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John 21:1-14

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 19:56:26 GMT

John 21:1-14

Speaker: Joel Kelsey

Date: April 26, 2026

1. Have you ever gone back to something familiar, a hobby, a place, or a routine, during a season of uncertainty? What drew you back to it, and did it help?

2. The disciples were stuck in an "in-between" season after the resurrection, unsure of what came next. Have you ever been in a similar season where a chapter of your life had ended but the next one hadn't started yet? What did that feel like?

3. The disciples fished all night and caught nothing on their own, but had immediate success when they listened to Jesus. Where in your life are you currently straining without much result, and what might it look like to "try the other side of the boat"?

4. Peter had a rough track record leading up to this moment, denying Jesus, falling asleep in the garden, acting impulsively, yet Jesus invited him back to the table anyway. How does Peter's story shape the way you think about your own mistakes and your place at the table?

5. Jesus already had food on the fire and didn't need the disciples' fish, but invited them to bring some anyway. What does it mean to you that God invites our participation even when he doesn't need it?

6. How is Jesus present in the ordinary, not just the dramatic moments. Where in your everyday life do you find it easiest or hardest to recognize that Jesus is there?

John 20:24-31

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:34:33 GMT

John 20:24-31

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: April 19, 2026

Read John 20:24-25

What has been your impression of "doubting Thomas" before today? Where did that impression come from?
Summarize what happens in John 20 before we get to Thomas. How do the other disciples respond to the resurrection before they see Jesus, and what does that tell us about whether Thomas is unique in his doubt?
Given that the other disciples were in the same position as Thomas before they saw Jesus, why do you think we tend to read Thomas more negatively than the others?
If Thomas is not unique among the disciples, why does John include this story? What is it about Thomas's situation that mirrors our own and everyone who has come after the first witnesses?
Have you ever struggled to believe something about Jesus, his resurrection, his forgiveness, his goodness? What makes it hard? Why do you think genuine doubt is such a common experience for followers of Jesus?

Read John 20:26-27

What strikes you about the way Jesus responds to Thomas? What does his response reveal about the character of the risen Jesus?
Jesus greets his disciples with "Peace be with you." Why does the resurrection make that greeting more than just a pleasantry? What grounds it?
Thomas responds by confessing "My Lord and my God." How does that confession connect to Jesus offering peace? What is Thomas actually saying about who Jesus is and what that means for us?
Is there an area of your life where you find it hard to receive the peace Jesus offers? What gets in the way?

Read John 20:24-31

We are like Thomas in our doubt, but unlike Thomas in that we will not have his experience of seeing and touching the risen Jesus. According to this passage, what has God given us instead, and how should that shape the way we handle doubt?
Thomas should have trusted the testimony of the other disciples but did not, and needed Jesus to come to him directly. What does that suggest about what we owe one another as a community when someone is struggling to believe?
What would it actually look like for this community to be the kind of place where doubt is normal and expected, but where people are genuinely helped toward faith rather than left alone in it?
Is there someone in your life, inside or outside the church, who is where Thomas was at the beginning of this story? What might it look like for you to bear witness to them?

John 20:19-23

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:22:23 GMT

John 20:19-23

Speaker: Karen Bird

Date: April 12, 2026

1. Why is it significant that Jesus appeared to the disciples on “the first day of the week”? How does this connect to both creation and new creation…and Sunday morning church?!

2. The disciples were gathered behind locked doors out of fear. What kinds of fears might they have been experiencing, and how can you relate to them in your own life?

3. What stands out to you about the fact that Jesus chose to appear in a small, fearful gathering rather than in a more public or powerful setting?

4. Jesus greets the disciples with “Peace be with you” instead of rebuke. What does this reveal about his character and how he deals with failure?

5. Why do you think Jesus showed the disciples his wounds? What is the significance of his scars in understanding his identity and mission?

6. The sermon explains that death is the natural outcome of humanity’s rebellion from the Source of Life. How does this shape your understanding of sin, death, and salvation?

7. What does “peace” (shalom) mean in this passage beyond just the absence of conflict? How have you experienced—or struggled to experience—this kind of peace?

8. Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” What does it mean to be sent in the same way Jesus was sent?

9. How does the Holy Spirit empower the disciples for their mission? What is significant about Jesus breathing on them?

10. Read 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 together. How do you feel about being thrust into God’s mission as part of the sent collective? What does this look like in your life as part of the Church? Pray for one another and for the church as a whole as we continue the mission of reconciliation that God has begun in Christ.

John 20

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:03:56 GMT

John 20

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: April 05, 2026

Read John 20:1-2

What details stick out to you in these verses?
What do we know about Mary Magdalene from the Gospels?
Why did she go to the tomb that morning?
Why do you think John mentions that this took place on the first day of the week, while it was still dark?
What do you think this day would have been like for Mary?

Read John 20:3-10

Why does John tell us about the burial linens? What would their presence have signified about what happened to Jesus' body?
In verse 8, John says he "believed." What do you think he believed? (John 14:29 may help.) How is this different from believing in the resurrection — and why is that distinction worth noticing?

Read John 20:11-18

What do you think this encounter would have been like for Mary? How does sitting with that help you grasp the hope offered through Jesus' resurrection?
Why do you think Jesus tells her not to "hold on to him" in verse 17?
Why do you think John tells us that Mary mistook Jesus for the gardener?
Throughout his Gospel, John has been drawing a deliberate connection between Jesus and the creation story. He opens with the words "In the beginning" (1:1), echoing Genesis 1:1. He tells us Jesus is the Word through whom all things were made (1:2-3). Jesus' miracles show him restoring creation — as in the healing of the blind man in John 9. Then, on the sixth day of the week, Jesus says "It is finished" from the cross (19:30) — and rests in the tomb on the seventh day — before rising on "the first day of the week" (20:1). He rises in a garden, and is even mistaken for a gardener (20:15). With all of that in mind: What do you think John is showing us about Jesus? And how does that speak to the real pains and losses we carry?

John 11

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 20:28:47 GMT

John 11

Speaker: Trish Haq

Date: March 29, 2026

1. Begin by reading Jesus’ words to Martha, found in John 11:25:

“I am the resurrection and the life.

The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

Do you believe this?”

2. Jesus posed this question to Martha, the sister of Lazarus. But it is recorded in John here to also prompt us to consider. Reflect on your own faith journey for a moment. What helps you to believe that Jesus truly is the resurrection and the life? Does anything make it difficult for you to believe at times?

3. Now, read through John 11 together. Consider assigning 4 people to each read one of the following sections. Pause after each section to share any thoughts. What stands out? What questions do you have? Does anything encourage or challenge you?

a. John 11:1-16 (The Death of Lazarus)

b. John 11:17-37 (Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus)

c. John 11:38-44 (Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead)

d. John 11:45-53 (The Plot to Kill Jesus)

4. This is a passage that is filled with deep emotion. Take time to notice where the emotions listed below are evident throughout the passage:

Grief, Longing, Hope, Regret, Confidence, Fear, Reluctance, Judgement, Anger

a. Consider the emotions shown by the people in the story (the disciples, Mary, Martha, and the crowd of Jewish mourners). In what ways can you relate to these characters/people?

b. Consider the emotions shown by Jesus. What do you think these emotions reveal about His character/disposition towards humanity?

5. The raising of Lazarus is the 7th and final sign found in John’s Gospel, meant to point beyond itself to something greater. What do you think this sign reveals? Consider the following as you reflect on this together:

a. In what ways is the love of Jesus revealed?

b. In what ways is the power of Jesus revealed?

c. In what ways is the mission of Jesus revealed?

6. Jesus’ choice to turn towards Bethany to perform this final sign ultimately marked a turn toward the cross because it set events in motion that would lead to his death. Reflect together on the idea that Jesus’ decision to go to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead was actually a decision to lay down his life for the ones that He loves.

a. In what ways did Jesus move towards death?

b. In what ways did He move towards LIFE?

7. In what ways did the miracle Lazarus experienced offer a revelation of what was to come? And in what ways is this final sign different from the event that it was pointing forward to? (the death and resurrection of Jesus)

Pray for each other out of the items discussed. Pray that this Holy Week, as we celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ, each one of you will grow more deeply in your understanding and belief in all that Christ has done for us!

John 9

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:40:31 GMT

John 9

Speaker: Joel Kelsey

Date: March 22, 2026

1. When something bad happens to you or someone you love, what's your instinct? Do you look for a reason or explanation, or do you sit with the uncertainty? How do you find peace in that scenario?

2. The disciples assumed someone's sin caused the man's blindness. Where do you still see that kind of thinking today — the idea that suffering is linked to punishment? Have you ever felt that way about your own struggles?

3. Jesus responds to the disciples' question not with an explanation but a commission — "we must do the works of him who sent me." What does this commission to action look like practically in your own neighbourhood or community?

4. The man born blind couldn't give a theological answer about Jesus — all he could say was "I was blind, now I see." Having revelation of who Christ is, is foundational to our faith. It grounds us not in facts, but in God's testimony. What's your version of that statement? What do you know to be true from your own experience of God even when you can't explain everything?

5. The Pharisees had the most biblical knowledge in the room and were the most blind. How can certainty or needing all the answers actually become a barrier to faith? Where have you see that in yourself?

6. The man's journey to faith was messy and out of order — he was healed before he even believed. How does that challenge the way we think about who is "in" or "out" or what a faith journey is supposed to look like?

7. Jesus found the man after he was thrown out and alone. Where in your life right now do you need Jesus to find you? What would it look like to ask his question — "Who is he, I want to believe?"

John 6

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 20:08:12 GMT

John 6

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: March 15, 2026

Read John 5:45-46. These two verses set up John 6 by bringing Moses to our minds, the great prophet of Israel.

1. As a group, discuss some of the major events Moses was involved in.

2. Read Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Isaiah 43:16-19. How would these promises of a prophet like Moses and a salvation like the Exodus have affected the people of Jesus' day who were living under the oppressive hand of the Roman Empire?

Read John 6:1-6

1. How do these verses connect Jesus to those promises? How is John pushing us to see Jesus' identity?

2. What is the true "crisis" of this passage? Is it the food, or something else?

3. If the real crisis is about knowing Jesus' identity and trusting in him, how does that reframe the way you deal with crises in your own life?

4. What would it mean to trust Jesus as the one who can overthrow the powers of our world and provide for us in the wilderness?

Read John 6:7-13; 16-21

1. What do these verses show us about Jesus?

2. Why is it significant that he provides all the people wanted and more? How does this connect to Psalm 23?

3. Jesus' words in 6:20 could be translated "I Am; don't be afraid." Why is this significant?

Read John 6:14-15

1. The people seemed to partly understand who Jesus is, but also still missed it. In what ways did they misunderstand?

2. In what ways do you try to force Jesus to save you the way you want to be saved?

3. How did Jesus truly save us? How did Jesus overthrow the powers of our world? Read John 12:31-33 for help.

4. Do you feel overwhelmed? Do you feel like the world is out of control, or your life is out of control? Do you feel like you are in the wilderness or in the raging sea? How does this text speak to you? How can we encourage you to trust Jesus

John 5

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 20:58:10 GMT

John 5

Speaker: Joel MIles

Date: March 8, 2026

The focus of this study is on the story of Jesus' healing in John 5:1–15, but it is helpful to see this in light of John 5:16–47. In these verses we find that the religious leaders are now seeking to kill Jesus — not only because he was "breaking the Sabbath," but also because he was claiming to be God.

How does Jesus respond to their persecution of him?
Look specifically at verses 19, 31, and 36–47. In what way do these verses show that their problem was misplaced expectations of what Jesus should be like?
How do these verses show us that Jesus' actions truly reveal what God is like? Why is that significant for how we read this story about Jesus' healing?

Read John 5:1–6.

How does John's description show a narrowing that emphasizes Jesus' personal care for this one man? Why is it significant to know that in this act Jesus is revealing to us what God is like?
Do you ever feel like God is too big to be concerned with your personal and specific struggles? How does this text speak to that?
How does this text remind us that we are not just part of a category of people to be fixed, but someone who matters — whom God sees and offers to heal personally and specifically?
What does it mean to "get well"?

Read John 5:7–15.

Why is it important that after the man is healed, Jesus finds him in the Temple? What does that tell us about Jesus' work to make us "well"?
How does the call to "stop sinning" relate to Jesus' wholistic healing?
Do you want Jesus to heal you this completely?

The Sabbath was a day of rest instituted by God so that Israel would be a people who knew how to trust and rest in God, who was at work to save them and make this whole world new.

How does the religious leaders' frustration with Jesus healing on the Sabbath show that they had distorted the Sabbath?
The religious leaders had made the Sabbath into a day of observance for the sake of earning God's favor. Jesus was at work on that day, because it is a day for us to rest in God's work — who can make us well. Do you want Jesus to do that for you? What is hard for you about this?
How can this group encourage you to rest in Jesus? How can this group pray for you to embrace Jesus' healing touch?

John 4:43-54

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 20:26:50 GMT

John 4:43-54

Speaker: Anita Krause Wiebe

Date: March 1, 2026

The Gospel of John is beloved by those who appreciate its theological and philosophical

depths, as well as the scripture often given to those new to faith or wanting to know

more about Christianity. What do you appreciate about this gospel? What are some of

the passages or images in this book that have been especially meaningful to you?

2. Read John 4:43-54. Is this a story with which you are familiar? Are there things in this

passage that surprise you? Are there things in this story that challenge or encourage

you?

3. When Jesus first responds to the official in verse 48, he speaks to the man but uses the

plural “you” – implying that this is meant for a larger audience. Considering the

reception Jesus received among the Samaritans (John 4:39-42), is something being

conveyed about Jesus’ reception among the people of Galilee – people who had seen

him perform signs in Jerusalem (John 2:23) and Cana?

4. Jesus does not go with the official to Capernaum as the man requests but instead tells

the man to go, and that his son will live. The man had to decide if he would trust Jesus

and he does – he takes Jesus “at his word.” Have there been times in your life when you

have had to step forward in faith and trust like the official did?

5. In John 4:48-53 the words for belief and life are each used three times. Belief and life

are inextricably linked in the Gospel of John. Read and reflect on some of the other

passages in John that link belief and life (John 1:6-7, 11:25-26, 20:30-31).

6. John 20:30-31 tells us that the signs presented in this gospel are written that “you might

believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have

life in his name.” Throughout John we are invited to “come and see” Jesus, see what he

has done that we might believe. We are invited to see Jesus for who he is, God incarnate

who poured out his love for us on the cross. What sorts of things do you think stood in

the way of the Galileans believing in Jesus? What sorts of things stand in the way of us

today seeing Jesus for who he is?

7. I want to encourage us as followers of Jesus, and as brothers and sisters in Christ to

share with each other how God’s grace and love continue to shape our lives. Are there

“signs” of the Holy Spirit working in your life?

John 2

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:23:57 GMT

John 2

Speaker: Trish Haq

Date: February 22, 2026

Lent is the 40-day period leading up to Easter, where we can enter into a time of prayer, fasting, and repentance. This is not meant to be legalistic in any way, but is something that we are invited into.

a) What value might a season like this hold for you?

b) Are you planning to participate in any of the practices suggested in the Lent booklet? (giving something up, following along with the daily scripture and devotional readings, fasting from food on Thursdays?).

c) Repentance in particular is about turning around when we have been going in the wrong direction. What turnarounds do you think are needed in your life? (this could be a more literal change in direction, or a shift that is needed internally)

2. Read John 2:1-11 and share your initial thoughts with one another. What stands out? What questions does this passage stir up for you? Do you find anything from this passage encouraging or challenging?

3. This is the first of seven signs found in John’s Gospel, that point beyond themselves to something more. This means that the significance of the miracle here is deeper than just the impressiveness of Jesus’ ability to turn water into wine. The deeper meaning lies in the symbolism found within the passage. Reflect together on the following symbols, making use of the scripture references provided.

a) Water (John 1:19-34, John 4:7-14)

b) Wine (Isaiah 25:6-9, Matthew 26:26-30)

4. As you consider the meaning of these symbols, what do you think they reveal about the sign given in John 2?

5. John 2:11 says that “what Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him”

a) Why do you think this miracle sparked such faith in the disciples?

b) In what way did this sign reveal, and also point forward to, Christ’s glory?

6. As you think about the hope and promise of God’s Kingdom, what “new wine” are you longing for? And what “new wine” have you already experienced? (ie: What transformation do you need Jesus to bring about in your life? In your heart? And what abundance are you longing for God to pour out?)

Pray for each other out of the items discussed. Pray that this season of Lent will be a meaningful time of prayer, fasting, and repentance. Pray for the longings and needs that you each have, that only Jesus can fulfill.

Consider a second time of prayer as well, this time, focused on the longings and needs in the lives of those you know, and in the world. What “new wine” is needed? Pray not only for these needs and longings, but also for an understanding of how the Lord might want to fill you up and equip you to respond to those needs, as Christ's representatives in the world.

Daniel

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 20:05:02 GMT

Daniel

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: February 15, 2026

Read 1 Peter 2:9-12 together. Peter uses extraordinary language to describe the church: "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession." These words come directly from Exodus 19, where God formed Israel as his people. What does it mean that Peter now applies these words to the church?
We often think of church as a voluntary gathering of people who share the same religious preferences. How is Peter's description of the church as "a holy nation" and "God's special possession" different from that understanding?
The word translated "church" (ekklesia) was a politically charged term in the ancient world — it referred to the gathering of citizens under a ruler. Why do you think the New Testament writers chose this word rather than terms for private religious gatherings?
According to verse 9, we are set apart ("holy") for a purpose: "that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." How does this connect being distinct from the world with being sent into the world?
In verses 11-12, Peter urges us to "abstain from sinful desires" and to "live such good lives among the pagans that... they may see your good deeds and glorify God." How do these two commands — abstaining and living good lives among others — work together?
What happens when the church focuses only on being "holy" (distinct and separate) without being "apostolic" (sent for mission)? What happens when we focus only on being "apostolic" without being "holy"?
In the Old Testament, God's judgment and correction were directed far more often at Israel than at the surrounding nations. Why do you think that was? What does this suggest about where the church's primary concern should be directed today?
How might our witness to the world be weakened when the church spends more energy criticizing the culture around us than examining whether we ourselves are living distinctly as God's people?
Peter says that when pagans "see your good deeds" they will "glorify God on the day he visits us" (v. 12). What kind of "good deeds" would be so compelling that even those who accuse us of doing wrong would eventually glorify God?
Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). This doesn't mean his Kingdom isn't for this world — but that it doesn't arise from worldly power or politics. How does this shape the way we engage with governments, policies, and cultural issues?
The sermon suggested that if we truly grasped who we are in Christ, we would be marked by sacrifice and by joy. Which of these do you find harder to live out? What would need to change for both to be more evident in your life and in our community?

Daniel 10-12

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 20:40:10 GMT

Daniel 10-12

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: February 8, 2026

Read Daniel 10:1-3. Daniel has been in exile for decades, and God has even begun sending Israelites back to the land through Cyrus. Yet Daniel is still in mourning and anguish. Why do you think he is so troubled even after God's promises have begun to be fulfilled?

2. Have you ever experienced a moment when something you hoped would fix things — a change in circumstances, a leader, a new opportunity — didn't actually resolve the deeper pain or chaos you felt? How does Daniel's situation resonate with that experience?

3. In 10:12-13, the angel explains that "the prince of the Persian kingdom" resisted him for 21 days. This is not a human ruler but a demonic power behind the empire. What does this teach us about the nature of the conflict we are caught up in?

4. Read Ephesians 6:12: "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." How does this passage help us interpret what Daniel sees in his vision?

5. The text suggests that demonic forces work by taking things that are good — like political structures and rulers — and twisting them into instruments of chaos and opposition to God. How does this connect to the imagery in Daniel 7-8, where empires are depicted as ravenous beasts?

6. Why do you think God has chosen to place humans at the center of his cosmic plan, even though the spiritual forces at work are so much more powerful than we are?

7. Chapter 11 describes in overwhelming detail the rise and fall of empires, wars between north and south, political marriages, and rulers who exalt themselves above all gods. What effect does reading this chapter have on you? Why do you think God gave Daniel such a detailed vision of political chaos?

8. Read Daniel 11:36. This describes a king who "will do as he pleases" and "exalt and magnify himself above every god." The New Testament speaks of "antichrists" (plural) rather than just one. How does this shape the way we recognize and respond to rulers and movements that exalt themselves as ultimate?

9. If political structures are not inherently evil but can be "weaponized" by the forces of darkness, how do we hold together the call to invest in our world and seek justice while refusing to place ultimate hope in any ruler, party, or nation?

10. Read Daniel 12:1-3. After all the chaos and suffering described in chapter 11, what is the ultimate hope that God gives Daniel? What does the promise of resurrection mean for those who are enduring the present darkness?

11. Read Daniel 12:13. God tells Daniel to "go your way till the end" and promises that he "will rise to receive your allotted inheritance." What does this call to faithful waiting look like for us as we live between Christ's first and second coming?

12. In Daniel 12:4, Daniel is told to "roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end." In Revelation 5, John sees a scroll that no one can open — until the Lamb who was slain is found worthy. How does Jesus fulfill what Daniel was waiting for?

13. The vision ends not with a human solution to the world's chaos but with the promise that God himself will act — raising the dead and bringing in an everlasting Kingdom. How does this shape the way we engage with the fears, conflicts, and political turmoil of our own day?

Daniel 9

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 20:16:56 GMT

Daniel 9

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: February 1, 2026

Opening the Text

1. Read Daniel 9:1-3. Daniel has now been in exile for about 66 years. What does his continued faithfulness over such a long period teach us about what it means to follow God for a lifetime?

2. In verse 2, Daniel turns to Scripture — specifically Jeremiah's prophecy about the 70 years of exile — and this prompts him to pray. What does this tell us about the relationship between knowing God's promises and praying?

3. Throughout most of Daniel, God is referred to with general titles like "the Most High" or "the Ancient of Days." But in this prayer, Daniel repeatedly uses "LORD" (YHWH) — God's covenant name. Why do you think Daniel shifts to this more personal, covenantal language here?

Daniel's Prayer of Confession

4. Read Daniel 9:4-11. Daniel confesses Israel's sin extensively — their rebellion, their refusal to listen to the prophets, their turning away from God's commands. Yet Daniel himself has been faithful throughout the book. Why do you think he includes himself in this confession?

5. In verses 13-14, Daniel admits that even after God's judgment, Israel still "has not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins." Daniel is asking God to restore them even though they haven't changed. How can he dare to ask this?

6. Read Daniel 9:17-19. On what basis does Daniel make his request? What phrases show us that Daniel is not appealing to Israel's merit but to God's character? How does this reshape the way we approach God in prayer — especially when we feel distant from him or ashamed of our failures?

God's Greater Answer

7. Read Daniel 9:24. Daniel prayed for an end to exile and a return to the land. But Gabriel's response promises something far greater: to "finish transgression," "put an end to sin," "atone for wickedness," and "bring in everlasting righteousness." How does God's answer exceed what Daniel asked for?

8. Daniel wanted God to deal with a specific instance of suffering caused by Israel's sin. God's answer was to deal with sin itself. What does this tell us about how God responds to our prayers and longings?

9. Verse 24 also speaks of anointing "the Most Holy" (or "a most holy one"). How does this point forward to Jesus as the Messiah — the Anointed One — and what he accomplished through his death and resurrection?

Living as Exiles Who Wait

10. Daniel rooted his life and prayers in God's promises, even when fulfillment seemed distant. As Christians who are waiting for Christ's return, how do we keep ourselves rooted in God's promises rather than simply settling into life in this world?

11. The sermon emphasized that God's faithfulness — not our worthiness — is the ground of our hope. How does this truth free you to pray boldly, even when you feel like you don't deserve to come to God?

12. God's answer to Daniel pointed to an everlasting Kingdom and a final end to sin — something far greater than a return to the land. How does keeping the ultimate fulfillment in view help us endure the "in-between" time as we wait for Christ's return?

Daniel 8

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 18:58:47 GMT

Daniel 8

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: January 25, 2026

Opening the Text

Apocalyptic literature like Daniel 8 is not primarily about predicting the future—it's about "unveiling" reality, giving us a God's-eye view of the world. How does this change the way you approach strange texts like this one?

2. Read Daniel 8:1-8 together. Daniel sees a ram with two horns (the Medo-Persian empire) and a goat with a large horn (Greece and Alexander the Great). What is striking about how these kingdoms are depicted—as animals charging, trampling, and destroying?

3. In Genesis 1-2, humans were given dominion over the animals and called to care for creation. How does depicting empires as unruly, trampling animals connect to the biblical story of creation's distortion through sin?

The Nature of Earthly Power

4. Read Daniel 8:9-12. A "small horn" rises up that grows exceedingly great, casts down the hosts of heaven, stops the daily sacrifices, and even seems to stand against God himself. What does this vision reveal about how the forces of this world operate?

5. Read Daniel 8:23-25. This ruler "will cause deceit to prosper" and "consider himself superior," destroying many—yet verse 25 says "he will be destroyed, but not by human power." Why is it significant that God alone defeats this power?

6. These visions show empires as distortions of what was meant for good. Romans 13 says government is given for justice and the common good. How do we hold together the truth that earthly powers have a legitimate role and that they can become instruments of evil?

7. What are the dangers of equating any nation, political movement, or leader with the Kingdom of God? How does Daniel 8 guard us against this temptation?

Where We Place Our Hope

8. When facing an empire or power that seems unstoppable, the temptation is either despair or looking for another force to crush it. Why are both of these responses inadequate according to this text?

9. The phrase "not by human power" (v. 25) points us away from military might, political revolution, or human strategy as our ultimate hope. Where then should exiles place their hope when the powers of this world seem overwhelming?

10. Read Daniel 8:17, 26-27. Daniel is overwhelmed, terrified, and even made ill by this vision. Why do you think seeing reality clearly—seeing the world as God sees it—would be so disturbing?

Living as Faithful Exiles

1. How does having an "apocalyptic" view of the world—seeing earthly powers as distorted and temporary, and God's Kingdom as the only everlasting one—shape the way we live day to day?

12. Jesus defeated the powers of this world not by crushing them with force, but by absorbing their violence on the cross and rising again. How does the way Christ conquered shape how we as his followers engage with the powers and conflicts of our world?

13. We live under the weight of earthly powers, yet we are citizens of an everlasting Kingdom that has already won. What is one area of your life where you are tempted to place your hope in political power, human strategy, or worldly force rather than in Christ alone?

Daniel 7

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 20:05:19 GMT

Daniel 7

Speaker: Trish Haq

Date: January 18, 2026

1. Daniel Chapter 7 marks a significant shift in genre, moving from narrative, to apocalyptic literature. Discuss your experience with apocalyptic literature in the bible (as found in Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation):

a. How familiar are you with this genre of writing? Do you tend to avoid it, or are you drawn to it? Do you find it interesting or meaningful, confusing or disturbing? Share your thoughts.

b. As you recall this week’s sermon, what are some of the principles that should be kept in mind as you read these writings? Why should highly precise and literal interpretations of the text be avoided? What is your understanding of how apocalyptic texts can speak both to the particular time they were written, and more universally across the span of history?

2. Read Daniel Chapter 7 together. What stands out to you? What questions do you have?

3. Compare Daniel’s dream in chapter 7, to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Chapter 2. What parallels can you find between these two texts? In what ways can Nebuchadnezzar’s dream be helpful in our interpretation of Daniel’s dream?

4. Reflect on verses 1-8 (the first half of Daniel’s dream), and verses 15-25 (the first half of the explanation of Daniel’s dream)

a. What information does the explanation provide about the images found in this passage?

b. What feelings do the images here evoke?

c. In what ways do you think these images would have impacted Daniel, in light of his context (in exile, under Babylonian rule)

d. In what ways do these images speak to our context today? (ie: do you recognize the existence of chaos waters, or beastly kingdoms in our world today? Or perhaps even within your own life?)

5. Now, reflect on verses 9-14 (the second half of Daniel’s dream), and verses 26-27 (the second half of the explanation of Daniel’s dream)

a. The second half of Daniel’s dream is drastically different from the first half. What changes do you notice?

b. What feelings are evoked as you read through this throne room scene?

c. In what ways do you think this vision of heaven might have brought encouragement and hope to Daniel?

d. Does this passage offer you any encouragement and hope for today?

6. Reflect together about what differences this passage reveals between the Kingdoms of the earth, and the Kingdom of Heaven.

7. Verse 13 describes how Daniel saw “one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven”.

a. Compared to Daniel, how are we better equipped to understand this part of the vision?

b. Who is this ‘son of man’ and why is he important?

c. What hope does this revelation offer, both to Daniel, and to us today?

Pray for each other out of the items discussed. Pray for a deeper and truer understanding of God’s Kingdom, and ask the Lord to lead you to participate more fully in that Kingdom. Pray against the influence of ‘beastly’ kingdoms, in our world, and in your own life. Pray for one another, that your minds and hearts would continue to be transformed by the love and grace of Jesus Christ, and that you would allow Him to shape you to be like Him, following His example of what it means to be fully human, and seeking after His Kingdom wholeheartedly.

To close, pray the Our Father together:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one

Matthew 6:9-13

Daniel 6

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 20:26:21 GMT

Daniel 6

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: January 11, 2026

Opening the Text

Read Daniel 6:1-5 together. What do we learn about Daniel's character from the fact that his enemies "could find no corruption in him" and concluded they would "never find any basis for charges against this man unless it has something to do with the law of his God"?
Verse 3 says Daniel "distinguished himself by his exceptional qualities." Daniel faithfully served a pagan empire while never compromising his faithfulness to God. How did he hold these two commitments together?
Daniel is now around 80 years old, having lived in exile for roughly 66 years. What does his continued faithfulness after so many decades teach us about what it means to follow God over the long haul?

Faithfulness That Costs

Read Daniel 6:6-10. When Daniel learned about the decree, he "went home... and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before." Why is it significant that Daniel didn't change his routine — neither hiding his prayers nor making them more public?
It was Daniel's faithfulness to God that caused him to be thrown into the lions' den. How does this challenge the assumption that if we follow God, life should go well for us?
Faithfulness to God can cost us in many ways: caring for someone when it makes life harder, giving away finances, following God with our bodies, speaking up for outcasts, or acting faithfully even if it could cost us our job. Where do you see this tension between faithfulness and comfort in your own life?

Saved Through, Not From

Read Daniel 6:16-17. The stone sealed over the den and the king's signet ring emphasize that Daniel's situation "might not be changed" — he was essentially placed in a tomb. Why does the text emphasize how hopeless Daniel's situation was?
God did not save Daniel from the lions' den, but through it. Why is this distinction important for how we understand God's faithfulness to us?
Read Daniel 6:19-23. Darius asks Daniel, "Has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you?" What does Daniel's answer reveal about who God is and what he is able to do?
Daniel's sealed tomb points forward to another sealed tomb — the tomb of Jesus. How does the resurrection of Christ shape the way we face our own "lions' dens"?

Witness in Exile

Read Daniel 6:25-27. It is Darius — the pagan king — who ends up declaring that God "is the living God... he rescues and he saves." How did Daniel's faithfulness and suffering lead to this confession?
The New Testament describes the church as living in exile — knowing Jesus is King but waiting for his kingdom to be fully revealed. How does Daniel's story help us understand what faithfulness looks like in this "in-between" time?
We are not called to chase suffering, but we are called to trust God when faithfulness leads to hardship. How do we discern the difference between unnecessary risk and faithful obedience that may cost us?
What is one area of your life where you are tempted to compromise your faithfulness to God in order to avoid difficulty? What would it look like to trust that God can save you through it rather than demanding he save you from it?

Genesis 36:1-37:1 Genealogy

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 20:13:48 GMT

Genesis 36:1-37:1 Genealogy

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: January 4, 2026

Read Genesis 36:1-8 together. When you come across genealogies like this in Scripture, what is your usual response? Why do you think passages like this are included in the Bible?
Verse 31 notes that "these were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned." If God's plan was to bless the world through Abraham's chosen line, why would he allow Esau's line to flourish so much faster?
The sermon suggested that if God had included both Ishmael and Esau in the chosen line, things would have moved much faster — Abraham's descendants could have been "like the stars of the heavens" before Exodus even begins. Why doesn't God seem interested in moving quickly?
By the end of Genesis, Esau has tribes, land, chiefs, and kings — while Jacob's family is about 70 people heading into Egypt. What is surprising or even troubling about this contrast?
Where did Esau's wives come from, and where did he settle? How do these choices contrast with what God had called his people to do?
Hebrews 12:16 describes Esau as "unholy" because he "sold his birthright for a single meal." What did Esau gain by doing this? What did he lose? In what ways does our culture encourage us to be like Esau — to take what we want now rather than wait for what God promises?
Consider what Israel had to endure to receive what Esau simply took: Jacob worked 14 years for his wives; the nation spent 400 years in slavery; they wandered 40 years in the wilderness. Why would God lead his people through such a difficult path?
The sermon acknowledged that following Jesus is "a better life" but also "often a harder one." How have you experienced this tension? Why doesn't "better" always feel better in the moment?
The sermon asked: "Why wait?" and answered: "Only because in the end, eventually, what you get is Jesus." How does this answer sit with you? Is it enough?
The sermon asked, "How good are you at waiting?" Be honest — where in your life right now are you most tempted to stop waiting on God and just take what you want?
Are there ways you have been expecting God to work quickly or dramatically, when he may be calling you to a "long obedience in the same direction"? What would it look like to trust him in that?

John 1:14

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 20:43:56 GMT

John 1:14

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: December 21, 2025

Read John 1:14 aloud together. The sermon explained that John uses the term "Word" (Logos) intentionally to connect with Greek philosophical thinking. Why would John use language his audience already knew, only to confront them with something radically different?

The Logos Became a Person

1. In Greek thought, the Logos was an impersonal force or principle that gave shape and coherence to reality. How does John's claim that this Logos "became flesh and made his dwelling among us" overturn that understanding?

2. The sermon pointed out that we still speak in similar ways today — "the universe led us together," "everything happens for a reason," "a higher power." What is appealing about this kind of language? What is ultimately unsatisfying about it?

3. If what stands behind all reality is not an impersonal force but a person who longs to be with us, how does that change the way you understand your own existence and purpose?

4. The sermon argued that both ancient philosophy and modern self-help put all the weight on us — to figure life out, to be enough, to reach the divine. How is the story of Christmas the opposite of this?

God Made His Dwelling Among Us

1. The word for "made his dwelling" literally means "tabernacled" — it echoes God's presence in the tabernacle and temple in the Old Testament. What is John claiming about Jesus by using this language?

