Lakeside Church

What if the Christmas story isn’t as peaceful as we’ve made it, but actually a cosmic battle between good and evil? In this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore Revelation 12 and uncover a second perspective of Christmas. While a baby is born on earth, a cosmic battle unfolds in the heavens. This message challenges how we see God, suffering, and the deeper reality behind our world, and reminds us of the hope that holds it all together: God wins.

Discussion Questions:

1. When you think of the Christmas story, what images or emotions come to mind, and how does Revelation 12 challenge or expand that?

2. Why do you think we prefer the peaceful version of Christmas over a more cosmic, conflict-filled one?

3. The message suggests there’s more happening “behind the scenes” in our world—how do you respond to that idea?

4. What are some modern-day masks of evil that might appear good or noble at first glance?

5. How can we learn to discern the “signature of evil” versus the character of God revealed in Jesus?

6. If Jesus shows us what God is like, how does the image of the “slaughtered lamb” reshape our understanding of power?

7. Why is it important that God wins not through force, but through sacrifice and the cross?

8. How have you personally wrestled with the reality of evil or suffering in your life or the world?

9. What does it practically look like to “conquer evil by being the body of Christ” in everyday life?

10. John’s message is essentially “hold on; God wins.” How do you hold onto hope when evil feels like it’s everywhere? What helps you hold onto hope when life feels overwhelming? What does hope actually look like in those moments?

Resources:

BOOKS:

Bauckham, Richard, The Theology of the Book of Revelation

Duncan, Jeremy, Upside Down Apocalypse

Gorman, Michael, Reading Revelation Responsibly

McKnight, Scot, Revelation for the Rest of Us

Peterson, Eugene, Reversed Thunder

Sprinkle, Preston, Exiles

Whitaker, Robyn, Revelation for Normal People

Wood, Shane, Thinning the Veil

Zahnd, Brian, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God

Zahnd, Brian, The Wood Between the Worlds

PODCASTS & LECTURES

Boyd, Greg, Woodland Hills Church sermon series beginning 2023 09 17

Whitaker, Robyn, Bible for Normal People podcast, Ep 259

Witherington, Ben III, Seven Minute Seminary series, Youtube

Wood, Shane, Ozark Christian College Lectures https://www.shanejwood.com/the-book-of-revelation/

Wright, N. T., Youtube Lectures

In this message from Robyn Elliott, we unpack the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and ask whether they actually represent the judgment of God, or the destructive consequences of human empire, violence, greed, and conquest. Revelation’s disturbing imagery doesn’t reveal a bloodthirsty God, but exposes the systems that destroy humanity while pointing us back to Jesus, the slaughtered lamb who rules through self-giving love.

Discussion Questions:

1. The Book of Revelation is ultimately about the revelation of Jesus. How does that shift the way you approach the difficult or violent imagery you see throughout the book?

2. Before this message, what did you think the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse represented, and how has that understanding been challenged or expanded?

3. The white horse symbolizes conquest and the endless pursuit of power, the black horse symbolizes economic injustice and systems that crush the vulnerable, and the pale horse symbolizes the death and destruction that follow human violence. Where do you see these realities showing up in our world -  or even in everyday life - and why do you think humanity keeps repeating these patterns?

4. The second horseman exposes the lie that violence can create peace. Do you agree? Why or why not?

5. Revelation repeatedly contrasts appearances with reality -  what John hears versus what he sees. Where do you see that same tension in your own life or culture today?

6. Robyn said, “The cross is the way God rules and the way God wins.” What does that statement challenge about the way humans normally think about power?

7. If someone’s image of God is primarily angry, punitive, or violent, how might that affect the way they read Scripture, treat people, or understand themselves?

8. This message suggests the judgments in Revelation are less about God inflicting pain and more about humanity experiencing the consequences of its own systems and violence. What do you think about that interpretation?

9. After hearing this message, what part of your understanding of God, power, or judgment feels most challenged or rethought?

Communion is more than a ritual - it’s an invitation into participation with Jesus and with one another. In this message from Johanna Kelly, we explore Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10 and discover how the table reshapes our loves, reorients our priorities, and reminds us that we are one body sustained by one source.

Discussion Questions:

1. Think of a meal or table moment you remember deeply. What made it memorable and meaningful? Was it the people, the atmosphere, the conversations, the feeling of being together?

2. Paul says we are one body sharing one loaf. Why is unity such an important part of communion?

3. The Table becomes the place where our love is reordered, our priorities are reshaped, our hearts are formed, and our lives are re-centred on Jesus. Why does this matter so much when we talk about communion being a shared experience?

