to shape his daughters view of the prophetic and mission of Christ. Talk about who else shapes your children in helpful ways and thank God for them.

4. Once Paul had spoken about his willingness to follow the Lord Jesus

to imprisonment and even death, his companions stopped trying to persuade him to stay, saying”let the will go the Lord be done.” How can we be a community that encourages one another to follow Jesus as Lord more?

1. Forgiveness is a difficult thing to grasp when we haven't fully grasped what it means to be forgiven by God. How has the scandalous truth of you being forgiven by God changed the way you understand forgiveness?

2. As you have had time to sit with this sermon and allowed the Holy Spirit to do work within you, what has been the most freeing aspect of the sermon to you? What has been the most difficult aspect of the sermon to you?

3. We all know that forgiveness is hard but hopefully understand it's biblical. Who in your life, past or present, have you thoroughly and deliberately chosen to forgive? Share with your Community Group how that changed you. Have you felt peace and contentment when you put the situation into the hands of the Lord?

4. Has there been a time that someone has embodied the forgiveness of God to you? How did that change, if any, the way you viewed God's forgiveness?

Where are you experiencing the intervening mercy of God right now? Do you see ways in which God is patiently walking with you? 

What is the chaos in your life right now that is keeping you from living into the purpose that God has for you? What is the specific purpose you feel God calling you into?