09.19.21 Small Group Discussion

Friend or Foe? - People are not the enemy.

ICE BREAKER: Is there someone in your life who has been your nemesis? Tell us about it.

Read: 1 Peter 5:8-9

• There are a lot of people Peter could have cast in the role of villain in this letter. Flipping back through the first five chapters who are some of them?

• Why didn’t Peter identify people as the enemy?

• What makes the devil such a sinister enemy?

• Peter’s advice for defending against the devil is to “Stay alert! Watch out…” What does that look like in practical terms?

Read: Ephesians 6:10-12

• Verse twelve gives a colorful description of our enemies. To whom or what is Paul referring?

• How do we fight against such unconventional enemies?

• What is the role of allies in battling the enemies we encounter in spiritual warfare?

Read: Ephesians 6:13-20

• What weapon or weapons in this list you need to master?

Prayer: Ask God to help you identify the real enemy, the devil. Ask God to help you avoid seeing the person or people you identified in the ice breaker above as enemies.

08.29.21 - Small Group Discussion

Face the Mirror - James 5:13-20

It’s always the right time to pray. 

ICE BREAKER: Are you someone for whom prayer comes naturally, or do you struggle? Either way, why do you think that is the case?

Read: James 5:13.

• James said to pray when we’re happy and when we’re troubled. Which is easier for you, and why?

• Share a time when prayer helped alleviate your suffering, or when it enhanced your happiness.

Read: James 5:14-16

• James says to pray when we’re sick, and to pray when we sin. Why do you think James draws a connection between sickness and sin?

• James urges us to pray in community, and confess our sin to each other. How has your group lived this out? How have you struggled?

Read: James 5:17-18

• What’s your favorite answered-prayer story from the Bible? Why?

Read: James 5:19-20

• How consistently do you pray for people who are far from God? What can you do to become more consistent in doing so?

Memory Verse: James 5:13 

Prayer: Ask God to help your group develop the trust and community necessary to pray deeply for each other.

08.22.21 - Small Group Discussion

Face the Mirror - James 5:7-12 (8.22.21)

Patience is hope, lived out. 

ICE BREAKER: When was the most impatient you’ve ever been as you waited for something good to happen?

Read: James 5:7-12 together as a group. Now read just verse 7.

• Have you ever planted a garden or some other kind of crop? How did it go for you?

• Where do you see the connection between patience and hope?

Read: James 5:8

• How does Jesus’ future return give us hope? What hopes do you have about that day?

Read: James 5:9

• Is grumbling something you struggle with? What tends to trigger your grumbling or complaining?

Read: James 5:10-12

• Which prophets are you familiar with? How should their stories encourage our patience?

• What about Job? What can his story teach us about patience through adversity?

• How does hope lead to patience?

Prayer: Thank Jesus for his coming return, and ask for your hope in him to be strengthened.

08.15.21 - Small Group Discussion

Face the Mirror - James 5:1-6

Hoarding makes no sense when the time is short. 

ICE BREAKER: What do you define wealthy? Are you “rich?” Why or why not?

Read: James 5:1

• James wrote this letter to first-century Christians. Does this verse apply to you and me? Why or why not?

• James wrote about future misery that would result from being rich. What are some of the present miseries people face because of their wealth?

• Why does James use such strong language as “weep and wail?”

Read: James 5:2-3

• If wealth is so temporary, why do we work so hard to acquire it?

• What is your definition of hoarding?

• Why is hoarding such a corrosive and dangerous practice?

Read: James 5:4-6 and Deuteronomy 24:14-15

• James addresses fairness and wealth inequality in these verses. Why is this issue so important to God?

• Spend the rest of your time as a group talking about ways you can use the wealth God has given you to collectively help others. Make specific plans to take action in some real, tangible way.

 Prayer: Pray this week’s memory verse, Proverbs 11:4. Ask God to help you prioritize your life the way He wants.