2. In the Old Testament, God's presence was behind a veil because sin still separated his people from him. What had to happen for God to now dwell with us permanently and for us to see his glory?

3. The sermon described how our separation from God is not because we are physical and he is spiritual, but because of our sin and rejection of him. Why is this distinction important for understanding what the incarnation accomplishes?

We Have Seen His Glory

1. When Moses asked to see God's glory, God told him he could not see it and live — he could only hear God declare his character (Exodus 34:6-7). What has changed that John can now say "we have seen his glory"?

2. In Exodus 34, God declares himself "compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness... yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished." How does Jesus embody both of these realities — abundant love and dealing with sin?

3. The sermon said that in John's Gospel, the "hour" when Jesus' glory is fully revealed is the cross. How does the cross display God's glory rather than hide it? What does this tell us about what glory actually means?

4. John describes Jesus as "full of grace and truth" — or as the sermon put it, "abounding in love and faithfulness." How do grace and truth work together in who Jesus is and what he does for us?

Personal Reflection and Application

1. The sermon said that encouraging words only help us when they are true, and that being told "you are enough" can actually lead to despair when we know we are not. How does the gospel offer something different than mere encouragement?

14. If the Logos behind all reality is not distant but has pursued you and taken up residence among you, how does that change the way you approach your struggles, your inadequacy, or your need for help?

15. As we prepare for Christmas, how does meditating on John 1:14 — that God himself took on flesh to dwell with you and to deal with your sin — shape the way you worship and celebrate this week?

John 1:6-13

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 20:42:12 GMT

John 1:6-13

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: December 14, 2025

Opening the Text

Read John 1:6-13 aloud together. After the cosmic introduction of verses 1-5, what surprises you about where John takes us in verse 6?
The sermon pointed out that you could skip from verse 5 to verse 14 and not feel like you missed anything. Why do you think John includes this section about John the Baptist and the world's response to Jesus? What would we lose without it?
Verse 7 says John came "so that through him all might believe." Why would God send a witness ahead of Jesus? What does this tell us about God's heart toward us?

The World Did Not Recognize Him

Verses 10-11 describe a tragic irony: "the world was made through him" yet "the world did not recognize him." How is it possible that creation failed to recognize its Creator?
The sermon suggested that we often assume Jesus was being intentionally obscure or confusing. How does that assumption differ from what John is actually telling us in these verses?
If God's holiness means he is radically different from our expectations, what does Jesus' birth in a stable among rejected parents reveal about who God actually is?
Read verse 11 again: "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." What does it tell us about God that he was willing to be rejected by his own creation?

Repentance as "Turning to Look"

The sermon explained that "repent" literally means "turn around" or "look a different direction." How is this different from how we typically understand repentance? How does this meaning connect to John the Baptist's role as a witness?
What assumptions about God might you need to "turn from" in order to see him more clearly in Jesus?
The sermon asked us to imagine what we would expect if we truly encountered God or the "savior of the world." Be honest — what would you expect? How does Jesus challenge those expectations?

Receiving and Becoming

Verse 12 says that to those who "received him" and "believed in his name," he gave the right to become children of God. What does it mean to "receive" Jesus? How is this different from simply knowing facts about him?
The sermon said that God's grace is open to all people — those cast aside like the shepherds, foreigners like the wise men, and even those the world considers sinners. How does the Christmas story itself demonstrate this?

Personal Reflection and Application

The sermon quoted Athanasius: "Even on the cross He did not hide Himself from sight; rather, He made all creation witness to the presence of its Maker." How does the cross reveal who God is rather than hide it? What does this mean for how we understand God's glory?
How does knowing that God is "holy" — not in the sense of being distant and unapproachable, but in the sense of being shockingly different in his love and grace — change how you approach him in prayer or worship?
As we prepare for Christmas, what is one way you can "turn and look" at Jesus this week — letting him reveal who God truly is rather than expecting him to match your assumptions?

John 1:4-5

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 20:20:44 GMT

John 1:4-5

Speaker: Trish Haq

Date: December 7, 2025

1. Read John 1:4-5. Consider reading it slowly out loud, more than once, perhaps having a

few different people read it, so you hear from a few different voices.

2. Do these verses move you in any way? Share your initial impressions of it. What feelings

or thoughts stirred in you as the verses were read.

3. Reflect together on literal truth of this statement. What do you know about the properties

of light that causes this statement to ring true?

4. To review and build on what was learned last week, read John 1:1-3.

a. Last week, we saw that these verses point us back to the book of Genesis. Read

Genesis 1:1-2. What connections to the opening verses of John do you notice?

b. Who is John 1:1-3 talking about?

5. Now, as you return to verses 4 and 5, what more is John saying about “the Word”?

6. These verses introduce themes of life and light. These are themes that can be traced

through the book of John, and well as through the whole of scripture. Reflect together on

passages that come to mind about darkness and light, as well as life (hint: consider the “I

AM” statements of Jesus, found throughout in the book of John; also consider Revelation

21:23 and 22:3-5, and any other scriptures that come to mind)

7. What darkness do you see in the present time? In your own life, in the lives of those

around you, or in the world?

8. As you reflect on that darkness, where do you see evidence of light in the midst of that

darkness? How does it change our experience of the darkness, if we truly believe that

God, who is light, is with us?

Pray

Pray for each other out of the items discussed. Pray for Christ’s light to break through the

darkness of the circumstances that you have shared. Pray for each other, that you would not

only recognize the light of God’s presence, but also, as one’s called to reflect Christ to the

world, that you would reflect His light to others.

To close, read this together:

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

On those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned…

…For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,

And the government will be on his shoulders.

And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:2,6

John 1:1-18

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 21:13:26 GMT

John 1:1-18

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: November 30, 2025

Opening the Text

1. Read John 1:1-3 aloud together. What phrases stand out to you, and why?

2. John begins his Gospel with "In the beginning" — the same words that open Genesis. Why do you think John chose to echo Genesis 1:1? What is he trying to communicate about Jesus?

3. Verse 1 says the Word was "with God" and also "was God." How can both of these statements be true at the same time? What does this tell us about the nature of God?

Understanding the Word

4. What does it mean that Jesus is called "the Word"? Why do you think John chose this particular title rather than simply saying "the Son"?

5. In Genesis, God creates everything by speaking. How does John 1:3 connect Jesus to the creation account in Genesis? What does this tell us about who Jesus is?

6. Verse 3 emphasizes that "without him nothing was made that has been made." Why do you think John is so emphatic about this point? What misunderstanding is he trying to prevent?

7. If Jesus is the agent through whom all things were created, what does that tell us about his relationship to creation when he becomes part of it at Christmas?

The Trinity and the Nature of God

8. The sermon explained that before Jesus, we could see God's actions but not truly see into God's nature. How does Jesus give us a "window" into who God is within himself?

9. The Nicene Creed describes Jesus as "God from God, Light from Light." What do you think this phrase means? Why is the image of light helpful for understanding the relationship between Father and Son?

10. The sermon described three historical views of the divine: no god, many gods, or one solitary divine being. How does the Trinity differ from all three of these options? Why does this matter?

11. If God has always existed as Father, Son, and Spirit in perfect loving relationship, what does that tell us about the nature of love itself? How is this different from a God who existed alone before creating?

The Gospel at Stake

12. The bishops at Nicea were not philosophers enjoying abstract debate — many bore scars from persecution. Why were they willing to suffer and travel great distances to discuss who Jesus is? What was at stake for them?

13. The sermon argued that if Jesus is not God, then the gospel itself is undone. Why is Jesus being truly God essential to the good news of salvation? What would be lost if he were merely a great human teacher?

14. If Jesus were only the greatest human who ever lived — an example for us to follow — how would that affect your confidence before God? How does Jesus being God change the way you approach him?

Personal Reflection and Application

15. The sermon mentioned assumptions we often carry about God: that he doesn't care, that we need to earn his approval, that he is disappointed in us. Which of these assumptions do you most struggle with? How does John 1:1-3 speak to that assumption?

16. If Jesus is God — if looking at Jesus means looking into the very heart of God — what does the cross reveal about God's character and his heart toward you?

17. How does knowing that God is love within himself (not dependent on creation to experience love) change the way you understand why he created you? Why he pursues you?

18. As we prepare for Christmas, how might meditating on John 1:1-3 change the way you experience the Advent season? What difference does it make to say that on Christmas, God himself was born into our world?

Daniel 5

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 13:45:21 GMT

Daniel 5

Speaker: Karen Bird

Date: November 23, 2025

1. Recount one or two of your favourite Bible stories. What is it about them that resonates with you?

2. The last verse of Daniel 4 states “those who walk in pride [God] is able to humble.” What is this referring to?

3. At the party, why do you think Belshazzar wanted to drink from goblets that had come from God’s temple? What else was going on at this party?

4. Describe the big, mysterious event! Describe the emotions it evoked. Why did it incite so much fear? How would you have responded if you had been there?

5. 45-50 years passed between Nebuchadnezzar’s and Belshazzar’s reign. Somewhere along that timeline, Daniel had been reduced to relative obscurity, his position and influence removed, and his name almost forgotten. How do we handle obscurity? Why can it be so difficult?

6. Some of the things we notice about Daniel’s response to exile and obscurity include:

He remains in his place, living with quiet, patient integrity
He has not lost his gifting or his connection to God
His reputation was still good
He has established and held his identity as a Hebrew, one of God’s people, confident in the Lord’s present and future provision
He doesn’t desire a return to the recognition, fame, or even compensation he had before
Which of these characteristics encourages you most in your call to live in exile or obscurity? How difficult or easy would it be to practice these? Explain.

7. What does Daniel’s name mean? What is so significant about this? What is judgment really for?

8. When Daniel recounts Nebuchadnezzar’s life, what similarities do you see to the larger Biblical narrative of creation- fall- redemption-restoration?

9. How does God’s judgment show up in the story of Belshazzar? How is this setting things right?

10. How does rooting our identity in God grant us the ability to live confidently and faithfully in exile (these times between the times) and even in obscurity? How can we grow in rooting our identity in the Lord? Pray for one another to this end.

Daniel 4

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 21:32:31 GMT

Daniel 4

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: November 16, 2025

Understanding the Context of Daniel

Review the background of the Book of Daniel and the first three chapters.
How have the first three chapters of Daniel taught us to remain faithful in the midst of exile?

Daniel 4:1-3 – A New Perspective

Read Daniel 4:1-3.
What do you notice about Nebuchadnezzar’s words?
How is this chapter different from the previous ones?
Why is it significant that Nebuchadnezzar attributes what God has done “for him”?
How should this affect the way we approach and interpret this chapter?

Daniel 4:4-8 – The Fragility of Security

Read Daniel 4:4-8.
How does this passage illustrate how quickly we can lose our sense of security?
Why might someone as powerful as Nebuchadnezzar feel afraid despite his position?
Recall a time when you felt insecure or uncertain. How did that experience reveal the fragility of human confidence?
How do these verses remind us to place our trust in God rather than in unstable things?

Daniel 4:13-27 – The Fear and Purpose of God’s Discipline

Read Daniel 4:13-27.
Why would Nebuchadnezzar have been so afraid of this dream?
Consider the image of the tree—how does it symbolize both strength and fragility?
How does this imagery reflect Nebuchadnezzar’s own rise and fall?
According to the interpretation, what is God's purpose in doing this to Nebuchadnezzar?

Daniel 4:28-37 – Mercy and Grace in God's Discipline

Read Daniel 4:28-37.
Why is it significant that God does not permanently take everything away from Nebuchadnezzar?
How does this demonstrate that God's discipline is meant “for” Nebuchadnezzar’s good, not against him?
What can we learn about God's mercy and patience from this passage?
In what ways do we tend to seek comfort in insecure things?
How are we called to look to God for true security and peace?

Jesus’ Example and Our Response

How does Jesus’ life and experiences mirror Nebuchadnezzar’s in showing His sovereignty over all things?
In what ways are we meant to trust Jesus’ rule and bear witness to His kingship in our daily lives?
Why is the message of Jesus’ kingship especially important in today’s world?
How can we faithfully demonstrate Jesus’ rule through our lives amid a culture of instability and uncertainty?

Daniel 3

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 19:50:03 GMT

Daniel 3

Speaker: Trish Haq

Date: November 9, 2025

1. This past weekend we celebrated 16 baptisms. What encouraged you from the testimonies shared in the video? Have you been baptised?

a. If so, what stands out to you when you think back to your baptism? In what ways was it meaningful to you?

b. If you have not yet been baptised, is it something that you are considering? Is anything holding you back? What questions do you have?

2. Read through the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, found in Daniel, Chapter 3. Although it’s a familiar story to many, perhaps there are details that you hadn’t noticed before. Take some time to share what you notice about this text. Does anything stand out or catch your attention?

3. Why was it important for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to refuse to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s idol? Consider the following scripture passages as you reflect on this together:

a. Exodus 20:1-17

b. Psalm 95

c. Philippians 2:9-11

4 . Re-read Daniel 3:13-18.

a . What does Nebuchadnezzar’s question in verse 15 reveal about his beliefs?

b. What does the response from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego reveal about their beliefs?

5. In their response to the King, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego revealed that they had an “EVEN IF” kind of faith. They would trust in God and worship Him alone, regardless of the outcome, even if that meant they ultimately had to face death in order to remain faithful.

a . Do you ever struggle to have this kind of faith? In what areas do you sometimes find you have more of an “ONLY IF” kind of faith – one that puts conditions on your ability or willingness to fully trust God, no matter the circumstances.

b. Can you share a time when you were able to have an “EVEN IF” kind of faith? Is there a moment where you had the ability to trust in God, even though God was not responding the way that you had expected or hoped?

c. What do you think would help you to move away from an “ONLY IF” faith and towards an “EVEN IF” faith? Ie: what would help strengthen your ability to be faithful to God and trust in him fully through difficult times?

6. Consider verses 19 to 27. Here, we see that God did not save Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fire. Instead, He saved them through the fire.

a. What does this reveal about how we should think about the suffering and trials that we face in our own lives?

b. What does the 4th figure in the fire tell us about God’s presence with us in the midst of difficulties? Can you think of any scripture passages that reinforce this truth?

c. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire completely unharmed. What does this reveal about God’s ability to save?

7. Consider Christ’s saving work on the cross. What parallels do you see as you reflect on the way that the Lord rescued Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fire? Does it encourage you to know that we follow a God who doesn’t just avoid the fire, but enters into it, so that we, along with Him, can overcome it?

Pray

Pray for each other out of the items discussed. Pray that your faith would be strengthened to stand firm in the truths that you believe. Pray that the Lord would reveal areas where you still need to let go of an “ONLY IF” attitude towards him, so that you can place your trust more fully in him, “EVEN IF” He doesn’t move in the ways that you hope or expect. Pray that in the midst of the difficulties you each are facing, the Lord would help you to see and feel His presence with you, and to trust in His ability to bring you through it. Close your pray time by reading Isaiah 43:1-3a .

Daniel 2

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 20:25:31 GMT

Daniel 2

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: November 2, 2025

The Context of Daniel and the Church Today

1. Living as Faithful Exiles

Review how Daniel Chapter 1 teaches us to live as faithful exiles in today's world.

Understanding Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

2. The King's Unreasonable Request

Read Daniel 2:1-6.

Why did Nebuchadnezzar demand to have his dream told to him before the interpretation?
What does this reveal about how the gods were viewed in that time?
How do Daniel 2:10-11 further illustrate these ancient beliefs?

3. Daniel's Unique Response

Read Daniel 2:14-23.

In what ways was Daniel’s response to the king different?
How does this show God as distinct from other gods?
How is Daniel’s approach rooted in God’s actions throughout history?
How is this relevant to us today?
How has God revealed Himself to us now?

Daniel's Revelation and Its Purpose

4. Acting on Divine Revelation

Read Daniel 2:24-30.

What did Daniel do after receiving revelation from God?
How did this reflect his humility?
How did it reveal the purpose of God's revelation to him?
How does this connect with our experience today?

Interpreting Dreams and Proclaiming the Gospel

5. Proclaiming the Gospel through a Dream

Read Daniel 2:31-45.

How did Daniel explain Nebuchadnezzar's dream?
Why can it be said that Daniel proclaimed the Gospel to him?
In what ways did Jesus fulfill this dream?

What lessons do we learn about Jesus' Kingdom from this?

6. Courage in Proclamation

Why might have Daniel felt fear in proclaiming this message to Nebuchadnezzar?
What lessons can we draw from his courage?

Encouraging Faithful Living

7. Encouragement for Modern Faithful Exiles

How can we encourage each other to be faithful exiles who understand the secret of God’s Kingdom and share it with others in humility?

Daniel 1

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 19:22:29 GMT

Daniel 1

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: October 26, 2025

Understanding Our Identity as Exiles

Read Daniel 1:1-2. Where do we find ourselves in the grand story of God's people?
These verses describe Babylon’s first overthrow of Judah in 604 BC—when Nebuchadnezzar looted the Temple and took many into exile. How does the context of Daniel relate to the church's context today? (see 1 Peter 1:11; 2:11; Hebrews 11:13-16; 13:14; Philippians 3:20; John 17:14-16)

The Challenges and Responsibilities of Christian Exile

What are the biggest challenges for Christians living as exiles today? (e.g., pressures to conform, temptation, misunderstanding, social rejection)
What are ways we seek to relieve this pressure?

Following Jesus: Daniel’s Example in Exile

Read Daniel 1:3-7. What pressures did Daniel face as a young exile in a foreign land?
How did his response reflect trust in God's Kingship and a desire to remain faithful to His identity?
In what ways can Christians today imitate Daniel—remaining faithful to Jesus even amid societal pressures?
Read Daniel 1:8-21. How did Daniel’s resolve to stay faithful shape his life and witness?
How does Daniel’s example challenge us to remain different—not out of arrogance, but out of faithfulness and a desire to bear witness—and to invest in our world and communities for God's glory?

Living Out Our Exilic Calling in the Modern World

In Daniel 9:2, Daniel talks about Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles (Jeremiah 29). Read Jeremiah 29:4-7.
How did Daniel embody Jeremiah’s instructions to seek the peace and prosperity of the city while remaining faithful to God?
What would it look like today for Christians to live as faithful exiles—serving our neighbors, praying for our cities, and being witnesses of Jesus’ love—without compromising our distinct faith and coercing others to agree with us?

Being a Faithful Community in a Foreign Land

How can we be “for the world”—bearing witness, showing love, compassion, and service—without being “of the world"?

How can we share the gospel of Jesus Christ compellingly and kindly, bearing witness to His wonder without coercion or manipulation?

Romans 8

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 19:43:15 GMT

Romans 8

Speaker: Joel Miles

Date: October 19, 2025

Read through Romans 8 together.
Discuss what God is speaking to you in these verses.
Talk about some key takeaways.

Romans 8:31-39

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 19:42:26 GMT

Scripture: Romans 8:31 - 39

Date: October 12, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

1. Understanding the Context (Romans 8:31)

Summarize Paul's argument throughout Romans, especially in chapter 8. How does this set the stage for the conclusions he's about to draw?
In your own words, what do you think is the logical conclusion we should draw from Paul's teachings so far in Romans?

2. Exploring Paul's Conclusions (Romans 8:31-39)

As you read Romans 8:31-39, identify the main conclusions Paul presents. How do these relate to his earlier arguments?
What do you think Paul means by the statement, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" How might this apply to our daily lives?
Reflect on Romans 8:32. What makes this verse particularly remarkable? How does it impact your understanding of God's love and provision?

3. The Assurance of God's Love

According to Romans 8:33, why can nothing be held against us if God has forgiven us?
How does the narrative of God's actions throughout Romans support Paul's claims in Romans 8:35-39? Can you identify specific examples?

4. Application and Reflection

Why might some people find it challenging to believe in the remarkable love and acceptance Paul describes? Have you ever struggled with this?
How can we encourage one another to embrace and live out the truths presented in this passage?
Why is it crucial to continually remind ourselves of the Gospel and God's actions on our behalf? How might this impact our daily walk with God?
Share a personal experience where understanding God's faithful love made a difference in your life. How did it affect your faith or actions?
In light of this passage, how might we approach challenges, doubts, or perceived separation from God differently?

Romans 8:28-30

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 20:07:04 GMT

Scripture: Romans 8:28 - 30

Date: October 5, 2025

Speaker: Trish Haq

1. Have someone read Romans 8:28-30 out loud, TWO times. During the first reading, simply take in the whole of what is being read. For the second reading, invite God’s Spirit to draw your attention to any words, phrases, or ideas that may hold some significance. Following this, share your reflections on these verses.

2. Is Romans 8:28 familiar to you? In what ways can this verse be encouraging and helpful? In what ways do you think it can sometimes be misused and misinterpreted?

3. Consider N.T. Wright’s translation of Romans 8:28: “We know, in fact, that God works all things together for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose”

a. In what way does the word “with” change the meaning of this verse?

4. Consider the verses that come before and after verse 28. Does reading verse 28 in context support N.T. Wright’s translation? (hint: what evidence do you see in these verses that God doesn’t just work ‘for’ us, but also ‘with’ us?)

5. Reflect together on verse 29. What questions does it raise for you about how God relates to humanity? What truths do you think are important to understand in this verse, as it relates to the broader point being made in this passage as a whole?

6. Consider the concept of glory.

a. Can you think of any examples throughout the bible that can help understand what it means to be glorified?

b. How is God’s glory similar, and how it is different, from the glory that we will share in?

c. In what ways are we able to share in Christ’s glory now? In what ways is this something we will experience in the future?

7. Why is it important to this passage to understand what it means to conformed to the image of God’s Son? (Consider the context that Romans has laid out for us up to this point). What are we meant to understand about our human vocation from this passage?

Pray

Pray for each other out of the items discussed. Pray that you would each come to understand how you are uniquely called to live out your human vocation, as ones who have been conformed to the image of Christ and meant to share in both his suffering and his glory. Pray that you would have eyes to recognize the pain and suffering of others, and seek to take action as you come to understand the ways that God desires to work with you, to bring about good.

Romans 8:18-25

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 14:17:30 GMT

Scripture: Romans 8:18 - 25

Date: September 28, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Exploring the Biblical Narrative

1. Understanding the Plot of the Bible:

When we look at the overall story of the Bible, what are the key elements of its plot?
What is the setting?
What is the crisis or problem?
Where do we see the rising action building up?
Can you identify the climax or turning point in the story?
What events demonstrate the falling action?
How does the story reach its resolution?

2. Recognizing Biblical Parts in Romans 8:17-27:

How many of these parts of the biblical plot do you notice referenced in this passage?
Where in the text do these parts appear, and what do they reveal about the story Paul is telling?

The Climax and Its Implications

3. The Accomplishments of Jesus’ Death, Resurrection, and the Spirit:

According to Paul, what was achieved by the climax of Jesus’ death and resurrection, along with the gift of the Spirit?
How do these events relate to the overall biblical plot—specifically the setting, crisis, and rising action?

4. Living After the Climax:

How does understanding that we are living in the time after the climax but before the final resolution help us interpret this passage?
Why do you think Paul emphasizes suffering, groaning, and prayer in this context?
What does Paul mean when he says that we are “waiting for the revealing of the glory that is to be revealed in us”? (the NIV "in us" the closet to what the Greek says)
How does creation’s eager anticipation of the revelation of God's children fit into this?

Living in Hope and Witness

5. Our Hope and Its Witness:

This passage highlights not only the hope we are waiting for but also the hope we are called to live out and share with the world. How can we do this faithfully?
Who in your life are you longing for to know Jesus?
How can we encourage each other in this mission?
What does it look like to love those around us and pray effectively for their faith and well-being?

Romans 8:14-17

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 19:58:00 GMT

Scripture: Romans 8:14 - 17

Date: September 21, 2025

Speaker: Trish Haq

1. Read Romans 8:14-17 out loud together. Have you been trying to memorize any or all of Romans 8? If so, how is it going? If not, what holds you back? What value do you think there is in memorizing scripture?

2. Romans 8:14 talks about being led by the Spirit. Spend some time talking about the role of the Spirit in the life of the believer. What are some of the ways that we are impacted by the work of the Holy Spirit?

3. The Spirit is God’s personal presence with us and in us. Why is this so significant in the life of a Christian?

4. Consider the idea that as believers, filled with the Spirit, we have been adopted into God’s family. In what ways does this mark a significant change, compared to how the family of God operated before Jesus came? (hint: consider the story of Abraham found in Genesis 15 & 17, and the broader arc of the Israelites told throughout the Old Testament)

5. In what ways is the idea of family a helpful and meaningful concept for us today in understanding God’s family? In what ways can it be painful or difficult, for others, or for yourself personally?

6. Romans 8 reveals that because we have been adopted into the family of God, we have the right to call God “Father”. Reflect on this together. How does your idea of the love of a father, or the love of a parent, for their child, help you to better understand the love of God? In what ways does the imperfections of our human parents make this difficult?

7. Abba is an Aramaic word that Jesus himself used to cry out to God. Why is it significant that Romans says we too can cry out to God using this word, Abba.

8. Romans teaches that we are heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ. This means that as God’s children, we have a rich inheritance. Reflect together on what our inheritance is, as sons and daughters in the family God (hint: being an heir is grounded in both present and future – there are both immediate rights, privileges, roles, and responsibilities, as well as good things promised that must be waited for)

Pray for each other out of the items discussed. Pray that you would each know God’s fatherly love for you, and that you would be drawn deeper into an abiding relationship with the Lord. Pray that you would truly live as sons and daughters of God, being confident in His love for you, and actively participating in His kingdom work. And, pray that you would also live with hopeful anticipation for the promises of God that are yet to be fulfilled.

Romans 8:5-13

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 20:31:44 GMT

Scripture: Romans 8:5-13

Date: September 14, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Summary and Main Message of Romans 1-7

Summarize Romans 1-7.
What is the main message Paul is conveying in these chapters?
What does Paul say about sin and its enslaving power in Romans 1-7?

Understanding Romans 8:1-4

Summarize Romans 8:1-4.
What is Paul teaching about what Christ has accomplished for us in these verses?

Connection Between Sin, the Flesh, and the Spirit (Romans 8:5-8)

Read Romans 8:5-8.
How do these verses relate to Paul’s teachings on sin and its enslaving power from earlier in Romans?
How do Romans 8:5-8 connect to what Paul said in Romans 8:1-4?

The Realm of the Flesh and Its Consequences

What does it mean to be in the realm of the flesh?
Why does turning away from God lead us to be enslaved to our desires and idols?

Freedom Through the Spirit (Romans 8:9-11)

How do Romans 8:9-11 explain that believers have been set free from slavery to sin and the flesh?

Living in the Realm of the Spirit and the New Creation

What does it mean to be in the realm of the Spirit?
How does this relate to the idea of the new creation?
How does Paul demonstrate that the gifts of the new creation have already been given to us, and how does this influence how we live today?

Calling to Live by the Spirit (Romans 8:12-13)

Read Romans 8:12-13.
What is Paul calling us to do in light of what he has taught?
Why might living this way be challenging?
Read Galatians 5:19-21. How would you characterize the deeds of the flesh?
How can we put these deeds to death?
How do we rely on the Spirit to help in this process?
How can others support you in living according to the Spirit?

Romans 8:1-4

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 19:24:46 GMT

Scripture: Romans 8:1-4

Date: September 7, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

1. Context and Major Themes from Romans 1-7

How would you summarize the main message Paul conveys about the Gospel in Romans 1-7?

2. Understanding Romans 8:1-2

What do you normally think Romans 8:1 means about our salvation and standing before God?
How does the grammatical connection between verse 1 and verse 2 (the word “because”) change or clarify that understanding?

3. Romans 7:7-25, 8:1-4 and the Law

What general message do you think Paul is communicating about the purpose of the Law in Romans 7?
What is positive about the Law, according to Paul?
In what ways does the Law reveal our sinfulness but fail to produce lasting change or “life”?
How does this clarify what Paul means by “the law of sin and death?” How does it show that commandments by themselves are not enough? How does Romans 8:3-4 refer to this?
In what ways did God’s solution—sending Jesus—address what the Law could not do?
What is Paul saying the gift of the Spirit enables us to do?
How is this text not only talking about forgiveness, but living as God would have us? How is it encouraging us to see that we can truly live this way?

4. Living “In Christ” and Empowered by the Spirit

How does Jesus’ example model the kind of community we are called to embody?
In what ways does the Holy Spirit empower us to reflect Jesus’ love, forgiveness, and sacrifice?
How are you encouraged to pursue this kind of life in your own relationships and community?

5. Living Miraculously through the Spirit

What are some “miraculous” ways we can live out the gospel in our homes, churches, and communities?
Which of these areas do you feel God is calling you to trust Him for because of His Spirit’s empowerment?
How does knowing that Jesus’ greatest miracle was His self-sacrifice challenge or motivate you?
What specific step can you take this week to live more abundantly in the Spirit’s power?

6. Resting in God’s Power, Not Your Own

Why is it important to remember that our ability to live for God depends on His power, not our strength?
How can regular practices like church attendance, Sabbath, and daily prayer help you rest in God’s grace?
In what ways might trying to do more in your own strength hinder your spiritual growth?
How can you intentionally rely more on the Spirit rather than your effort?

Intro to Romans

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 19:52:45 GMT

Scripture: Intro to Romans

Date: August 31, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Introduction and Purpose

Paul’s Introduction:

Read Romans 1:1, 7, 9-10, 14-15. How do these verses compare to introductions in other letters by Paul?
How does knowing Paul had not visited the Roman church affect his approach in this letter?
Why is it significant that Paul’s purpose in writing is to fulfill his obligation to preach the Gospel?

The Gospel’s Central Theme

Key Message:

What does Paul state as the main theme of Romans in 1:16-17, and why is this significant?
According to these verses, what are the different things the Gospel accomplishes?

Humanity’s Condition and God’s Faithfulness

The Human Predicament:

How does Paul describe humanity’s state in Romans 1:18-3:20?
Why does Paul emphasize that both Jews and Gentiles are under sin?
How does this create a problem for God regarding His faithfulness to His promises?

Revealing Righteousness:

Read Romans 3:21-24. How does the Gospel reveal God’s righteousness and faithfulness?
How does one take hold of this salvation?

Faith and Salvation

Abraham’s Example:

Read Romans 4:1-3, 9-12, 20-25. How does Paul use Abraham to explain that salvation has always been by faith?
How are we and Abraham saved through the same means?

God’s Remarkable Work:

Read Romans 5:1-8, 18-21. How does Paul describe God’s work in these verses?
How does he show that the predicament of sin has been completely overthrown?
How does he highlight God’s love for us?

Living Out Righteousness

Life Under Grace:

Read Romans 6:1-4, 15-18. How does Paul show that salvation by faith doesn’t mean we should continue to sin, but live righteously?

Relation to the Law:

Read Romans 7:4-6. How does Paul say we now relate to the law because of Jesus Christ?
How does he explain that this means we live as we were meant to in the power of the Spirit?

Application and Support

Connection to Romans 8:1:

How does all of this relate to Romans 8:1?

Reflecting and Living:

How can reflecting on Romans 1-7 help us marvel at and appreciate the Gospel today?
What are practical ways to live out faith knowing we are justified and empowered by the Spirit?

Group Support:

How can we as a group support each other in embracing the truths of Romans 1-7?

Psalm 121

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 17:27:01 GMT

Scripture: Psalm 121

Date: August 24, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Introduction to Psalms 120-134

Observations: What do you notice about the beginning of each Psalm from 120-134?

Context and Significance

Understanding "A Song of Ascents": The phrase likely refers to Psalms sung by Israelites during pilgrimages to Jerusalem for festivals. Why is this context important?

Pilgrimage and Life's Journey

Life's Pilgrimage: How does Psalm 121:7-8 illustrate that this is not just a journey to Jerusalem, but also about life's path to God's presence?

Trust and Support

Source of Help: Read Psalm 121:1. Why does looking at the mountains prompt the Psalmist to ask, “Where does my help come from?” Why were the Mountains terrifying?
Personal Reflection: When was the last time you felt uncertain about your future security? Can you share personal experiences?

Security and Faith

Insecure Trusts: What were some insecure things the pilgrims might have been tempted to trust during their pilgrimage? How do we face similar temptations in life?
Faith's Foundation: Where does this Psalm direct us to place our trust?
God's Nature: Why is calling God both “The LORD" and "the Maker of heaven and earth” significant for emphasizing and understanding His trustworthiness?
What do those two phrases mean?

Assurance in God's Care

God's Security: How do verses 4-8 of Psalm 121 emphasize the security God provides? Why is it important to recognize that this si not promising an easy path, but rather God's secure care to carry us through the difficult path?
Christ's Sacrifice: How does the cross of Jesus demonstrate God's commitment to leading us into His presence?

Personal Application

Trusting God: In what areas are you struggling to trust God? How does this Psalm challenge and support you?
Community Support: How can we as a group encourage and support you in your journey of follow the Lord faithfully?

Acts 15:36-16:5

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 18:31:04 GMT

Scripture: Acts 15:36-16:5

Date: August 17, 2025

Speaker: Joel Kelsey

In this story, Paul and Barnabas, close friends and ministry partners, had such a sharp disagreement that they parted ways. What does this teach us about the reality of conflict, even among mature Christians?

2. Barnabas wanted to give John Mark a second chance; Paul did not.
Do you tend to be more like Barnabas (quick to offer second chances) or Paul (cautious after being let down)? Why?

3. How might how we handle conflict be just as important as whether we’re “right” in the disagreement?

4. Years later, Paul calls John Mark “helpful” to him. What does this tell us about Paul’s growth? About John Mark’s perseverance?

5. Have you ever been in John Mark’s shoes—feeling unwanted, disqualified, or sidelined? How did you respond? What helped you move forward?

6. How can we as a church community create space for people who have “quit” or failed to re-engage and thrive again?

7. Even in the middle of this split, the mission still advanced; two trips instead of one. How does this encourage you when you see division in the church today?

8. How does this story give you hope about God using your life despite past failures or current flaws?

Acts 15:1-35

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 13:57:22 GMT

Scripture: Acts 15:1-35

Date: August 10, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Overview and Context of Acts 13-15

Review Acts 13-14. What key events have led up to the gathering in Acts 15?
What are some recurring themes in these chapters?
Why do you think it matters that the focus remains on mission and the conflicts that arise during that mission?

2. The Controversy over Salvation and Circumcision (Acts 15:1-4)

Read Acts 15:1-4. Why would the claim that “you must be circumcised to be saved” cause such a strong reaction in Antioch?
Circumcision was mainly a sign of Jewish identity and a step towards becoming part of God’s people. At this time, Jews enjoyed protection from the Roman Empire, which allowed them to worship in their way as long as it aligned with Caesar’s rule.
Why is this historical and political context significant? How does it connect to the controversy over circumcision and the mission to the Gentiles?

