Reflection/Discussion Questions
1. Who (or what) are some of the voices in your life that cause a sense of shame, fear, or condemnation?

2. How does the fact that you have been declared "not guilty" by God Himself help to silence these voices?

3.How do we discern between a voice of conviction/challenge versus a voice of condemnation?

Reflection/Discussion Questions

We ALL struggle with our native language of shame, fear, pride, performance-based acceptance, critical attitude toward others, etc.  Which of these emotions and thought patterns do you struggle with the most?

How does the Gospel address this particular area of struggle?

Which of the Five Gospel Declarations stands out to you the most and why?

Take some time to pray Ephesians 1:16-20 over one another.  Pray too that you will become more "fluent" in the Gospel, and specifically these five declarations.

Reflection/Discussion Questions

Read Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:14-21 again. In what ways do you sense you need Jesus the Anointed One to minister directly to you by His Spirit?

Take time to pray through Isaiah 61:1-3 asking Jesus to minister to you personally.

Reflection/Discussion Questions

Read Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:14-21 again. In what ways do you sense you need Jesus the Anointed One to minister directly to you by His Spirit?

Take time to pray through Isaiah 61:1-3 asking Jesus to minister to you personally.

Personal Reflection/Discussion Questions
1. What do you “crave” for emotionally and spiritually?
2. In what ways do you seek to satisfy these longings? Don’t be afraid to be honest with yourself and others in answering this question as we are all broken in our appetites and pursuits.
3. What do you need to “detox” from?
4. In what ways can you intentionally pursue a deeper understanding of the “pure milk” of Gospel?
5. Ask the Lord to stir up a deep “craving” for the pure milk of the Gospel.

PERSONAL REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Peter stated that “the end of all things is near”. Why do you think God led him by the Holy Spirit to write these words thousands of years ago?

Peter then stated that in light of the end being near we should pray, love each other deeply and be hospitable to one another. Of all the things he could have said, why do you think he mentioned these three first?

Peter finally exhorted the church to serve one another in the spiritual gift God had given them—faithfully (vs 10) and in the power of the Spirit (vs 11). Consider the following questions:

• Do you know what your spiritual gift is? If not, what practical steps could you take to begin to discover this? (see the “How May I Discover My Spiritual Gift” suggestions above).

• Are you faithfully using your spiritual gift right now? If not, why not? And if not, what steps might you take to begin doing so?

• Do you have a sense that when you are serving in your spiritual gift that you are doing this for God or God is doing this through you? Make a commitment to ask the Lord to fill you with His Holy Spirit each time you serve.

Personal Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. What are the things that are causing you to lose courage right now in this thing called “Life”?

2. According to Hebrews 3 and 10, what is the danger of losing courage?

3. In what ways do you feel Christians are being more “harmful” than “helpful” with their words, actions, or attitudes at times?

4. In what ways do you feel most encouraged by others?

5. What would it look like for you to come up with a “My Daily Encouragement Plan”? Take some time and be specific.

Discussion Questions
1. Think again about the concept of proslambano described in the message. How might this picture of moving excitedly toward one another in order to welcome or greet them impact the way you engage with other believers the next time you see them or come to a worship service?

2. Why is it so hard to “accept” other believers sometimes?

3. Pastor Jim suggested that we are a highly “offendable” society right now. In what ways do you think this may be true? Give examples.

4. How does the concept of “bearing with” one another impact how quickly we allow ourselves to become offended, turn off, or turn away?

5. Is there anyone that you need to extend forgiveness toward in your heart?

NOTE: Sometimes it would be inappropriate to forgive someone privately, but it may need to be confronted. Seek counsel from Matthew 18 and godly mentors in this case.

6. What do you find yourself quick to judge other believers on?

Reflection/Discussion Questions

1.) Take some time to discuss what superficial love vs deep love looks like between believers.

2.) Take some time to PRAY that the Holy Spirit would move in our hearts as a congregation to truly love another deeply.

Reflection/Discussion Questions

1.) Review the four synonymous phrases for the Gospel found in vs. 22, 23, and 25. What light does each phrase shine on the Gospel? What are some other New Testament Gospel phrases? (e.g. Acts 5:20; Philippians 2:16, 2 Timothy 2:8; etc.). How do those phrases help us understand the Gospel?

2.) Review the definition of the Gospel below. How does it give you hope? When you explain the Gospel to others, what do you say that is not included in the definition below?
Fundamentally, the Gospel is the proclamation of who Jesus
is, what He has done, and what that means for us.

It’s the message that Jesus is the victorious and rightful King who has
introduced peace into this broken world, through his incarnation, sinless life,
death, resurrection, ascension, and return. He is the victor over sin and death
and He welcomes us to experience, by faith, new life as part of his royal family.


3.) From your experience, when you depend on something(one) other than Jesus to bring peace to your broken world, how does that lack of faith in the Gospel hinder sincere love?

4.) From your experience, have you seen a connection between the strength of your hope and the strength of your love? Tell a story of a time when your strong hope in Jesus enabled genuine, sincere, costly love.