08.08.21 - Small Group Discussion

Face the Mirror - James 4:13-17 (8.8.21)

Time is an hourglass with the top half hidden.

ICE BREAKER: Talk about a time when you made big plans but then had them all fall apart. What happened?

Read: James 4:13-14

• Are you a planner, or more of a go-with-the-flow kind of person?

• What are some plans you have for the future?

• How long do you expect to live? Put another way: how much time do you think you have to accomplish your plans? What do you base that on?

• What should be our approach to making plans, then? Should we not plan for the future? What is James proposing here?

Read: James 4:15-16

• Verse fifteen seems to be about perspective. What do you think James is advocating with his phrase, “if it is the Lord’s will”?

• What is the connection between verses fifteen and sixteen?

• On Sunday Frank said, “Hold your plans loose, but hold your God close.” React to that statement.

Read: James 4:17

• This verse is about sins of omission. What is something good God is calling you to do? Are you resistant to that? Why?

Prayer: Pray this week’s memory verse, James 4:17. Ask God to foster courage in your life so you will do what He asks of you.

08.01.21 - Small Group Discussion

Face the Mirror - James 4:1-13 (8.1.21)

Selfishness and submission are mutually exclusive. 

ICE BREAKER: What is one thing where you know you are selfish? (For example, the remote control, restaurant choice, etc.)

Read: James 4:1-2

• How does selfishness destroy relationships?

• Verse 2 says “so you kill.” We may not commit murder, but what are some of the ways selfishness can cause us to “kill” in a figurative sense?

Read: James 4:2-6

• How does selfishness impact your faith? Your relationship with God?

• God equates friendship with “the world” with adultery. What do you think that means? Why does James use such powerful imagery?

• How do you cultivate humility?

Read: James 4:7-10

• James details some ways we can resist the devil. What are they, and how do we practice them with persistence?

• What is the relationship between humility and submission and intentionally purifying one’s self?

Prayer: Pray this week’s memory verse, James 4:7 – “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

07.25.21 - Small Group Discussion

Face the Mirror - James 3:13-18

You can get your knowledge from the world, but you’d better get your wisdom from God. 

ICE BREAKER: What is the most useless bit of knowledge you ever learned? What is the best bit of wisdom you’ve ever learned?

Read: James 3:13-18

• How can you tell is someone is wise or not?

• Why do you think James wrote verse 14 in the context of this passage on wisdom? What is the connection between the two?

• In verses 15, 16 and 17 James compares heavenly wisdom with hellish “wisdom.” Can you think of some other ways the two contrast?

Read: Psalm 119:11-16, and Psalm 119:105

• On Sunday Frank read this quote from Chuck Swindoll:

• “I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture. … No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified.”

• Respond to that statement.

• What benefit have you seen, personally, from memorizing God’s word?

Prayer: Ask God to give you the motivation and the ability to plant his word deep in your heart.

07.18.21 - Small Group Discussion

Face the Mirror - James 3:1-12

The tongue is incredibly powerful. And, with great power comes great responsibility.

ICE BREAKER: We all can struggle with our speech at times. What is your biggest temptation?

Read: James 3:1-2; Romans 3:12, 23

• James said that not all should become teachers. With the high bar James sets, why would anyone become a teacher?

Read: James 3:3-4

• James gave us two examples of control: horses and ships. The implication is that the tongue can be controlled. How do we do that?

Read: James 3:5-8

• The tongue is dangerous. How have you seen that personally play out in your experience?

• James wrote that no human being can tame the tongue. That seems kind of dispiriting. What are we to do about that?

Read: James 3:9-12

• Frank said that the way we take control of our tongue is to decide to exercise control, distill our speech, and devote our hearts to God. How can you put that into practical terms for yourself?

Prayer: Ask God to help you be more aware of your speech and to purify your speech to bring Him honor and glory.

07.11.21 - Small Group Discussion

Face the Mirror - James 2:14-26

Faith without feet is incomplete. 

ICE BREAKER: When someone’s actions and words conflict, which do you trust, and why?