3. The Argument for Unity and Salvation (Acts 15:6-12)

Read Acts 15:6-12. What is the main argument regarding salvation through Jesus versus circumcision?
How does the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles serve as evidence that they are truly saved?
Why does the presence of the Holy Spirit also signify their calling to participate in the mission?

4. The Decision and Its Implications (Acts 15:13-21)

Read Acts 15:13-21. Why does this speech by James end the debate? How does this highlight the importance of the Scriptures?
Why is it significant that James not only declares that circumcision isn’t necessary but also calls believers to live in a way that reflects their faith?
Consider the potential consequences: How might this decision have led to ongoing opposition and challenges for the church?
How does the process by which the church arrived at this decision demonstrate the priority of their mission—to point to Jesus—over avoiding conflict?

5. Application and Reflection

How does the church’s approach challenge us today?
In what ways does this challenge you when you see this text both say: Jesus welcomes all, and all are called to live distinctly for him?
In what ways do you struggle to faithfully follow this call?
How can your community or church support you in holding firmly to Jesus as your identity, and living out that identity with integrity and purpose?

Acts 14:1-28

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 19:10:07 GMT

Scripture: Acts 14:1-28

Date: August 3, 2025

Speaker: Trish Haq

Read Acts chapter 14 together. Take time to notice the details of the story. Does anything stand out? What surprises you? What encourages you? What challenges you?

2. Have you ever taken a long journey? What was it like to return and share with others about your travels? How did you choose what stories to tell? Was it difficult to decide what was important to share?

3. Consider the accounts we are given about Paul and Barnabas’ time in Antioch (chapter 13), and Iconium. What similarities do you notice?

4. In scripture, repetition is used by the authors to signify importance. What importance do these two accounts hold to the overarching story?

5. What other repetitions can be found that should have our attention? (hint: consider Acts 14:8-10. Also compare this passage with Acts 3). What is the significance of these repetitions?

6. Miracles were an important part of the ministry of Jesus, and the early church. Reflect together on some of the healing stories found throughout scripture (Acts 14, Acts 3, John 5, Luke 5, or others). What questions or longings do these kinds of stories of healing stir up for you?

7. Is there any area in your life where you are longing and waiting for healing (physical, emotional, or spiritual)? In what ways do you feel hopeful as you endure these challenges? Do you ever feel discouraged?

8. Consider the crowd’s response to the miracle of healing in Lystra.

In what ways is it surprising, and in what ways is it understandable?
What did they have right?
What were they getting wrong?

Ultimately, the Lyconian response to the miracle - seeking to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods, rather than allowing this miracle to point them towards the one true God - was a form of idolatry. As Leslie Newbigin has pointed out, this can happen any time people see God’s glory reflected in the world. They can so easily make the mistake of believing that is all there is to see, rather than turning to recognize and behold the source.

9. As you think about your own lives, is this something that we are at risk of doing today? Can you think of some examples, where people sometimes look to something as ultimate, when it is only a reflection?

10. In what ways do you think you are called to reflect God’s glory to the world? In what ways do you think the church is called to do this? How can we point away from ourselves, to encourage people to truly see Jesus?

Pray

Pray for each other out of the items discussed. Pray for God’s healing, a foretaste of the full and complete healing that is promised in eternity. Pray for patience and endurance through the hardships that you face. Pray that God would show you any areas of your life where you are worshipping idols, and ask Him to give you the wisdom, strength, and faith to turn and focus your life wholly on Him. Pray that as you turn to allow the fullness of God’s glory to shine on you, the Lord would lead you to reflect that light out into the world. Pray for the Church, that together, we can reflect the love and grace of Jesus to the world.

Acts 13:13-52

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 12:57:52 GMT

Scripture: Acts 13:13-52

Date: July 27, 2025

Speaker: Karen Bird

1. What are some thoughts or feelings that come to mind when you think about witnessing? What are some of your stories or experiences that have contributed to these thoughts or feelings?

2. Read Acts 13:6-14 . Paul and Barnabas had just been with Sergius Paulus in Cyprus. History books tell us that Sergius Paulus’ family resided in Pisidian Antioch, so it seems likely that Sergius Paulus asked Paul and Barnabas to take the gospel there. What are the supernatural components of Paul and Barnabas’ witness and what are the natural components? What might be the supernatural and natural components of your own witness?

3. Based on your reading of scripture and knowledge of history, what might the spiritual landscape have been like in Pisidian Antioch – and how might the physical landscape have reflected that? What is the spiritual landscape like in London, Ontario? How is our spiritual landscape reflected in our architecture? Our culture? (What are some things our culture prizes, or perhaps worships?)

4. Read Acts 13:16-22 . This is the introduction to Paul sharing Jesus with his audience. What did he include? What did he not include? Why might he have intentionally chosen to share these things over others?

5. What have you noticed that people around you, or people in our wider culture, believe about life, about themselves, about the world? What are some of the things they are longing for? How does the good news of Jesus Christ answer these longings or speak to these beliefs?

6. What holds you back from witnessing about the good news of Jesus? Is it lack of opportunity? Not wanting to end someone? Fear of rejection? A sense of inadequacy? Other?

7. Witnessing requires knowing unbelievers. As a take-away this week, choose one relationship with an unbeliever that you can invest in and reach out to them in an intentional way.

8. Witnessing also requires truly having your own sense of hope to share. As a group, pray together the prayer from Ephesians 3: that being rooted and established in love, you may have the power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Acts 13:4-12

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 19:57:06 GMT

Scripture: Acts 13:4-12

Date: July 20, 2025

Speaker: Trish Haq

1. Read Acts 13:2-12 together. Take time to notice the details of the story. Does anything stand out? What surprises you? What encourages you? What challenges you?

2. Barnabas and Saul’s first stop on their missionary journey was the Island of Cyprus. Cyprus is located in the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia, and is a territory that has been fought over and conquered by many different Empires throughout history. In what ways does the geography and history of this island make it a significant location for the start of this missionary journey?

3. The opening of the chapter describes how the church at Antioch commissioned Barnabas and Paul for the work that God called them to. But, Verse 4 says that Barnabas and Saul were sent on their way by the Holy Spirit. Why is this important? What evidence do you see that they were empowered by God’s Spirit? (note: Where else is the Spirit mentioned in the passage?)

4. Acts does not offer a comprehensive history of the early church. Instead, the text is highly selective in the stories that are included. Why do you think this story was chosen as the first account of the missionary work of Barnabas and Saul?

Reflect together on the unexpected characters found in this story:

5. Bar-Jesus the Sorcerer (also known as Elymas the Sorcerer)

· Why is a Jewish Sorcerer an oxymoron? (two things that don’t belong together)

· Why do you think Bar-Jesus opposed Barnabas and Saul? (also known as Paul)

· Do you think the blinding of Bar-Jesus was an act of judgement or an act of grace? (consider the parallels to Saul/Paul’s conversion in Acts 9)

6. Sergius Paulus (the proconsul)

· Given what we know about the culture of the Roman Empire, why is it surprising that Sergius Paulus sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God?

· Why is it significant that Sergius Paulus came to believe? Does this offer hope for us today?

7. Saul/Paul

· What makes Paul an unexpected character in the story? (consider Acts 9:1)

· This passage is the first time that the author of Acts calls Saul by his Roman name, Paul, rather than by his Hebrew name, Saul. Why is the timing of this significant? What do you think it means?

Reflect together on the landscape of the mission field of the Roman Empire

8. In what ways is the context of the Roman Empire different from our context today?

9. What similarities do you see between the ministry landscape revealed in the text, and the ministry landscape we find ourselves in today?

10. As you think about the challenges and opportunities we are faced with as we try to living on mission for Jesus in our world today…

· What do you find discouraging?

· What do you find hopeful?

Pray

Pray for each other out of the items discussed. Pray that the Lord would open your eyes to any areas of your life that need to be brought into the light, and pray for the strength and courage to carry on the mission to proclaim Jesus to the world in word and deed. Pray that the Lord would help you to be an unexpected character in the story of God and world, allowing Him to redeem and renew you, and use you in unexpected ways to bring light to our darkened world.

Acts 12:25–13:12

joel.kelsey@northpark.ca (Joel Kelsey) — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 18:01:00 GMT

Scripture: Acts 12:15-13:3

Date: July 13, 2025

Speaker: Joel Kelsey

As the focus shifts from Peter to Paul, we see the church in Antioch stepping boldly into God’s mission. This passage marks the beginning of intentional outreach to the wider world, carried out through prayer, fasting, and the Spirit’s leading.

In verse 2, the church is described as “worshiping the Lord and fasting” when the Spirit spoke. How might worship and prayer help us better hear God’s direction today?

2. Why do you think God chose this moment and these people, to begin sending missionaries out?

3. The list of leaders in Antioch (v.1) is culturally and socially diverse. What does that say about God’s heart for his Church?

4. Barnabas and Saul were “set apart” and “sent.” Have you ever felt sent by God into a role, relationship, or responsibility? What helped confirm that calling?

5. What might it look like for our church to take bold steps in mission, the way Antioch did?

Acts 12:1-24

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 20:08:46 GMT

Scripture: Acts 12:1-24

Date: July 6, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

1. Understanding the Story

Read Acts 12 in its entirety.

What are the key events in this chapter?
Who seems to be the central character, and why?

2. Context in the Book of Acts

Zoom out to the surrounding chapters.

What was happening at the end of Acts 11?
How does Acts 13 pick up the narrative again?
Why might Luke place Acts 12 in between?
What purpose does Acts 12 serve in the larger story of Acts?

3. Preparing for Paul’s Mission

Acts 13–28 will focus on Paul’s missionary journeys, filled with hardship and fruitfulness.

How does Acts 12 prepare us for the ups and downs of Paul’s work?
What themes do we see in Acts 12 that will continue in Paul’s story?

4. The Church Under Pressure

Read Acts 12:1–5.

James is executed, and Peter is arrested. What do you think the church expected would happen to Peter?
How did the church respond to Peter’s imprisonment?

5. Prayer and Surprising Answers

Peter is miraculously released—and the church is shocked.

What does their reaction reveal about what they were likely praying for?
How does this compare to the church’s prayer in Acts 4:29?
What might their primary concern have been?

6. The Focus of Faithful Prayer

Throughout Acts, the church’s prayers focus on faithfulness, not just deliverance.

Why is that significant?
How should that shape our own prayers today?
How does the hope of Jesus move us to pray for endurance in difficulty rather than just escape from it?

7. Echoes of Jesus’ Story

Consider Peter’s trial and release.

How does this recall Jesus’ trial and resurrection?
Why might Luke want us to see that connection?

8. Trusting Jesus the True King

Herod dies in shame, while Peter is rescued by God.

What does this contrast teach us about trusting Jesus as King, especially during times of difficulty?

9. Hope and Judgment

Acts 12 holds together both divine rescue and divine judgment.

How does this chapter give us hope in life and in the face of opposition?
What comfort does it offer to believers—and what warning does it give to those who oppose Christ?

Acts 11:19-30

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 14:58:00 GMT

Scripture: Acts 11:19-30

Date: June 29, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Understanding the Mission in Acts

Read Acts 1:8.

What is Jesus telling the disciples about their mission?
How have we seen this promise begin to unfold in the chapters leading up to Acts 11?
How does Acts 11:19–21 show the continuation of this mission?

Read Acts 8:1–4.

Why is it significant that those who first spread the Gospel beyond Jerusalem were not the apostles?
How does this moment connect with the story in Acts 11:19–21?

Ordinary People in God's Mission

Read Acts 11:22–30.

Who are some of the lesser-known people in this passage who are doing important work for God?
Why do you think it's important that God uses people who aren’t in the spotlight?
How does this passage show that all followers of Jesus are called to participate in His mission?

Personal Application: Joining the Mission

In what ways do you sense God calling you to be part of His mission in the world?
What might it look like to bear witness to Christ—both in your actions and your words—in your home, workplace, friendships, or neighborhood?

Exploring Your Calling

Do you sense a call to vocational ministry (as a pastor, missionary, etc.)? If so, how can we come alongside you to encourage and support you?
If you don’t feel called to vocational ministry, how do you believe God is still calling you to serve in His mission through your everyday life?

Practicing Gratitude and Encouragement

Who in the church has God used to help you know and grow in Jesus?
What are some specific and meaningful ways you (or your group) could thank and encourage these people?

Acts 10:1-11:1-18

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 20:01:30 GMT

Scripture: Acts 10:1-11:1-18

Date: June 22, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

I. Connecting the Narrative (Acts 7–9)

1. Review Acts 7-9. How do these stories fit together into a larger narrative?
2. What major themes emerge across these chapters?
3. What do you think Luke is trying to show us through this sequence of events?

II. The Separation Between Jews and Gentiles (Acts 10:1–2, 11:1–3)

4. What do we learn about Cornelius in Acts 10:1–2 and 11:1–3?
5. How did the separation between Jews and Gentiles truly function? Before Jesus, what did it take for a Gentile to join the people of God?
6. How do these verses show that this separation was still a struggle for early Christians?

III. Peter’s Vision and Transformation (Acts 10:9–20, 10:25–35)

7. What was God beginning to teach Peter through the vision?
8. How did that vision prepare him to enter Cornelius’s home?
9. Even with the vision, what did Peter still need to learn by actually interacting with Cornelius?

IV. The Message and the Outpouring (Acts 10:36–48)

10. What was the central focus of Peter’s message to Cornelius and his household?
11. Why is it significant that the Holy Spirit came only after Peter spoke about Jesus?
12. What did Cornelius come to understand through this experience?
13. What new realization did Peter gain through it?

V. Clarifying the Gospel (Acts 11:15–18)

14. How did this event help the early church understand the full sufficiency of Jesus for salvation?
15. How does this story challenge us to keep Jesus central in everything we do?
16. Why does this not mean that all religions are the same or that God is indifferent to how we live?

VI. Personal and Communal Application

17. In what ways might you be tempted to put barriers between people and Jesus?
18. What would genuine repentance look like in those areas?
19. How can we, as a community, make sure Jesus is always the one we proclaim and call people to above all else?

Acts 9:32-43

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 19:38:25 GMT

Scripture: Acts 9:32-43

Date: June 15, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

1. Reflecting on the Story So Far

As you review what we've seen in Acts up to this point, what major themes are emerging?
How do those themes help us understand what God is doing through the early church?

2. Exploring Acts 9:32–35 and 9:36–43

Read Acts 9:32–35 (the healing of Aeneas) and Acts 9:36–43 (the raising of Tabitha).
What are the key differences between these two stories?
Who is Aeneas, and what do we learn about him?
Who is Tabitha, and what do we learn about her?
What do these two stories have in common, and why might those similarities be significant?

3. Interpreting the Structure

Why do you think Luke places these two stories side by side?
What might be missing if we only had the story of Aeneas? What would we lose if we only had the story of Tabitha?

4. Personal Application

How do these stories speak to different kinds of people and experiences?
Have you ever felt like Aeneas—paralyzed or powerless in some way? How does his story encourage you?
Have you ever felt like Tabitha—faithful but in need of resurrection or recognition? How does her story speak to you?

5. The Message of Grace

How do these stories together reveal both our deep need for Jesus and the radical grace he offers?
How can our church community help you remember both your need for Jesus and his grace freely given to you?

Acts 9:19b-31

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 18:46:27 GMT

Scripture: Acts 9:1-19

Date: June 8, 2025

Speaker: Trish Haq

Read Acts 9:19-31 together. Take time to notice the details of the story. Does anything stand out? What surprises you? What encourages you? What challenges you?

2. Read Acts 7:54-60, Acts 9:1-2. From these verses, what do we learn about Saul of Tarsus?

3. Now, re-read Acts 9:19-22. What changes do you notice? What has remained the same?

4. In your own life, and in the lives of your family and friends who are also Christian, in what way has faith in Jesus been life-changing? What has remained unchanging?

5. Reflect on your unique personality. Are there positive, life-giving traits you can think of, that have the power to be damaging and hurtful when they are misused or misdirected?

6. This week’s sermon talked about false needs. False needs are perceived needs that we believe are true, that are unreachable, and drive our unhealthy, sinful behaviour, because they lead us to try to be God for ourselves. According to Steve Cuss (The Expectation Gap), 5 of the most common false needs are:

a. the need to be perfect

b. the need to be in control

c. the need to know everything

d. the need to meet everyone’s needs

e. the need for approval

Which of these needs can you relate to? Reflect on how unattainable these are for humans. In what ways do these reflect who God is?

7. What false needs do you think Saul was reaching for when he sought to persecute the church?

8. False needs cause us to try to be God, and keep us from being truly and fully ourselves because we are trying to be something we were never meant to be. In what ways do you think you could be more fully who you were created to be, if you set aside the false needs that you tend to operate out of?

9. Letting go of our false needs requires us to recognize our true need. How do you feel about the idea of being needy? Why is understanding our neediness important to our Christian faith?

10. In what ways was Saul needy? What can we learn from his neediness?

11. Scripture points towards the idea of dying to self. (deny yourself, pick up your cross, those who lose their life will gain it, etc.). This is ultimately about setting aside or turning away from our sinful efforts to be God for ourselves (false needs), and instead, relaxing into God’s presence and trusting Jesus to meet our true needs. How easy, or difficult, do you find this? What would it take for you to truly rest in the truth of Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.

Pray for each other out of the items discussed. Pray for God’s wisdom to understand the ways that you are striving to be God for yourself, and pray that you would each learn to trust Jesus more deeply and allow him to meet your true needs.

Acts 9:1-19

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 18:15:31 GMT

Scripture: Baptism Sunday Acts 9:1-19

Date: June 1, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

1. Saul Before Meeting Jesus

Read Acts 7:54–8:1 and 9:1–2

What specific details do these verses give us about Saul’s character, mindset, and actions?
Based on this description, how would you characterize Saul? What kind of person was he?
Given Saul’s opposition to Jesus and his followers, what might you expect God to do with someone like him?

2. Saul’s Encounter With Jesus

Read Acts 9:3–9

Imagine being Saul in this moment. How terrifying would it be to suddenly come face to face with the risen Jesus—whom he had been persecuting?
What do you notice about how Jesus interacts with Saul? What stands out to you?
Why is Jesus’ approach surprising, and what does it reveal about God’s grace and love?
How is this an example of God “chasing us down” with his goodness and mercy (see Psalm 23:6)?

3. God Works Through His People

Read Acts 9:10–19

Why do you think Jesus sends Ananias to minister to Saul instead of speaking to him directly again?
What does this say about the importance of community and the role of God’s people in his redemptive work?
How do Jesus’ words in verses 4–6 connect to his instructions to Ananias?
In what ways does this encounter show that God not only saves Saul but also gives him a completely new purpose and new people?

4. Radical Grace and Personal Application

Read 1 Timothy 1:12–17

How does Paul (aka Saul) describe his own transformation, and what does he want others to learn from it?
How does this story confront the belief that some people are “too far gone” for God to save?
Have you ever felt like you were opposing God—actively or passively? How does this story speak into that feeling?
Do you know someone who seems beyond the reach of God’s grace? How does Saul’s story give you hope?

5. Living Out the Gospel

How can we encourage others to see and believe in the radical love and forgiveness of God?
How can we help each other (in community) stay rooted in this truth?
What does this story teach us about God not only saving us from something, but also for something?

Psalm 23:5-6

Sun, 25 May 2025 20:16:34 GMT

Scripture: Psalm 23:5-6

Date: May 25, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

1. Understanding the Structure and Imagery of Psalm 23

What themes and images are presented in Psalm 23:1–4?
What have we seen so far about God’s character and actions in the opening verses?
Read Psalm 23:5–6. Why does David shift from the shepherd image to the image of a host?
What does this change reveal about David’s purpose in writing the Psalm?
What specific aspects of God as host are described in verses 5–6?
Break down each line: what does it mean that God prepares a table, anoints with oil, and overflows the cup?

2. Exploring the Depth of God's Care

Why is it significant that David says God anoints our head with oil?
What does this gesture mean in ancient culture, and what does it tell us about God’s hospitality and honor?
Verse 6 says God’s goodness and love “follow” us. Why is the original Hebrew word, often used for enemies pursuing in battle, important here?
What does this imply about how actively God pursues us with His love?
How does this Psalm show that God provides more than we need?
Where do you see abundance, not just sufficiency?

3. Fulfillment in Christ

How does Jesus Christ fulfill the images and promises of Psalm 23?
In what ways is He both the Good Shepherd and the generous Host?

4. Personal Reflection and Application

According to this Psalm, how much does God love us?
Where in your life have you struggled to believe in God’s love and care? How does this Psalm bring you comfort?
How can you live in response to this kind of love?
What would it look like to make knowing and being with God the main goal of your life?

Psalm 23:4

Sun, 18 May 2025 19:31:32 GMT

Scripture: Psalm 23:4

Date: May 18, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

1. Reflecting on the Journey So Far

Read Psalm 23 in full, then re-read Psalm 23:1–3 .
How would you summarize what we’ve explored so far in this series?
What part of the journey through Psalm 23 has been most encouraging to you personally? Why?
What has been the most challenging part to wrestle with or apply? Why?

2. The Shock of the Valley

Read Psalm 23:4 .
What surprises you about this verse?
How does the sudden shift from green pastures, still waters, and right paths (v.3) to the dark valley (v.4) challenge our assumptions about where God leads us?
What does this reveal about the reality of walking with God?

3. Our Struggles with Hardship

When you face difficulties or suffering, how do you typically respond—emotionally, spiritually, and practically?
How have hardships affected your view of God or your trust in Him?
In what ways do you struggle to believe God is still with you in those times?

4. Jesus in the Wilderness

Read Matthew 3:16–4:11 .
What specific things is Satan tempting Jesus with?
How do these temptations relate to the feelings or doubts we experience in our own valleys?
How does Jesus’ experience in the wilderness connect with what Psalm 23:4 says about God’s presence in dark places?

5. The Comfort of God’s Presence

In Psalm 23:4 , David shifts from talking about God (“He leads…”) to talking to God (“You are with me”). Why is this shift significant?
What does this shift teach us about God’s intimacy and closeness, especially in our pain?
How have you personally experienced God’s presence in your own “dark valleys”?
In what ways does the cross show us that God enters fully into our suffering?

6. Honest Questions, Deep Encouragement

Where in your life right now do you feel most alone, abandoned, or afraid?
How does Psalm 23:4 speak to that feeling?
How can this group help you experience God’s presence in those places?
How can we pray for you in a way that reminds you God is with you?

7. God’s Presence in Our Anxieties

What current anxieties are weighing on you?
How does the promise of God’s presence in Psalm 23:4 confront your fears?
What would it look like to let God's love and presence be the foundation for how you face your worries?

Psalm 23:3b

Fri, 09 May 2025 19:19:13 GMT

Scripture: Psalm 23:3b

Date: May 11, 2025

Speaker: Trish Haq

Have you ever been lost? What did it feel like to not know where you were or which

way to go? How did you find your way, and what did it feel like to no longer be lost?

2. Have you ever struggled with a decision, and felt unsure which way to go? Why do

you think it often creates so much fear and anxiousness when the path forward

doesn’t seem clear?

3. Do you believe there is only one perfect path for your life? Why or why not? Trish

shared the analogy of relying on a GPS system for navigation. In what ways does this

provide a helpful framework to us as we think about trusting and relying on God’s

leading to find our way? In what ways does the analogy perhaps fall short?

4. In your own life, what kinds of things do you find helpful when you are trying to make

major decisions? In what ways do you seek God’s direction? In what ways do the 3

options below help? In what ways can they be challenging for us?

a. Scripture

b. Prayer

c. One Another

5. What do you expect the ‘right paths’ to look like? What helps you to know that you

are ‘on the right paths’? Discuss the idea that the right paths are not always easy or

free of suffering. Do you think this is true?

6. Psalm 23 includes two very different pictures of what it looks like to follow Jesus.

The path includes green pastures and quiet waters, but It also includes the darkest

valley. Does your understanding of what it means that ‘He guides me along the right

paths” allow space for both? In what ways have you experienced the Lord’s leading

in paths of rest and refreshment, as well as through the darkest valley? Have you

ever experienced both realities at the same time?

7. Where do you think the ‘right paths’ that Jesus guides us along lead to? If our hope is

meant to be anchored in where the paths lead, where should our hope be placed?

8. The Psalmist says that the Lord guides him along the right paths “for his name’s

sake”. So often we seek God’s guidance for our own benefit. Psalm 23 is suggesting

here that God’s guidance for us is ultimately not for our own sake, but for the sake of

His name. What do you think this means?

9. In what areas of your life today are you in need of God’s guidance? What ‘right paths’

might God be calling you to walk along?

Pray for one another out of the things that you have shared, most especially your answers

to question 9. Pray for the Lord’s leading, not only in the decisions you make, but also in the

ways that you are being shaped and formed. Pray that as the Lord guides your life, that you

would be led straight to His heart.

Psalm 23:2-3a

Fri, 02 May 2025 15:48:11 GMT

Scripture: Psalm 23:2-3a

Date: May 4, 2025

Speaker: Karen Bird

Read Psalm 23 together
Psalm 23 is beloved by many. What is it about Psalm 23 that attracts you?
How does the Lord provide for our tangible, physical, bodily needs and why is it important to remember this? How can we participate in God’s good provision for our physical bodies?
How is the care of our physical bodies connected to the deeper, unseen parts of our mind, will, and emotions? Have you ever experienced any connection of heightened emotions to your need for bodily food, drink, and rest?
What is the “soul”?
What are some of the other unseen aspects of our world? What is it like to consider that we live with one foot planted in the seen world and one in the unseen?
In what ways do you notice your mind, will, or emotions being hungry or thirsty or tired?
What are the four things that sheep require freedom from in order to lie down?
What are some of the things that our minds, wills, and emotions want freedom from? How does the personal presence of a living Jesus satisfy these things?
What are the practical ways that we embody remembering the Lord’s nearness and feeding on him? How is this difficult for you?
In your group prayer time, begin with 2 minutes of silence and use these moments to think about his nearness and the deep delight and love he has for you.

Psalm 23:1

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 19:38:24 GMT

Scripture: Psalm 23:1

Date: April 27, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Facing Our Fears

1. How have anxiety and fear shown up in your life?

2. In what ways have they impacted your thoughts, relationships, or decisions?

God as Our Shepherd (Psalm 23:1 + 1 Samuel 17:34–37)

3. Read Psalm 23 all the way through. Then focus on verse 1: “The Lord is my shepherd.”

What does it mean for God to be a shepherd? (See 1 Samuel 17:34–37 for help.)
Why is it so powerful that David says my shepherd, not just the or our shepherd?
What does this reveal about how God personally relates to us?

Jesus, the Good Shepherd (John 10:11–18 + Luke 22:43–46)

4. Read John 10:11–18.

What makes Jesus the “Good Shepherd”?
How do you see Jesus stepping into fear, stress, and sorrow in the Garden of Gethsemane? (See Luke 22:43–46.)
Why does it matter that Jesus understands what it feels like to be overwhelmed?

Trusting God's Provision (Psalm 23:1b)

5. Psalm 23:1 says, “I shall not want.”

What does that mean?
Do you believe this is true for your life right now? Why is it hard to believe that because God is our shepherd, we lack nothing?

Living Out the Truth of Psalm 23:1

6. If you truly believed Psalm 23:1 was true—deep in your heart—how would your life look different?

7. What would it look like to encourage one another with this truth in daily life?

8. What’s one practical step you can take this week to root yourself more deeply in the truth that God is your shepherd?

Caring for One Another

9. How can we be praying for each other this week as we seek to trust God with our fears and needs?

Easter Sunday 2025: Isaiah 53:7-12

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 14:03:02 GMT

Easter Sunday 2025: Isaiah 53:7-12

Date: April 20, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

1. Review and Introduction to Isaiah 53

Read Isaiah 52:13–53:3. In light of what you discussed last week, what is being revealed and promised in these verses?

What expectations are being challenged in this portrayal of the Servant? How is he described, and what might that tell us about God’s way of working?

2. The Messiah and Our Expectations

In the Gospel accounts, it’s clear that people didn’t expect the Messiah to suffer, die, or rise from the dead. Yet Jesus believed this was exactly what Scripture had foretold.

How have you typically understood Jesus’ death and resurrection?
Have you seen Jesus’ death as a tragic defeat reversed by the resurrection, or as a necessary part of his saving mission?
Do you think of Good Friday as truly good? Why or why not?

3. Sin, Suffering, and the Need for Salvation

What is sin, according to Scripture? How does it relate to the suffering, brokenness, and pain we experience in life?
Why is this connection between sin and suffering essential for understanding the meaning and depth of salvation?

4. The Servant’s Suffering and Our Salvation

Read Isaiah 53:4–9. What is being promised here?

What does the Servant receive through his suffering, and what do we receive?
How does the image of the Servant as “a lamb led to the slaughter” reveal how sin is dealt with?
In what way does this passage suggest that sin is being overturned or undone?

5. Resurrection Foretold and Fulfilled

Read Isaiah 53:10–12. How do these verses show that the Servant’s suffering leads to life—not just for himself, but for many?

What do these verses reveal about God’s intention in the Servant’s suffering?
How do they anticipate resurrection? How does resurrection flow naturally from his sacrifice rather than being a reversal of his death?

6. Living in Light of the Cross and Resurrection

How does Jesus’ death and resurrection actually affect your life?

What does it mean for your struggle with sin and your experience of suffering?
How does it shape your sense of hope, especially in seasons of pain or hardship?

Isaiah 53

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 23:28:13 GMT

Isaiah 53

Date: April 20, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

1. Review and Introduction to Isaiah 53

Read Isaiah 52:13–53:3. In light of what you discussed last week, what is being revealed and promised in these verses?

What expectations are being challenged in this portrayal of the Servant? How is he described, and what might that tell us about God’s way of working?

2. The Messiah and Our Expectations

In the Gospel accounts, it’s clear that people didn’t expect the Messiah to suffer, die, or rise from the dead. Yet Jesus believed this was exactly what Scripture had foretold.

How have you typically understood Jesus’ death and resurrection?
Have you seen Jesus’ death as a tragic defeat reversed by the resurrection, or as a necessary part of his saving mission?
Do you think of Good Friday as truly good? Why or why not?

3. Sin, Suffering, and the Need for Salvation

What is sin, according to Scripture? How does it relate to the suffering, brokenness, and pain we experience in life?
Why is this connection between sin and suffering essential for understanding the meaning and depth of salvation?

4. The Servant’s Suffering and Our Salvation

Read Isaiah 53:4–9. What is being promised here?

What does the Servant receive through his suffering, and what do we receive?
How does the image of the Servant as “a lamb led to the slaughter” reveal how sin is dealt with?
In what way does this passage suggest that sin is being overturned or undone?

5. Resurrection Foretold and Fulfilled

Read Isaiah 53:10–12. How do these verses show that the Servant’s suffering leads to life—not just for himself, but for many?

What do these verses reveal about God’s intention in the Servant’s suffering?
How do they anticipate resurrection? How does resurrection flow naturally from his sacrifice rather than being a reversal of his death?

6. Living in Light of the Cross and Resurrection

How does Jesus’ death and resurrection actually affect your life?

What does it mean for your struggle with sin and your experience of suffering?
How does it shape your sense of hope, especially in seasons of pain or hardship?

Isaiah 52:13-53:4

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 19:20:39 GMT

Isaiah 52:13-53:4

Date: April 13, 2025

Speaker: Trish Haq

Read Matthew 21:1-11 and Isaiah 52:7-10. What connection is there between these two passages? What is being celebrated?
Read Isaiah 52:13-53:4. How does the contrast feel between these verses, and the joyful tone of the previous passages?
How do you think the people might have felt, who experienced the joy of celebrating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and then witnessed the suffering and desolation of his death? Can you relate in any way to what this might have been like? Have you ever experienced a dramatic shift like this, from joy to devastation?
What does Isaiah 52:13-53:4 reveal about how the cross, and the suffering of Christ, was viewed?
Despite the suffering that was to come, it was just right for the people to celebrate when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem. God’s plan would not look like they expected, but Jesus truly did come to save them.

a. Can you think of examples, either in your life, or found throughout scripture, where God’s plans didn’t unfold in the way that anyone expected?

b. In what ways did God’s redemption plan through Jesus look different from what was expected?

c. How is God’s way of leading, guiding, and saving His people different from what worldly power and leadership typically looks like?

6. Isaiah 52 reveals that the suffering of the cross is what it looks like for the Lord to reign. What impact does it have for us to view the cross as the place where the Lord is raised and lifted up and highly exalted?

7. What promises did Jesus come to fulfill? (hint: look through Isaiah 52 to see what was promised).

a. In what ways are these promises still relevant for us? In what ways do we need this saving work in our lives today?

b. How did Jesus’ death on the cross serve to bring God’s promises to fulfillment?

9. How must we adjust our perspective to view Christ’s suffering and death rightly?

a. What made Christ’s suffering so ugly? (reflect on Isaiah 53:3-5)

b. What else are we meant to see when we lift our eyes to the cross? (hint: What does it change for us to understand the cross as the fulfilment of Isaiah 52:13? How do we understand the cross through the lens of John 3:16)

c. In what way is the celebration of Psalm Sunday just right, in light of the cross, not despite it?

Isaiah 49:1-7

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 18:54:38 GMT

Isaiah 49:1-7

Date: April 6, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

1. Looking Back: What We've Learned So Far

As we reflect on Isaiah 40–55, what have been the major themes we've seen so far?
What specific verses or ideas have stuck with you personally? Why do you think they’ve stood out?

2. The Servant of the Lord: Who Is He?

Read Isaiah 41:8–9; 42:1–3; and 44:21.
How is the servant of the Lord described in these passages?
Based on these verses, how would you define or identify the servant? What stands out to you about how God speaks to or about the servant?
Read Isaiah 49:1–5.
How do these verses deepen the complexity of the servant’s identity?
How might this dual role (as both Israel and a representative of Israel) shape the way we understand the servant’s mission?

3. God's Purpose for Israel

Read Genesis 3:15 and Genesis 12:1–3.
According to these foundational passages, what was Israel’s purpose in God’s plan for the world?
How do these verses show both the privilege and responsibility of being God’s people?
How does this help us understand why God calls Israel His “servant” in Isaiah 40-55?

4. Israel’s Failure and God’s Faithfulness

Though Israel was chosen to bless the world, they often failed. How did God deal with their sin throughout history?
How is the story of Joseph an example of God using a rejected servant to bring blessing?
Can you think of other biblical figures who reflect this same pattern?
How does this recurring pattern of God raising up a savior relate to the servant of the Lord theme in Isaiah 49?

