Opening Question: Do you want to live forever? Why or why not?
Read the following verses from the Bible:
Deuteronomy 33:27 - God lives forever! You can run to Him for safety. His powerful arms are always there to carry you.
Psalm 90:2 - Before You created the world and the mountains were made, from the beginning to the end You are God.
Jeremiah 31:3 - The Lord appeared to us in the past. He said, "I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. I have kept on loving you with faithful love."
Daniel 12:2 - Huge numbers of people who lie dead in their graves will wake up. Some will rise up to life that will never end. Others will rise up to shame that will never end.
Matthew 7:13,14 - Enter God's kingdom through the narrow gate. The gate is large and the road is wide that lead to death and hell. Many people go that way. But the gate is small and the road is narrow that lead to life. Only a few people find it.
John 14:6 - Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
John 3:16 - God loved the world so much that he gave His one and only Son. Anyone who believes in Him will not die but will have eternal life.
Discuss the following questions:
1) What do the verses above tell us about who God is and what He is like?
2) Do you have a question about any of these verses?
3) Which verse do you like the most, and why?
4) Which verse makes you feel uncomfortable, and why?
5) According to these verses, how can we live forever?
6) Do you believe you will live forever? Please explain.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Who is God and what is He like? Part 2
Opening Question: How would you feel if everyone could read your mind all the time?
Read Psalm 139:13-18 out loud as a group, and then again silently:
You created the deepest parts of my being. You put me together inside my mother's body. How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well. None of my bones was hidden from you
when you made me inside my mother's body. That place was as dark as the deepest parts of the earth. When you were putting me together there, your eyes saw my body even before it was formed. You planned how many days I would live. You wrote down the number of them in your book before I had lived through even one of them. God, your thoughts about me are priceless. No one can possibly add them all up. If I could count them, they would be more than the grains of sand. If I were to fall asleep counting and then wake up, you would still be there with me.
Discuss the following questions:
1. Do you believe God created our bodies, or that they might have evolved from monkeys a long time ago, or both? Explain.
2. If God created our bodies, what does that tell us about what God is like?
3. What does the verses above say about people?
4. What do these verses say about unborn babies, and when their lives begin?
5. What are some ways we can apply Psalm 139:13-18 to our lives and the lives of others?
Read Psalm 139:13-18 out loud as a group, and then again silently:
You created the deepest parts of my being. You put me together inside my mother's body. How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well. None of my bones was hidden from you
when you made me inside my mother's body. That place was as dark as the deepest parts of the earth. When you were putting me together there, your eyes saw my body even before it was formed. You planned how many days I would live. You wrote down the number of them in your book before I had lived through even one of them. God, your thoughts about me are priceless. No one can possibly add them all up. If I could count them, they would be more than the grains of sand. If I were to fall asleep counting and then wake up, you would still be there with me.
Discuss the following questions:
1. Do you believe God created our bodies, or that they might have evolved from monkeys a long time ago, or both? Explain.
2. If God created our bodies, what does that tell us about what God is like?
3. What does the verses above say about people?
4. What do these verses say about unborn babies, and when their lives begin?
5. What are some ways we can apply Psalm 139:13-18 to our lives and the lives of others?
Friday, January 16, 2009
Who is God and what is He like? Part 1
Opening Question: If you could ask God a question, what would you ask?
Read the following verses from Psalm 139:1-12 a couple times:
Lord, you have seen what is in my heart. You know all about me. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know what I’m thinking even though you are far away. You know when I go out to work and when I come back home. You know exactly how I live. Lord, even before I speak a word, you know all about it. You are all around me. You are behind me and in front of me. You hold me in your power. I’m amazed at how well you know me. It’s more than I can understand. How can I get away from your Spirit? Where can I go to escape from you? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I lie down in the deepest parts of the earth, you are also there. Supposed I were to rise with the sun in the east and then cross over to the west where it sinks into the ocean. Your hand would always be there to guide me. Your right hand would still be holding me close. Suppose I were to say, “I’m sure the darkness will hide me. The light around me will become as dark as night.” Even that darkness is like light to you. The night would shine like the day, because darkness is like light to you.
Discussion Questions:
1. What do people in your culture think about the idea of God?
2. According to the verses we just read, what are some things we can we learn about God?
3. Which of the verses do you like the most, and why?
4. Do any of the descriptions of God sound kind of scary or hard to understand?
5. Do you think God is someone we can put our trust in? If so, please explain.
6. Can you think of a situation in life where this information about God might
be helpful?
Read the following verses from Psalm 139:1-12 a couple times:
Lord, you have seen what is in my heart. You know all about me. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know what I’m thinking even though you are far away. You know when I go out to work and when I come back home. You know exactly how I live. Lord, even before I speak a word, you know all about it. You are all around me. You are behind me and in front of me. You hold me in your power. I’m amazed at how well you know me. It’s more than I can understand. How can I get away from your Spirit? Where can I go to escape from you? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I lie down in the deepest parts of the earth, you are also there. Supposed I were to rise with the sun in the east and then cross over to the west where it sinks into the ocean. Your hand would always be there to guide me. Your right hand would still be holding me close. Suppose I were to say, “I’m sure the darkness will hide me. The light around me will become as dark as night.” Even that darkness is like light to you. The night would shine like the day, because darkness is like light to you.