4. In what ways can communion become routine instead of transformational?

5. Are God’s priorities becoming your priorities? Where do you see growth in that? Where is it challenging?

6. Where might God be inviting you to pour yourself out in love for someone else right now?

Revelation doesn’t give us the God we expect - it confronts and reshapes our understanding of power, victory, and what it truly means for Jesus to reign. In this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore the shocking moment when John hears about a conquering lion but turns and sees a slaughtered lamb, revealing that God’s power looks nothing like the empires and systems we trust in. The cross isn’t just how Jesus saves; it’s how Jesus rules.

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever expected one thing and gotten something completely different - like thinking you were drinking Coke but it turned out to be Root Beer? How does that experience help frame the message of Revelation?

2. Why do you think Revelation uses strange, symbolic, and apocalyptic imagery instead of straightforward language?

3. What stood out to you most about the image of the lion turning out to be a slaughtered lamb?

4. Robyn suggested that power isn’t just found in governments or empires, but also in churches, families, workplaces, and relationships. Where do you see distorted power operating most clearly today?

5. What does it mean that Jesus has lion-like power but not lion-like character?

6. How does viewing Jesus’ crucifixion as his coronation challenge common ideas about success, strength, leadership, or victory?

7. Robyn said, “The cross is not just an atonement theory; it’s the way God rules.” What do you think that means practically for Jesus followers today?

8. Are there areas of your life where you’ve kept Jesus in the “salvation box” but not allowed him into other areas like politics, control, grudges, ambition, or relationships?

9. Revelation presents a kingdom built through vulnerability, sacrifice, and faithfulness rather than domination. Why is that vision both compelling and difficult?

10. If the Lamb is the clearest picture of who God is, how should that reshape the way we engage with enemies, conflict, politics, and power?

Revelation isn't a crystal ball - it's political resistance literature written to expose the lies behind power and call the church to faithful allegiance. In this message, Robyn Elliott unpacks the world John was writing into, why empire is always in conflict with the kingdom of God, and what it means for us to hold on when the current is strong.

Discussion Questions:

1. When you hear the word "Revelation," what's the first thing that comes to mind? Where did that impression come from?

2. Have you ever felt like you're on a hamster wheel,  like nothing changes, the powerful stay powerful, and your life doesn't count for much? What does that feel like?

3. What would it look like for your faith to actually matter in your day-to-day life this week?

4. John wrote to encourage suffering Christians who had been cut off from their social networks and communities. Where do you draw courage when following Jesus costs you something?

5. Revelation is apocalyptic literature - a genre designed for political resistance and imagination, not prediction. How does knowing the genre change the way you read it? Does it change anything about how you've understood it in the past?

6. Rome was religiously tolerant, but Christians were persecuted specifically because they refused to pledge allegiance to the empire. In what ways do modern institutions - governments, corporations, cultural movements - demand a similar kind of allegiance? Where do you feel that tension?

7. The message suggests that the pursuit of power is, by its very nature, in conflict with the kingdom of God. Do you agree? Are there ways power can be exercised that don't conflict with God's kingdom, or is the tension unavoidable?

8. What does it mean that the “victory of God” begins with messages to local churches rather than global events?

Resources:

BOOKS:

Bauckham, Richard, The Theology of the Book of Revelation

Duncan, Jeremy, Upside Down Apocalypse

Gorman, Michael, Reading Revelation Responsibly

McKnight, Scot, Revelation for the Rest of Us

Peterson, Eugene, Reversed Thunder

Sprinkle, Preston, Exiles

Whitaker, Robyn, Revelation for Normal People

Wood, Shane, Thinning the Veil

Zahnd, Brian, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God

Zahnd, Brian, The Wood Between the Worlds

PODCASTS & LECTURES

Boyd, Greg, Woodland Hills Church sermon series beginning 2023 09 17

Whitaker, Robyn, Bible for Normal People podcast, Ep 259

Witherington, Ben III, Seven Minute Seminary series, Youtube

Wood, Shane, Ozark Christian College Lectures https://www.shanejwood.com/the-book-of-revelation/

Wright, N. T., Youtube Lectures

Unveiling The Apocalypse: Slaughtered Yet Standing by Lakeside Church

Baptism is more than a ritual - it’s a powerful symbol of death, rescue, and new life. From the chaos of ancient waters to the story of Jesus, this moment tells a bigger story of identity, freedom, and belonging. Following this message from Robyn Elliott, we witness two people step into that story and into a new life.