5. The Servant’s Mission: Hope for the World

Read Isaiah 49:5–7.
How do these verses describe the servant’s mission?
How is this mission both for Israel and beyond Israel?
What hope does this passage offer for people who feel far from God?
Why is it so crucial to see Jesus as the ultimate and only fulfillment of this servant’s mission?
How does God’s pattern of sending saviors throughout history ultimately point to Jesus?

6. Living It Out: Trusting the Servant

What does it mean to look to Jesus alone for salvation—not just once, but every day?
How does this challenge the way we think about the promises or movements of the world around us?
How should understanding Jesus as the Servant shape the way we think about the church’s mission today?
What does it look like to be a community shaped by the servant—his character, his humility, his mission?

Isaiah 46:1-14

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 19:43:18 GMT

Isaiah 46:1-13

Date: March 30, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Understanding the Context

What is the historical context of Isaiah 46? Why is this important for understanding the passage?
Scan Isaiah 44:9–45:25. What key themes are being discussed? How do they compare to Isaiah 46:8–11? What similarities and differences stand out?

The Futility of Idols

Read Isaiah 46:1–2, 5–7. How does God describe idols? What happens to those who worship them?
How does Isaiah 46:3–4 contrast with 46:1–2, 5–7? What does this reveal about God and his care for us?

Personal Application: Identifying Our Own Idols

In what ways do people today still turn to idols? How do those things become burdens? What are some things we rely on that ultimately become burdens?
What are some specific idols you struggle with? How have they weighed you down?

God’s Call to Rest in Him

What is God calling us to do in response to our burdensome idols?
What would it look like to truly rest in God instead of turning to things that cannot save?
How can we, as a group, encourage one another to trust God rather than seek security in things that burden us?

The Hope We Have in Christ

Read Isaiah 53:4–5. How has Jesus carried our burdens?
How does this passage give us a hope that cannot be taken away?

Isaiah 42-44

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 20:27:40 GMT

Isaiah 42-44

Date: March 23, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

The Crisis of Israel and the World

Who is being described in Isaiah 42:18-22?

What is the situation being described?
Why is this a crisis not only for God's people but for the world?

How does this situation compare to today?

In what ways is our present reality similar to Israel in exile?
In what ways is it different?

God’s Promise of Redemption

What is God saying in Isaiah 43:1-2 and 44:1-5?

How does this message speak to Israel’s situation?
How does it speak to our situation today?

God’s Salvation Despite Israel’s Failures

How does Isaiah 42:24-25 and 43:22-24 describe Israel's way of life in exile?

Why is it significant that God promises salvation even when Israel has not repented?

Our Response to God’s Grace

In what ways do we act like Israel?

How do we look to other things to save us?
How do we sometimes act as if God’s love and care depend on us?
How does this passage challenge that mindset?

Resting in God’s Work Through Jesus

How did God ultimately fulfill this promise through the cross?
How can we rest in God’s work through Jesus?
How can we encourage one another to not fear right now, but to trust in God and his work through Jesus?
What could it mean to seek to be a “non-anxious presence” in the world today?

Isaiah 42:1-9

joel.kelsey@northpark.ca (Joel Kelsey) — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 17:33:38 GMT

Isaiah 42:1-9

Date: March 16, 2025

Speaker: Joel Kelsey

Isaiah 42 describes Jesus as a servant who brings justice with gentleness. How does this challenge the way we think about leadership and influence?
Jesus rejected the fight for power in His interaction with Pilate, John 18, He repeatedly denies the opportunity to grasp power or to defend Himself. What does this mean for how we live as His followers today?
Isaiah 42:3 says, “A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.” What does this reveal about Jesus’ heart for the broken? Have you ever felt like a bruised reed or a smoldering wick?
Our culture values strength, dominance, and control. How does Jesus’ approach to power (humility, sacrifice, gentleness) challenge the way we typically view success?
We often project our own expectations onto Jesus. In what ways do people today try to reshape Jesus into who they want Him to be?
Isaiah 42:7 says Jesus came to open eyes and free people from bondage. How do we sometimes experience spiritual blindness or captivity without realizing it?

Isaiah 40

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 21:00:53 GMT

Isaiah 40

Date: March 9, 2025

Speaker: Trish Haq

1. This past Sunday marked the first week of Lent. This is a 40-day period that is set aside for repentance, fasting, and prayer, to help prepare our hearts for Easter. As part of this season, the church is invited to commit to some spiritual practices that can help us to lift up our eyes to see and to hunger for our God who loves us, has died for us, and has risen for us. Consider the 4 invitations below. Are you choosing to participate in any of these spiritual practices over the next 40 days? Why or why not? What challenges do you anticipate as you engage in these spiritual practices this season?

a. Church Gatherings : Our sermon series will focus on Isaiah 40-55, and we want to invite you to deepen your commitment to attend Sunday morning services throughout Lent. To the best of our ability, we want to encourage you to make Sunday gatherings a priority, so that we can journey through Isaiah together.

b. Lenten Fast : We want to encourage you to join us in fasting throughout this Lenten season by giving up something that you tend to go to for comfort, distraction, or entertainment, like food, TV, phones, or alcohol, rather than turning to God. (On Sundays throughout Lent, you can break your fast, because it is a day of celebration, not fasting).

c. Thursday Prayers and Fasting from Food : On Thursdays, we want to invite you to fast from food during 1 or 2 meals, and join us in praying for God’s Spirit to move in a might way. Prayer prompts are provided in the Lenten booklet.

d. Daily Readings through John : The booklet contains daily readings that take us through the book of John. We invite you to join us in reflecting on the life of Christ through these daily readings.

2. Prayerfully read Isaiah 40 together, inviting God to draw your attention to words, phrases, or concepts that might stir your heart or speak to you in some way. Take time to share what you noticed.

3. Consider the Israelites journey that led up to this moment in Isaiah 40. After failing to trust in God, and instead placing their hope in other nations to save them, they found themselves in exile, defeated by their enemies. It was a disaster, and they felt like God had abandoned them. They questioned if God could see their trouble, or if he cared. Are there challenges in your life that you’ve faced (today, or in the past) that help you relate to the Israelites experience?

4. Look through Isaiah chapter 40 as a whole. What does it say about God? What truths about his character and how humanity can expect him to act are found in this chapter?

5. How do the truths about God expressed in Isaiah 40 impact how you view the challenges you have faced/are facing in your life? Does it change anything to remember God’s mighty power, and tender-hearted care?

6. Is there anything that you have your eyes fixed on lately that is distracting you from lifting your eyes to God?

7. Read Isaiah 40:29-31.

a. These verses highlight the limitations of humanity. In what ways are you noticing your own limitations these days, in the face of enduring hardships?

b. It says those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. This kind of hope requires us to wait with expectant hope and trust in God, Do you find it difficult to wait on God? How often are you tempted to take matters into your own hands, rather than trusting in God’s plans and timing? How often do you try to rely on your own strength, rather than looking to God for strength.

Pray for one another out of the things that you have shared. Pray for a renewed sense of God’s character, remembering that He is strong and mighty, everlasting, Lord over all of creation and all of history, and yet also, so tender-hearted and close to us. Pray that you would be able to lift up your eyes more and more to truly look to God as your source of hope and strength.

Acts 8:26-40

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 19:09:05 GMT

Acts 8:26-40

Date: March 2, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Reviewing the Previous Studies

Summarize what we have studied in Acts 6:8–8:3 and 8:4–25.
How does the theme of the Temple of God emerge in both of these passages?

The Ethiopian Eunuch and the Temple

Read Acts 8:26–28. How does the theme of the Temple of God continue in these verses?
Why would this Ethiopian Eunuch have traveled such a great distance to worship at the Temple? What would have prevented him from fully participating in worship?

Longing for More

In what ways would being barred from entering the Temple have been a familiar experience for this man?
What other significant limitations did his physical condition place on him? How might these have deepened his longing for something greater?
How can you relate to the Ethiopian Eunuch’s longing for life, belonging and acceptance?

Isaiah’s Prophecy and the Eunuch’s Longing

Read Acts 8:29–34. These verses reveal that he was reading from Isaiah 53. Why do you think this particular passage caught his attention?
Read Isaiah 56:3–7. What would this passage have been like for the man to read? How does this help shed light on why he is in Isaiah 53? How does this passage connect with his personal struggle and longing?

The Good News of Jesus

Read Isaiah 53:1–8. How does this prophecy show that someone like the Ethiopian Eunuch can be healed and receive a name greater than sons and daughters?
According to Acts 8:35, who is the servant being described in Isaiah 53?

A New Identity in Christ

What is the significance of Acts 8:36, where the Ethiopian Eunuch asks, "What can stand in the way of my being baptized?"
How many times in his life had he asked similar questions and heard a different, more painful answer? How is the gospel’s answer to him different?
What stands in the way of you fully following Jesus and embracing His mercy and grace?
What might be keeping you from receiving the everlasting name that Jesus offers—one that is greater than any other identity or achievement?

Acts 8:4-25

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 20:40:51 GMT

Acts 8:4-25

Date: February 23, 2025

Speaker: Trish Haq

Acts 8 offers an example of how God often works in surprising and unexpected ways. As you think about your own experiences, can you think of a time where God moved in a way you didn’t expect? Have you ever seen God use a situation that appeared to be negative to bring about something really good?
Acts 8:4 says that “those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went”.

a. Who is this verse talking about, and why did they scatter? (hint: read Acts 7:54-8:3)
b. Why is it surprising that they preached the word wherever they went?

3. Reflect on the significance of the gospel reaching people in Samaria:

a. Read Acts 1:8. Discuss the significance of Samaria in light of this verse
b. Read Luke 10:25-37 (The Parable of the Good Samaritan) and John 4:4-42 (The Samaritan Woman at the Well). What do these gospel accounts reveal about Samaritans?
c. What did the expansion of the Church into Samaria signify? Why is it important?

4. Throughout the Acts series, we’ve talked a lot about the call for Christians to proclaim the good news of Jesus. In Acts 8, God brought about a surprising and unexpected opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed to the Samaritans. The believers in Jerusalem did not have to create their own plan to make this happen.

a. Discuss the idea that as we pray and cultivate a willingness to share Jesus with others, we can trust God to open up opportunities for the gospel to be shared. Do you believe this? Why or why not?
b. The Samaritans were quite open to receive the good news that was shared. This suggests that God was already at work, preparing their hearts to receive the message. In what ways does this hold the potential to lift the pressure Christians might feel about sharing the gospel with others?

5. Acts 8 introduces an interesting character to the story – Simon the Sorcerer.

a. What do you make of what the text tells us about his sorcery or magic?
b. The Samaritans were quite captivated by Simon’s magic. What parallels do you see in our world today? In your own life, or in the lives of others, what false powers are people sometimes captivated by?
c. What does both the Samaritans’ embrace of the gospel, as well as Simon’s dramatic interest in Philip’s ministry, reveal about the power (or lack thereof) of Simon’s sorcery?

6. In Samaria, an outpouring of God’s Spirit did not happen immediately. Why was it significant for the Apostles, Peter and John, to come to Samaria from Jerusalem?

7. Simon, seeing that the Spirit was given when the Apostles laid hands on the Samaritans, offered money to the Apostles hoping to get the same ability so he could bestow God’s Spirit on others by laying hands on them.

a. What was wrong with this request?
b. God’s Spirit cannot be bought, manipulated, or controlled for our own purposes. In what ways are we possibly at risk of being like Simon?

8. It is right for us to long for more people to come to know Jesus, and to hunger for God’s Spirit to move in our midst. But we must remember that this is His work in people’s lives, and not something that we can control or manipulate, and God often fulfills His plans and purposes in surprising and unexpected ways.

a. What steps can we take to keep ourselves from trying to rely on our own plans, rather than trusting in God’s plans?
b. In what ways can you cultivate an openness and willingness to proclaim the good news?
c. If an opportunity arose, what would you want to share with others about who Jesus is, and the impact He has had on your life? What do you think the world needs to know about Jesus?

Prayer Item:

Pray for one another out of the things that you have shared. Pray especially for God’s help and guidance as you seek to be open to His plans and ready to share the hope of Jesus with others. Pray for continued boldness and courage to live out the mission to proclaim Jesus to the world. Pray for God to help you wholeheartedly seek after His will, rather than your own.

Acts 6:8 - 8:3

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 20:04:26 GMT

Acts 6:8 - 8:3

Date: February 16, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Stephen’s Identity and Opposition (Acts 6:8-15)

Who is Stephen, according to these verses and Acts 6:1-7?
How is Stephen similar to the “members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen”?
Why would Hellenistic Jews come to live in Jerusalem, and why is that significant in this passage?
What accusations do they bring against Stephen, and how do these relate to their reasons for living in Jerusalem?

Stephen’s Defense: God’s Work Beyond Israel (Acts 7:1-8)

Why does Stephen call God the “God of glory”?
Why does Stephen emphasize that God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia?
How else does Stephen highlight God’s work outside of Israel in Abraham’s story?

Joseph: A Rejected but Chosen Deliverer (Acts 7:9-19)

What key details of Joseph’s life does Stephen highlight?

Moses: Another Rejected Deliverer (Acts 7:20-39)

What aspects of Moses’ life does Stephen emphasize?
How does Stephen use the stories of Abraham, Joseph, and Moses to challenge his accusers?
How does Acts 7:47-53 drive Stephen’s message home?
How does Stephen use Joseph and Moses—both rejected saviors—to point to Jesus?
What is the core message Stephen is making to his accusers?

Idolatry and the Blindness to Jesus

How does this passage show that even good things, like the Temple, can become idols?
How do idols prevent people from recognizing Jesus' work?
What are some things in your life that you are in danger of turning into idols?
What good things are you tempted to make ultimate things?
What would it take to surrender these idols for the sake of knowing Jesus more deeply?
How can others support and encourage you in this?

Acts 6: 1-7

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 18:58:08 GMT

Acts 6: 1-7

Date: February 9, 2025

Speaker: Karen Bird

Read this short passage aloud together.
This is the newly saved and set apart people who have been powerfully and beautifully bearing witness to Jesus by being like Jesus. What happened? Why?
If you are able, recount an experience (yours or someone you know) where a simple offense - intentional or unintentional - created a wedge in a relationship. What did you do about it?
Life in Christian community is not perfect and it’s not easy. Have you found that to be true? What is difficult about Christian community for you?
Read Philippians 2:1-8, 12-15, as well as Colossians 3:12-17. These two letters are written to the churches in Philippi and Colossae, communities who obviously still needed to keep maturing in Christ and learning how to live with one another. What are some of the ways Paul and Timothy tell them to do this?
The devil is always at odds with God’s good purposes for the world, and if we’re learning to live like Jesus Christ, we should expect opposition. How does the devil work? What does opposition look like? When or how have you noticed it?
In response to one group grumbling against another group, the apostles gathered the whole group together to bring the offense into the open and work out a solution. Why do we like to nurse our offenses in dark places? What holds us back from bringing them into the light? Have you had an experience where you’ve surfaced a hurt or a grudge with someone and reconciled? How did it go?
The apostles address the conflict by putting more structure into the functioning of the church body. Structure and order in a church is not glamorous, but it’s necessary and good. Why? What does it accomplish? Brainstorm other parts of our world that thrive in a state of order rather than chaos.
Speaking of structure and order in the church…if you’re a member, have you voted yet on the matters being brought to the AGM? Is the Feb 23 AGM on your calendars? See you there!
Acts 6:7 “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” Nothing will stop the mission of God. The name of Jesus Christ is unrestrainable. What discourages you about the future? How does remembering that nothing will stop the mission of God encourage you?

Acts 5: 12-42

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 14:04:30 GMT

Acts 5: 12-42

Date: February 2, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

The Church’s Mission and Identity

1. Comparing Summary Statements in Acts

Read Acts 5:12-16. How is this summary of the church distinct from the summaries in Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-35?
How do these three summaries together give a fuller picture of what the church is called to be?

2. Jesus and the Church’s Ministry

Read Mark 6:54-56. How is Jesus’ ministry in this passage similar to what the church is doing in Acts 5:12-16?
Why is this similarity significant?
How does recognizing the connection between Jesus’ actions and the church’s work here prepare us to expect opposition?

Opposition to the Gospel
3. The Sanhedrin’s Objections

Read Acts 5:17-42. What specifically upsets the Sanhedrin?
What do they want the apostles to stop doing?
How does this conflict relate to the church’s mission?

4 . Opposition to the Name of Jesus

Why is it important that the opposition arises because of Jesus, rather than the church being intentionally provocative?
Why does the name of Jesus provoke opposition?
How does this passage call us to respond in the face of opposition?

Encouragement for the Church’s Mission
5. Facing Fear and Persevering

What fears do you have about bearing witness to Jesus?
How does this passage challenge and encourage you?
Why should we remain steadfast and not stop sharing the gospel?
How does the prayer in Acts 4:24-31 provide strength and a starting point for facing opposition?

Acts 4:32 - 5:11

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 20:35:10 GMT

Acts 4:32-5:11

Date: January 26, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Understanding the Context of Acts

Begin by summarizing the key events of the book of Acts so far.

Defining the Church and Its Mission

In light of what we have seen in Acts, how would you define:

The church?
The church’s mission?
The church’s method of fulfilling its mission?

The Church as a Foretaste of God’s Kingdom

Read Acts 4:32-37. Throughout this series, we’ve discussed the church as a foretaste of God’s Kingdom.

What does it mean for the church to be a foretaste of God’s Kingdom?
How have we seen the church serve as a foretaste of the coming Kingdom in Acts?
How do these verses display the church as a community reflecting the coming Kingdom?

2. When you look at this picture of the church in Acts 4:32-37:

What excites you?
What scares you? Why?
Why is it significant to recognize that this community is created by the grace of God?

3. How does this picture of the church in Acts 4:32-37 serve as both:

An invitation to follow Jesus?
A call to become this kind of community by being rooted in Jesus?

God’s Judgment and the Problem of Hypocrisy

Read Acts 5:1-11.

Summarize what happens in this passage.
Why is it significant that Peter confronts Ananias and Sapphira specifically about lying to appear generous and righteous, as opposed to not giving all of their money?

2. How does God’s judgment of Ananias and Sapphira provide a foretaste of the judgment on hypocrisy?

Why do you think God addresses hypocrisy with such intensity?

3. How does understanding that the problem is hypocrisy point us to rest in Jesus, rather than striving harder to appear righteous?

Confession, Growth, and Becoming a Kingdom Community

What are some ways we try to hide our sin?
How does this text invite us to:

Confess our shortcomings?
Find rest in Jesus so we can grow as a Kingdom community?

3. How can we, like Barnabas, grow to reflect God’s Kingdom by trusting in Jesus’ sufficiency rather than focusing on appearances?

Acts 4:23-31

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:00:08 GMT

Acts 4:23-31

Date: January 19, 2025

Speaker: Trish Haq

The passage today offers a powerful example of prayer. To begin your discussion time, share your thoughts about some of the ways that you pray that you find meaningful and effective.
Read Acts 4:23-31 together. Take a few moments to share any thoughts that came to mind as you read through the passage. Do any words or phrases stand out to you? Do any questions arise?
Evangelism can be something that is quite scary and out of people’s comfort zone for some. In what ways do you find the calling to proclaim the good news of Jesus to others scary or difficult? What barriers stand in the way for you? On the other hand, in what ways do you feel inspired and excited about sharing the gospel with others?
The disciples were facing significant opposition as they sought to proclaim the good news of Jesus to the world, and continuing to speak in the name of Jesus meant they could be imprisoned or even killed. In what ways did this make prayer so vital in order for them to carry out the mission Jesus had entrusted to them?
Their prayer began by acknowledging God’s sovereignty and remembering who they were praying to - the one who created the heavens and the earth. Why was this important? How did it shape their prayer? What impact can this approach have in your own prayers?
In their prayer, the disciples made two requests:

That God would enable them to speak His word with boldness
That God would stretch out His hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Jesus

7. Why are these requests remarkable? (hint – consider the situation the disciples faced that led to this moment of prayer, found in Acts 3 and 4). What might we have expected them to pray for? What do you think you would have prayed, if you were in their situation?

8. What does this prayer reveal about how the disciples understood the opposition and challenges they were faced

with? In what ways does this challenge your own understanding of how to pray amidst the difficulties and challenges you might face in your own life?

9. As you think about the disciples unwavering resolve to share the good news with others, are you encouraged or inspired or challenged to participate more deeply in the mission to proclaim and practice the living Christ, so that the world may know and encounter Jesus? What steps can you take?

Pray for one another out of the things that you have shared. Pray especially for God to guide and direct your prayers, and that God would help each one of you to have boldness and courage to boldly live out the mission to proclaim Jesus in the ways that God is calling you to.

Acts 4

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 14:01:01 GMT

Acts 4

Date: January 12, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Reflecting on Acts 3

What are the key events and themes of Acts 3?
What did we learn from Acts 3 last week, and how does it prepare us for Acts 4?

Examining the Opposition (Acts 4:1-4)

Why are the priests, temple guards, and Sadducees “disturbed”?
What specifically about Peter and John’s message bothers them?
How does their question in Acts 4:5 highlight the central issue they have with Peter and John?

Peter’s Response and Its Significance (Acts 4:8-12)

What claim does Peter make in his response?
Why is Peter’s quote from Psalm 118 significant? What does it reveal about Jesus?

The Exclusive Claims of Christianity

Why do the exclusive claims of Christianity—that salvation is through Jesus alone—often provoke opposition?
How have you personally experienced or observed opposition to these claims?
How has this shaped your understanding of Jesus and your willingness to share the gospel?

Jesus: The Cause and the Hope

Why is the reality of who Jesus is both a cause of opposition and a reason to hold on to our faith?
How does understanding Jesus’ identity motivate us to bear witness to him?

Responding to Jesus (Acts 4:13-22)

How do Acts 4:13-22 illustrate different ways people respond to Jesus?
How can you encourage one another to:

Know Jesus more intimately?
Believe in him more deeply?
Proclaim him more actively?

Acts 3

Sun, 05 Jan 2025 20:59:59 GMT

Acts 3

Date: January 5, 2025

Speaker: Joel Miles

Acts 1–2: Foundation of the Church

Summarize the main events of Acts 1–2.
What is the nature of the Kingdom of God in these chapters?
What is significant about the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost?
How do these chapters highlight the ongoing work of Jesus Christ through His followers?
What do these chapters teach about the church's purpose and mission?

Acts 3: A Miracle and Its Implications

Read Acts 3:1-2

What would life have been like for someone “lame from birth” in Israel?
How would this condition affect his societal interactions and ability to participate in temple worship?

Read Isaiah 35:1-10 and Acts 3:3-10

What hope does Isaiah 35:1–10 offer for this man?
How does Acts 3:3–10 provide a foretaste of this hope? Why is this significant?

Read Acts 3:11-16

How does Peter explain the healing in Acts 3:11–16?
Why does Peter emphasize Jesus as the Holy and Righteous One, the author of life who died and rose again? Why is it important that Peter points away from himself to this Jesus?

Response to the Healing

Read Acts 3:17-26

According to Peter, what should people do in response to the healing through Jesus’ name?
Why does Peter focus on repentance and turning to Jesus instead of the miracle itself?
How is the man’s healing temporary, and how does Jesus offer full healing and restoration?

Personal and Communal Response

How does this text call us to fully commit ourselves to Jesus?
How can we, as a church, commit to knowing Jesus and making Him known?
How can you personally commit to knowing Jesus and making Him known?
How can we pray for this transformation to take place in our lives and church?

Luke 19: 25-37

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:19:47 GMT

This is a subtitle for your new post

1. Hospitality in Everyday Life:

What are some simple ways you can show hospitality to your neighbors, coworkers, or classmates? How do these everyday actions reflect mercy and compassion?
Think about a time when someone showed you unexpected hospitality. How did it make you feel, and what impact did it have on you?
How can we overcome the tendency to be distracted by our phones or the busyness of life when we're around others? How can we practice being more present with people around us?

2. Serving Others with Dignity:

Why is giving dignity through eye contact such a powerful form of hospitality? How does this small action make a difference in someone's life, especially those who might feel ignored?
How do we sometimes avoid or ignore people who are in need? What are some practical ways we can combat this and show mercy instead?
Have you ever felt ignored or overlooked by others? How can you use your experience to show greater compassion and presence to others in similar situations?

3. The Church as a Community:

How can we, as a church, be more intentional in showing hospitality to newcomers? What are some specific steps we can take to make others feel welcome?
How can the idea of "gathering around the table" change the way we interact with others, both inside and outside the church? What does it mean to be a community centered around the table?
Jesus invites all kinds of people to His table, regardless of background or differences. How can we practice this kind of radical hospitality in our lives, even with people we might not agree with or understand?

How can you challenge yourself this week to show mercy and hospitality to someone you might consider "other" or unfamiliar?

Isaiah 24 & 35

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 16:12:00 GMT

God’s Judgment and the State of the World

Isaiah’s Message of Judgment:

Look over Isaiah 13–23, and read Isaiah 24:1–3. What is the overall message of these verses? Summarize what they are saying.
How does Isaiah 24:4–6 explain the reason for God’s actions in these passages?

Sin and Its Consequences:

How do you normally think about sin?
According to Isaiah 24:4–6, how does sin affect our relationship with God and the state of the world?
How does Isaiah 24:4–6 describe humanity’s sin against God and its connection to the brokenness of creation?

The Everlasting Covenant and Our Hope

Understanding the Everlasting Covenant:

Read Genesis 8:20–9:17. This passage is the "Everlasting covenant" that is being referred to in Isaiah 24:5. What promises does God make to humanity in this covenant?
What responsibilities or commitments are humanity called to uphold in this covenant?

Breaking the Covenant:

How does Isaiah 24:4–6 demonstrate that humanity has broken the everlasting covenant?
Despite this, how does referencing the everlasting covenant offer hope for restoration?

Judgment, Love, and Restoration

Judgment as an Act of Love:

How is God’s judgment connected to his love for creation?
Why is judgment an essential part of God’s commitment to restoring the world?

The Results of Restoration:

Read Isaiah 35:1–7. What will the world look like after God’s judgment and the return of Jesus?
Read Isaiah 35:8–10. Who will be part of this restored world?
How does this vision of restoration connect to the message of Christmas and Jesus’ first coming?

Isaiah 11:1-10

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 21:01:44 GMT

Points to Ponder

December 15, 2024
Isaiah 11:1-10

1. Read through Isaiah 11:1-10 together two times. The first time, just listen as the passage is read. The second time, follow along in your bible, trying to notice if there are any words, phrases, or ideas that catch your attention. Share what you notice with one another. Is there anything you find either encouraging, confusing, or challenging about this passage?

2. Reflect together on the sermon from this past Sunday. What did you learn? Was there anything that you could particularly relate to? Did anything challenge you or encourage you?

3. Consider the lead up to Isaiah 11 for a moment: The king of Israel made an alliance with another nation, the Assyrians, rather than placing his hope and trust in the Lord. As a result, Isaiah predicted that Israel would eventually be destroyed and scattered. Reflect on these questions together:

a. What things do you sometimes put your trust and hope in, instead of trusting in God?

b. Have you ever experienced a time in your life where things seemed so ruined, so messed up or destroyed, it was difficult to imagine they could ever be restored?

4. Now, reflect on Isaiah 11:1 together. This verse offers the imagery of a stump, cut down to nothing, somehow bringing forth the hope of new life. Does this imagery resonate for you in any way? Have you experienced a time where new life emerged out of the wreckage of a seemingly hopeless situation? Or is there a situation in your life now where you are longing for renewal? What hope do you have?

5. Verses 6-9 offer a profound picture of peace. But it is a peace that seems quite impossible (ie: a wolf living with a lamb, a child putting it’s hand in a vipers den and not being bit)

a. Are there ways in which you are longing for greater peace in your life?

b. Do you have hope that it is possible? Or does peace feel like an impossible hope?

c. Reflect together on how the picture of impossible peace offered to us in Isaiah 11 paints a picture of God’s Kingdom. What hope does this give you?

6. Reflect further on the imagery in this passage, of a child in this seemingly dangerous situation with snakes, and yet, the danger has been removed. The snakes have no power to harm or destroy.

a. What connection might there be between the imagery of snakes in this passage, and the role of the snake in Genesis 3?

b. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, the sting of death has been removed. In what way does this change our view of death? What impact can this have on our grieving?

7. Read Isaiah 12:1-6. Although Isaiah’s prophecy for Israel is somewhat grim (they will be cut down and destroyed because of their constant refusal to trust in God). it is also filled with hope (a remnant of Israel will rise up and will return to the Lord and trust wholly in Him). Because of the promise of this future hope, there is cause to praise, and so here, chapter 12 offers a Song of Praise.

a. What helps you to praise God in the midst difficult and painful times?

b. What makes it difficult to find joy in all circumstances?

Pray for one another out of the things that you have shared. Pray especially for God to deepen your sense of trust in Him and strengthen your capacity for hope.

Isaiah 7:1 - 9:7

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 13:41:25 GMT

To Proclaim and Practice the Living Christ

Isaiah 7:1-9:7

December 8, 2024

Joel Miles

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Understanding Isaiah's Prophecies

1. Reflection on Key Verses

Read Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6.
Did you realize these two verses are part of the same broader passage in Isaiah?
How are these verses typically understood?

2. Context of Isaiah 7:14

Read Isaiah 7:1–12.
What is the historical and narrative context leading up to Isaiah 7:14?
How does this context shape our understanding of the prophecy?

3. Exploring Isaiah’s Message

Read Isaiah 7:13–19.
What is Isaiah communicating in this passage?
How do these verses expand on the significance of the prophecy in 7:14?

4. Fulfillment and Implications of Prophecy

Read Isaiah 8:1–10.
How is Isaiah’s prophecy initially fulfilled here?
Based on this passage and 7:13–19, what does it mean to have “God with us”?

5. God's Presence and Human Sinfulness

Reflect on how God’s presence interacts with sin and humanity throughout Scripture.
Why does God’s presence often bring judgment?
In Isaiah 8:22, why does it describe only darkness, distress, and gloom when looking to the earth?

6. Promise of Hope

Read Isaiah 8:22–9:7.
What promise is given in these verses?
How will the darkness, distress, and gloom be overturned?

7. Judgment and Salvation in “God with Us”

Consider how “God with us” can represent both judgment and salvation.
How does the cross of Jesus embody this dual reality?
In what ways does the cross reveal both the sinfulness of humanity and the loving heart of God?

Isaiah 1-2

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 14:49:25 GMT

To Proclaim and Practice the Living Christ

Isaiah 1-2

December 1, 2024

Joel Miles

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Advent and Christmas Season

Purpose of the Season:

What do you believe is the primary purpose of Advent and Christmas?
How does this season shape your understanding of God's plan for the world?

Personal Struggles:

Do you find the Advent and Christmas season challenging?
If so, what specific aspects of this season do you struggle with, and why?
If not, what do you find most meaningful or uplifting during this time?

Context of Isaiah's Vision

Historical Context:

Isaiah 1:1 describes his vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem, during the divided kingdom era before the exile. Why is this historical context significant for understanding the message of Isaiah?

Message of Isaiah 1:2-9

Understanding the Text:

What does Isaiah 1:2-9 reveal about the condition of Israel at this time?
How do these verses illustrate how far Israel had fallen from God's original purpose for them as His people?

God’s Longing for His People and the World

Revealing God’s Heart:

In Isaiah 1:16-17 and 1:21-23, what specific actions and attitudes does God call His people to embrace?
How do these verses express God's longing for our world?
How do God’s desires align with your own longings for the world?

Promises and Hope

The Promises of Restoration:

What promises are described in Isaiah 1:18, 24-26, and 2:1-5?
How are these promises of cleansing, justice, and peace significant for God’s people?

Fulfillment of Promises:

When did these promises begin to be fulfilled?
When and how will they ultimately be fulfilled?

Source of Hope:

How do these promises provide hope for you personally and for the church and world today?

Living in Anticipation

Longing for Christ’s Return:

What does it mean to live with a deep longing for Jesus to return and establish His Kingdom?

Being a Faithful Church:

How can we, as a church, embody what God’s people were always meant to live like?
In what practical ways can we live faithfully while anticipating God’s ultimate restoration?

Acts 1-2

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 14:00:00 GMT

To Proclaim and Practice the Living Christ

Acts 1-2

November 17, 2024

Joel Miles

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Summary of Acts 1–2

Overview Reflection:

How would you summarize Acts 1–2 so far?

Practices of the Early Church

Identifying Practices:

Read Acts 2:42–47. What specific practices or elements of the early church are mentioned in this passage?

The Significance of the Four Practices (Acts 2:42):

Why does the text begin with the four practices listed in verse 42 (teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer)?
How do these practices remind us of:
Who God is
What He has done
Who we are
What we are called to do

Building Community:

How can the four practices in Acts 2:42 shape us into a community that meets each other's needs?

Mission and Distinction

The Growing Community (Acts 2:47):

Why is it significant that the passage ends with others joining the community?
How does this demonstrate that the church is both distinct from the world and on mission within it?

Descriptive, Not Prescriptive

Understanding the Narrative:

Why is it important to recognize that Acts 2:42–47 is descriptive (what happened), not prescriptive (commands)?
How does this passage show that the early church's life was the result of God giving the Holy Spirit?
How does this realization lead us to humility, recognizing our dependence on God?

Application and Commitment

Becoming This Kind of Church:

What would it take for us to become a church like the one described in Acts 2:42–47?
How can you personally pray and commit to working toward this vision?

Acts 2:14-21

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 19:14:51 GMT

To Proclaim and Practice the Living Christ

Acts 2:14-21

November 10, 2024

Trish Haq

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

1. Acts 2:14-21 is a sermon, given by the apostle Peter at Pentecost. Take time to read this passage out loud together. Consider reading it twice:

a). The first time through, simply listen to hear the whole story, and take in the big picture.

b.) The second time through, be sure to follow along in your own bible. Take time to make note of any words, phrases, or ideas that God draws your attention to.

2. As you read through this passage together:

a.) What words, phrases, or ideas stood out to you, and why?

b.) Did anything encourage or inspire you?

c.) Did anything confuse you or bring up any questions?

3. When the Spirit came on Pentecost, the disciples who were gathered together began to speak in many different languages, declaring the wonders of God. Some people in the crowd questioned whether they were sober. Peter responded to this question by quoting the prophet Joel. In what way does Joel 2:28-32 help answer this question?

4. Look more closely at Acts 2:22-24. What does Peter say here about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus?

5. In Acts 2:25-36, Peter makes a case for how the events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, can be seen as the fulfillment of the Hebrew scriptures. How does his quotation of David, from Psalm 16, demonstrate the connection between Old Testament prophesy and the good news of Jesus that He has shared with the crowd?

