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May 17
May 17, 2015Deuteronomy 31:1-8 A Message of Hope
1. What is the difference between hope that is wishful thinking and Biblical hope?
2. It was noted in the message that hope is hindered by fear. What are your fears for the future How does hope play an important role in dealing with those fears?
3. Where are you drawing hope from? (education, people, government, resources)
4. As Christians, if we have strong and courageous hope, how can it affect our lives? Refer to Romans 5:1-5
5. Deuteronomy 31:2 has Moses telling the people that he will not cross the Jordan with them into the promised land. At some point each of us will face the reality that we will not go on 'conquer' the next great hurdle in life, it will be the responsibility of another generation. This highlights the importance of investing in the next generation (no matter our season of life). How are you investing in younger generations? What can you do to train up a younger leader?
6.As the students told their stories of hope, what was encouraging to you? Have you written down your stories of hope and God's faithfulness? How might your stories of hope be beneficial to you and others?
Journey Group discussion questions - Why trust a church full of hypocrites?
Discussion Questions for Week 4- Why trust a church that is full of hypocrites?
Here is a link to this discussion guide: JG Discussion Questions - Christian Hypocrisy
1- “We have an image problem” states Pastor Mark. He listed some statistics about non-churched people and their attitudes. Which of the following issues do you think our church actually has the biggest struggle with? Boring (68%) Insensitive (70%) Too Political (75%) Hypocritical (85%) Judgmental (87%) Anti-homosexual (92%)
2- Do you believe that Homosexuality is being promoted in our culture like never before? Why? What do you think of the image the media portrays of how the church responds to homosexuality?
3- Concentric circles of commitment – diagram representing the church and those involved with it.
a) What do you think about Christ Community? Are we the kind of church that has enough space for “the crowd” to come? Do you think we’re friendly and welcoming of broken people?
b) Why should we always be a church that welcomes “hypocrites”? What will some of the results be if we really take that seriously?
c) “The good news is that you’re invited to follow Jesus – not the guy sitting next to you at church.” How can we become the kind of church that calls people to follow Jesus instead of pressuring people to conform to church culture?
4- Simon and the Parable of the forgiven sinner. Luke 7:37-50 The one who is forgiven much will love much!
a) Simon is convicted without be alienated. Jesus wins both the sinful woman and opens Simon’s eyes to the true nature of sin. How can God’s people today get more honest about sin and forgiveness?
b)What would happen if Christ Community people could learn this lesson of love and forgiveness? What would it look like for your love for others to flow from the forgiveness God gives you?
c) Why is it hard for people in the church to admit our needs for grace and forgiveness?
5- How can we get better at asking others to join in the crowd of those willing to gather around Jesus? Who do you know that you could invite to be a part of your Journey Group or come to Christ Community on a weekend?
6- “A student is not above his master. If they persecuted me, they will do the same thing to you.” What forms of persecution should we naturally anticipate if we are going to follow Jesus?
Practical Tips Mark closed his message with:
1- Come be a part of the crowd wanting to get connected to Jesus, don’t let imperfect people stop you. Don’t let your own sin stop you.
2- Get connected in friendships – don’t just try to project your beliefs on others without reaching out in love.
3- Strive for unity in Jesus – don’t major on small things.
4- Lead change with what you do, not just with what you say.
Question and Answer with Pastor Mark
- I’ve decided to follow Jesus and change my life. Now what?
- How do Mormonism and Scientology stack up with the other religions you talked about last week?
- I find myself questioning my sexuality. Is that a sin?
- If Satan is not omnipresent, how can he attack each person in a personal way?
- What evidence is there that heaven exists?
Journey Group Leader Questions - World Religions April 26th
Here are a few questions to help your group process Pastor Marks message from this morning. There are probably more than you'll actually need - feel free to be selective. Thanks to Steve, Bill, Kim, Diane for sending me suggestions. What a great topic! Feel free to connect with Pastor Mark or myself with questions your group members come up with. This is a great topic!
Here's a link to a PDF of the questions below:
JG Discussion Questions - World Religions
Thanks so much!
Tim Perry - timp@cccomaha.org
Discussion Questions
1) What did you think of Pastor Mark’s example of taking an entire year to research just one major world religion? Have you ever personally done research on Jesus and other religions or do you tend to believe what you are told?
2) Today’s message compared Christianity to Buddhism, Confusion and Islam. Which faith system were you most familiar with? Least familiar with? What did Pastor Mark’s comparative approach help you discover?
3) What is the consensus in your group about which religious community (other than Christianity) is the most numerous and visible in our town? What could your group do to reach out to and learn about them?
4) If Christianity were so obviously superior to all the other religions, why are there still so many followers of Buddhism or Islam? Why do so many non-Christian faiths continue to grow in numbers?
5) Pastor Mark talked about miracles as a way of comparing religions. Why can’t Christianity’s miracles be swept under the same rug as all the miraculous claims of all the other religions?
6) How can Christians claim more validity for their scriptures than the Muslims – aren’t they both products of special divine revelation that can’t really be proven?
7) Buddhists have interesting ideas about the relationship between desires and suffering in our world. In what ways do Christianity and Buddhism agree on this? In what ways to they sharply disagree? Have you ever met a Buddhist? What is one thing you’ve observed about his/her way of life?
8) Which aspects of Christianity do your non-believing friends have the greatest struggle with? How did today’s message help you see that?
9) In summary, Pastor Mark compared these four faiths on the basis of their founders, their central teachings, their morality, the claims of their founding figures, their validating miracles and their deaths. Based on these categories, what makes Christianity utterly unique?
10) As a group, brainstorm a list of ways you can continue learning about world religions that are present in our city? Challenge each member to take action on one simple idea (reading a book on Buddhism or taking an international friend to lunch and asking about their faith, etc). Think about one idea or cultural event your group could explore – put it on the calendar and make it happen! Process the learning together.
11) Have people share about a friend from another faith and any related prayer requests. Pray as a group for opportunities to share the Good News!
Evidence April 12
Download PDF Dr. Frank Turek
1. Dr. Turek stressed that Science doesn’t say anything, scientists do. "To say that a scientist can disprove the existence of God is like saying a mechanic can disprove the existence of Henry Ford. While there is certainly evidence from science to support theism, the most important point is that theism supports science. Theism makes doing science possible."
Have you ever considered this? How does this reframe your approach when talking with atheists?
2. Our worldview determines how we interpret the evidence in science. Atheist’s materialistic worldview philosophically rules out an intelligent designer in advance. The deck is stacked against a Designer and toward Darwin. How is this knowledge helpful when talking with atheists? How can you approach Biblical truth with people that have a materialistic mindset?
3. Modern science got its start by Christians who, as astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) put it, were studying how nature worked in order to understand "God’s thoughts after Him." The founders and early pioneers of modern science could rely on the regularity and consistency of natural laws because they believed in a Law Giver. Dr. Turek explained that Empirical Science studies how things operate while Forensic Science studies how things originate. Does understanding this distinction help you have a better framework to debate from?
4. Why do you think people want to discredit God for creation? What scriptures do you know that support your belief in intelligent design?
5. How do you know if you are dealing with a heart or head argument?
6. What one thing will you do as a result of what you learned from Dr. Turek? Will you be bold enough to use his social media tools to let your friends know the truth?