Read: James 2:14-26

• James positioned this section on faith and works just after a section on favoritism. Is there a connection? If so, what is it?

• How do you reconcile this passage with passages like Ephesians 2:8-9?

Read: Matthew 7:12-14

• Living out your faith in tangible ways costs something. What does it cost?

• Why are we often unwilling to pay the price to have deeds that match the faith we profess?

Read: Matthew 25:31-46

• According to Jesus, what is the difference between the “sheep” and the “goats”?

• What are some specific deeds that Jesus points out in this passage, and how do they validate one’s faith?

• Personally, how do you align with what Jesus taught in this passage? How does your small group align? Our church?

• What, if anything, do we need to do so our deeds match our professed faith?

Prayer: Ask God to give you opportunities to live out your faith in real, tangible ways in the coming days, spiritual eyes to see those opportunities, and the courage to act!

07.04.21 - Small Group Discussion

Face the Mirror - James 2:1-13

If you want to have favor with God, you can’t play favorites with people.

ICE BREAKER: Share with your group a time when you experienced favoritism.

Read: James 2:1-7

• What are some ways we are guilty of showing favoritism?

• How does favoritism contradict God’s character?

Read: James 2:8-9

• James calls “love your neighbor as yourself” the royal law. Another term for it is the “golden rule.” Why do you think this is such a highly valued practice in the Kingdom of God?

• How does practicing favoritism contradict the golden rule?

Read: James 2:10-11

• What are the implications of this break-one-you-break-them-all principle for Christians?

• What does this reveal about the seriousness with which God views favoritism?

Read: James 2:12-13 and Matthew 6:14-15

• Why are mercy and forgiveness such important practices for Christians?

Prayer: Pray James 2:8. Ask God to bring to mind specific individuals he wants you treat with the golden rule. If you already know who those people are, pray for them by name in your group.

06.27.21 - Small Group Discussion

Face the Mirror - James 1:19-27

Before you jump into ministry you need to look in the mirror.

ICE BREAKER: How often would you say you check your appearance in the mirror?

Read: James 1:26-27

• Why does James tie the words you say with the way you do ministry?

Read: James 1:19-20

• What is the difference between godly anger and human anger?

• What does James say should be the relationship between listening and talking? How does that lead to controlling anger?

Read: James 1:21

• What are some examples of “filth” that James refers to here?

Read: James 1:22-25

• Why are we so prone to listen to the word without actually doing what it says?

• What is the “payoff” for actually doing what the word says instead of merely hearing it and making no substantive change?

Prayer: Pray James 1:22. Ask God to help you do what the Word says!

06.20.21 - Small Group Discussion

Face the Mirror - James 1:13-18

Temptation is a process, not an event. 

• ICE BREAKER: What is a process you hate, that leads to an outcome you love?

Read: James 1:13-14

• Why are we so prone to blame others (even God!) for our sin, rather than taking responsibility for it?

• The devil is a master at customizing temptation. If you’re comfortable sharing, what is the custom temptation the devil knows you’re vulnerable to?

Read: James 1:15

• This sobering verse details the process of temptation and sin. What are your thoughts on the way James described it?

• That we so often give in to sin reveals we aren’t as concerned about the natural outcome of unchecked sin as we ought to be. Why is that?

• Frank talked about the importance of knowing when and where you’re most vulnerable to temptation. He shared an acronym – HALT (hungry, angry, lonely, tired) – that can help you know when you’re most susceptible. Do these resonate with you? Why? Are there others you’re aware of?

Read: Ecclesiastes 4:12

• Why is it so important to enlist others in your battle against temptation?

Read: Lamentations 3:22-23

• What promise does this verse hold for us when we’re given in to temptation?

Prayer: Pray James 1:17. Ask God to help you live with gratitude.

06.13.21 - Small Group Discussion

Face the Mirror - James 1:1-12

The difference between going through trials and growing through trials is perseverance.

• ICE BREAKER: Do you love the mirror or hate it? Why?