6. Read Revelation 21:3-5. This passage offers a picture of God’s intended plan for the world. N. T. Wright explains that “The last scene in the Bible isn’t about ‘saved souls’ going up to heaven. It is about the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth as the centre piece of the ‘new heaven and new earth’ promised by the prophets and reaffirmed by Jesus himself and his first followers.”

a.) How does it change your understanding of God’s mission, to reflect on His intention and desire to come and dwell with us?

b.) In what ways is the coming of the Holy Spirit a fulfillment of God’s mission to dwell with his people?

7. “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37). In what ways has the good news of the gospel stirred your own heart in the past? Does it still stir you today?

8. Peter instructed the crowd in how they should respond to the good news they just heard, telling them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus, for the forgiveness of sins.

a.) What attitudes exist in our society when it comes to repentance, forgiveness, and the reality of sin?

b.) Reflect on your own life. Do you recognize a need for repentance and forgiveness? Does anything ever hold you back from turning to Jesus and receiving his forgiveness and grace?

9. Acts 2:38 offers this promise to those who turn to Jesus; that they will receive forgiveness and the Spirit. How does the promise of the Holy Spirit hold the potential to change our lives here and now?

10. Peter’s Spirit-empowered message turned the hearts of about three thousand people towards Jesus. But from what we know about Peter, he was quite a flawed character (he denied Jesus 3 times, was known to be hot-headed, and was often getting things wrong).

a. Why do you think God chooses to partner with imperfect people, in order to carry out His mission?

b. In what ways does the impact of Peter’s sermon despite his own flaws and failings, offer us hope and encouragement in times when we ourselves are feeling imperfect or inadequate?

c. What hope does this give you for the future of the Church?

Pray for one another out of the points discussed. Pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit. Ask for God to deepen your understanding of the good news of Jesus and stir your heart to respond with repentance and faith. Pray for God’s Spirit to lead and equip you to proclaim this good news to others.

Acts 2:1-13

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 16:35:30 GMT

To Proclaim and Practice the Living Christ

Acts 2:1-13

November 3, 2024

Paul McIlwraith

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

1. Discuss some of the festivals that we have in our culture. How does the way that we celebrate traditions (dress, food, activities etc.) related to that special event, set the tone for the overall theme of the festival? Why do you think the Jewish Festivals were so important to the people in Jesus’ time?

2. Share a time when you had to wait for something. How difficult was it for you to wait? What did you learn in the waiting?

3. Have you ever been caught in something like a great wind or storm? Describe your experience and the effects that that weather system had on you and those around you.

4. What is the significance of wind and fire in the bible? Read one of the Theophany occurrences in Exodus 3:2-5, Exodus 13:21-22 or Ezekiel 37:1-10. How does God make Himself known to His people in these passages? How has God made Himself known to you in the past?

5. The Holy Spirit like wind; can refresh us, is powerful enough to stir things up and, it is not able to be controlled by humans. Give some examples when you have experienced the Holy Spirit at work in your life in these ways- refreshing, powerful and beyond your control.

6. The Holy Spirit is like fire; it illuminates, warms, purifies and spreads. Give some examples of times when you have experienced the Holy Spirit as these qualities of fire.

7. Why do you think the topic of the Holy Spirit has created some angst and uncertainly in the Christian faith?

8. Where have you seen evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in the ministries of North Park Church to carry out the mission to, Proclaim and Practice the Living Christ?

9. What limits you from fully tapping into the power that is available through God’s Spirit in your life?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Invite God to open your heart and mind to the work of His Spirit in your life. Commit to praying the following prayer each day for two weeks and make note of the ways you experience the Holy Spirit in your life.

Holy Spirit, empower me and fill me to overflowing. I hold nothing back from you. Work your gifts in me and through me, so that the Kingdom of God may be manifested in and through my life. Each day, demonstrate to me how I can proclaim and practice the Living Christ, wherever you take me. I ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Acts 1:9-26

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 13:43:54 GMT

To Proclaim and Practice the Living Christ

Acts 1:9-26

October 27, 2024

Terry Sanderson

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Acts 1:9-26.

Obstacles to Witnessing for Jesus

What specific things in your life hinder you from being an effective witness for Jesus?

How Do You See the World?

Do you see the world as more antagonistic towards Jesus or more desperate for Him?
If you saw the world as desperate for Jesus, how would that shift your approach to sharing His message?

Motives for Loving Jesus

Judas followed Jesus for what he could get, while the disciples loved Jesus for who He is. Which one best reflects your relationship with Jesus?
How does this show up in the way you live your life?

The Power of Prayer

If just 12 minutes of daily prayer can reshape your brain and transform your life, what keeps you from making prayer a priority?
What practical steps could you take to overcome those obstacles?

Sharing Your Walk with Jesus

As you walk with Jesus today, what part of your experience with Him could you share and proclaim to others?

Making Time for God's Word

If you’re not reading the Bible at least four days a week, what would need to change in your schedule or habits to make that possible?

Acts 1:6-8

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 19:54:22 GMT

To Proclaim and Practice the Living Christ

Acts 1:6-8

October 20, 2024

Trish Haq

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

What do you think is accomplished when the church meets together on Sunday mornings? Why do we do this each week? In what ways do you value this opportunity to gather as a community? Do you think you ever take it for granted?
Read Acts 1:6-8 together. Take a moment to share any thoughts you have about this passage. What do you notice? Does it stir any questions?
What do you think the disciples meant by their question in verse 6? (“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”). What do you think the answer Jesus offered to them reveals?
Jesus predicted that the Apostles would be His witnesses to Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. This movement can be traced throughout the book of Acts, with the message going forth into the world as far as Rome by the end of the book. What is the significance of this movement?
Reflect together on the word “Witness”. Can you think of some examples of how this word is used in society today? Can you think of any examples in your own life where a witness was needed?
In what way were the Apostles qualified to be Jesus’ witnesses?
What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the gospel going out to all the earth?
What qualifies us to be Jesus’ witnesses today?
Jesus spent a lot of time with the disciples teaching them about the Kingdom of God. What is so important about this concept? How does it relate to the disciple’s role as witnesses?
In what ways do you find it easy or difficult to share your faith with others?
Can you share an example of:

a. When someone shared about Jesus with you?

b. When you had the opportunity to share about Jesus with someone else?

c. A time where you wonder if you might have missed the opportunity to share about Jesus with someone?

d. A moment where the gathered church served as a witness of who Jesus is, what he has done, and what he is continuing to do in our world?

12. In what ways can we live out this call to be witnesses individually? In what ways can we do this together?

13. What role does the gathered church have in being a witness of Jesus to the world?

Pray for one another out of the points discussed. Ask for God’s Spirit to work in and through each one of you, that you would be equipped and empowered to be a witness of all that Jesus has done and is doing. Pray for our church, that together, we would reflect a foretaste of the Kingdom of God, through who we are when we gather.

Acts 1:105

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 13:00:00 GMT

To Proclaim and Practice the Living Christ

Acts 1:1-5

October 13, 2024

Joel Miles

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

1. Acts 1:1-2 vs. Luke 1:1-4

Read Acts 1:1-2 and Luke 1:1-4, what do you notice?
What does this tell us about the book of Acts?

2. The Word "Began" in Acts 1:1-2

Why do you think Luke uses the word "began" in Acts 1:1?
What does this suggest about the ongoing nature of the people of God and the mission of the church?

The Role of the Holy Spirit and the Church’s Mission

3. Waiting for the Spirit (Acts 1:3-5)

Why does Jesus instruct the apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit before they begin their mission?
What does this reveal about the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the founding of the church?

4. Implications for the Church’s Mission

How do these verses (Acts 1:1-5) help us understand the church's mission?
What sets the church apart from other institutions in the world?

Jesus' Mission and the Church’s Role

5. Continuing Jesus' Mission

What was Jesus' mission, and what did He accomplish during His earthly ministry?
How are we, as the church, called to continue His mission in the world today?

6. Avoiding an Inward Focus

How does understanding our mission as a continuation of Jesus' work help the church avoid becoming inward-focused?
How does this understanding shape our outward mission and purpose?

Practical Application

7. Proclaiming and Practicing the Living Christ

What are practical ways we, as a church, can proclaim and practice the living Christ together?
How can you personally get involved in activities or ministries at church that contribute to this mission?

Jonah

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 13:15:19 GMT

Jonah & The Offensive Grace of God

Jonah

October 6, 2024

Joel Miles

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

God's Method of Reaching People

Jonah’s Calling to Nineveh

Read Jonah 1:1-2. Do you find it surprising that God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh? Why do you think God chose this method to reach the people of Nineveh?
Can you think of other examples in the Bible where God chooses one person or people to share His message with others?

God's Purpose in Choosing Certain People

2. God’s Plan for Abram and the Church

Read Genesis 12:1-3 and Matthew 16:17-20. Why did God set Abram and his descendants apart, according to these passages? What purpose does Jesus have in building His church?
What do these scriptures reveal about God's method of pursuing people?

God's Pursuit of Humanity

3. God’s Choice to Use Others for Our Sake

Read Genesis 1:31 and 2:18. Why do you think God pursues us by choosing some people for the sake of others?
What would be the impact if God revealed Himself to everyone individually? How does this shape the way we think about our relationship with God?

The Role and Mission of the Church

4. The Church's Role in God’s Mission

Why do we need the church? What is its purpose in God's plan?
How should we, as the church, be on mission both inside and beyond the walls of the church?
What steps can you take to be on mission? How can we, as a group, encourage and support you in this?

This organization helps guide the conversation from understanding God's methods to practical application.

Jonah 4

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 14:25:21 GMT

Jonah & The Offensive Grace of God

Jonah 4

September 29, 2024

Joel Miles

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Summary and Themes of Jonah 1-3

In your own words, how would you summarize the events of Jonah chapters 1-3? What major themes or lessons stand out to you so far?

2. Jonah's Anger in Jonah 4:1-3

Why do you think Jonah is so angry in Jonah 4:1-3? Consider an alternate translation of 4:1: "But to Jonah, this seemed like a great evil, and he became fiercely angry." Where else in the book do we see the words "evil," "great," and "fiercely angry"? Why might that be significant?

3. Jonah’s Use of Exodus 34:6-7

Why is it important that Jonah quotes from Exodus 34:6-7, where God reveals His character to Moses? How do God's character and Israel’s mission connect here?

4. God’s Provision of the Plant (Jonah 4:4-7)

An alternate translation of Jonah 4:6 reads: "Then the Lord provided a leafy plant... to give shade and deliver Jonah from his evil." What does this suggest about God's view of Jonah’s disgust and anger?

5. The Plant and Jonah’s Love for Israel (Jonah 4:9-11)

The plant in Jonah 4 might symbolize Israel. How does this symbolism help explain what God is doing in these verses? How does it reveal Jonah’s heart toward his people versus the Ninevites?

6. God’s Call vs. Modern Tolerance

How does God’s command to Jonah differ from modern ideas of tolerance? What is God really asking Jonah to do?

7. God’s Love for Enemies

How does God demonstrate love for His enemies throughout the book of Jonah? Where do we see the ultimate example of God pursuing "the other"? How is this opposite to Jonah’s attitude?

8. Personal Reflection on Enemy-Love

Who in your life do you feel God is calling you to pursue, even though it’s difficult (or perhaps even offensive)? How can we encourage you to show love to them? What is one practical step you could take this week to pursue them with God’s love?

Overturned!

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 20:17:54 GMT

Jonah & The Offensive Grace of God

Jonah 3 - Overturned!

September 22, 2024

Trish Haq

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Have you ever witnessed or experienced a turn around? A moment where you, or someone you know, was going the wrong way, and needed to make a turn? Be as literal (ie: making a u-turn in traffic) or spiritual (a come to Jesus moment) as you like.
Read Jonah chapter 3 together. What happens in this chapter? What details do you notice? Does anything stand out to you? What questions does this stir for you? Does anything inspire or encourage you?
God gave Jonah a second chance, despite his disobedience. Have you ever been given a second chance? How did it feel? Is there anywhere in your life right now where you are longing for a second chance? Is there anyone in your life who you think might need a second chance from you?
Read through the message Jonah gave to the Ninevites (Jonah 3:4). Share your thoughts about this message. The last word in Jonah’s sermon is “overthrown”. The Hebrew word being translated here can also be translated to mean “turn around” or “overturned”. In what ways does this leave room for hope?
Now read through the response of the Ninevites (Jonah 3:5). Does this response surprise you? Why, or why not? What do you think prompted them to respond in this way?
The Ninevites repented through fasting and wearing sackcloth. What do you think repentance looks like in the lives of God’s people today? How can repentance be shown?
In Jonah 3:6 we read that the king came off his throne. In what ways is this significant? As you think about the picture offered in this chapter of Nineveh’s repentance, what parallels do you see here to the Kingdom of God?
In what ways do you see in Jonah, a foreshadowing that points to Jesus? What is significant about the use of the number 3, found in both Chapter 2 and Chapter 3?
Reflect on your own life. In what areas do you think God might be inviting you to turn?

Pray for one another out of the points discussed. Ask for God’s Spirit to work in your hearts to reveal areas in need of overturning. Ask God to lead you in praying for others who need God’s work of overturning in their lives.

Jonah 2

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 12:42:23 GMT

Jonah & The Offensive Grace of God

Jonah 2

September 15, 2024

Joel Miles

Understanding the Story of Jonah

Common Retelling of Jonah
Summarize the story of Jonah as it's commonly told. In this version, is there a good explanation for why Jonah was swallowed by the whale?
Surprising Elements in Jonah 1:13-17
Read Jonah 1:13-17. What is surprising about the sailors’ efforts here? Would the story have made more sense if the sailors had simply returned to land? Why or why not? How does this question relate to Jonah being swallowed by the large fish?

Jonah’s Prayer and its Significance

Nature of the Sea and Being Swallowed (Jonah 2:1-2)
Read Jonah 2:1-2. Based on these verses, how should we understand the nature of the sea and being swallowed by the fish?
Who Sent and Rescued Jonah? (Jonah 2:3-6)
Read Jonah 2:3-6. Who does Jonah believe sent him to the “realm of the dead”? Who brought him out? Why is this important?
The Meaning of Jonah’s Prayer (Jonah 2:7-9)
Read Jonah 2:7-9. What is Jonah expressing in this prayer? How might these verses help us apply this prayer to our own lives?

Jonah’s Redemption and Application for Us

Significance of Jonah's Vomiting and Sending (Jonah 3:1)
Why is it significant that Jonah is only “vomited” onto dry land and sent to Nineveh after praying this prayer (Jonah 3:1)?
Applying Jonah’s Story to Us
How does this apply to us today? Read Matthew 12:38-41; 16:13-27; Romans 6:1-14; 12:1-2. How do these passages help us understand how to apply Jonah’s story?
Practical Application and Spiritual Growth
What practical steps can we take to apply this to our lives? How can we encourage each other to “die to ourselves” and live out God’s vision? Are there any spiritual disciplines we want to practice together?

Jonah 1

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 13:00:00 GMT

Jonah & The Offensive Grace of God

Jonah 1

September 8, 2024

Joel Miles

Jonah 1:1-2

1. Initial Impressions: What surprises you about the abrupt introduction to the Book of Jonah?

Why do you think the abruptness might be significant?
How is this similar to other abrupt callings in Scripture, like Genesis 12:1-3?

2. God's Choice: Why does God choose Jonah for this mission?

What might this reveal about Jonah’s character or his relationship with God?
Why do you think God sends Jonah specifically to Nineveh?

Jonah 1:3

3. Jonah's Reaction: What do you think motivated Jonah to run away from God's command to go to Nineveh?

Reflect on what you might have done in Jonah's situation.

Jonah 1:4-6

4. God’s Care for All People: What does this scene reveal about Jonah's attitude towards the Gentile sailors?

What does God’s action of sending the storm indicate about His care for the Ninevites, Jonah, and the sailors?

Jonah 1:7-16

5. Understanding God's Name: The term “LORD” used here is actually “Yahweh,” God’s personal name. How does knowing this change our understanding of what’s happening in this scene?

How does this highlight the transformation that occurs for the sailors?

6. The Role of the Storm: What is the significance of Jonah being thrown into the sea for the sake of the sailors?

How does God sending the storm underscore the nature of His grace toward both Jonah and the Ninevites?

7. Foreshadowing of Christ: How does Jonah’s willingness to be cast into the sea for the sailors’ and Nineveh's sake foreshadow what Christ has done for us on the cross?

In what ways is Jonah’s experience similar to and different from Christ’s sacrifice?
How does this emphasize God’s radical grace for His creation?

Psalm 146

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 16:00:00 GMT

Amen! - Prayers of the Scriptures

Psalm 146

September 1, 2024

Joel Miles

1. Types of Prayer: List the different kinds of prayers found in the Scriptures.

The Structure of Praise in the Psalms

2. Observing the Pattern:

Read the first and last verse of Psalm 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150. What pattern do you notice?
Why might it be significant that the last five psalms all begin and end with praise?
Why do you think God chose to end this prayer book with five psalms focused on praise?

The Call to Personal Praise

3. The Soul's Call to Praise:

Read Psalm 146:1. Why does the psalmist urge his own soul to "Praise the Lord"?
Why do we need to pray in a way that teaches our hearts and souls to know God and Praise Him?

Knowing God's Name in Prayer

4. The Significance of Yahweh:

Why is it important that the word "Lord" here is the personal name of God, Yahweh?
Why do we need to know the God of the Scriptures if we are going to pray to him?

The Connection Between Praise, Trust, and Prayer

5. From Praise to Trust:

Read Psalm 146:1-5. Notice how these verses move from praise to trust, and then to seeking help from the God of Jacob.
How are these elements connected?
How does praising Yahweh lead to trusting Him, and how does that shape our prayers?

The Nature of Yahweh

6. Who is Yahweh?

Read Psalm 146:6-10. Who does Yahweh reveal Himself to be in these verses?
What themes do you find here?
How do these verses balance God’s power with His love and care?

Seeing Jesus in the Psalms

7. Christ in the Psalms:

How does Psalm 146:6-10 point us to Jesus?
How does God's work through Jesus fulfill this description of Yahweh?

Praise as the Foundation and Goal of Prayer

8. The Role of Praise in Prayer:

How should knowing Yahweh’s character and His work through Jesus shape the way we pray?
How does this show that praising Yahweh is the foundation of our prayers?

9. Praise as the Goal of Prayer:

How does knowing Yahweh’s character reveal that praise is not only the foundation of prayer but also its ultimate goal?
How does this understanding help us see that knowing and praising Yahweh is the greatest gift we can experience?

Pslam 51

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 15:11:40 GMT

Amen! - Prayers of the Scriptures

Psalm 51

Josh Black

August 25, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

1. How has your understanding of confession evolved over time? Reflect on the difference between confessing out of fear or obligation versus confessing with the hope of restoration and renewal.

2. David acknowledges that his sin is ultimately against God. How can recognizing the spiritual implications of our actions help us address the practical consequences of our sins in relationships with others?

3. What does it mean to you personally to seek not just forgiveness but restoration, as David does in Psalm 51? How can this perspective change the way you approach confession?

4. How does the concept of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness in Psalm 51 influence your view of God’s willingness to forgive and renew you?

5. How can the process of confession, restoration, and renewal described in Psalm 51 influence our interactions within our community and our role in supporting others in their spiritual journeys?

6. As you reflect on the themes of appeal, confession, restoration, renewal, and humble worship from the sermon, is there a specific area of your life where you sense God is inviting you to apply these principles more deeply? How might you respond to this invitation?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Start by praying together for God’s mercy and compassion, as David did in Psalm 51. Ask God to help each person in the group experience His steadfast love and grace in their lives, especially in areas where they feel most in need of His intervention.

Luke 18:9-14

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 17:45:00 GMT

Amen! - Prayers of the Scriptures

Luke 18:9-14

Paul McIlwraith

August 18, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

How has the way you view and approach prayer been impacted by this summer message series at North Park entitled, Amen. Prayers of the Scriptures?
In general, would you say that you are a rule keeper or a rule breaker? Discuss the pros and the cons of each of these ways of living.
In what situations do you find that you are more likely to become self absorbed with little compassion left over for others? Describe an experience you have had lately when you were self righteous. What did you learn from that situation?
How has the mass media contributed to our increasingly self centred world? Discuss some of the main influences in our society and their impact on the way that we live.
Take some time to really ponder where you get your identity. Does your identity come from what you do, your job or career? Does it come from what you have accomplished or the wealth that you have accumulated? Or, does your identity come from who you are? That means that as a Christian, you are a Child of God. How does where you get your identity shape the way that you live each day?
Can you describe someone who is an example of humility in your life? What traits does that person possess that exude humility to you?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Have you ever started a prayer with, God, have mercy on me, a sinner? If not, try leading your prayers with that statement this week and take note of how that impacts the rest of what you pray for each day.

1 Kings 9a - 13

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 18:06:01 GMT

Amen! - Prayers of the Scriptures

1 Kings 9a - 13

Trish Haq

August 4, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

At the start of the summer sermon series, we invited you to consider trying something new in your prayer life. This past month, have you tried anything new? (perhaps a different way of praying, or a new rhythm of some kind?). If so, how has it been going?
If you haven’t tried anything new, is there something you’d like to try in the month ahead? What new commitment would you like to make in the intentional time that you spend with God? What might get in the way of this goal? What could help you to do it?
Read through today’s passage from 1 Kings. What do you notice about this passage? What stands out? What questions do you have about it? What is happening in the story? (look back at the previous few chapters if needed).
Mount Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai, where Moses received the 10 Commandments. Read Exodus 19:16-19 and well as Exodus 33:12 – 34:10. Compare and contrast Moses’ experience with God on the mountain top, with Elijah’s experience. What similarities do you see? What differences do you think are significant and why?
How do you think Elijah experienced this moment with God? What might he have been thinking or feeling?
What meaning do you make of the contrast between the chaos of the storm, and the quiet of God’s presence that followed? What was God trying to communicate to Elijah through this scene?
How comfortable are you with stillness and silence? Take some time to discuss the busyness and noise of your lives. What steps could you take to create more space for the kind of vibrant silence where God’s presence can be experienced? What gets in the way of this kind of stillness? Is it something that you long for?
Elijah encountered the presence of God in an unexpected way, not in the shattering wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but through the stillness, when the storm quieted to a whisper. Consider the ways that God can speak to us, something getting our attention loudly and dramatically, other times, showing us Himself in unexpected ways. Can you think of other examples, either from scripture, or in your own life, where God has moved in unexpected ways?

Pray for each other out of the points discussed. Ask God to continue to deepen and expand your prayer lives. Pray for discernment and wisdom to learn how to hear God’s voice more clearly in your lives, and ask for His help to create more space for stillness and quiet in your daily and weekly rhythms of life. Take time to be still, embracing a time of silence and listening prayer together. Take time afterwards to share what you experienced during this time of silence, whether it was impactful or challenging in some way.

Ephesians 3

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 17:29:49 GMT

Amen! - Prayers of the Scriptures

Ephesians 3

Joel Miles

July 28, 2024

Question 1: Understanding the Reason in Ephesians 3:14

Read Ephesians 3:14: This verse begins with "For this reason," referring to the preceding context.
Discuss in Small Groups: What is the "reason" Paul is referring to in Ephesians 1-2?
Come Back Together: Summarize what Ephesians 1-2 teaches about what God has already done for all people though Jesus Christ.

Question 2: Paul's Intercession for the Ephesians

Reflect: How does understanding Ephesians 1-2 help explain why Paul, a first-century Jew, would prayerfully intercede for the Gentile believers in Ephesus?
Personal Application: Are there people you struggle to pray for? How does Paul's example encourage you to pray for them?

Question 3: God's Love and Our Assurance

Consider: Paul's assurance in God's love through Jesus motivates him to pray for others.
Reflect: Do you fully understand and believe in the depth of God's love for you through Jesus? What makes you struggle to believe this? What is your typical picture of God? How can others encourage you to believe that God loves you far more than you can imagine?

Question 4: Paul's Prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19

Read Ephesians 3:14-19: Summarize what Paul is praying for in these verses.
Discuss: Why is it significant that Paul prays for others to know the love of Christ? What do you think about the phrase "to know this love that surpasses knowledge"?

Question 5: Comparing Prayers

Reflect: How is Paul's intercessory prayer different from how you normally pray for others?
Encouragement: How does seeing Paul's prayer encourage you to refocus your prayers toward knowing God's love?

Question 6: Praying for Each Other

Practical Application: How can you pray for one another to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge? Do you need to pray this for yourself?
Prayer Time: Spend time praying for each other to know God's love.

Psalm 39

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 13:08:45 GMT

Amen! - Prayers of the Scriptures

Psalm 39

Joel Miles

July 14, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Categorizing the Prayer
Read the entirety of Psalm 39. How would you categorize this type of prayer?
What elements of the prayer stand out to you?
Is this a kind of prayer that you are familiar with using in your own prayer life?
David's Silence
Read Psalm 39:1-3. Why has David decided to be quiet? What is his reasoning?
David's Suffering
Read Psalm 39:9-13. Who does David blame for his current sufferings?
Have you ever been this frustrated with God?
Have you ever prayed like this to God amidst your sufferings and frustrations?
Language for Suffering
How does Psalm 39 provide language for addressing our sufferings and God's sovereignty?
How does this Psalm teach us to be honest with God in our prayers?
Why do you think it is important for us to be able to be honest with God?
David's Perspective
Read Psalm 39:4-6. Why do you think David begins with a prayer for perspective on the brevity of life and the goods of life before expressing his frustration in verses 9-13?
Why do you think we need to pray for this kind of perspective amidst our pain and sufferings?
Prayer for Perspective
How does David's prayer for perspective enable him to pray what he does in Psalm 39:7-8?
What is David praying for in Psalm 39:7-8?
Promises of God
In the midst of our pain and frustrations with God, this prayer teaches us to be both honest with God, but also to plead with God for His forgiveness and grace—to seek the gift of His presence.
What are some promises of God we need to remember when we go through difficulty, so that we can lament to God but with our hope set on Jesus?
Encouraging Honesty and Perspective
How can you encourage one another to be more honest in your prayers?
How can you maintain a more eternal perspective rooted in Jesus?

Acts 7 & 8

joel.kelsey@northpark.ca (Joel Kelsey) — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 14:36:00 GMT

Amen! - Prayers of the Scriptures

Acts 7 & 8

Joel Kelsey

July 7, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Why is Stephen’s prayer, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them," significant? How does it reflect Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:43-44? How can we apply this in our own lives, especially when dealing with those who wrong us?
How can we ensure that our actions align with our faith, as Stephen did? Share practical ways you’ve seen or can live out the gospel through service and care.

3. What does it mean to love our enemies in today’s context? Who are the "enemies" in your life that you find hardest to love and pray for, and why?

4. Reflect on a time when you found it difficult to forgive someone who wronged you. How did you handle it, and what might you do differently after learning from Stephen’s example?

5. How does Stephen’s prayer illustrate the power of prayer beyond immediate circumstances? When has prayer impacted a difficult situation for you or others?

6. Reflect back on verse 55 and how the Trinity are all present. What are the different roles of the Trinity shown and how does that impact our life and faith?

Mark 10:46-52

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 13:50:22 GMT

Amen! - Prayers of the Scriptures

Mark 10:46-52

Trish Haq

June 30, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Our summer sermon series will explore some of the prayers found throughout scripture. There are many to choose from. Do you have any favourite examples of prayer found throughout the bible?
What are your rhythms of prayer like currently? When do you pray? How do you pray?
The Vertical Habits of Prayer listed below offer a helpful framework for thinking about the many different ways we can and should express our hearts to God. Which of these are a part of your prayer life currently? Which might you like to explore more in the days ahead?

· Praise & Adoration – I love you

· Confession – I’m sorry

· Lament – Why?

· Illumination – I’m listening

· Petition – Help!

· Thanksgiving – Thank you

· Service & Offering – What can I do?

· Blessing – Bless them

4. What’s one thing you would like to do this summer to expand your prayer life and deepen your relationship with God?

5. Read the story of Blind Bartimaeus together (Mark 10:46-52). What stands out to you or speaks to your heart as you read this story?

6. Examine the passages leading up to this story (starting at Mark 10:13). What connections do you see between Bartimaeus’ story, and what comes before it? (The Little Children and Jesus, The Rich and the Kingdom of God, Jesus Predicts His Death, The Request of James and John)

7. What does the story of Bartimeus reveal to us about prayer, specifically, prayers of petition (help!).

8. Reflect on this question that Jesus asked Bartimaeus: What do you want me to do for you? What needs would you like to be praying about in this season of your life?

9. Reflect on Bartimaeus’ response to Jesus: I want to see. In what ways might this be a prayer that you also need to pray? Is there spiritual blindness that might require God to open your eyes to see?

Pray for each other out of the points discussed. Ask God to deepen and expand your prayer lives. Bring your needs before him and pray for one another out of what needs were shared in the discussion time. Ask God to open your eyes to see more clearly, and invite Him to reshape your longings and your loves as you share your hearts with him through prayer.

Hebrews 13

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 22:01:16 GMT

Suffering Glory—Shadows of the Good to Come

Hebrews 13

Joel Miles

June 23, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Summarize the Themes of Hebrews

In pairs, identify and summarize the five most prominent themes in the Letter to the Hebrews. What are these themes? Come back together as a group to discuss.

Application of Lessons

What are the key lessons you have learned from studying the Letter to the Hebrews? How can you apply these lessons in your daily life?
What are your favorite passages and why?

Understanding Hebrews 3:6

Hebrews 3:6 uses a term translated as "confidence," which specifically means "courageously speaking about something." It also talks about "glorying" or boasting about something. What action is the author urging the readers to take? Why is this call to action significant?

Related Themes in Hebrews

How do Hebrews 10:32-35 and 13:13-16 reflect a similar theme to Hebrews 3:6? What primary ethical message is being highlighted through these passages?

Challenges in Public Faith

Why do we often find it difficult to openly share our faith in Christ? What does it mean to have a public faith and to bear witness to Him?

Connecting Theology and Witnessing

How does the theological teaching in Hebrews support and relate to the call to witness for Jesus through our words and actions?

Prayer and Encouragement

Are there specific people in your life with whom you would like to share your faith? How can the group support and encourage you in this effort?

Hebrews 12-13

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 20:25:16 GMT

Suffering Glory—Shadows of the Good to Come

Hebrews 12-13

Joel Miles

June 16, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

1. Read Hebrews 12:14-17.

How would you summarize the main message of these verses?
What does it mean to live at peace with everyone?
What does it mean to be holy?
How can someone fall short of the grace of God if grace is a free gift?
How does the example of Esau illustrate falling short of God’s grace?

2. Read Hebrews 12:18-29.

How does this passage reinforce the call to live distinct lives mentioned in 12:14-17?
How does it emphasize the seriousness of this call?
How does it relate again to the example of Esau?

3. Balancing Judgment and Grace:

How should we balance the reality of God's judgment with the reality of His grace?

4. Read Hebrews 13:1-3.

How would you describe the ethical teachings in these verses?
How does the grace of Jesus support these ethical teachings?
What kind of love should we have for one another, and what would this look like in practice?
What does it mean to be hospitable, and how can we practice hospitality?
How can we suffer alongside those who are suffering, and how can we do this effectively?

5. Read Hebrews 13:4-6.

How would you describe the ethical teachings in these verses?
How does the grace of Jesus support these ethical teachings?
What does it mean to honor marriage without idolizing it?
How can we keep the marriage bed pure?
How can we live lives free from the love of money?
Why is the Gospel essential for applying the teachings of 13:4-6?

6. Read Hebrews 13:11-14.

How do we fulfill the call given in these verses?

Hebrews 12:1-13

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 18:23:37 GMT

Suffering Glory—Shadows of the Good to Come

Hebrews 12:1-13

Trish Haq

June 9, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Reflect together on the meaning of the word “discipline”. What thoughts, images, and ideas come to mind as you think about this word?
Hebrews 12 talks about discipline in the context of a parent-child relationship. Take some time to reflect on how you were parented, and if applicable, how you parent your own children. What did discipline look like in your family growing up? If applicable, what has it looked like in the way you are or have raised your own children?
Read Hebrews 12:1-13. What thoughts, words, or ideas stand out to you? What do you find meaningful? What questions do you have?
What do you think about the idea presented in verse 4, to ‘endure hardship as discipline’. What meaning do you make of the connection between hardship and God’s discipline? What challenges or questions does this raise for you?
Discuss verses 4-11, and what it means that the Lord disciplines those he loves.
Reflect together on challenging seasons that you each have been through (or are going through). Are there ways that you can see God has used (or is using) that painful season to shape and form you towards greater maturity and holiness?
Hebrews instructs readers: “ run with perseverance the race marked out for us” and “strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees”. In what ways is it difficult to persevere through hardship? What can help to deepen our commitment and strengthen our ability to follow Jesus through difficult times?
Hebrews 12:3 says to “consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lost heart” How can looking to Jesus and remembering the cross (both his suffering and his triumph) help us not to lose heart?
Is there a struggle, hardship, or painful reality in your life right now that you are persevering through? Is there anything your community (family, friends, or small group) can do to help you strengthen your ability to endure?

Pray for each other out of the points discussed. Give thanks together for the ways that you have experienced the formational work of God’s discipline through seasons of suffering in your lives. Pray for one another especially for the hardships that you are currently facing, that you would have the strength to persevere, and to cooperate and participate in the training that God desires for you in this season.

Hebrews 10-12

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 18:04:19 GMT

Suffering Glory—Shadows of the Good to Come

Hebrews 10-12

Joel Miles

June 2, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Understanding Faith in Hebrews 11:1

Read Hebrews 11:1. What does this verse define faith as? How does this definition differ from what is commonly referred to as "blind faith"? How does this kind of faith influence and direct our lives?

Examples of Faith in Hebrews 11

Read Hebrews 11:4, 7, and 8-19. How do these individuals demonstrate the type of faith described in Hebrews 11:1? What are other examples from the chapter that you believe clearly illustrate this faith?

Purpose of Faith in Hebrews 10:36-39

Read Hebrews 10:36-39. How do these verses provide context for the discussions of faith in Hebrews 11? How do they help us understand the need for this kind of faith, especially during suffering and difficulty?

Faith Amidst Hardship in Hebrews 11:24-27, 32-38

Read Hebrews 11:24-27, 32-38. How do these passages show that faith reorients our lives, particularly in the face of hardship and suffering?

Application of Faith in Our Lives

How do you think the kind of faith described in Hebrews 11 applies to our lives today? What might living with this faith look like in contemporary contexts? How should your life be transformed in light of Jesus' example?

