GCF Hays

Life Group Questions 

1. The message talked about three responses to God's call; running, reluctant obedience, and full surrender. Which one do you relate to most right now, and why?

2. Can you think of a time when you knew God was prompting you to do something, but you delayed or avoided it? What was going on in your heart at the time?

3. The message made a distinction between outward obedience and heart obedience: doing the thing but resenting it the whole time. How do you even recognize that in yourself, and what do you think it takes to close that gap?

4. The Ninevites responded to God with immediate, total surrender, while Jonah, the seasoned prophet, dragged his feet. What do you think makes someone more or less likely to surrender fully when God speaks?

5. The book of Jonah ends without telling us if Jonah's heart ever changed, and the message said that silence is intentional; the question gets passed to us. So honestly, is there something right now that God has been asking of you that you've been running from or grumbling through?

Life Group Questions 

1. Acts 2:42 shows the early church devoted themselves to fellowship.
What do you think real biblical fellowship looks like today compared to how most people interact with others?

2. Pastor Rob said “Christianity is not a solo sport.”
Who are the “gym partners” God has placed in your life to help you grow spiritually?

3. Jesus taught us to love our neighbor—even difficult people.
Why do you think loving difficult people is so important for real fellowship?

4. James 5:16 talks about confessing and praying for one another.
Why do you think vulnerability is often the hardest part of fellowship?

5. What is one practical step you can take this week to strengthen fellowship with someone (call them, invite them to lunch, join a group, open up about something)?

Life Group Questions 

1. After 3 days in the “cardio area” of the Spiritual Gym, what has God revealed to you? What stirred your heart, and what needs to change?

2. What was the most convicting aspect of this teaching for you? Was it related to something you are currently doing or something you tend to avoid?

3. Before this teaching, where were you serving?

4. Now that you know you’re called to serve, where will you step in? What’s one action you’ll take this week?

Life Group Questions 

1.    What was the single hardest thing you heard in the teaching? Are you willing to obey it anyway?

2.    Which day of the week is your Sabbath? What do you do to protect it? If your answer is that you don’t have one or that you don’t protect it, what are you going to do about that?

3.    Three problems were named for why we don’t rest: too driven (can't stop), too busy (won't stop), and wrong rest (escaping instead of restoring). Which one is yours? Explain.

4.    The teaching on commerce was provocative — no shopping, no restaurants, no gym, no transactions. What was your gut reaction? Has it changed? What's one transaction you could realistically eliminate this Sunday?

5.    The Sabbath robe has four threads: Stop, Rest, Gather, Delight. What stood out to you about any of these?

Life Group Questions 

1. Where do you see noise, hurry, and busyness hiding things in your heart right now, and what might God want to comb through in your life if you actually slowed down long enough to let Him?

2. Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray (Luke 5:16). What usually keeps you from doing the same: distractions, feeling unproductive, guilt about resting, fear of being alone with your thoughts, or something else?

3. Have you ever experienced God’s “still small voice” in a quiet moment with Him? How was that different from trying to hear God in the midst of busyness, pressure, or emotional moments?

4. What habits, attitudes, or pressures do you think might be shaping you right now without you realizing it because of constant noise, hurry, and interaction with people and responsibilities?

5. In the Spiritual Gym, solitude is one of the workout stations, so what would “working out solitude” realistically look like for you this week in real life (when, where, and for how long will you actually get alone with God)?

Life Group Questions 

1. Jesus says in John 4:24 that true worshipers worship the Father "in spirit and in truth." Can you think of a time when your worship felt real and Spirit-led—not just routine? Can you also think of a time it felt more like effort or habit? What helped you notice the difference?

2. In personal and during corporate worship, what distractions do you struggle with that interrupt your worship of God?

3. What does your personal worship time look like? If you do not currently have a personal worship time, do you plan to establish one?

4. Matthew 5:23–24 teaches us to be unified with our brothers and sisters in Christ before we make an offering to God. Can you share about a time you experienced offense with a brother or sister in your church family, how that affected your worship — and, thinking back to Pastor Ryan's teaching on relationship principles, have you taken any steps to restore that relationship?

5. What has God revealed to you this week that needs to change about your worship? (personal, corporate, or in your daily life)

Life Group Questions 

1. Are you treating God's Word more like a real gym (to get strong) or a spa (for comfort)? Why?

2. Which "exercise" in the word of God do you neglect most, hearing, reading, studying, or meditating, and what's one reason you avoid it?

3. Who are the main voices shaping you right now (podcasts, social, news, preachers), and how do you test them against Scripture?

4. What's one verse you've rushed past that you need to slow down and "chew on" this week?

5. If the Word truly "dwelt richly" in you, what area of your life would change first: marriage, parenting, habits, or thought life?

Life Group Questions 

1. When you pray, how much of it is about what you need versus praying for other people? What makes it hard to pray more for others?

2. If someone looked at your calendar this week, what would they say you're most devoted to? Where does prayer actually fit in?

3. The idea of "praying continually" sounds overwhelming, but the sermon describes it as just recognizing God throughout your day—talking to Him, thanking Him for green lights, that kind of thing. What would that actually look like in your everyday routine? What gets in the way?

4. Prayer should be 80% listening and only 20% talking. Does that feel backwards to you? How comfortable are you with just being quiet and listening when you pray?

5. The real battle isn't on the battlefield—it's on the hillside in prayer. Think about something you're struggling with right now. Are you mostly trying to fix it yourself, or are you really fighting it through prayer? What would change if you shifted your approach?

Life Group Questions 

1. What comes to your mind when you hear the word fasting: excitement, confusion, fear, or resistance? Why?

2. Have you ever fasted before? If so, what was that experience like for you? If not, what has held you back?

3. Why do you think fasting is such a difficult discipline for many believers today?

4. Which biblical purpose of fasting connects most with your current season of life, and why?

(Prayer • Deliverance • Repentance • Victory over temptation • Love & worship)

5. What do you hope fasting might produce in your relationship with God, not just during the fast, but after it?

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