Great Things Joshua 10:1-15

We want to be a people expecting great things from God as we attempt great things for God.  Joel Thurston

1.  What has been one of the greatest things you have ever been a part of?  How did you become a part of it?  Who or what was the biggest factor in bringing that thing about? 

2.  Joshua helped the Gibeonites because they had made an oath to them -the threat was not to them directly.  How good are you keeping your commitments - especially when it doesn’t affect you directly? 


3.  Read Ephesians 6:8 and Galatians 6:9  What are some of the effects of doing good things?  Have you ever experienced this?

4.  Read Isaiah 54:2-3.  If you asked God to stretch out your tent what would you be asking him to do?  What would He be asking you to do?

5.  Read this about the sun standing still:  Cambridge researchers announced Monday that they have pinpointed the date of the biblical account of Joshua stopping the sun — which they claim is the day of the oldest eclipse ever recorded — to October 30, 1207 BCE, exactly 3,224 years ago.“From their calculations, they determined that the only annular eclipse visible from Canaan between 1500 and 1050 BC was on 30 October 1207 BC, in the afternoon.”
“Independent evidence that the Israelites were in Canaan between 1500 and 1050 BC can be found in the Merneptah Stele,” the Cambridge University statement said.  Source:  https://www.timesofisrael.com/3224-ye...

If you could be a part of something big that didn’t seem to be possible, what would it be? How could you take steps of faith to be part of something on a big scale?

Meaningful Distractions - Joshua 9

"With God - there are no distractions or mistakes that He can’t do something with.”  Carlyle Naylor

1.  What types of things distract you?  What types of opportunities entice you?  Do you have a “Life Code”?  You most likely do - a grid that things have to pass through before you give yourself to them or before you make a decision or commitment.  If you don’t think you have one, ask your friends or spouse what your values are or what your life mission is.  Be ready for their answer - it may surprise you.

2.  When you make a decision, what is your go-to grid?  When you switch jobs, what makes you decide to do that?  When you change houses, what makes you decide to do that?  Do you think God cares about those things in your life?  Why or why not?  On a 1 (low) to 10 (high) scale, is the Bible one of your go-to grids?  

3.  Would you say you have regular conversations with God?  What are they like?  What is the content?  How many of your day-to-day decisions include some conversations with God?  Where and how do you draw the line (i.e., what flavor of coffee should I have today)?

4. The Gibeonites elaborately deceived the Israelites before they made a commitment/oath to them.  They could have justifiably backed out, but they didn’t.  How reliable is your word?  How often do you back out of commitments?  

5.  Israel and Gibea ended up having an alliance for hundreds of years.  God, since He is providential and sovereign, used deceit and hastiness for a long term good result.  When has God been sovereign and providential in how He brought something meaningful out of something that seemed incidental or even bad?

Joshua 7 - Interrupted Blessing

1. Joshua was upset with God and kind of called God out (verses 6-9).  How did God handle this attempted rebuke (verses 6-9)?  God rooted out the sin in Israel’s midst (verses 14-20).  Had God ever rooted out your sin?  How did His grace also get revealed (i.e., you’re still alive!)?

2.  Have you ever been caught up in someone else’s good decisions?  What were some of the benefits you received?  Have you ever been caught up in someone else’s bad decisions?  Did you feel punished or penalized?

3.  Do you think God was too upset by Achan’s bad decision?  How was God justified /unjustified?

4.  Have there been times when you felt unblessed by God?  Could this have been a result/natural consequence of something you or someone else in your circle did?  What does 1 John 1:9 say about this?

5.  What does this story make you want to do (or not do?)

Joshua 2 - Let God use who you are

1.  If you could take something from your past and delete it, what would it be?  If you could do that, how would it change your present?  How did that thing actually shape you into who you are?

2.  What incidental things in your life ended up being important?  Can you think of a time when something you thought was super important ended up being incidental?  When did God take something you thought was unimportant, or even bad, and turned it something cool and big?  Read Romans 8:28.  What does this say about your past?

3.  Rahab took a really simple step of faith toward God, and God used it to rescue her.  How would you define simple faith?  What things in your life right now are testing your faith? What things would you like God to rescue you from?  What simple steps of faith can you take toward God?

4.  With great risk comes great reward.  Right?  What is a risky faith step you have taken recently?  What made it risky?  How did it turn out?

5.  Rahab had a checkered past.  But her future changed a lot.  Read Mathew 1:5-6.  Who was she related to?  Read James 2:25-26.  How is she commended?  Read Hebrews 11:31.  She is listed along with a bunch of   heavy hitters of the faith.  Instead of Rahab the prostitute, she became Rahab the saint!  Are there things from your past that you let define you too much, when God sees you as a saint (because of your relationship with Jesus)?  How hard is it to see yourself the way God sees you - as a saint?