Read: James 1:1-4

• Share a time you endured a trial that, later on, you saw growth as a result.

• Why do you think maturity and completion are vital to faith and character?

Read: James 1:5-8

• Josh quoted Clinton Arnold on Sunday: “Wisdom is the ability to understand God’s ways and to live in light of His purpose and values.” What are your thoughts on that?

• What is an area in your life, right now, where you recognize the need for wisdom?

Read: James 1:9-11

• Do you consider yourself to be a “believer in humble circumstances” or one who is rich? Why?

Read: Hebrews 12:1-3

• How does Christ’s example of endurance encourage you to persevere?

Prayer: Pray that God will enable you to live out verse 12: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

06.06.21 - Small Group Discussion

Grad Sunday - Majority Wrong

The majority is usually wrong.

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain

ICE BREAKER: What is a majority opinion you once held but no longer do? What caused you to change?

Read: Matthew 6:31-32

• What do you worry about?

• Why do you think Jesus so directly told his followers not to worry?

• There seems to be quite a gap between Jesus’ instruction not to worry and our actual practice of living worry free. Why is that? What is the solution?

Read: Matthew 6:33

• What does seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness look like?

• There is a cost to putting Jesus first, above everything else. What might it cost you in your own lived experience?

• Here is the struggle we all face: who informs our values of right and wrong? Is it whatever the majority decides? Is it some “inner voice” that is different for every individual? Or is it an all-powerful, wise Creator whose instructions are communicated in Scripture? Why do we struggle with that so much?

Prayer: Ask God for the courage to swim against the tide and pursue Him whatever the cost.

05.30.21 - Small Group Discussion

Immerse: Kingdoms - Predictable Outcomes

God’s going to do what he says he’s going to do.

• Who is someone in your life who always follows through?

Read: 2 Kings 17:5-8

• How do you think God felt about sending his people into exile?

Read: Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 15, 49

• God spoke these words hundreds of years before the Kingdom of Israel fell. Why do you think the people ignored them?

• Walter spoke about how the Bible is not just a static book, but was composed over more than 1000 years, in at least three different languages, with multiple genres, by multiple different authors, and passed down orally from generation to generation. How does that affect your understanding of the Bible?

Read: 2 Kings 17:21-23

• This passage shows again that God is true to his word. In what area of your life do you struggle to believe that?

• God is true to his word and always follows through. Walter shared I Peter 3:12, John 16:33, Matthew 7:21, Philippians 2:10-11 as examples of things God has said that you can count on. What other statements or promises God made in Scripture can you think of?

Prayer: Take some time as a group to pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise to God because of his faithfulness.

05.23.21 - Small Group Discussion

Immerse: Kingdoms - Kings and Prophets

We all succeed someone. Leave it better than you found it.

• Ice breaker: What are some ways that people who came before you left it better than they found it?

Read: 1 Kings 16:29-33

• What can you learn from the example of King Omri?

Read: 1 Kings 22:41-50

• What can you learn from the example of King Jehoshaphat?

• Why do we sometimes not go as far as we ought in our quest to leave it better than we found it?

Read: 2 Kings 8:17-18 and 2 Corinthians 6:14-15

• How are the ways you can apply this command from 2 Corinthians?

• If we take Paul’s command to the Corinthians to heart, how will it affect our relationships?

Read: 2 Kings 11:21-12:3

• What can you learn from the example of King Joash?

• Who are the “Jehoiadas” in your life that you rely on to help you leave it better than you found it?

Prayer: Pray Hebrews 12:11-13. Ask God to give you the courage and resolve to make choices that will help you leave it better than you found it.

05.16.21 - Small Group Discussion

Immerse: Kingdoms - Mistrust and Disobedience

You turn away from God just a little, and soon you’re completely turned around.

• Ice breaker: Just how much trust is there in your group? Share a time when you made a small decision that led to walking away from God (or nearly so).