Living a Life of Faith in Hebrews 12:1-2

Read Hebrews 12:1-2. What do these verses teach us about living a life of faith? Why is it significant that we are told to fix our eyes on Jesus? In what ways did Jesus exemplify the life of faith as defined in Hebrews 11:1 through His work of salvation?

Encouraging Each Other in Faith

How can you encourage each other to live a life of faith and reorient your lives accordingly?

Hebrews 10

Sun, 26 May 2024 19:04:33 GMT

Suffering Glory—Shadows of the Good to Come

Hebrews 10

Trish Haq

May 26, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

1. Reflect back on the sermon series so far. Share some key thoughts that have stayed with you over the past few months. Are there n. any verses or passages that you have found particularly meaningful or challenging?

2. Read Hebrews 10:19-25. Reflect together on these verses. What stands out? What questions do you have? What encourages you?

3. Hebrews 10:22 invites the reader to draw near to God. How has Jesus made this possible for us?

4. Reflect on the ideas presented throughout Chapters 5-10. How do the ideas shared in these chapters help us to understand this culminating statement in Hebrews 10:19-25?

5. What is the significance of the curtain mentioned in Hebrews 10:20 (hint - explore the theme of tabernacle: Genesis 2-3, Exodus 26, Mark 15:38-40)

6. In what ways throughout scripture has God shown us His intention and desire to give us his presence? (Genesis 2, Exodus 40:34-35, Revelation 21:1-4)

7. In your own life, what helps you to draw near to God? In what ways do you find this challenging? Does anything get in the way?

8. Hebrews says “let us draw near to God” and that we should not give up meeting together. We are meant to draw near to God together. In what ways do you find gathering with other believers helpful in your faith journey? Why is this important?

9. What is one thing that you would like to start doing (or stop doing) to help you draw nearer to God in the days ahead?

Pray for each other out of the points discussed. Pray for one another especially for the steps that you each would like to take to draw nearer to God in the days ahead. Take time to give thanks for Christ’s saving work. Pray for a deepened understanding of what it means that we can have confidence “to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body (Hebrews 10:21-22).

Hebrews 10

Sun, 19 May 2024 19:33:26 GMT

Suffering Glory—Shadows of the Good to Come

Hebrews 10

Joel Miles

May 19, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Group Summary Discussion:
Summarize the key themes and teachings we've studied in Hebrews 7:1-10:18 over the past three weeks. What are the main points that stood out to you?
Comparing Summaries:
Read Hebrews 10:19-20. How does the author’s summary compare to your group’s summary? What similarities and differences do you notice?
Significance of Christ's Work:
Why is it crucial to recognize that Christ's work is the foundation for the author's instructions in Hebrews 10:19-25? How does remembering God’s grace shape our response to Him?
Application Summary:
Summarize the practical applications the author outlines in Hebrews 10:19-25. What actions and attitudes are we encouraged to adopt?
Connecting Responses:
Read Hebrews 10:26-31. How do you think these verses connect with Hebrews 10:19-25? How do these verses display the other kind of response we can have to God's grace?
Illustration of Living the Gospel:
How does Hebrews 10:32-39 demonstrate that truly understanding and relying on the Gospel motivates us to live for God?
Implementing Commands:
Reflect on the commands in Hebrews 10:19-25. How can you practically implement these in your life? Identify specific changes you want to make and discuss how your community can support and encourage one another toward love and good deeds. What steps can you take to strengthen your relationships to sustain these practices?

Hebrews 9 & 10

Sun, 12 May 2024 20:16:25 GMT

Suffering Glory—Shadows of the Good to Come

Hebrews 9 & 10

Joel Miles

May 12, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Split into smaller groups based on group size or stay together to discuss Hebrews 9:1, 6-12, 15, 23-28; 10:1-4, 11-18. Afterwards, collectively summarize the author's message. If divided, reconvene to share insights.
Why does the author place such emphasis on the forgiveness of sins? How does this reflect the gravity with which the Bible instructs us to regard sin?
How does contemporary culture approach the concept of sin? To what extent does society take sin seriously?
React to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's statement: "Looking at the Cross of Jesus, [we come to] know the human heart. [We come to] know how utterly lost it is in sin and weakness, how it goes astray in the ways of sin, and [we come] also to know that it is accepted in grace and mercy."
How does Jesus' sacrifice address the issue of sin and our need for forgiveness? Do you personally feel the necessity of receiving forgiveness? How can your small group collectively reinforce the importance of remembering Jesus' grace?

Hebrews 8

Sun, 05 May 2024 19:17:00 GMT

Suffering Glory—Shadows of the Good to Come

Hebrews 8

Joel Miles

May 5, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read 8:1-2. Before you discuss what this means, spend time talking about why priests are important. What is a priest? What role did priests have throughout the history of the Bible? How do priests relate to our ultimate need of being with God?
Read Hebrews 8:3-6. According to this text, what was the Old Testament sanctuary? What does this mean about the role priests played in the Old Testament? Why do you think God gave Israel a covenant that was a "shadow of the good to come?"
Why does seeing Israel’s old covenant with God as incomplete make sense, when you compare Israel’s relationship with God with the garden of Eden? How does this highlight our need for something better? How does this relate to Hebrews 8:7?
Read Hebrews 8:8-12. In what way is this new covenant better than the old? What are the differences?
The original readers were tempted to walk away from Jesus and to go back to the old covenant, but the writer here is saying: “No! That covenant isn’t not enough to provide what you truly need!” How are we tempted to look to things that aren’t enough to truly satisfy us? What are the things that we go to to give us rest and peace, that aren’t good enough? How does this text encourage/challenge us?
How can you encourage and pray for one another to rest in Jesus?

Hebrews 7

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 19:19:01 GMT

Suffering Glory—Shadows of the Good to Come

Hebrews 7

Trish Haq

April 28, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

We are all being formed, whether we know it or not. Last week’s message invited us to respond by making a renewed commitment to seek for our lives to be shaped and formed more deeply in Christ, rather than being formed by the culture around us. Take some time to discuss what, if anything, was stirred for you by this invitation. Is there a step you are called to take, to grow and mature in your faith in the season ahead? Are there any course corrections that you feel God might be guiding you towards right now?
Hebrews Chapter 7 references two important passages found in the Old Testament. So, begin by reading:
Genesis 14:18-20. What is happening in the story? What comes before it, and what comes after it? Where does this story fit within the larger narrative of the Old Testament? What does this passage teach you about Melchizedek?
Psalm 110. Share your thoughts and reflections on this Psalm.
Now, read through Hebrews Chapter 7 together. Does anything stand out to you? What questions does this Chapter bring up? Do any of these words encourage, convict, or inspire you?
What is the significance of Melchizedek? In what ways is his position as a Priestly King surprising?
What similarities do you see between Melchizedek and Jesus?
In what ways is the Priesthood of Melchizedek different from the Levitical Priesthood that was established when God gave the Law to the Israelites?
Reflect on these truths about Jesus found in Hebrews 7. In what ways do these truths encourage you? In what ways do you find them challenging?
Jesus is indestructible (v. 16). He lives forever (v. 24)
Jesus offers us a better hope (v. 19)
Jesus offers the way by which we can draw near to God (v. 19)
Jesus is able to save completely (v. 25)
Jesus can truly meet our need (v. 26)
The book of Hebrews offers an invitation to firmly and securely anchor your life in Christ. In what ways do you think you sometimes put your trust and hope in lesser things? What might help you to deepen your hope and trust in Jesus, and reorient your life more completely around him?

Pray for each other out of the points discussed. Pray that you would each grow in your understanding of who Christ is, and that you would persevere in seeking to be more and more shaped and formed in Christ. Ask for God’s strength and guidance for the season ahead, to help you walk in His ways and follow where the Lord leads you.

Hebrews 5 & 6

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:30:50 GMT

Suffering Glory

Hebrews 5 & 6

Joel Miles

April 21, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Hebrews 5:11. What is this verse referring to? In other words, what does the context tell us the author to the Hebrews desires to expand on?
Why is the author hesitant to expand on what he has just said? Read Hebrews 5:11-14. What do these verses show us the author believes should be happening for those who are followers of Jesus?
How does 6:1-3 continue the point the author has been making? What are these “foundational” teachings referring to?
In light of what you discussed concerning 5:11, what does it mean to “move beyond” or “be taken forward to maturity”? Why is it important to see that the author is calling the readers toward a deeper encounter with God?
Read 6:4-8. The word we translate as “fall away” literally means “to fail to follow through on a commitment.” In context, it seems to make the most sense that the “failed commitment” is through the readers unwillingness to “mature” toward a deeper encounter with Jesus. How does this help us understand these verses? How does it show us the importance of continually seeking to mature and be more deeply formed?
Read Hebrews 6:9-12. What is the authors hope for the readers? Is this something you are willing to commit to? How can you as a group encourage one another to be more deeply formed to encounter Jesus?
Read Hebrews 6:13-20. How does this give us hope? How does this show us it is worth seeking to mature and grow?
Spend time in prayer together to be able to mature and grow in our love and experience of God.

Luke 24

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 14:17:08 GMT

Suffering Glory

Luke 24

Joel Kelsey

April 14, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

The disciples were doubting Jesus, yet still gathered together. What do you do when you face times of doubt? What do we gain by sharing our doubts with others, how does it impact ourselves and others?
Read John 20:29. In Luke 24:39, Jesus offers up his pierced hands and feet to the disciples to reassure their doubts. How does God reassure your faith and doubts when you aren’t able to physically see his pierced hands or feet?
Jesus mentions how He is hungry in front of His disciples. Why do you think Luke included this detail? What does it mean for Jesus to have a resurrected physical body?
How do we balance the vertical aspect of our faith, praising and worshipping God, with the horizontal aspect of our faith, loving our neighbours? Is there a perfect balance? Are there seasons you focus more on than the other?
Where do you feel like you’re scattered at the moment? Where is a place you feel God is called you to be a life-giving and transformative presence?

Celebrating the Empty Tomb

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 16:28:00 GMT

Celebrating the Empty Tomb

Children's Ministry Service

April 7, 2024

In lieu of Points to Ponder (owing to the nature of the April 7 service), we have a few suggestions to consider for your group time.

Would you take some extra time to pray for: one another; for North Park; and in light of the service, especially for the Children's Ministry and the open Children's Ministry staff position to be filled?
We'll be returning to the Hebrew Sermon Series on April 21. Viewing "The Book of Hebrews" by the Bible Project would be a great preparation to go back into that series. Just google: "The Bible Project Hebrews" or click the link https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/hebrews/ . It's just over 8 minutes long.
This might just also be a great opportunity to spend some extra time catching up and connecting with one another. Enjoy!

Thank you for all you are doing with and for your group members. May God richly bless your time together. And please know I am praying for you.

Grace and peace,

Bev Boyd

Easter Sunday 2024

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 19:17:03 GMT

Suffering Glory

Easter Sunday 2024

Joel Miles

March, 31 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Luke 23:56-24:1. In these verses Luke uses words that evoke the creation account of the world. Why do you think this is significant for Luke to do when beginning to tell the account of Jesus rising from the dead?
Read Luke 24:1-8. Why did the women go to the tomb? Were they expecting Jesus to be there? What do you think it would have truly been like to be these women? Have you ever longed to experience something like this?
The word used in 24:7 concerning Jesus’ resurrection clearly means that Jesus rose bodily from the grave. Why is this important?
Read Luke 24:9-12. Why did this seem like nonsense to the disciples? How was death viewed at that time?
Read Luke 24:13-24. How did these disciples view the effect of Jesus’ death? How did it affect their view of him?
How do we normally think of heroes? How is this similar to how the disciples in this text thought of Jesus?
How does Jesus respond to the disciples in Luke 24:25-27? Compare these verses to Luke 24:7. Both times the text says it was “necessary” for Jesus’ to suffer and die before rising again. Why did Jesus have to die and suffer for us before entering into his glory?
What does Jesus’ death and suffering for us, and his resurrection mean for our lives? How does it give us hope amidst our pain and suffering?

Luke 22 & 23

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 17:46:31 GMT

Suffering Glory

Luke 22 & 23

Joel Miles

March, 24 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Before diving into Luke 22:54-23:25, it is important to have the context in our minds, in particular Jesus’ prediction that Peter would deny him after Peter guarantees he will not (Lk. 22:33-34), Jesus’ claim that he needs to fulfill Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (Lk. 22:37), Jesus’ prayer “not my will, but yours be done” (Lk. 22:42), and Jesus’ claim that this is the hour when darkness reigns (Lk. 22:53). Read each of these texts, including Isaiah 52:13-53:12, and summarize what you see. Based on this context, what do you believe Luke is seeking to show us in Luke 22:54-23:25?

2. Read Luke 22:54-62. Why do you think Peter disowned Jesus after guaranteeing he would not? How do you think seeing Jesus arrested and not doing anything about it affects Peter?

3. Why does Luke call Jesus “The Lord” in 22:61? How does Peter’s rejection of Jesus specifically reveal Jesus’ Lordship? Why is this so counterintuitive to us? How does this begin to show us God’s nature and love for us?

4. Read Luke 22:63-71. What are the assumptions one needs to have about the Messiah to say “If you are the Messiah, then tell us?” How does Jesus respond to this, and how does it expose the people? How do these verses show us that Jesus was killed for being the Messiah?

5. How does Pilate respond to Jesus? How does his response still lead to Jesus’ death? What does this tell us about just being agnostic toward Jesus?

6. Compare Luke 23:25, Luke 22:42, and Isaiah 53:10. Why is it significant that God’s will was to be crushed on the cross, and the people also sought to crush Jesus on the cross? What does this show us about humanity? What does it show us about God?

7. Read Luke 23:18-25. The name Barabbas means “son of the father.” What is the significance of the people asking for Barabbas in Jesus’ place? What does this show us about humanity? Recall Isaiah 52:13-53:12. How is this exchange also in line with God’s will? What does this show us about God and his forgiveness and love for us?

Luke 22

Sun, 17 Mar 2024 13:00:07 GMT

Suffering Glory

Luke 22

Karen Bird

March, 17 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

It’s March break! Start by sharing a favourite March break memory. What did (or do) you like most about March break?

2. Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives. Do you have a usual evening routine? Do you wish you did? If so, where would it be?

3. What excites you most about the setting and backdrop of this scene? What surprised

you? (Hints: Convenience to Jerusalem? Familiarity? Protection? The view? King David’s rejection and betrayal? Zechariah’s prophecy? Ascension? The garden?)

4. Recall some diabolical offensives from Satan that Biblical characters have faced. What is Satan trying to accomplish through these temptations? Why? Do you think you face diabolical offensives?

5. Jesus met temptation with prayer and urged his disciples to do the same. How does prayer help us stand against temptation? What if we don’t pray?

6. How human does Jesus seem to you? Do you think his path of suffering was any easier considering the reality that he was fully man, but also fully God?

7. How do you feel about the idea of a weak Jesus? How might weakness be different than humility, submission, and self-giving love?

8. Is it surprising to you that Jesus agonized in prayer for something but was not granted what he wanted? Is anyone in your group able to share a similar experience?

9. Have you ever noticed anything redemptive in your experience of suffering that you would be willing to share with your group?

10. In what practical way can you practice giving your allegiance to God rather than allegiance to self this week?

Hebrews 4 & 5

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 17:06:48 GMT

Suffering Glory

Hebrews 4 & 5

Jordan Elgie

March, 10 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “hold firm to the faith we profess”? Have you ever thought of faith as something we “profess” before?
What are the ways in which faith and ‘certainty’ differ? What about faith and doubt?
When was the last time you really considered what it might mean that God became a human? How comfortable are you with the idea that something to do with our faith might be a “mystery”?
We may often think of Jesus’s divinity, but have you thought recently about Jesus humanity? What might this mean for how Jesus can “empathize with us” in our weakness?
Have you ever done something really hard for the sake of others? What was the experience like? With this in mind, how do you now think of the suffering Jesus endured on our behalf? What stirs in you when you think of suffering, on your sake, being an essential part of Jesus mission in the world?

Hebrews 3 & 4

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 20:08:28 GMT

Suffering Glory

Hebrews 3 & 4

Joel Miles

March, 3 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Hebrews 3:1. The first word is “therefore,” which means that whatever is being said here is founded upon what has just been said. Spend time discussing and summarizing Hebrews 2:5-18. How does this connect to the call to “fix our eyes on Jesus”?
Read Hebrews 3:1-6. It seems the author has brought up Moses here, because the recipients were tempted to leave Christianity to return to the Jewish law given to the people by Moses. How does the author explain that Jesus is better than Moses? What does verse 3:6 mean?
Read 3:7-11. This is a quote from Psalm 95 (traditionally understood to be written by David), where David is reflecting on the wilderness generation who was saved out of Egypt but did not make it into promised land of “rest.” How does the author seem the recipients of the letter as similar to the wilderness generation?
According to the author, the offer of entering God’s rest still stands, because if Joshua (who led the people into the promised land) had given the people “rest,” then God would not have spoken through David in Psalm 95 about entering his rest. Thus, the promise of entering God’s Sabbath rest still stands for us through Jesus, and we should strive to enter that rest (Hebrews 4:11). What do you think it means to strive to enter that rest? What is the threat of not striving to enter that rest?
How do we do this? How do we strive to enter that rest? How do we fix our eyes on Jesus?
Read Hebrews 3:12-14. In what way is sin deceitful?
How does 3:12-14 highlight the importance of doing this together? Why is this hard? How can you encourage one to not be deceived by sin, but to fix our eyes on Jesus?

Hebrews 2

Sun, 25 Feb 2024 18:59:02 GMT

Suffering Glory

Hebrews 2

Trish Haq

February, 25 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Hebrews 2:5-9. What stands out to you from these verses? What questions do they bring up in your mind?
Hebrews 2:6-9 quotes Psalm 8. Read this Psalm together, and share your thoughts about the ideas this Psalm expresses. What does it say about God? What does it say about humanity?
Hebrews 2:8 points towards the idea that although humans were created to rule over creation, we do not see this happening. In what ways do you think this is true? In what ways has humanity failed to fulfil their first commission, given in Genesis, to rule as God’s representatives over creation?
Have a look at the references to the angels in Hebrews 1: 4, 2:7, and 2:9. What do these verses tell us about Jesus, and about humanity?
Next read Hebrews 2:10-13. In what ways are the familial references significant here (sons and daughters, of the same family, brothers and sisters)?
What has your experience of family been like in your own life? Are there things about your family that make you proud to be connected with them? Are there things that sometimes cause you to want to distance yourself from them?
In what ways is it significant that Jesus is not ashamed of humanity? Is it meaningful to you as you reflect on this truth? Why might this have been significant to the community Hebrews was writing to (hint: they may have been struggling with how their association with Jesus resulted in marginalization and lowered status in society)
What do the Old Testament quotes found in verses 12-13 reveal about Jesus?
Hebrews 2 teaches that Jesus became fully human in order to taste death for everyone, and that “by his death he might break the power of death…and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death” (v. 14-15). How do you think a fear of death enslaves, and impacts the way that we live? In what way do you think Jesus’ death and resurrection has the power to free us from this fear?
In what ways does it encourage you to know that because Jesus became fully human, he has compassion and understanding for us in our struggles and temptations?

Prayer:

Pray for each other out of the points discussed. Pray that each one of you would be freed from the fear of death that causes us to cling to the temporary things of this world. Pray that each of you would find hope in the promise of God’s eternal kingdom, and joy in participating in God’s redemptive work. Pray that each of you would be comforted in knowing the compassion and understanding that Jesus has for you in the midst of the challenges, suffering or temptations that you are facing in your lives today.

Hebrews 1 & 2

Sun, 18 Feb 2024 21:06:46 GMT

Suffering Glory

Hebrews 1 & 2

Joel Miles

February, 18 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Hebrews 1:1-2 and 2:1-4. What do these have in common? How does this help us begin to understand what is being talked about in this whole text?
What does it mean that God has now spoken to us by His Son in these last days? Why it is important to notice that this does not denigrate the Old Testament witness, but rather exalts the revelation of given to us through God’s Son, Jesus Christ? Why is it important to notice that the author uses the Old Testament in 1:5-13 to explain who Jesus is?
Read Hebrews 1:1-4. List all the claims made about the person of the Son? Who is the Son?
Why is it so significant to grasp that Jesus Christ is God Himself; “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being”? Why is it that the name the Son has inherited cannot be the name “Jesus,” but almost certainly refers to the name Yahweh? Why does that matter?
What does it mean that the Son made purification for sins?
Read 1:5-13. What is the claim the author is making through the Old Testament texts? Why is it significant that the authors says that God himself is speaking in 8-13?
Read 2:1. What is the importance of the word “therefore” in this verse? What is the author warning against? What does it mean to “drift away”? Why do we need to pay “the most careful attention”?
Read 2:2-4. What reasoning does the author offer for why we need to make sure we don’t drift away? (Note: the “message spoken by angels” refers to the Old Testament Law, which the people believed was given by God through angelic intermediaries).
Read Hebrews 2:14-15; 10:32-39; 13:12-14. Why do you think the readers were being tempted to drift away by going to the Old Testament law? How can we encourage one another to hold on in the midst of difficulty? How can we encourage one another to not drift away from Jesus Christ, because his salvation is so great?

Genesis 11

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 19:49:56 GMT

For All Generations To Come

Genesis 11

Joel Miles

February, 11 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Summarize the story of Genesis 1-11 as best you can. As you do so, discuss the role of humanity as given to us at the beginning of creation (see Gen. 1:26-28). Also, list the different promises from God that we have seen in Genesis 1-11.
Read Genesis 3:15. Why do you think God promised that “a seed of the woman” would crush the head of the serpent? In other words, why did he promise for humanity for be involved in reversing sin and death? How does this relate to the purpose of humanity as given to us in Genesis 1:26-28.
By the time we reach the end of the story of the tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9), everything has reversed. Humans are no longer instruments for God’s story, but humans are trying to use God for their own story, and thus are punished by being scattered. With how bad things feel at the end of 11:1-9, what do you think is the purpose of the fairly long genealogy from 11:10-26? What about 11:27-32, that speaks of a broken family with a lot of pain?
With what you just discussed in question 3, why should God speaking in Genesis 12:1 feel like a relief? Why do you think it is important that nothing about Abram’s life prompts God to do this?
What does God call on Abram to do?
What does God promise Abram he will do for him?
What is the purpose of God doing this for Abram? How does this purpose connect with Genesis 1-11?
How does this better help us understand the purpose of the people of God throughout the Bible?
Read Galatians 3:8-9 and 3:36-29. If we have been brought into the blessing of Abram through Jesus Christ, what does that mean for our lives? How are not just saved by Jesus from something, but for something?
How does this relate to the purpose/mission of the church? How can we as a church spread the blessing of Christ to others, so that they might know the glorious love of Jesus Christ?

Genesis 10

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 19:16:45 GMT

For All Generations To Come

Genesis 10

Trish Haq

February, 4 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Have a look at Genesis Chapter 10. What stands out to you about this genealogy? Why do you think it’s been titled “The Table of Nations”
The Table of Nations names a total of 70 descendants of Noah’s sons. This is a number that represents completeness. What importance do you think this has? What is it communicating about the picture of humanity presented in chapter 10?
What challenges and problems do you see reflected in the Table of Nations? What questions does it raise?
Chapter 11 seeks to answer the questions raised by the genealogy in chapter 10 by offering a flashback to explain how and why humanity became scattered and divided. Read Genesis 11:1-9 and share your initial thoughts. What do you notice? What new questions does this passage raise?
The Tower Builders made use of burnt brick technology to make the tower. New technologies are potentially neutral, but can have positive or negative effects in the world, depending on how they are used. Are there examples that you can think of where technology is being used for good, for the furthering of God’s kingdom? In what ways do you see technology being used in negative or damaging ways?
Scholars today believe that the tower of Babel may have been a common structure found in the Ancient Near east, called a ziggurat. This was a pagan structure, designed to try to get the gods to come down from heaven to have their needs met by the people. The hope was that this would result in the gods reciprocating by giving the people their favour and blessing. In what ways does it deepen our understanding of Genesis 11:1-9, that the structure was designed to bring God down to our human level, not to get humanity up to God’s level?
Idolatry is at the heart of the problem in this story. Idolatry involves placing your trust and hope in something or someone other than God. Sometimes we do this willfully. But, we can also fall into idolatry unintentionally, when we fail to understand who God is, and worship a god of our making. This can result in attempting to center our lives around a misrepresentation of God. In what ways do you think the tower builders, as well as the oppressive nations mentioned in the Table of Nations, engaged in idolatry? In what ways does idolatry get practiced still today? In our world? In your own life?
The tower builders were working on a human project, rather than God’s project. They were focused on building their own oppressive Kingdom, instead of participating in the building of God’s kingdom. In what ways do you think you are at risk of a similar mistake? What projects are you working on these days?

Pray for each other out of the points discussed. Pray that God would give wisdom and insight for you to recognize areas in your own lives where you might be working on the wrong project. Ask God to reveal any idols in your life that need to be set aside. Pray for one another, that God would reveal ways that he is calling you to participate in His kingdom bringing work for the sake of the world.

Genesis 9

Sun, 28 Jan 2024 20:10:25 GMT

For All Generations To Come

Genesis 9

Joel Miles

January 28, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Develop a summary of the story of Genesis so far (i.e. of Genesis 1-9). How would you describe God’s desire for the world and humanity? How would you describe God’s purpose of humans? In what ways does the flood story display God recreating and recommissioning the world and humanity?
Read Genesis 9:12-17. The word often translated “rainbow” is actually the Hebrew word for “bow” or “war bow.” What is the significance of God hanging his weapon in the sky as a sign of his covenantal commitment to humans and the earth? Why is it important to note that the bow points away from the earth and up to the heavens?
Compare Genesis 3 with 9:18-29. What similarities to do you see?
If we read Genesis 9:22 in light of Leviticus 18 and 20:17, it seems likely that Ham’s seeing of his father’s nakedness is an idiomatic reference to Ham sleeping with (likely forcing himself on) Noah’s wife. How does this help explain why Noah reacted to strongly, and why he cursed Canaan?
What do you think about Noah’s curse of Canaan? Why do you think immediately after Noah’s curse it speaks of Noah’s death? Why is it significant that Leviticus 20:17 says that one who sleeps with his mother shall receive that punishment on his own head?
Compare Noah’s reaction to Ham’s sin to God’s covenant and sign of the bow. How are they different? Why do we need God’s gracious justice rather than Noah’s? How does the cross of Jesus Christ answer this?

Genesis 9 & 10

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 19:03:31 GMT

For All Generations To Come

Genesis 9 & 10

Trish Haq

January 21, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Take some time to reflect on our Genesis series so far. What have you enjoyed or found meaningful in the sermons, scripture readings, and discussions over the past couple of weeks? What do you find challenging about the flood narrative we have been immersed in this January? (Genesis 6-9).
Have you ever experienced deep loss, or significant changes in your life that required you to start over in some way? What do you remember about how it felt, and how you handled those challenging times? Does this help you to relate to what Noah and his family might have experienced?
Read Genesis 8:18-22. What does scripture tell us about what happened when Noah, his family, and all the animals disembarked from the ark after the flood waters had subsided? What do we learn about Noah? What do these verses tell us about God?
Look through the entire passage. What words and phrases do you recognize that can be found in earlier chapters of Genesis? (hints: have a look at Genesis 1:2, 1:27-28, 6:5-6, 6:18, 7:2, 8:1). Share your thoughts on the significance of these repetitions.
Why is it significant that Noah made a burnt offering, and that it was an aroma that was pleasing to God? What hope does this point towards? (hint: read Ephesians 5:2). How does God’s response to Noah’s offering help us to understand God’s covenant promise to never again flood the earth because of humanity’s sinfulness?
Reflect on the Genesis story we have covered so far. What do you notice about the movements of creation, decreation, and recreation covered throughout Genesis 1-9?

7. God, through his covenant promise, has made a commitment not to continue the cycle of decreation. Even so, humans are still capable of decreation through the destructive patterns of sin. What chaos do you see in our culture, and throughout the world, that are in need of God’s work of recreation and renewal? In what ways are you longing for God to bring order to the chaos sin creates in our world?

8. Are there areas in your own life where you recognize that sin has the potential to lead you down a path of decreation? What can you do to open yourself up to God’s work of recreation and renewal?

Pray for each other out of the points discussed. Pray that God would give wisdom and insight for you to recognize areas in your own lives where sin may have the power to lead you down a path of decreation. Pray also for the ways in which you see the chaos of sin impacting our culture and our world. Pray for God’s work of recreation and renewal to bring order to that chaos. Ask God to reveal ways that you individually, as well as us as a community, can participate in God’s redemptive plans for the earth.

Genesis 6,7, & 8

Sun, 14 Jan 2024 17:00:00 GMT

For All Generations To Come

Genesis 6, 7 & 8

Joel Miles

January 14, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Genesis 6:8-22. Why do you think it is important that the first mentions Noah receiving God’s favor (i.e. grace), before it mentions his righteousness and obedience to build of the ark?
How else have we seen this pattern in the Bible of God’s loving grace preceding our faith and obedience? (Note: think of Adam and Eve, Israel’s salvation out of Egypt and the giving of the Law, David and Goliath, and Jesus’ grace to us). Why does this matter for how we understand our relationship with God?
Read Genesis 3:15. Why do you think God’s grace was given to Noah? How does this show his commitment to us?
The only time the word “ark” appears in the Bible is in this story, and when Moses’ mother places him in a “basket” to be saved from murder in Exodus 2:3. Since the first readers of Genesis would have been the Hebrews who were saved out of Egypt by Moses, how would this similarity between Moses and Noah helped the first readers understand Noah’s role?
Read Genesis 6:17-22; 7:14-16; 8:1, 13, 17 and 9:1. Compare those verses to Genesis 1. What do you notice? What does this show us about what is happening in the flood narrative? How does this help us understand why God choose the method of flooding the world?
Why would God choose to recreate/restore the world, with humans, rather than destroy us? What does this tell us about God and how he feels about us? Read Genesis 8:21. How does this add to our understanding of God’s commitment to us?
How does the logic of Genesis 3:15 and Genesis 8:21 ultimate lead us to the cross and resurrection of Jesus?
Do you ever feel like you are not good enough for God? Do you ever feel like others are good enough for God? Do you have friends/family that feel like they are not good enough for God? How does this text encourage us to think differently? How can you encourage one another with the message of how much God loves you?

Genesis 5 & 6

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 19:53:43 GMT

For All Generations To Come

Genesis 5 & 6

Joel Miles

January 7, 2024

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Genesis 5:1-2. In light of these verses, discuss what we already know from Genesis 1-4, and what parts of those chapters 5:1-2 are highlighting.

2. Read Genesis 5:3-5. How do these verses remind us about the fall.

3. Read the rest of Genesis 5 (I know its long). What bothers you the most in reading these verses? In light of what we know from Genesis 1-4, why should their death be the most bothersome thing to us? How does the genealogy make us the feel the unnatural nature of d death?

4. Read Genesis 6:1-3. Compare verse 2 with Genesis 3:6. While it is hard to see in the English, the wording is almost the exact same in Hebrew. Why is that important? What does it show us is happening in Genesis 6:1-3?

5. Read Genesis 6:4. This is saying that these Nephilim were military/violent heroes that were renowned because of their violent prowess. In light of Genesis 1-4, why should this make us mourn?

6. How does Genesis 5:1-6:3 help us understand why God does what he does in Genesis 6:5-7? Why is it important that God ruins what we have already ruined with our sin? Why is it important to see that God’s anger does not come up, but his grief does?

7. How awful is sin being depicted in these verses? How seriously do we need to take sin?

8. Read Genesis 6:8. The word favor is the word “grace”. Why is that important? How does talking sin seriously help us see how gracious God is?

9. How can this text help us to understand the necessity of the cross of Jesus to save us? How can it help us stand in awe of how gracious God is to send Jesus for our salvation?

Luke 1:57-80

Sun, 17 Dec 2023 14:50:10 GMT

‘Til He Appears

Luke 1:57-80

Joel Miles

December 17, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read 1:57-66. What do you notice? What stands out to you in these verses? What do you think is the significance for us readers of verse 66?

2. Read 1:67-70. Zechariah's prophecy is meant to be read in response to the question of verse 66. However, who is Zechariah talking about in these verses? Why is it that important?

3. What Old Testament language does Zechariah seem to be using in these first few verses?

4. Read 1:71-75. How does Zechariah expand on what "salvation" means?

5. What tense is Zechariah using? Why does that matter? What is his overall claim?

6. Why is it important for us to recognize that the claim of Zechariah (and the New Testament) is that Jesus has already accomplished these things? How do we balance that with the longing we are almost meant to have for Jesus to return?

7. According to verses 1:76-79, how is John to prepare the way for Jesus to come?

8. Compare 1:79 to Isaiah 9:2-7. What do you notice? What is Zechariah's claim?

9. How differently do you think we would live if we truly believed we knew the end of the story of the world? How does this text push us to have that confidence?

Luke 1:39-56

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 17:28:25 GMT

‘Til He Appears

Luke 1:39-56-A Leap of Joy

Trish Haq

December 10, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read through Luke 1:39-45 together. What stands out to you from this passage? What do you notice? What do you find encouraging? Does anything confuse or challenge you?

2. There are several repeated words in this particular text that help us to recognize the important themes and ideas in the passage. Look through the scripture reading and notice what words are repeated. In what ways might they each be important?

3. In this passage, Elizabeth’s baby, John, leaps for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice. Why does this happen? What does John’s leap of joy signify?

4. Elizabeth, filled with God’s Spirit, declares that Mary is Blessed. What do you think it means to be blessed? In what way is Mary blessed?

5. Elizabeth asks this question: “But why am I so favoured that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:43). What does Elizabeth’s question reveal?

6. Read Luke 6:20-26. What stands out to you in this passage? In what ways does Jesus’ teaching here challenge your ideas about what it means to be blessed? In what ways does it align? What connections can you find between this passage, and the text we are looking at today?

7. Now read Luke 1:46-56, Mary’s song of praise. What stands out to you here? What ideas about God does Mary express? What does she reveal here about her understanding of the Kingdom that Jesus is coming to usher in?

8. Can you see evidence, both in Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, and in Mary’s song, of the great reversal that God is planning to accomplish through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection? Why do you think there is so much joy surrounding God’s plans that have begun to unfold through the story of Mary and Elizabeth?

9. In what ways can you take greater joy in God’s redemptive plan for the world that the Christmas story invites us to reflect on? Like Mary, can you join the ‘leap of joy’ and take greater delight in the transforming power of the kingdom ethics that Jesus came to reveal to us?