Dealing with Change – Joshua 1:1-11

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”



1.  How do you usually respond to change?  Do you resist it, rebel against it, complain about it, embrace it, or what?

2.  All of your comfort zones were discomfort zones at one point.  Do you agree?  What were some significant discomfort zones in your life that later became comfort zones?  Did you prosper when they became comfort zones, or did you just survive?  What determines whether you will prosper or survive?

3.  New territory springs from old territory.  When you think of new things in your life, what old things were still with you?  What old things did you have to toss out in order to get on with the new things?

4.  Change works best with good resources.  What things or people do you resource yourself with when change knocks on your door?  Is the Bible one of them?   How far up or down is the Bible on your resource list when you are confronted with change?

5.  Change works best when you actually change.  What change do you keep putting off?  Why?

32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For,

“In just a little while,
    he who is coming will come
    and will not delay.”
38 And,

“But my righteous one will live by faith.
    And I take no pleasure
    in the one who shrinks back.”
39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.


1.  When you become convinced of something, (especially something controversial or not exactly mainstream) how much of a fanatic are you?  How do you respond to skeptics?  How willing are you to take a hit for your new belief or cause?

2.  As time moves on from when you become a fanatic of something, does your enthusiasm for it change?  What are the things that have kept you enthused for a long time?

3.  Read Hebrews 13:3.  We are to remember those who are imprisoned. Did you know that there are more people enslaved in the world than in all of world history - 40 million?  More money is spent on sex slavery than that is spent on professional sports.  In Bangalore, India, people take out “payday-type" loans for emergencies and get trapped in labor enslavement for years, and sometimes for their entire lives, along with their families.  How does this hit you?   In the Philippines, many times families will sell their kids into sex slavery as a means to support their family.  How easy it is to ignore something like this in your world? 

4.  Have you considered sponsoring an organization like International Justice Mission who prosecutes enslavers and frees and rehabilitates former slaves for a new life?

Finishing our current series on Chasing Carrots, this past Sunday Pastor Joe spoke about finding the sweet spot of security.  There are endless ways we pursue security—Glocks, savings accounts, home security doorbells and cameras, etc.  Being secure is not wrong and there is a biblical and godly pursuit of security that requires work, wisdom and worship.  These pursuits lead to God’s protection and a healthy security.

1.  How does hard work lead to security according to Proverbs 12:11 and Proverbs 13:4?

2.  How should verses like I Corinthians  10:31 and Colossians 3:23 influence our attitude about our work? Who are we seeking to please?  Who is our Boss?

3.  How do Proverbs 3:5-6 and 16:3 contradict our natural pursuit of security?  Does trust in God’s plan and wisdom for your life currently provide you security?  If so, how?  If not, what should you do about it?

4.  What does worship of God have to do with our individual security?  How does focusing our lives on declaring God’s worth lead us to personal safety and security?  According to Romans 12:1-2, is worship something that primarily occurs on Sunday mornings?  

5.  How should Psalm 84:10 influence our perspective on “security”?  Is being “safe” more important than being where God wants us?  Many Christians gather today around the world to worship God at great risk of persecution.  Can we rightfully say that worship leads them to security?  If so, how?  If not, why?

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 The Message Translation

16-20 Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.

1.  When someone you recently met or don’t know very well reached out to you to help with something, to hang out or just seemed to want to get to know you better, did it creep you out?  When does reaching out cross the line for you?

2.  According to worldwide stats, loneliness is at epidemic levels.  What do you think is the cause of this?  When you feel lonely, how do you respond?  Do you isolate, do you reach out…?

3.  When you have a relationship that experiences disagreement or you get your feelings hurt, how do you usually handle it?  What does this passage say about that?  

4.  Do you consider yourself a spokesperson for Jesus?  How do you speak for him (with words or with actions)?  How do you wish you would speak more or louder?  How can you speak about Jesus things without being offensive?

5.  When you have felt lonely in a crowd, what does that feel like?  What does it feel like when you feel connected with after you have been feeling lonely? One way to combat loneliness is to notice when people are not being connected with.  Do you notice disconnected people very often?  Do you initiate conversations with disconnected people very often?

Chasing Carrots:  Identity

Ephesians 1:3-14
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.


1.  In different phases of your life, what have been parts of your identity?  Were these expressions or venues of your identity or actually parts of your identity?  Is identity what do you or who you are?

2.  If our identities are determined by circumstances (things that happens to us) or relationships (like being a parent, husband/wife, good worker), what happens to our identities when these things shift - especially when they shift beyond our control?

3.  Ephesians 1 gives us some identity labels: Accepted (not rejected), Redeemed (freed for the future and not controlled by the past)  covered by grace (inspired by love and not fear), and adopted (eternally connected to God). Are these good things to base your identity on?  Which one do you like the most and why?

4.  Isaiah 49:16 says, “I [God] have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”   Your identity is set.  When the world tries to hand you your identity, (like a name tag that says Hi my name is _______ and I am a ________), can you try to remember that your identity is already determined by God?  What is that identity?