Read: Deuteronomy 17:14-17

• Why was God so explicit in his instructions for choosing a king?

• Why do you think God focused these commands on wealth, power and sex?

Skim through 1 Kings 10 as a group

• Share verses in this chapter that demonstrate Solomon ignored God’s commands in Deuteronomy 17.

• Speculate: how did Solomon justify making those choices?

• How are the ways Solomon justified his choices similar to how we justify our sin?

Read: Deuteronomy 17:18-20

• Why do you think God told Moses to give these explicit instructions?

• What is it about the king copying down God’s law and reading it daily that helped the king remain faithful?

• What lessons are there in these instructions for us?

• What decisions do you need to make to ensure you don’t follow the same path of disappointment and failure that Solomon did?

Prayer: Ask God to help you learn from the biblical examples we are studying in Immerse Kingdoms so you don’t repeat their failures.

05.09.21 - Small Group Discussion

Immerse: Kingdoms - Forgiven and Reconciled

God never writes “the end” on your story; only you can do that.

• Share a time when you thought you had messed up in a way that was irreversible and unredeemable. How did it all turn out?

Read: 2 Samuel 14:1-14

• What about this story conflicts with your sense of justice and fairness?

• What do you think should have happened to Absalom (keep in mind that Absalom was trying to right a wrong – see 2 Sam. 13).

Re-read: 2 Samuel 14:14

• What does this verse teach us about God’s nature?

• What does this verse teach us about the nature of time and opportunities?

• God never “writes us off.” What does that say about the way we should treat others?

Read: Ephesians 5:15-17

• What do these verses teach us in light of what you just read in 2 Samuel?

• What are some of the opportunities God puts in front of you that you should take advantage of?

Prayer: Ask God to give you a healthy perspective of your own mortality and the desire to make every opportunity He gives you count!

05.02.21 - Small Group Discussion

Immerse: Kingdoms - Stay Strong in Your Faith

God should be the hero of your story.

• Name a hero you looked up to when you were growing up.

• Share a time when you tried to assert control over a situation and it only made things worse.

Read: 1 Samuel 23:15-18

• What person had the most influence on your faith when you younger?

Read: 1 Samuel 21:12-13

• David failed to trust God in this situation, and took things into his own hands. In what places of your life do you struggle to trust what God is doing?

Read: 1 Samuel 28:8

• Saul rejected what God was doing and that led him to run further into sin. Share a time when you rejected or ran away from what God was doing in your life.

• 2 Samuel 11-12 contains the story of David and Bathsheba. David forgot what God has done and ignored what He was continuing to do. What do you do to remind yourself of what God has done for you?

Read 1 Samuel 23:15-18 (again!)

• Who is the Jonathan in your life?

• Whom do you need to be a Jonathan for?

Prayer: Ask God to surround you with people who will encourage your faith.

04.25.21 - Small Group Discussion

Immerse: Kingdoms - Obedience > Sacrifice

Selective obedience is just disobedience made to look respectable. 

• ICE BREAKER: What is an area where you struggle to maintain consistent obedience to what God wants in your life.

Read: 1 Samuel 15:1-9

• What did Saul’s actions reveal about his heart?

Read: 1 Samuel 15:10-13

• God already determined Saul’s fate, but Saul was oblivious. What is it that makes it so difficult for someone committing sin to see its corrosive effects?

Read: 1 Samuel 15:14-21

• When confronted, Saul deflected: “the army spared the best of the livestock.” How do we deflect responsibility for sin when we are confronted?

• Then Saul tried to redefine obedience: “But I did obey the Lord” (v. 20). How do we redefine sin to try and make it look like obedience?

Read: 1 Samuel 15:22-23

• Why do you think obedience is more important than sacrifice to God?

Read: 1 Samuel 15:24-31

• Even when he acknowledged his sin, Saul was more concerned about how the people viewed him than how God viewed him. Are we more concerned about our reputation with people than we are our reputation with God?

Prayer: Ask God to give you a heart for obeying Him.