10. In what ways might God be calling you to participate in His great reversal? In what ways do you need to humble yourself before God? In what ways do you need the encouragement of God’s blessing in your life today?

Pray for each other out of the points discussed. Pray for God to grow and expand your sense of wonder and awe at God’ greatness. Pray that He would help you to find joy and delight in the hope of His Kingdom. Pray for God to reveal areas in your life where you need to be brought low, so that you can more fully embrace His Kingship over your life. Pray for the Lord’s encouragement and hope in understanding how God’s blessing is with you in the midst of any suffering or difficulties you are facing in your life.

Luke 1:5-25

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 14:08:38 GMT

‘Til He Appears

Luke 1:26-38-The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Trish Haq

December 3, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

1. What do you enjoy most about the Christmas season?

2. What kinds of things help you to find awe and wonder in the Christmas story? Does this come easily for you, or is it a struggle? What kinds of things get in the way of experiencing awe and wonder at Christmastime?

3. What’s one thing you’d like to do this December to put the Christmas story at the centre of your Christmas celebrations? Share some ideas of how to reflect more deeply on what it means that Christ has come, and will come again.

4. Now, take some time to read through the stories of the angel Gabriel visiting Zechariah (Luke 1:5-25) and Mary (Luke 1:26-38). What similarities can you find between these two stories?

5. What differences do you notice between these two stories? What do these differences help us to see about the uniqueness of what God is about to do in Mary’s life, and for the whole world?

6. Read Genesis 17:1-8, 15-22 together. What similarities do you notice between the story of Abraham and Sarah, and the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth?

7. Take some time to notice the genealogical details of these 3 stories. In what ways are they connected? What do the stories of Abraham and Sarah, and Zechariah and Elizabeth help to illuminate about Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel, and the significance of Jesus’ birth?

8. Old Testament prophesies promised that God would raise up a King from the line of David, whose reign would have no end. In light of this, what is the significance of Joseph’s lineage, and what does this tell us about the significance of Jesus?

9. Reflect on the questions that Zechariah and Mary ask (Luke 1:18, 34). One reveals doubt, the other faith. In what ways can you relate to each of these?

10. The angel tells Mary that “no word from God will ever fail” (Luke 1:37, NIV). The NRSV translates this verse to say “for nothing will be impossible with God”. In what ways can this truth offer us hope? In what ways is it difficult to believe?

11. Mary responded to the angel with great faith, saying “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:35). Reflect on Mary’s situation. Imagine what she might have been thinking and feeling in that moment. In what ways is her response surprising? In what ways is it inspiring?

12. God invites us all to participate in His Kingdom work in some way. In what ways are you eager and ready to respond to God’s unique call in your life with faith and trust in Him? In what ways do you think you might be tempted to hold back or express doubt? What next step can you take to be more openhearted to God’s call in your life?

Pray for each other out of the points discussed. Pray for God to expand and grow your faith, and your sense of mission in the world. Pray that you would each have the capacity to experience the wonder of the Christmas story in a fresh way this Christmas season.

Luke 1:5-25

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 15:00:13 GMT

Luke 1:5-25

Joel Miles

November 26, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

The way that Luke 1:5 is written indicates that Luke is continuing the story of the Old Testament. How did the OT end? Why is this important for how we understand Luke 1:5?

2. Read Luke 1:5-7. In these verses we not only learn that it has been 400 years of waiting for God to fulfill his promises to his people, but also that there is a righteous couple who is barren. What kind of questions does this cause us to ask about God? In what ways can you identify with God's people at this time, or Zechariah and Elizabeth?

3. Read Luke 1:8-17. According to these verses, who is this child? (compare this again to the end of the OT, specifically Malachi 4).

4. The "prayer" the angel is referring to in verse 13 likely is not Zechariah's prayer for a child (since in verse 19-20 it clearly shows that he thinks it is almost impossible for God to give him a child). Why do you think this is significant that God is fulfilling the promises of OT by giving a child to a couple that thinks it is impossible for God to do that?

5. What do you long for, but no longer pray for? What do you think is impossible to reverse? How this text speak to that?

6. How does this text reveal what the gift of Christmas is truly about?

7. Compare the responses of Zechariah and Elizabeth. What do you notice? How can we be like Elizabeth in our response to God's promises and fulfillment?

8. How can we encourage one another to know that God is faithful to his promises, and that he will reverse the pain and ways of our world?

Celebrating Baptism

Sun, 19 Nov 2023 14:03:24 GMT

Celebrating Baptism

Joel Miles

November 19, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Matthew 3:1-3 (and you could compare it to Isaiah 40:1-5). According to these verses, who is John the Baptist?

2. Read Matthew 3:4-12. How does John prepare peoples hearts for God's salvation to arrive? How would you characterize the purpose of John's baptism?

3. Why do you think John prepares people's hearts for God's salvation to come by calling on people to repent, and to confess their sins?

4. Read Matthew 3:13-17. Why is it significant that Jesus was willing to baptized into John's baptism? How do you think this fulfills all righteousness? How does this show us what Jesus has done for us?

5. Read Matthew 28:5-7 and 16-20. According to these verses, why has "all authority in heaven and earth been given to Jesus?" Why is it important that the worldwide mission of the church begins with Jesus first saying that he rules over everything?

6. What is baptism about in these verses?

7. What is the proper response to these verses? What can you rightly respond to Jesus? How can you encourage others to rightly respond?

Isaiah 43:1-13

Sun, 12 Nov 2023 16:19:15 GMT

Isaiah 43:1-13

Karen Bird

November 12, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Open up your Bibles to Isaiah 43:1-13 to reference some of these questions!

2. The people of Israel didn’t enjoy being corrected by the prophets. Share a story of when you received correction that you found hard to take!

3. “Trust and obedience are two sides of the same coin.” Do you agree or disagree? In what ways does this idea make sense or not make sense to you?

4. Does understanding the role of a kinsman-redeemer in ancient Israelite culture help you think differently about God’s declaration to his people (and to us) that he is our redeemer? How?

5. Verse 2 says “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” Share a story when you were alone and afraid. Why does it make such a difference simply knowing we’re not alone?

6. Does knowing that you’re loved by God affect you? How? Are there tangible ways in which you experience God’s love that you could share with your group?

7. If you found yourself in a sticky situation, who are two people you would choose to represent you on the witness stand and why?

8. Is there a portion of this passage that resonates most with you? What is God’s invitation to you in it?

9. What do you need to trust God for in your life? Pray for each other about these things.

Exodus 14: The Red Sea

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 15:31:51 GMT

Exodus 14: The Red Sea

Joel Miles

November 5, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Genesis 12:1-3. According to these verses, why did God choose Abraham's family? How does this idea of being chosen for the sake of others challenge the notion of favouritism or privilege?

2. Why is understanding that Abraham's line was chosen not just for their own sake, but for the sake of others, important for how we understand something like the crossing of the Red Sea?

3. Do we usually think about God in light of his works of salvation? Read Exodus 6:2-8. How does this text explain why God had his people suffer under the hand of Egypt? How does this highlight the significance of the Red Sea crossing for understanding God?

4. Read Exodus 13:17-18 and 14:5-12. Why were the Israelites so afraid? Can you relate to this kind of fear?

5. Read Exodus 14:13-14. What is good about Moses' response? What is wrong about it? In what misguided ways do we often look for God to save us?

6. How did God save his people in Exodus 14, and how is this different and greater than what they expected?

7. Why does this story of salvation stil leave us looking for a greater or second Exodus?

8. Read Mark 10:35-45. How has Jesus accomplished this salvation? How has he taken us through deep waters? How has he called us to follow him on that path from death to life?

9. What would it look like for you to follow Jesus through deep waters?

All In Family Service

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 15:52:15 GMT

All In Family Service

Josh Black

October 29, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

How do the experiences shared about Josh’s parents' journey in ministry echo or differ from stories of faith and God's faithfulness that you have encountered in your life or within your community?

2. The text mentions a group facing a difficult season and being urged to choose between fear and faith. How can the lessons from Hebrews Chapter 11 about the interconnectedness of faith and hope be applicable in contemporary situations where people are confronted with uncertainty or hardship?

3. Josh highlights the significance of community stories and legacies. How important do you think it is for a community or a church to share personal stories of God's faithfulness, especially in times of turmoil or confusion? Do you have examples from your own community that resonate with this idea?

4. How does looking back at stories of God's faithfulness in difficult times empower individuals or communities to move forward with hope and assurance? Can you think of a personal instance or a historical event where recalling past faithfulness encouraged future steps?

5. The sermon emphasizes the role of small group leaders in sharing life experiences and reminding others of God’s faithfulness. Do you believe that sharing personal experiences within a smaller, more intimate group fosters a deeper sense of faith and community? How does this relate to your experiences within a community or a small group setting?

Genesis 4

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 16:30:07 GMT

Genesis & The Story of Creation: See That It Was Good

Genesis 4

Joel Miles

October 22, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Genesis 3:15 and 4:1. In the sermon, it was pointed out that Eve seems to believe that, with the birth of Cain, she has produced the snake crusher. While this seems good, what is the problem with her perspective?

2. How are we tempted to rely on our work rather than God's timing?

3. Why was Cain's offering not acceptable to God? Why did this make him angry? How do we often act the same way as Cain?

4. Read Genesis 4:6. What is God warning Cain against in this verse? How is this similar to Genesis 3:1-13?

5. How does 4:6 define sin?

6. Where do we see the distortion of our world through today?

7. How does Cain's building of a city, and the story of Lamech show a distortion of creation and our continued lack of faith in God?

8. Read Genesis 4:25-26. How do these verses end by giving us hope amidst the darkness? How can we call on the name of the Lord today?

9. In what way has Jesus crushed the head of the serpent? How is Jesus' work so different than Genesis 4?

Genesis 3:14-24

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 16:30:00 GMT

Genesis & The Story of Creation: See That It Was Good

Genesis 3:14-24

Trish Haq

October 15, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Reflect back on the opening 2 Chapters of Genesis together, and take some time to remember the goodness of God’s creation. In what ways have you experienced the reality of this goodness over the past week?

2. Now, take some time to read through Genesis 3 together, which describes humanity’s fall into sin, and the resulting consequences. What do you notice? What verses do you find challenging?

3. “There’s good news, and there’s bad news…” Both can be found in the passage we’re studying this week. Reflect back on your own week. What bad news did you deal with? What good news can you share? What points of pain and suffering did you feel this past week, that give evidence of the reality that our world is broken? What hope did you experience this week that helps you to see God’s goodness and grace still at work in the world?

4. Read Genesis 3:14-15. The crafty serpent is now cursed for what it has done. What is verse 15 getting at in describing the enmity between the serpent and the woman, and between their offspring? (hint: this is not about women and snakes disliking each other).

5. Verse 15 says “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”. This prophecy is the first proclamation of the Gospel found in scripture. What do you understand it to mean, and what hope does this offer to humanity?

6. Read Genesis 3:16. The Hebrew word for pain here points towards grief and brokenheartedness, not physical pain. In what ways does this impact your understanding of verse 16? Next consider the second half of the verse. Here, God is describing the broken reality of the world, not prescribing the way he designed humans to treat each other. How does remembering this impact the interpretation of this verse? In what ways has verse 16 been misunderstood at times?

7. In verse 17, it says that “the ground is cursed”. Notice that throughout this passage, God never says that the humans are cursed. The serpent is cursed, and the ground is cursed. And these two realities will make life more painful and difficult for humanity. But they themselves are not cursed. What hope and comfort does this offer to us today?

8. Before the fall, God gave the man and the woman their first commissioning – to rule and to reign as His image bearers to the world. He commissioned them to create life (be fruitful and multiply), and to rule over and cultivate the earth (fill the earth and subdue it). Has this changed because of the fall, and if so, in what ways? In what ways is this first commission still intact after the fall? What hope and goodness can we see in this?

9. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, they recognized their nakedness (their vulnerability), and so they tried to cover up and hide. But God called them out of hiding, and in verse 21, He covered them. Reflect on the ways that you cover up and hide. (or, if that is too personal, what are some general ways that humans tend to cover up and hide?) What vulnerabilities and struggles leave us exposed and in need of covering? In what ways are we ill equipped to deal with the harsh realities of our lives? In what ways are our coverings insufficient? What is the good news evident in God’s act of covering the man and woman? And how can we open ourselves up to experience God’s covering today?

10. God ultimately banished Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden, to prevent them from continuing to eat from the Tree of Life. At first glance, this may seem like a punishment, a harsh consequence for their rebellion. But, what grace and goodness is embedded in God’s decision here?

Genesis 2:25-3:13

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 14:41:30 GMT

Genesis & The Story of Creation: See That It Was Good

Genesis 2:25-3:13

Joel Miles

October 8, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

What does the concept of stepping outside of God's love, care, grace, and provision mean, as mentioned in the sermon? How does this relate to the idea of distrust and idolatry? (Related Scripture: Genesis 3:1-7, Genesis 2:17).
In the sermon, the Pastor Joel talks about questioning and altering God's Word. How do people today question or alter God's Word in their lives? Why is it important to rely on God's wisdom and not our own interpretations? (Related Scripture: Genesis 3:1-7, Proverbs 3:5-6).

3. Discuss The serpent tempted Adam and Eve by suggesting that they could be like God in knowing good and evil. How does this desire for knowledge and wisdom sometimes lead people away from God today? Can knowledge become an idol? (Related Scripture: Genesis 3:4-5, 1 Corinthians 8:1, Colossians 2:8).

4. The sermon discusses the ways in which people try to cover their shame and guilt, either through religious works or indulgence in desires. How have you seen this pattern in your own life or in the lives of others? What are healthier ways to deal with guilt and shame? (Related Scripture: Genesis 3:7-8, Psalm 32:5, 1 John 1:9).

5. Pastor Joel talks about God stepping into our godforsakeness by sacrificing himself to offer us life. What does this act symbolize, and how does it demonstrate God's love and grace? (Related Scripture: Genesis 3:15, John 3:16, Romans 5:8).

6. Reflecting on the sermon's message, how can we practically apply the concept of trusting God and relying on His wisdom in our daily lives? What steps can we take to avoid falling into the trap of questioning God's Word and relying on our own understanding? (Related Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6, James 1:5, Romans 12:2).

7. The sermon emphasizes the idea of relying on God’s wisdom and following His ways. How can we discern God’s wisdom in our decision-making processes? What role does prayer, scripture, and community play in seeking God’s guidance? (Related Scripture: Proverbs 2:6, James 1:5, Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 15:22).

8. In the sermon, it’s mentioned that humanity tends to either undermine God’s Word or add to it. Can you think of specific examples where people in our society or community are doing either of these things? How can we lovingly address these behaviours while upholding the truth of God’s Word? (Related Scripture: Matthew 15:3-9, Colossians 2:8, 2 Timothy 4:3-4).

9. The concept of stepping outside of God’s love and care is described as stepping into the realm of death. How do you interpret this idea? In what ways do you see people searching for life, fulfillment, and purpose outside of God? (Related Scripture: Genesis 2:17, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:1-3).

10. The sermon talks about the hope that exists despite our descent into sin. How can we share this message of hope with others who might be struggling with guilt, shame, or a sense of godforsakenness? What practical ways can our small group reach out to those who need to hear about God’s love and redemption? (Related Scripture: Romans 8:1, 1 John 1:9, Matthew 28:19-20).

Genesis 2:15-24

Sun, 01 Oct 2023 18:55:49 GMT

Genesis & The Story of Creation: See That It Was Good

Genesis 2:15-24

Joel Miles

October 1, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

How How does the sermon emphasize the goodness of our inherent limitations as humans? How does our limited capacity point us to our need for God? (Genesis 2:15, Genesis 3:22-24).
In what ways does the sermon challenge societal norms regarding the roles of men and women? How does the biblical concept of partnership between man and woman differ from cultural perceptions? (Genesis 2:18-24, Galatians 3:28)

3. Discuss the cultural idolization of sex, marriage, and family. How has this affected the way society views these institutions? How does the sermon encourage a shift in perspective, emphasizing the ultimate sufficiency of Christ? (Genesis 2:24, Philippians 3:8).

4. How can the church foster an environment where individuals, whether single or married, find their ultimate fulfillment in Christ rather than in relationships? (Psalm 23:1, 1 Corinthians 7:32-35).

5. Reflect on the concept of being “a helper suitable” for one another. How does this idea challenge stereotypes and promote mutual partnership in relationships? (Genesis 2:18, 1 Corinthians 11:11-12).

6. Discuss the tension between embracing our limitations and the societal pressure to overcome them. How can we find contentment and purpose within our limitations? (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Philippians 4:11-13).

7. Explore the balance between individual needs and the collective call of humanity to rule, subdue, and multiply. How can we work together as a community to fulfill our vocation? (Ephesians 4:16, 1 Peter 4:10-11).

8. Consider practical ways the church can demonstrate love and patience to those struggling with societal pressures related to relationships and identity. How can we extend grace while sharing the hope of Christ? (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Colossians 3:12-14).

Genesis 2:4-15

Sun, 24 Sep 2023 16:11:32 GMT

Genesis & The Story of Creation: See That It Was Good

Genesis 2:4-15

Joel Miles

September 24, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

How does the sermon emphasize the importance of understanding God’s original purpose for humanity?
What does the shift from “the heavens and the earth” to “the earth and the heavens” in Genesis 2:4 signify, and why is it significant in understanding our role in God’s creation?
According to Genesis 1:26-28, what is humanity’s purpose as God’s image bearers, and how does this relate to our role in the world?
Discuss the concept of ruling and subduing the earth as an imitation of God’s rule in Genesis 1. What implications does this have for our responsibility in the world?

5. How does the sermon explain that our call to fulfill God’s commission begins in the small and specific aspects of our lives? How can we apply this concept to our daily routines, relationships, and workplaces? (Genesis 2:5-8)

6. In light of the sermon, how can we balance our responsibility to care for the world on a larger scale (e.g., societal issues) with our duty to cultivate the specific places and relationships where God has placed us?

7. How does the concept of “cultivating the soil” in our specific places and relationships connect with the idea of being stewards of God’s creation? (Genesis 2:5-8)

8. Reflect on the idea that our work, whether in the home, workplace, or community, is a means of reflecting God’s image and bringing order, beauty, and goodness into the world. How can we practically apply this concept in our vocations? (Genesis 1:26-28)

9. Discuss specific examples from your life where you have seen the opportunity to fulfill God’s commission by serving and caring for others in your daily context.

10. How can we balance the call to cultivate our immediate surroundings with the awareness of broader challenges in the world? What practical steps can we take as individuals and as a community of believers to fulfill our commission in both contexts?

Genesis 1:26-2:4

Sun, 17 Sep 2023 16:15:00 GMT

Genesis & The Story of Creation: See That It Was Good

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Trish Haq

September 17, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

As we’ve been looking at Genesis Chapter 1 over the past few weeks, have you been inspired to take time to marvel and enjoy God’s creation? Share a time when you remember experiencing a sense of wonder at God’s creation. What wows you when you look at or think about the world that God created?
Read Genesis1:26-2:4 together. What do you notice? What stands out?
Compare this moment of creation with the rest of the story. In what ways is God’s creation of humanity different from his creation of light, sky, land, vegetation, stars, sun and moon, fish and bird, and animals? Notice changes to the structure of this section, repeated phrases, literary style, and dialogue.
In our culture, it is common to hear people talk about self-worth. But what determines our worth? What are some common ways that people try to find a sense of value and worth? Where does our true value and worth come from? What does this text in Genesis tell us about the source of our value?

5. Reflect together on what it means to ‘be like’ someone. Think about all aspects of ourselves, from our physical features, to our

thoughts, attitudes, and behaviours.

6. Now, what meaning do you make of the idea that humanity was made in God’s image? What does it mean that we have been made in His image?

7. On the 7 ^th day God rested, and in Exodus, when the law was given to the people, they were instructed to also rest by keeping the Sabbath day holy. Why is this holy rest important? Do we maintain our inherent value as ones created by God, in His image, when we stop and rest? What does this tell us about our worth?

8. Having a sense of purpose is also an important part of being human. Read through Genesis 1:26-2:4 again. What purpose does this text suggest we have, as God’s image bearer’s to the world?

9. In what ways do you think you are called to participate creatively in God’s redemptive Kingdom work in the world?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. As you pray, take time to stop and be still, and understand your inherent value as one who has been created in God’s image with great purpose. Pray for one another, asking for wisdom and understanding about what it looks like for each of you to uniquely live out this purpose, to rule and reign as God’s representative in the world. Ask God to guide you as you seek to participate meaningfully in the work of expanding God’s kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Give thanks for the hope that we have in knowing that the unfinished story of God and the world is moving towards a good and beautiful finish as the fullness of God’s intended purpose for creation will one day be realized.

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 16:13:44 GMT

Genesis & The Story of Creation: See That It Was Good

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Joel Miles

September 10, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Why is it important to understand a story?
Reflect on the verse from the sermon, Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." How does this foundational verse set the stage for understanding the entire biblical narrative, and what implications does it have for your faith journey?
Share a specific example from your life where understanding the greater story of the Bible has given you a sense of belonging and purpose within God's redemptive plan. How can we encourage one another to find our unique roles in this story?
How does the idea that God created the world intentionally and structured it with order and purpose impact your view of the natural world and science?

5. In what ways can we actively participate in God’s mission of restoring order and structure in the world, both in our personal lives and in the larger community?

6. Discuss the idea that God’s ultimate goal is for heaven and earth to be one, and for God to dwell with us in this physical world. How does this differ from common perceptions of the afterlife?

7. In Colossians, it's mentioned that God made peace with everything in heaven and on earth through the blood of Christ. Read Colossians 1:15-20. How does this passage reinforce the idea of God's reconciliation and restoration of the entire created order through Jesus, and how does it affect your understanding of your role in this story?

8. The sermon emphasizes the diversity and beauty of God's creation. Read Psalm 19:1-4 and Psalm 139:14. How do these verses resonate with the idea that God created a world teeming with wonders and beauty? How can meditating on such verses enhance our appreciation of God's creation and our place in it?

Genesis 1:1-5

Sun, 03 Sep 2023 18:43:36 GMT

Genesis & The Story of Creation: See That It Was Good

Genesis 1:1-5

Joel Miles

September 3, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Genesis 1:1. The first phrase in the Bible comes from one hebrew word and is translated as "In the beginning." This word is not only meant to mean the beginning of something in general, but the beginning of something that has an ending -- in order words, it implies a story. Why is it significant that the Bible begins by introducing us to the true story of the world?
Other creation accounts at this time often depicted gods before the word came into being fighting against one another, and through their war the earth was created. How is Genesis 1:1 different? What difference does it make that God has no rivals and purposely chose to create?
Read Genesis 1:3-5. Why is it important that God spoke creation into being?
Why is it significant that God saw that it was good? What does this show us about God's desire for creation?
Read John 1:1-18. What do you notice? How does this relate to Genesis 1:1-5?

Colossians 4:2-18

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 12:59:52 GMT

Colossians: Setting Our Sights on Jesus

Colossians 4:2-18

Trish Haq

August 27, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Question of Conviction: What aspects of the sermon resonated with you the most? How does the concept of sin contradict the idea of living as "the light of the world"?
Accountability and Community: The sermon discussed the dangers of sin and how it can isolate us. How important is it to have accountability within a community of believers? What practical steps can we take to foster accountability and transparency among ourselves?
Restoration and Healing: The message emphasized confession as a means to experience forgiveness and restoration. How have you seen confession and seeking forgiveness impact someone's life positively? How can we create a safe environment within our small group where people can openly confess and find healing?
Grace: How does the gospel message offer a path to restoration and healing for those who have struggled with hidden sins or brokenness? Can you share examples from your own life or experiences where embracing the gospel led to restoration and transformation?
In Colossians 4:3-4, Paul asks the Colossians to pray for him. It requires humility and vulnerability to ask others to pray for you. It requires us to acknowledge our need for others, and our need for God’s help. Do you ever ask others to pray for you? If so, what has your experience of this been like? If not, what holds you back from asking for others to pray for you?
Paul asks the Colossians specifically to pray that God would open a door for him to share the gospel. This shows an understanding that in order for the good news of Jesus to go out into the world and be received, we need a work of God’s Spirit to open people’s minds and hearts to be transformed by the message. As you think about your own context, is there anyone you could be praying for in this? (Pastors, Missionaries, or others who are in unique positions to share the message of Jesus with the world?)
Paul also challenges the Colossians to make the most of every opportunity in their own contexts. They, too, are called to share the message of Jesus with the world. What open doors can you be watching and praying for, that would provide you with the opportunity to be salt and light to those around you? Who can you ask to be praying for you in this?
Paul and his companions modelled a willingness to give over their very lives for the sake of the gospel, and Paul used the imagery of slavery to capture this idea that believers are called to give their whole selves over to participate in God’s mission of redemption for the world. In what ways are you answering this call to serve? In what areas do you find you hold back from serving God wholeheartedly? What tensions do you experience between the culture we live in, and this call to love and follow Jesus? What things do you sometimes put your trust in, rather than fully relying on Christ’s sufficiency in all things?
As you think about the themes found through this final chapter of Colossians, is there anything you are perceiving that God is inviting you to do in the season ahead? What step might you take to further participate in the mission of bringing God’s Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. As you pray, take time to be attentive to your unique context, and ask God how He wants to work in it. Pray for God to open doors and pray for the courage to make the most of every opportunity that is given. Pray with thanksgiving, not only for what God has done in the past, but also for what God will do.

The Deceitfulness of Sin

Sun, 20 Aug 2023 18:52:18 GMT

Colossians: Setting Our Sights on Jesus

The Deceitfulness of Sin

Oscar Muriu

August 20, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Question of Conviction: What aspects of the sermon resonated with you the most? How does the concept of sin contradict the idea of living as "the light of the world"?
Accountability and Community: The sermon discussed the dangers of sin and how it can isolate us. How important is it to have accountability within a community of believers? What practical steps can we take to foster accountability and transparency among ourselves?
Restoration and Healing: The message emphasized confession as a means to experience forgiveness and restoration. How have you seen confession and seeking forgiveness impact someone's life positively? How can we create a safe environment within our small group where people can openly confess and find healing?
Grace: How does the gospel message offer a path to restoration and healing for those who have struggled with hidden sins or brokenness? Can you share examples from your own life or experiences where embracing the gospel led to restoration and transformation?

Colossians 3:1-4:1

Sun, 13 Aug 2023 17:08:31 GMT

Colossians: Setting Our Sights on Jesus

Colossians 3:1-4:1

Joel Miles

August 13, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

The Bible can sometimes be confusing, offensive, or hard to read. Can you think of any parts like that? How do you handle such passages?
Pastor Joel mentions the radical nature of this passage (Colossians 3:1-4:1). Which aspects do you find the most challenging or counter-cultural? How can we overcome these challenges?
What does "set your hearts on things above" mean, as mentioned in verse 1? How can we practically implement this in our daily lives?
Biblically the church is meant to be a restored humanity and the vision of the good life through Jesus restores what we were made to be. How does this restoration concept change your perspective on your purpose and interactions with others, especially in a world that thrives on divisions?
The passage addresses relationships within families, including husbands and wives, parents and children and employers and employees. How can a deep understanding of Christ's sacrificial love transform how you approach these relationships, promoting unity, forgiveness, and selflessness?
How can the message of knowing Christ and His sufficiency reshape our pursuits and attitudes toward success, wealth, and personal happiness in a culture that often emphasizes these aspects?
As you reflect on Colossians 3:1-4:1, how can you practically apply these teachings this week? Are there specific areas where you feel challenged to live more selflessly for the sake of others to reflect Christ?

Colossians 2:8-23

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 18:43:38 GMT

Colossians: Setting Our Sights on Jesus

Colossians 2:8-23

Joel Miles

August 6, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read verses 6-10. How is the call in verses 6-7 similar to verse 8? How are they different? According to 9-10, why does Paul not want the Colossians to be taken captive?
How does the language of verse 8 show us the seriousness of Paul's command in verse 8?
Read verses 16-23. While it is clear that there is some form of legalism going on, it seems that Paul is truly warning against a mixing of Christianity and these rules (i.e. syncretism). How do you think we are tempted to mix the message of Christ with the message of our culture?
Why do you think we are so tempted by syncretism?
How is truly believing and knowing Christ the remedy to this? How do verses 11-15 show us this?
How can you pray and encourage one another to set your sights on Jesus and to root and build your lives on him?

Colossians 2:1-7

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Colossians: Setting Our Sights on Jesus

Colossians 2:1-7

Matt Loveday

July 30, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Paul had never met any of the believers in Colossae and yet he cared deeply about them and for them. Have you ever received love or care from someone you didn’t know? What was so meaningful to you about this experience and what does it reveal to you about the love of God?
Read Colossians 2:1-3 . Paul wants the Colossian church to be encouraged, to be knit together in love and to have complete confidence in Christ. Which of these three do you find comes most naturally to you? Which do you have to work at the most? Share about a time when have you experienced these things in your own church community.
Read Colossians 2:4 . Deceit is most effective when it is subtle (mixed with truth or masked with good intentions) and incremental (the “drift” or “snowball effect” where the effects are felt more with the passing of time). Where do you see examples of this at work in our world today? How does being “in Christ” help us when it comes to navigating the well-crafted arguments of deception?
Read Colossians 2:5-7 . What stands out to you about these verses as you consider your own life of faith that follows after Jesus? As you reflect on your own journey of faith, reflect on the following questions.

a. When would you say you “accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord” (v.6). Is this moment pinpointed or simply framed in time for you?

b. How many years now have you “continued to follow Jesus”? (v.6). What have been some key moments of following Jesus in your life?

c. Would you say that “your roots have grown deeper into Christ”? (v.7). What experiences or truths have led to this for you?

d. What areas of your life are “being built on Christ” (v.7) in these days? As God’s work in our lives is ongoing, what future designs do you think God has for your life in the coming 5 years?

5. What lessons in life and faith is God teaching you through this message that you can apply to your life this week?

Prayer and Action Item

Take a few moments to read and reflect on John 6:68. Reflect on the thought that “confidence in Christ comes through surrender”. Take a moment to consider what areas of your life you need to surrender still to Jesus. Write out a prayer, asking God to take what you are surrendering and to grow in your life a deeper confidence in Christ.

Reflection from Saulius Karosas

Sun, 23 Jul 2023 15:37:31 GMT

Colossians: Setting Our Sights on Jesus

Reflection from Saulius Karosas

Saulius Karosas

July 23, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

How have you been challenged on your perspective on suffering and the role of the church in times of crisis and war?
Saulius mentioned the concept of becoming the "best version of ourselves" in Christ. How do you understand this idea, and what steps can you take to grow and mature in your faith?
Saulius emphasized the importance of being connected and partnering with others in the mission of Christ. In what ways can we foster deeper connections and partnerships within our church community and beyond?
How can the impact of serving others and being the "hands and feet" of God. What is a personal experience where you felt privileged to serve someone in need or be part of a larger mission? How did it impact your faith?
Saulius discussed the idea of being "indifferent to all created things" and prioritizing God's purpose for our lives over material possessions and comforts. How can we cultivate a greater sense of indifference to the world's distractions and align our lives more fully with God's purpose?

Colossians 1:24-29

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 14:29:27 GMT

Colossians: Setting Our Sights on Jesus

Colossians 1:24-29

Joel Miles

July 16, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read Colossians 1:24. What is the significance of Paul saying that his sufferings are “for you” in this verse? How does this help us understand the cause of his suffering? How does the end of 1:23 and all of 1:25 relate to his suffering “for you”?
Read 1:25-27. According to these verses, what is Paul’s missionary work all about?
Read 1:28-29. How do these verses relate to 1:25-27? How do they further explain the purpose of Paul’s missionary work?
Why is it significant that Paul sees Jesus as the fullness of the word of God? What are the implications of this?
Why does proclaiming Christ result in suffering? How does 1:15-20 help us here?
Is the Jesus that we worship and proclaim just as big and significant as Paul’s? How should this text push us to see Jesus as more significant than we often realize?
Do we see that Jesus is worth suffering for? Do we see that suffering to share the true Jesus with others is worth it? How can we grow in this way?

Colossians 1:15-23

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 14:11:03 GMT

Colossians: Setting Our Sights on Jesus

Colossians 1:15-23

Joel Miles

July 9, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Before focusing on Colossians 1:15-20, read through the end of 1:20-22. How would you summarize Paul’s claim in this verses?
Continuing to look at 1:21-22, list the things God/Jesus is said to do. Now list the things we are said to do. What do you notice? According to these verses, how sufficient/complete is Christ’s work on our behalf?
Read 1:23. According to this verse, what does it seem is the problem Paul is seeking to warn the Colossians against? (For help you can look at Colossians 2:8 and 2:16-17)
Why do you think it is hard for us to truly believe that Christ is the gift that we need, and that he has been given to us? How do you think this helps explain why Paul began with this remarkable poem about the person and work of Jesus Christ?
Read 1:15-17. What is/are Paul’s claim in these verses concerning Jesus? (Note: if you are reading a version that uses the word “firstborn,” that term is being used metaphorically here to refer to “rank rather than temporal priority.” In other words, it means Jesus is supreme over all creation, not that he was the first to be created).
Read 1:18-20. What is/are Paul’s claim in these verses concerning Jesus?
Do we normally think of Jesus as this glorious and exalted? Do you see that even though Jesus is this remarkable, he loved us so much that he died for us? How should this effect and change our way of living?

Colossians 1:1-14

Sun, 02 Jul 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Colossians: Setting Our Sights on Jesus

Colossians 1:1-14

Trish Haq

July 2, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read through Colossians 1:1-14 together out loud. What do you notice? What words, phrases, or ideas stand out to you?
Colossians is a letter, written by the Apostle Paul, to the church in Colossae. As you reflect back on this week’s sermon, share what details you can remember about the context of this letter.
These opening verses talk about the impact of the Good News of Jesus in the lives of those who hear it. Each week, when we open scripture together in our services, we are hearing and reflecting on some aspect of the gospel message. Over the years, in what ways have you seen God’s active, transforming presence at work through the preaching that you have experienced?
In Colossians 1:6, Paul talks about the transforming power of the Good News of Jesus throughout the world, and in the lives of the Colossians. Reflect on the ways that your life has been transformed by your faith in Jesus.
Do you find it encouraging to hear about the faith of others, and the way that their lives have been changed because of Jesus? Can you share an example of someone whose faith you are thankful for?
What tends to be your attitude towards other churches? In what ways is it easy to be thankful for what God is doing in and through them? I n what ways is this sometimes difficult?
Colossians 1:9-14 provides a powerful model of prayer. Take some time to reflect on this prayer together. What kinds of things does Paul pray for the Colossian church?
In v. 9, Paul says “we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you”. Are there any churches that you regularly spend time praying for? Is your heart stirred to pray for other Christian communities that you know of beyond North Park? Why or why not?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Give thanks for the ways that your lives have been changed by the hope you have in Jesus. Use Paul’s prayer for the Colossians as a model to pray for one another. Then, choose a church community that you would like to commit to praying for. It could be a church here in London, across Canada, or throughout the world. As you pray, ask God to give you a sense of the bigger story that we are a part of, as He builds his Church globally and the Kingdom of God grows. Use Paul’s prayer for the Colossian church as a model to pray for the Church community that is on your heart. Pray that they would grow in knowledge and wisdom, that their lives would produce good fruit, and that they would be strengthened to endure difficulties with joy.