Discussion Questions:

1. What has been your experience with baptism, either personally or what you’ve seen in others? (If you haven’t been baptized yet, what is stopping you?)

2. What part of your “old self” do you find hardest to let go of, and why do you think you hold onto it?

3. Have you ever experienced a moment that felt like a personal before and after? What changed in you?

4. What lies about yourself do you tend to believe when you fail or fall short? And if you really believed your identity was secure and unshakeable, how would your life look different this week?

5. What parts of your life feel like chaos right now, and what would it mean for something new to come out of that?

6. The message describes faith as becoming part of a messy, diverse family. What has your experience of “spiritual community” been like?

7. Why do you think shared rituals (like baptism) matter for building a sense of belonging?

8. Water is described as both chaos and salvation in Scripture. What do you think that tension reveals about how God works?

9. Paul talks about identity being rooted in Christ rather than performance. How does that challenge modern ideas of self-definition?

10. If baptism is a “dress rehearsal” for resurrection, how should that shape how we live now?

11. If your life had a “reset button,” would you press it? Why or why not?

Victoria Aquilina shares her journey from hidden trauma, abuse, and mental illness to discovering real hope, healing, and identity in Jesus. After years of masking pain and battling diagnoses, she found freedom not in perfection, but in grace, truth, and choosing hope every day. This is a powerful story of survival, faith, and transformation.

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever felt like you had to wear a mask to hide what you were really going through? What did that look like?

2. How can trauma (physical, emotional, or spiritual) affect both the mind and body over time?

3. What are some misconceptions people have about mental health and faith?

4. Victoria talked about being taught fear instead of grace. How does that shape someone’s view of God? Has fear been part of your own spiritual journey?

5. What does “choosing hope” look like in everyday life, especially when nothing feels like it’s changing?

6. How can we better support people who are struggling with mental health challenges as individuals and also as the church?

7. What are “glimmers” in your life - small moments that bring light during dark seasons

This Easter message from Robyn Elliott explores the resurrection not just as an event to believe in, but as a reality to live in. Through Mary Magdalene’s encounter in the garden, we see that what looked like the end was actually the beginning of a new creation. The resurrection is God’s declaration that hope, healing, and renewal have already begun, and we’re invited to live that future now.

Discussion Questions:

1. When you hear “resurrection,” do you tend to think of a past event, a future hope, or a present reality? Why?

2. Mary stayed at the tomb in her grief, looking for a dead Jesus. What does this teach us about how we handle loss and disappointment, and where might we be expecting death when God is actually bringing life?

3. The message suggests we sometimes see God more clearly through sorrow. Have you ever experienced God more clearly in pain or loss? Or do you tend to avoid those places? Why?

4. Why do you think the resurrection story begins in a garden with Jesus showing up as a lowly gardener? What might that symbolize about new creation and what does that say about how God works in the world?

5. Robyn describes the resurrection as a down payment on the future. What does that practically mean for how we live today?

6. If you believe in the resurrection, where in your life does it actually show up? Where doesn’t it? And if the resurrection really means a new creation has started, why do so many of us still feel stuck in the same old patterns?

7. If Jesus is alive right now - not just historically - what would need to change about the way you live this week?

What if the people who crucified Jesus aren’t that different from us? In this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore how Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate chose comfort, control, and self-preservation over truth - and how we often do the same. Lent is an invitation to stop making that trade and follow Jesus, even when it costs us. The question is simple but urgent: when faced with fear, pressure, or convenience, who will you be?

Discussion Questions:

1. Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate both knew what was right but chose self-interest and fear instead. Where do you see yourself in that story? In compromise, under pressure, or somewhere else entirely?

2. Can you think of a time when you knew the right thing to do but chose what was easier or safer instead? What happened?

3. Why do you think fear is such a powerful motivator for control - both then and now?

4. How do comfort, status, or reputation subtly influence our faith decisions?

5. What does Jesus’ silence in this passage stir up in you? Confusion? Frustration? Awe? Why?

6. Is there a place in your life right now where you already know what faithfulness looks like, but you’re choosing what’s easier instead?

7. In what ways do we still trade truth for stability or personal benefit in our world today?

8. Is there a difference between the Jesus you believe in and the Jesus you follow? How would you describe that gap?

9. This week, pay attention. Where are you tempted to choose what’s safe and comfortable over what love might require of you? What would it look like to follow Jesus into a place of radical love, even if it costs you something?