Discussion Questions:
1. What do people in your culture think about the idea of God?
2. According to the verses we just read, what are some things we can we learn about God?
3. Which of the verses do you like the most, and why?
4. Do any of the descriptions of God sound kind of scary or hard to understand?
5. Do you think God is someone we can put our trust in? If so, please explain.
6. Can you think of a situation in life where this information about God might
be helpful?
Friday, January 9, 2009
Friday, January 9th
Opening Question: How was your first week of classes, or your first week on the job in 2009?
Q 2: Discuss these basic questions:
Who am I?
Why am I here?
Where did I come from?
Where am I going?
Q 3: Let’s read what the Bible says about these these basic questions:
Acts 14:15-17
15 God made the heavens and the earth and the sea. He made everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 But he has given proof of what he is like. He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven. He gives you crops in their seasons. He provides you with plenty of food. He fills your hearts with joy."
Acts 17:24-31
24 God made the world. He made everything in it. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn't live in temples built by hands. 25 He is not served by human hands. He doesn't need anything. He himself gives life and breath to all people. He also gives them everything else they have. 26 From one man he made all the people of the world. Now they live all over the earth. He decided exactly when they should live. And he decided exactly where they should live. 27 God did this so that people would seek him. Then perhaps they would reach out for him and find him. They would find him even though he is not far from any of us. 28 “In him we live and move and exist.” As some of your own poets have also said, “We are his children.” 29 Yes, we are God's children. So we shouldn't think that God is made out of gold or silver or stone. He isn't a statue planned and made by clever people. 30 In the past, God didn't judge people for what they didn't know. But now he commands all people everywhere to turn away from their sins. 31 He has set a day when he will judge the world fairly. He has appointed a man to be its judge. God has proved this to all people by raising that man from the dead.
Q 4: According to the Bible, what are some answers to the questions we asked at the top of the page?
Q 2: Discuss these basic questions:
Who am I?
Why am I here?
Where did I come from?
Where am I going?
Q 3: Let’s read what the Bible says about these these basic questions:
Acts 14:15-17
15 God made the heavens and the earth and the sea. He made everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 But he has given proof of what he is like. He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven. He gives you crops in their seasons. He provides you with plenty of food. He fills your hearts with joy."
Acts 17:24-31
24 God made the world. He made everything in it. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn't live in temples built by hands. 25 He is not served by human hands. He doesn't need anything. He himself gives life and breath to all people. He also gives them everything else they have. 26 From one man he made all the people of the world. Now they live all over the earth. He decided exactly when they should live. And he decided exactly where they should live. 27 God did this so that people would seek him. Then perhaps they would reach out for him and find him. They would find him even though he is not far from any of us. 28 “In him we live and move and exist.” As some of your own poets have also said, “We are his children.” 29 Yes, we are God's children. So we shouldn't think that God is made out of gold or silver or stone. He isn't a statue planned and made by clever people. 30 In the past, God didn't judge people for what they didn't know. But now he commands all people everywhere to turn away from their sins. 31 He has set a day when he will judge the world fairly. He has appointed a man to be its judge. God has proved this to all people by raising that man from the dead.
Q 4: According to the Bible, what are some answers to the questions we asked at the top of the page?
Friday, January 2, 2009
Friday, January 2nd
Discussion Questions:
1. What was one of the best things that happened in 2008? One of the worst?
2. Let’s see what the Bible says about the future:
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city. We will spend a year there. We will buy and sell and make money.’ You don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is a mist that appears for a little while. Then it disappears. Instead, you should say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you are proud. You brag about it. That kind of bragging is evil.” (James 4:13-16)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways remember him. Then he will make your paths smooth and straight.” (Proverbs 3:5,6)
What’s wrong with making future plans or using on our own understanding?
3. Is there an area in your life that you would like to see changed in 2009?
4. What should be our source of strength for making changes in our lives, according to the following verse in Philippians 4:13?
“I can do everything by the power of Christ. He gives me strength.”
5. How can we experience this “power of Christ” in 2009?
1. What was one of the best things that happened in 2008? One of the worst?
2. Let’s see what the Bible says about the future:
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city. We will spend a year there. We will buy and sell and make money.’ You don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is a mist that appears for a little while. Then it disappears. Instead, you should say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you are proud. You brag about it. That kind of bragging is evil.” (James 4:13-16)
and
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways remember him. Then he will make your paths smooth and straight.” (Proverbs 3:5,6)
What’s wrong with making future plans or using on our own understanding?
3. Is there an area in your life that you would like to see changed in 2009?
4. What should be our source of strength for making changes in our lives, according to the following verse in Philippians 4:13?
“I can do everything by the power of Christ. He gives me strength.”
5. How can we experience this “power of Christ” in 2009?
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