Loving Them Until the End

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 14:05:00 GMT

Loving Them Until the End

Joel Miles

June 25, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Read John 13:1. John 13:1 is a transition verse that introduces us to a new section in the Gospel of John, the “hour” of Jesus’ passion/crucifixion, that goes all the way from John 13:1 through John 19:42. Why do you think it is important to see Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet as part of the crucifixion narrative?
Read John 13:2-5. In these verses, we see that because (“So…” in verse 4) of Judas’ impending betrayal and Jesus’ knowledge of his authority over all things, Jesus took the form of a servant/slave to wash his disciples’ feet. What are the implications for our understanding of power, authority, and God?
How should this picture of authority and power reshape our understanding of how we exercise power and authority?
Read John 13:6-11. Why could Peter not accept Jesus’ washing of his feet?
In what ways do you struggle to embrace the grace of God given to us through Jesus’ death on the cross?
Read John 13:12-17. Why is it important for us to notice the order of Jesus first washing our feet before we wash others?
Verse 14 shows us that Jesus washes the disciples/our feet without the need for reciprocation to himself but rather with a call for us to wash others’ feet. How is it possible for us to imitate this when we normally want reciprocation?

For some help and guidance in how to do this well, check out:

https://bibleproject.com/explore/how-to-read-the-bible/

Simplicity & Service

Sun, 18 Jun 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Spiritually Disciplined—Learning to Live Jesus-Shaped Lives

Simplicity & Service

Kirk Ehrhart

June 18, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

On a scale of 1 (not very busy) to 5 (one more thing and I’m going to break), how busy and/or complicated does your life feel? What are some of the things that contribute to that feeling?
What are some things that you would like to do, but you don’t have the margin (room to manoeuvre) to do so?
Why do you think we (either as individuals or culturally) over program our schedules and live without any margin?
Read Matthew 6:25-33 . What does Jesus teach us in regards to simplicity in this passage?
Read John 13:1-17 . What traits does Jesus display that we need in order to have True service, as opposed to self-righteous service?
What steps can you take to simplify your life so that you have more room love God and serve others?

Expression & Impression

Sun, 11 Jun 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Spiritually Disciplined—Learning to Live Jesus-Shaped Lives

Expression & Impression

Jordan Elgie

June 11, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

When you think of the word “worship” what comes to mind?
Have you ever felt like you needed to put aside your emotions in worship or, have you ever felt too emotional during worship? How might you think differently about this experience knowing that God’s desire is for us to completely, and holistically present in worship? All of our joy and all of our pain?
Thinking about our church gatherings on Sunday, what are some of the ways that you think God reveals himself to us? What are some of the ways that God “impresses” us in worship?
What is an area of your spiritual life where you think God might be “training” you? Is there something that you know is good for you, that often feels really hard to do? How might your perspective on that hard thing change knowing that through it, God might be working in you?
From these four starting points, what is one way you might better ready yourself to be shaped by God in Sunday worship?

- Preparing to be impressed

- Processing distractions with gratitude

- Bringing a sacrifice of praise

- Responding to God accordingly

Fasting & Feasting

Sun, 04 Jun 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Spiritually Disciplined—Learning to Live Jesus-Shaped Lives

Fasting & Feasting

Joel Kelsey

June 4, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

How have you personally practiced or incorporated spiritual disciplines such as fasting? What have been the challenges and benefits you have experienced?
How do you currently incorporate celebration into your life? What are some practical ways you can intentionally pause and appreciate God's work in your life and in the lives of others?
How do you see the cultural influences of busyness and self-pleasure affecting your own practice of spiritual disciplines? How can we intentionally resist these influences and prioritize spiritual growth?
Share an experience when you felt true joy in your faith journey. How did that experience impact your perspective and relationship with God?
How can we cultivate a spirit of joy and celebration that is contagious and attractive to those around us? What steps can we take individually and as a group to live out this joyful witness in our daily lives?

Prayer and Action Item

Pick a time to fast this week. Whether it’s a regular meal, a morning or afternoon, or from sunrise to sunset. Use that time to draw closer to God in prayer, reading your bible, reflecting, or solitude. Read through James 1 in that time.

Find a moment to celebrate this week. Take time this week to celebrate. It could be for a big or small reason. Celebrate your child having a good day at school. Celebrate your spouse finishing a project at work, school or at home. Celebrate your friend’s anniversary, birthday or vacation. Take time to rejoice with others.

Reading & Being Read

Sun, 28 May 2023 13:11:08 GMT

Spiritually Disciplined—Learning to Live Jesus-Shaped Lives

Reading & Being Read

Joel Miles

May 28, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

How have you normally used the Bible?
What do you think about the quote from Lesslie Newbigin’s friend: " I can’t understand why you missionaries present the Bible to us in India as a book of religion. It is not a book of religion–and anyway we have plenty of books of religion in India. We don’t need any more! I find in your Bible a unique interpretation of universal history, the history of the whole of creation and the history of the human race… That is unique. There is nothing else in the whole religious literature of the world to put alongside it."
Read Luke 24:13-27 and John 5:39-47 . According to these passages, to whom do the Scriptures point? How could reading the Bible as the true story of the world that points to Jesus impact your Bible reading?
What are some intentional practices you could implement personally, and with others, to help you read and be read by Scripture?
How could others encourage you to do this well?

For some help and guidance in how to do this well, check out: https://bibleproject.com/explore/how-to-read-the-bible/

Partners & Mentors

Sun, 21 May 2023 14:00:00 GMT

Spiritually Disciplined—Learning to Live Jesus-Shaped Lives

Partners & Mentors

Matt Loveday

May 21, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

When you think of spiritual partners or mentors in your life, who do you think of? How old were you when you met them? In what ways have they shaped your faith in Jesus?

2. Who is someone that you would say you are currently partnering or mentoring with in faith? How old are they? In what ways are you helping to shape their faith in Jesus?

3. Which question did you find harder to answer -- who has mentored you?...or who are you mentoring? Why do you think this is?

4. Read 2 Timothy 1:5 . What does this verse speak to you about the importance of family and a community of faith coming alongside each other to develop and grow in faith? How has this combination of home and church contributed to your own spiritual development? Growing an ability to hear from God requires the disciplines of solitude and silence. Do you make time for this in your life? Why or why not?

5. Discuss the five partnering and mentoring principles that were discussed in the sermon (listed below). Which one has helped you the most? Which one have you struggled with the most? Why?

Be willing to be honest and authentic.

Be willing to communicate often and ongoing.

Be willing to participate and share.

Be willing to explore and engage.

Be willing to question and grow.

6. Read Acts Chapter 9 . Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus is an amazing story of someone blinded to the kingdom of God coming into obedient service to the kingdom of God. What stands out to you about what God asks of Ananias (v.10-19) ? Compare this to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:43-48 . What truths is God speaking to you through these verses.

7. What lessons in life and faith is God teaching you through this message that you can apply to your life this week?

Take a few moments to read and reflect on Psalm 86:11 . Ponder the ways that God is calling you to walk according to truth. Spend a moment in prayer asking God to reveal to you someone that you need to partner/mentor with more closely in following Jesus.

Listening & Speaking

Sun, 14 May 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Spiritually Disciplined—Learning to Live Jesus-Shaped Lives

Listening & Speaking

Trish Haq

May 14, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

What recharges you? When you are feeling depleted and worn out, what helps restore you and give you energy?
What role, if any, does prayer have in your life, when you are in need of recharging? Is prayer a source of power and strength for you?
Prayer is an important spiritual discipline that should hold high priority for us as followers of Jesus. Do you agree? In what ways do you prioritize prayer in your own life? In what ways do you find it a challenge to make prayer a priority? What’s one thing that you would like to do to deepen your prayer life?
It is a great gift to be listened to. In your life, do you have people who are good at lending you their ear? What impact does it have for you when someone listens well? Do you do this for others? Reflect together on what it means that God does this for us. He listens when we speak to him.
God is a good listener, but prayer is not meant to be a monologue. Instead, it is meant to be an opportunity to have a conversational relationship with God. This involves both speaking and listening. Do you find you are able to listen for God’s voice? In what ways do you find you are usually able to perceive what God is impressing on your heart? In what ways do you find it difficult to hear from God?
Growing an ability to hear from God requires the disciplines of solitude and silence. Do you make time for this in your life? Why or why not?
Discuss the challenges that technology and busyness have created, that often get in the way of our ability to seek solitude.
Reflect together on what Jesus models for us throughout the gospels when it comes to prayer. What examples come to mind of how Jesus prayed, and how he taught us to pray. What can we learn from Him?
What do your current rhythms of prayer look like in your life? What is one thing that you would like to try this week, to deepen your commitment to listening and speaking to God in prayer? (hint: Don't make it too complicated. It could be as simple as committing to sitting in prayerful silence for 2 minutes each day!).

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Pray specifically for the one thing that you each shared that you would like to try in the coming week, to deepen your prayer lives. Before closing your prayer time, spend 2-3 minutes sitting together in silence.

Becoming Spiritual & Becoming Disciplined

Sun, 07 May 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Spiritually Disciplined—Learning to Live Jesus-Shaped Lives

Introduction: Becoming Spiritual & Becoming Disciplined

Karen Bird

May 7, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

What do you think, or how do you feel, about spiritual disciplines being based on God, rather than on you?
Is it easy or difficult for you to live with an awareness of the paramount importance of the spiritual (1 Tim 4:10)? Is God easy or difficult to recognize? Share a story of a real-life problem with a spiritual solution.
What does it mean for the Holy Spirit to live in us? How do we experience this? What does it look like? Feel like?
Discuss the idea that our goal as Christians is to know the Lord, rather than to become better people. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Do you know any friends or couples that share mannerisms, expressions, or features? Share your funniest examples of behavior mimicry. Do you think God’s mannerisms can rub off on us like this? How have you experienced it?
When do you find it hardest and easiest to yield, or submit, to other people in your life? Share specific examples of yielding (or not yielding) to others. What does yielding, or submitting, to God look like?
What's the hardest part about spiritual disciplines for you?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Consider watching the book of Daniel overview on bibleproject.com and reading the book of Daniel this week!

Go & Tell

Sun, 16 Apr 2023 18:06:33 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

Go & Tell (Matthew 28:16-20)

Trish Haq

April 16, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

This week marks the final message in our sermon series on the book of Matthew, Your Kingdom Come. As you reflect back on the series a whole, what stands out to you? Is there a particular passage in Matthew’s gospel that has been particularly meaningful to you this year? What have you found challenging? Is there a message that resonated for you? What thoughts or ideas do you hope to hold onto and remember?
As you think back on your own faith journey, is there a moment or period of time in your life that you would consider to be the beginning of your walk with God? What first stirred you to want to follow Jesus? (or, if you have not yet made a decision to follow Jesus, what has drawn you to explore your faith in this Christian context?)
Read Matthew 28:16-20 together. Take some time to reflect on these verses. What do you notice? What stands out?
Can you relate to the disciples’ experience of doubt? How has doubt shown up in your story? In what ways do you find doubt difficult to deal with? What do you find most helpful when you are experiencing doubt? Can you hold doubt and faith at the same time? Why or why not?
Matthew 28:16-20 is called the Great Commission. It is the moment Jesus sent his disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations. As you reflect on the accounts of the early church found in the New Testament, how did the disciples live out this mission that Jesus game to them?
How do you see this mission being lived out by followers of Jesus today? In what ways, if any, do you try to live this out in your own life? In our unique culture today, what are the challenges that we face, as we seek to share the Good News of Jesus with others?
There are many ideas about what “the Gospel” is, that we are meant to share with the world. What do you think best describes what the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus, is? How can this good news be shared in such a way that people are truly drawn into a life of discipleship?
In order to live out the Great Commission to go and make disciples, we also must be on the journey of discipleship. This means not only believing in Jesus, but actively following Him, and allowing our lives to be shaped by Him. How are you doing in your own journey of discipleship?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Pray for an ever deepening commitment to discipleship in each of your lives. Pray that God would guide you towards ways that you can participate in the mission of helping others to know and follow Jesus.

The Resurrection of Jesus

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

The Resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28:1-10)

Paul McIlwraith

April 9, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Discuss with your group the dissonance you may feel between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Why is the metaphor of a “fog” lifting between Good Friday and Easter Sunday a fitting descriptor?
Describe an event that you were so excited to attend and willing to wait in line and it was worth it. Have you ever waited for something in anticipation and it turned out to be a non-event or anti-climatic? Describe your feelings in both situations. Why do you think the majority of Jesus’ followers did not wait at his tomb in anticipation of his resurrection even though he predicted it?
Have you ever had someone tell you, “Don’t worry”? Did it work? Did you stop worrying because you were told not to worry? Why do you think the angel told the women at the tomb not to be afraid? Do you think that his proclamation that Jesus had risen from the dead, alleviate their fear?
Why was the angel’s exhortation for the women followers of Jesus to “Come and See” the empty tomb so important for their understanding of the resurrection? What was the significance of the angel’s second exhortation to the women, “Go and Tell”?
How do you think you will respond on that day when you finally meet Jesus, face to face?
Although it is brief, the Gospel of Matthew’s account of Jesus’ resurrection gives us some important reminders for our lives. Discuss what each of these reminders mean to your life. Are you truly living with an empty tomb, resurrection perspective?

We have a resurrection perspective on life.
We have resurrection power for our lives.
The resurrection protects us from the evil one’s schemes.
The resurrection gives us a purpose for life.

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Are you truly living with an empty tomb, resurrection perspective? If not, surrender those things that are getting in your way and embrace the power of Jesus’ resurrection for your life.

Power

Sun, 02 Apr 2023 18:28:06 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

Power (Matthew 21:1-11)

Matt Loveday

April 2, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

The word power can hold a lot of weight in our world and in our lives. In what ways have you seen power be divisive or harmful? In what ways have you experienced power to be life-giving and liberating?
Read Matthew 21:1-5. What stands out to you about these verses knowing that Jesus is on his way into Jerusalem and that, in just a few short days, he will be crucified?
Humility can be described as a balance between power and vulnerability. How does the bible reveal this to be true of God? How have you seen this understanding of humility at work in the world and in your own life?
Read Matthew 21:6-9. Reflect on how the celebration of Jesus on Palm Sunday seems so far removed from the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday. How is this possible? How does knowing that God’s plan has always been for the cross sit with you?
Discuss the tensions that arise for you as you consider that the Kingdom of God is already here AND is still to come (in its fullness). Then read Psalm 22:1-5. This is the Psalm that Jesus began to quote from the cross. How do you see the tensions of “already but not yet” come into play here?
Read Matthew 21:10-11. The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar, wondering who Jesus was and what God was up to. Describe a time in your life when you felt like you experienced an uproar in your life—an exciting time when you felt God was up to something. What do you feel may be a next step of faith that God is inviting you into?
What lessons in life and faith is God teaching you through this message that you can apply to your life this week?

Prayer and Action Item

Take a few moments to read and reflect on Philippians 2:5-11 and ponder what humility looks like in the kingdom of heaven. Take a moment to confess and consider how you can live with more humility in your life. Pray and ask God for the wisdom and strength to live with humility in your family, church, community and world.

Forgiveness

Sun, 26 Mar 2023 19:24:02 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

Forgiveness (Matthew 18:15-35)

Trish Haq
March 26, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions.

Have you ever tried to teach a child how to give and receive forgiveness? Or have you observed a parent trying to teach their child how to do this? What have you seen happen? What are the challenges? What do the natural human tendencies of children reveal about the ways that forgiveness is challenging for us, even as adults?
Do you find it difficult to forgive others when they have wronged you? What about asking for forgiveness when you have hurt someone else? What are the challenges that you have experienced when it comes to giving and receiving forgiveness?
Consider our culture today. In the past, forgiveness was a widely accepted value. It was seen as virtuous, good, and healing to extend forgiveness to those who have hurt us. Although some still hold this view, have you noticed other perspectives being expressed in our society today? What have you heard (or experienced) when it comes to the ‘dark side of forgiveness’? Why do you think some people question whether forgiveness is truly a good idea? Can you think of any misunderstandings about forgiveness that have contributed to this?
Reflect together on the parable of the Unforgiving Debtor, found in Matthew 18:21-35. What stands out to you? What do you think this parable teaches about what forgiveness looks like in the Kingdom of God?
What is your understanding of forgiveness? Look through the lists below of what forgiveness isn’t, and what forgiveness is. Does anything surprise you on these lists? What resonates? What do you find challenging?
When we forgive someone, we release them of their debt. Rather than continuing to want them to have to pay the price, we accept that we have had to bear the burden of the consequences of their sin, and we genuinely work towards being able to bless them. In what ways is this difficult for us to do? How has Jesus modelled this for us? What can we learn from Him, through his actions and his teaching, about the importance and the power of forgiveness?

Forgiveness isn’t:

Ignoring or forgetting
Condoning or excusing
Tolerating or allowing further abuse
Reconciliation or restoration
Returning back to the way things were before
Allowing the offender to escape consequences

Forgiveness is:

Giving up my right to retaliate
Changing my heart attitude towards the offender
Remembering that God has forgiven me
Rediscovering their humanity
Offering compassion instead of hatred

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one a nother out of the key points that were discussed. Spend time giving thanks for the unfathomable depth of forgiveness God has extended to us. Invite God’s Spirit to search your mind and heart, and reveal where forgiveness is needed. Is there anything you need to confess? Are there any relationships that need to be set right? Is there anyone you need to extend forgiveness to? Begin this journey by praying for those who have hurt you, and inviting God to transform your heart towards them.

Jesus’ Identity

Sun, 19 Mar 2023 18:28:03 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

Jesus' Identity (Matthew 16:21-28)

Paul McIlwraith

March 19, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions.

Discuss your favourite Comic hero and what it is about that character that so appeals to you. Are there times when you have “hidden” a part of who you are from others? Describe why you felt that was necessary.
In the first century world of Jesus, what do you think it was that limited some people from seeing who he really was and why he came to earth?
If Jesus were to ask you who the world thinks he is, how would you respond? If he were to ask you who you think he is, would your answer be any different? Why or why not? Who is Jesus to you?
After getting his disciples to share who they think he is, Jesus then warns them in Matthew 16:20 to not tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Why do you think Jesus is now concerned with their secrecy about his identity?
Why did Jesus have to die? Why was his coming as a “suffering servant”, not the kind of Messiah the people were expecting?
Why is a dead Messiah, a failed Messiah? Why is Jesus’ resurrection so important to the rescue mission of God to humanity?
Why did Jesus reprimand Peter so harshly for questioning why he had to suffer and die?
Why is Jesus’ pathway to discipleship outlined in Matthew 16:24 so difficult for Christians in our culture, today? “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Invite Jesus to reveal to you the ways that you can continue the life long journey of becoming more like him and helping others to do the same.

Inner Purity/Heart

Sun, 12 Mar 2023 19:01:10 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

Inner Purity/Heart (Matthew 15:1-20)

Paul McIlwraith

March 12, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions.

The Wright Brothers were really living from their heart and passion when they eventually cracked the mystery of human flight. Can you remember a time when you were so passionate about an activity or project that it became a labour of love? What was it for you? Can you think of a time when you took on something that you were not passionate about and your motivation was purely for outward appearances? Describe the difference you felt in these two instances.
What are some of the traditions that you practice individually or as a family? Why were the Pharisees so concerned about Jesus and his followers not following their traditions like hand washing?
What is a sacred cow? Brainstorm some things that have become sacred cows in our culture? Give some personal examples from your life. What are some sacred cows in the church? Why do we have to be careful of these things?
In Matthew 15:11, Jesus says, It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” What does this statement mean to you? Share some examples of when you know this to be true in your life. What do you think of the statement, our mouths are the trapdoor to our heart ?
Why do many in our culture bristle at the idea that humanity at its core, have corrupted hearts?
Why is Jesus and the Christian faith, the cure for our corrupted hearts?
In what ways are our hearts in danger of being harden by the world we live in. What is the antidote to that condition? How can we ensure that our hearts remain pure before God?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. If you are feeling like your heart has become a little harder these days, pray the words of David in Psalm 51:10, Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me, and invite Jesus to cleanse your heart and restore your passion for him alone, not tradition or sacred cows.

Kingdom Parables

Sun, 26 Feb 2023 19:26:19 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

Kingdom Parables (Matthew 13)

Trish Haq

February 26, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions.

Have you heard any good stories lately? Do you know anyone who is a good storyteller? What makes a story good or memorable?
Are you a good listener? When do you find it easy to listen? When is it a challenge? What do you think gets in the way of listening and understanding clearly when someone is talking?
Jesus often taught in parables, which are short, fictional stories that are used to illustrate a point. Off the top of your head, can you easily think of a few examples of parables that Jesus taught? What do you think makes them memorable?
Read the Parable of the Sower together (Matthew 13:1-23). Reflect together on the 4 examples given in the parable. Through this parable, we are invited to see ourselves in the story. What kind of seed do you think most reflects where you are at today? What would it take for you to be more like the example of the seed that fell on good soil?
The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds describes how the wheat and the weeds are allowed to grow up together until it is harvest time. Underlying this is the question of why it seems that evil is allowed to continue to co-exist alongside us. As you reflect on your life, and on the world around you, in what ways does this question resonate for you today?
Read the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Yeast (Matthew 13:31-33). From this week’s sermon, or from your own reading and studying, what do you know about the symbolism of these parables? What do you think their meaning is? What do they teach us about the Kingdom of God?
As you reflect on the picture of God’s Kingdom that these parables provide, what hope can this offer us amidst the reality of the ‘now but not yet’ Kingdom of God? How can this teaching of Jesus help us as we live with the tension of the existence of evil in our world?
Reflect on your own life’s journey. Can you think of any examples of God working in small or hidden ways to bring about something significant? Are there any small beginnings that you are starting to perceive in this season that you think you should be attentive to?
What steps can you take to be more open and intentional about pursuing the Kingdom, and stepping forward as God leads you?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Invite Jesus to help you listen and understand his message about the Kingdom, and to step forward with courage and confidence to participate in God’s work of bringing his Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.

Sabbath Rest

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 20:59:33 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

Sabbath Rest (Matthew 11-12)

Paul McIlwraith
February 19, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions.

Do you remember a time when there was no Sunday Shopping in Ontario? Did you grow up in a home where Sunday was a day of rest? What were the things that defined your Sundays back then?
Do you find it difficult today to set boundaries around a specific time in your week where you can stop working, rest and commune with God? What are some of the things that hinder you from establishing this regular Sabbath time?
Read Matthew 11:28-30 together. As you ponder these words, discuss what they mean to our lives as Christians. Why is this passage so hopeful to us in the world in which we live?
Describe a situation when religious legalism has been a source of fatigue and anxiety for you. What is it about religion that prompts people to feel that they have to attach a list of rules or dos and don’ts?
In what ways is legalism so contrary to the way of life in the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus modelled and called us to?
Is time a source of stress and anxiety in your life? Describe the battle you have with time and prioritizing things. If you had more time, what are the things that you would do with it?
In her book, Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest, author Ruth Haley Barton suggests that to establish a good Sabbath routine each week, we need to say No to Work, Buying and Selling, Worry/Emotional Stress and Technology and we need to say, Yes to things that rest our body, rest our mind/replenish our spirit and things that restore our soul. Discuss the implications of each of these things for you to establish a good weekly Sabbath time in your life.

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Invite Jesus to help you establish a regular rhythm of Sabbath in your weekly schedule and to be discerning in what you say no to and what you say yes to, that makes it truly beneficial.

Mountain Top

Sun, 12 Feb 2023 15:41:56 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

Mountain Top (Matthew 8-9)

Paul McIlwraith

February 12, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions.

Have you ever had a “mountain-top” experience? Describe the details to your group. How did it change the way that you live? Why is it so difficult to duplicate a “mountain-top” experience?
Why was Jesus’ interaction with the leper so scandalous to the people around him? What did his action of reaching out and touching this man have to say about the Kingdom of Heaven that he proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount?
Although there are still those who suffer from the disease of leprosy in our world today, what other groups of people have we shunned or ostracized in our society? How is our behaviour similar to how the people of Jesus’ day treated those with leprosy?
In what ways do you relate to the Roman centurion in this passage? In what ways do you hold power (or not hold power) in our society simply because of your gender or ethnicity?
Who do you view as your enemy? This may not be a specific person but rather a group of people that you find yourself pitted against either ideologically or philosophically. In what ways do you find it difficult to love your enemy? What obstacles are in place that seem too challenging to overcome?
What is it that amazes you? Why do you think it was people’s faith or lack of faith that amazed Jesus in the gospels?
In what ways can you relate to the Roman Centurion’s words to Jesus in Matthew 8:8, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come to my home? What is it that gives us worth in our journey as Christians?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Invite Jesus to help you follow him down the mountain, to love your neighbour, your enemies and anyone else he puts in your path just as he has loved us.

What do you Treasure?

Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:59:21 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

What do you Treasure? (Matthew 6:19-34)

Matt Loveday

February 5, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

When you think of the “treasures” of your life, what kinds of things come to mind? Why do these things hold such value for you?
In Jesus’ teaching on righteous living, he reframes our understanding of the law by challenging us to see beyond the letter of the law and think deeper about the spirit of the law. Read Matthew 6:1-18. What similarities do you see in how Jesus challenges our understanding of the religious practices of giving, praying and fasting?
Discuss what is significant to you about the statement “the kingdom of God is not built upon performance, but upon priority.”
Read Matthew 6:19-24. Do these verses reveal some tension in you about how to live as a citizen of heaven, but resident of the earth? Discuss some examples of how you navigate this tension.
In the sermon, the realities of worry and fear were discussed as barriers we often face to investing our lives more fully into the kingdom of God. (Having a “scarcity mindset” that says, “I don’t have enough” and an “insecurity mindset” that says, “I am not enough”) How have you seen these realities at play in your life and in the world around you?
Read Matthew 6:25-33. When in your life have you known God to provide and care for you in the midst of your worry and fear? What current worry or fear are you carrying that you need to trust God with?
What lessons in life and faith is God teaching you through this message that you can apply to your life this week?

Prayer and Action Item

Take a few moments to read and reflect on Matthew 6:33 and ponder what it means to seek the kingdom of God above all else. Are there areas of your life where living rightly in God’s kingdom needs to become your first priority? Take a moment to confess these to God and ask for wisdom as you seek to live righteously in all areas of your life.

Deconstruction

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 16:45:34 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

Deconstruction (Matthew 5)

Paul McIlwraith

January 29, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions.

Are you familiar with HGTV? If so, what are your favourite shows and personalities? What is it about them that appeal to you?
In what context have you heard the term, deconstruction? We have defined it as breaking down a previous held belief to discover its true significance. Can you think of some thoughts, beliefs or ideas that you have deconstructed over the years? Share some examples with your group and what led to the deconstruction.
Why is the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapters 5-7 such a noteworthy passage of scripture? What are some elements of your faith that you have learned in a more formal setting? What aspects of Christianity have you learned in the course of just doing life, day to day?
What is your initial reaction to the concept that Jesus deconstructed the Law of Moses in the Sermon on the Mount? Why was it important for him to do so in light of the way the Pharisees had come to interpret the Law?
What have been some of your experiences with anger (your own or someone’s anger directed towards you)? Why is reconciliation the antithesis to anger?
Why is lust so damaging to God’s plan for sexual relations within the confines of a marriage? Why must we do everything we can to eliminate it from our lives?
In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus deconstructs what it means to love in the Kingdom of Heaven. What are some obstacles for you to love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you? How are God’s idea of love and our world’s idea of tolerance so different?
What are some beliefs or practices in the Christian church these days that you think need to be taken to Jesus, prayed about, studied and deconstructed?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Invite Jesus to help you deconstruct any areas of your faith that may be out of line with his teachings.

The Beatitiudes

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 16:22:19 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5)

Trish Haq

January 22, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions.

Last week we learned about Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. The third time Jesus was tempted, Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, telling him: “I will give it all to you, if you will kneel down and worship me”. Does God offer us the same deal? In what ways do you think we sometimes expect God to operate in this way?
In the Old Testament, there are many verses that talk about blessing, that seem to suggest that right living and proper worship to God will result in God’s blessing. Read the beginning of Psalm 1, and the beginning of Psalm 119 for examples of this. What examples from scripture can you think of that challenge the idea that God’s blessing relies on how we live?
Consider this quote from pastor, theologian, and author, Tim Keller: “The good things of this world seen as blessings (beauty, power, comfort, success, recognition) received without God are curses. They will drive you and consume you. However, the hard things of this world seen as curses (weakness, deprivation, loss, and rejection) received with faith in God will be turned into blessings.” In what ways does this challenge your thinking on what it means to be blessed? In what ways does this make sense to you? Do you see a connection between God’s presence and God’s blessing?
Read Matthew chapter 5. Here, Jesus teaches about what blessing looks like in the Kingdom of God. Based on this teaching, who is most important in the Kingdom of God? How is this different from the world’s ideas about who is most valued? What surprises you in this passage? What questions does it stir up? In what ways does it challenge the way that we often understand blessing? How is blessing different in the Kingdom of God?
The blessings Jesus teaches about in this chapter are anchored in the hope of a promised future, when the Kingdom of God will be fully realized on earth as it is in heaven. Yet, the coming of the Kingdom began when Jesus came. It is a now but not yet kingdom. Arriving, but not yet fully realized. In what ways can those who are poor, grieving, living with injustice, or facing persecution experience the blessing that is theirs in the Kingdom of God in the present?
Consider the life of Jesus. Was he blessed? In what ways did Jesus embody what it means to be blessed, according to his teaching in Matthew 5? In what ways does Matthew 5 present a portrait of Jesus?
Take time to consider each line of Jesus’ teaching on who is blessed in the Kingdom. Is there a line of this teaching that speaks to you in this season of your life? In what ways do you feel challenged to live out the kingdom values presented through this passage? In what ways is this passage good news to you, in the midst of your own challenges and difficulties?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. As you have reflected on this important teaching of Jesus, ask God to help you lean into the values of the Kingdom expressed in Matthew 5. Ask God to help you recognize the true blessing of his presence in the midst of your circumstances. Ask him to show you what steps you are being called to take in the season ahead, to participate in God’s work of bringing his kingdom here on earth, as it is in heaven. Pray together: Lord, may your kingdom come, and your will be done!

The Temptation of Jesus

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 18:49:19 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

The Temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4)

Paul McIlwraith

January 15, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

How do you feel about going backwards? Have you ever had to take a few steps back in a project or a relationship in order to then move forward? Describe the circumstance and the things your learned, with your group.
Discuss the significance of Jesus’ baptism. How did God anoint him for his ministry on earth through his baptism? How was it a “denouement” moment?
Instead of Jesus leaving his baptism and stepping right into his ministry of teaching and healing, he first had to be led into the wilderness to confront the devil. Why was it so important for Jesus to be tempted by Satan before he began his public ministry?
What does it mean that Satan is not a “side bar” to the biblical story but he is smack dab in the middle of it?
In what ways can we become too focused on the work of the devil in our world and not as focused on the power of Jesus in us? How does that hinder our faith journey?
What are the areas of your life that you are “hungry”, vulnerable to the ploys of the evil one? Give some examples of how you have experienced Jesus giving you victory in those areas.
Do you find yourself at times, living for the applause of others? In what ways can that lead to unhealthy patterns in your life? Do you have people around you that help you keep grounded and focused on Jesus? Share some examples with your group.

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. As you anticipate the beginning of this new year and all that God can do in your life, are there places where you need to go back? Do you need to surrender to God some things that may be standing in your way of being all that He intends you to be? Pray about those things this week and release them to Jesus.

Genealogy

Sun, 08 Jan 2023 14:38:08 GMT

Your Kingdom Come—The Gospel of Matthew

Genealogy (Matthew 1)

Paul McIlwraith

January 8, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Do you have a fascination with your family genealogy? Have you produced a “Family Tree”? In your group, share some interesting things you have learned about your ancestors.
Have you read through all four of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) in the bible? From your perspective, what are some of the similarities, differences and unique features of each of the Gospels?
Why does Matthew starting with a genealogy in his Gospel tend to specifically resonate with the Jewish people of his day? What are some of the other features in Matthew that connect with this demographic?
Why is the inclusion of women in Matthew’s genealogy so important? How does it give us clues about the kind of people Jesus came to save?
In what ways does this genealogy demonstrate that God keeps His Word?
Why is the genealogy a reminder for grandparents, parents and children to continue to pray for their family members?
How does the genealogy demonstrate the humility of Jesus and the hope he has to offer humanity?
Discuss the ways that you are hoping to grow and engage with Jesus through this series on the Gospel of Matthew in the coming weeks.

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Pray that God would open your heart in new ways to the life and ministry of Jesus described in the Gospel of Matthew as we begin this new teaching series.

A New Year, A New Start

kerri@lumecreative.co (Kerri Tomljenovic) — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 14:38:08 GMT

A New Year, A New Start

Barry Canning

January 1, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Why? Are you successful in carrying them out? What stops you from fulfilling your resolutions?
What are you wanting to work on or change for this new year, 2023?
What things can you do to draw closer to Jesus in 2023?
Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. Do you have people in your life to help, encourage and support you? If not, why not? How can you find people to help you with accountability and support?
What gifts or talents has God given you? If you don't know, ask some people close to you what strengths they see in you.
Are you using your gifts and talents to serve in the faith community at North Park?
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. What symbol does Paul use to describe the functioning of the church?
Explain the comparison and the main points that Paul wants to convey.
What other symbols are used in Scripture to describe the church?
Who is a member of the body?
What is the role of the members? What is your role here at North Park?
Read James 1:22-25. How are you doing in living out this verse in your daily walk?
Share with your group or a friend the areas that you are involved in the life of North Park. How is your life being enriched by serving? How are you benefiting those around you?
If you are not connected, discuss with your group or a friend how you can be more involved at North Park. Why is it biblical and necessary in your discipleship journey to serve and be involved in the church?