1. How has your mother been a protector for you (share a story if you can)? How has your mother kept you from doing wrong?
2. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8.
3. What stands out to you in this passage? Why?
4. What is lawlessness? What is the mystery of lawlessness? How is it already at work in family life? In school? At work?
5. How do you think lawlessness is being restrained? Is the church used to restrain lawlessness? If so, how?
6. Pastor Bill told a story about his mother in which she ended a conversation with him by saying, “Bill, I have won many battles.” Have someone retell this story. What did she mean? How does this story encourage/challenge you?
7. Pray for various institutions in our city (schools, government, marriage, etc.). Pray that evil would be restrained and that God’s kingdom would come in these institutions.
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
Monday, 5 May 2014
Missions Week - Week 2
1. What are some popular “life missions” that people today might have (i.e. What do people live for today?)? How well do these missions fit with the Great Commission?
2. Read Acts 1:3-8.
3. What are some of the key ideas in this passage?
4. What comes to mind when you hear: “The whole church taking the whole Gospel to the whole world”?
5. The Alliance is being challenged to be: Christ-Centred. Spirit-Empowered. Mission-Focussed. What do each of these expressions mean? What practical impact might they have on our lives?
6. The Global Mission Purpose Statement of the Christian and Missionary Alliance is: “To glorify God by developing indigenous movements of reproducing churches among least reached people groups.” What ideas stand out to you from this statement? What can you do to further this mission? What can your small group do?
7. What has God been saying to you this week at our mission conference?
8. Pray around this denominational prayer as you close: “O God, with all our hearts we long to be a movement of churches transformed by Christ, transforming Canada and the world.”
2. Read Acts 1:3-8.
3. What are some of the key ideas in this passage?
4. What comes to mind when you hear: “The whole church taking the whole Gospel to the whole world”?
5. The Alliance is being challenged to be: Christ-Centred. Spirit-Empowered. Mission-Focussed. What do each of these expressions mean? What practical impact might they have on our lives?
6. The Global Mission Purpose Statement of the Christian and Missionary Alliance is: “To glorify God by developing indigenous movements of reproducing churches among least reached people groups.” What ideas stand out to you from this statement? What can you do to further this mission? What can your small group do?
7. What has God been saying to you this week at our mission conference?
8. Pray around this denominational prayer as you close: “O God, with all our hearts we long to be a movement of churches transformed by Christ, transforming Canada and the world.”
Sunday, 27 April 2014
Missions Week - Doing Justice: A Reflection of God's Love
Message By: Joanne Beach - Justice and Compassion
For more information about Justice and Compassion. http://justiceandcompassion.com/
(*note: Recording had some technical issues)
Small Group Questions:
1. Describe an injustice you witnessed or experienced which stirred your emotions. What did you do about this injustice?
2. Read Ezekiel 16:49-50 and Isaiah 58. What do these passages teach you about the heart of God?
3. What is justice? What is compassion? Should the church work for justice and compassion? Why or why not?
4. What is one story or statistic which Joanne Beach shared that stands out for you? Why does it stand out for you?
5. How do you see compassion in the life of Jesus?
6. Look through the Alliance Justice and Compassion catalogue
(if you don’t have one, you can find it online at http://issuu.com/revealed/docs/ajc-giftcatalogue-2013-2014?e=1308445/4511649).
As a cell group pray for some of the ministries in the catalogue. Do any of them stand out as something God wants you to get involved in?
Monday, 21 April 2014
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
Transformative Prayer - For Revival
Psalm 85:6
Scripture teaches us to pray for revival, as in this verse. Why is that important?
What happens to God's people that they need to be revived? How is Christ's visit to the temple on Palm Sunday (Luke 19) a picture of this?
From this verse, what is the byproduct of a revived people? How does that help us to know whether or not we need to be revived?
It is true that revival is a sovereign work of God; He does it in His time and His way. However it is also true that there are things we can do to welcome and invite God's revival; that we can have revival now. What are those things that we can do now to become revived, from verses 6-9 of this psalm?
From the J. Edwin Orr article on prayer and revival, what stands out to you? What do you learn from this article about the nature and the prerequisites of revival?
Close in prayer; praying this prayer - for you, for us. A deeply transformative prayer.
Sunday, 6 April 2014
Sunday April 6th
1. Have you or someone you know ever experienced divine healing? If so, share this experience with the group.
2. Share some of the stories of healing you know of in the Bible (look some up if you need to). What do these stories make you think? What do they make you feel?
3. Read James 5:13-18.
4. What is one thing that stands out to you in this passage?
5. When should we call the elders to pray? What do you learn about faith in this passage? What do you learn about confession? What do you learn about elders?
6. What does it make you think, to know that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours?
7. What questions do you have about divine healing? What insights can other group members give you about these questions?
8. If God heals, should we still go to doctors? Why or why not?
9. What keeps us from following the instructions in this passage?
10. Where do you need healing in your life right now? Are there any areas of your life where you are grieving God (if appropriate, feel free to share these with your group)?
2. Share some of the stories of healing you know of in the Bible (look some up if you need to). What do these stories make you think? What do they make you feel?
3. Read James 5:13-18.
4. What is one thing that stands out to you in this passage?
5. When should we call the elders to pray? What do you learn about faith in this passage? What do you learn about confession? What do you learn about elders?
6. What does it make you think, to know that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours?
7. What questions do you have about divine healing? What insights can other group members give you about these questions?
8. If God heals, should we still go to doctors? Why or why not?
9. What keeps us from following the instructions in this passage?
10. Where do you need healing in your life right now? Are there any areas of your life where you are grieving God (if appropriate, feel free to share these with your group)?
Sunday, 30 March 2014
Transformative Prayer - Missional Prayer
1. Have you ever been locked out of your house? Share this story. How did you get back in? Where were your keys?
2. What is a key? What does a key do? What does a key represent? What are the benefits of having a key? What does it mean if you don’t have a key?
3. Pastor Bill shared two keys in relation to prayer: 1. Prayer in the name of Christ and 2. Prayer in the Spirit.
4. Read John 14:12-14.
5. What does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? Discuss some of the points that Pastor Bill made. [To not pray in our own name; Only the fingerprint/handprint of Christ opens the door to answered prayer; The credit card of prayer has Christ’s name on it; We must be in Christ and love Him; Christ is our means of access; We can pray with confidence even in the midst of accusations by the enemy]
6. Read Ephesians 6:10-20 (18a) and Jude 20.
7. What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? Discuss some of the points that Pastor Bill made. [Not limited to praying in tongues; Dependent upon the Spirit; Slow down and listen to the Spirit; Need His strength to pray and protection while we pray; God wants to make our prayers like bullets (clarity)].
8. What do you think God wants you to do as a result of hearing this message and participating in this small group?
9. Have everyone in the group share the name of one person who needs to believe in Christ. End your time to together with missional prayer for these individuals.
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