"The Coming of the Kingdom" (Mark 1:1-11)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. What is unique about Mark’s gospel compared to the other three? And what interpretive tools will help you to read and understand Mark’s gospel?

  2. What is the central point of John’s baptism, and how is it different from the baptism as practiced by church today?

  3. What is the significance of validating Jesus as God’s “beloved Son” at the start of His earthly ministry?

  4. What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of Worship can be found here.

"Praying in Faith" (James 5:13-20)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. What have we learned from the sermon about the “heart of Christian prayer”, and how is it different from all other religious/spiritual prayers?

  2. How does the relational nature of God’s interaction with our prayer affect your own prayers? Does it draw your heart closer to or push farther from your Heavenly Father? How should it be?

  3. What have you learned about effective ways to grow your faith and humility through prayer

  4. What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of worship can be found here.

"Patient Suffering" (James 5:7-12)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. What “oath or promise” do you recall making in the past? How did you feel about them? How do you understand them in light of the message (from James 5:7-12)?

  2. Would you consider yourself a patient person? Share about your answer. How does the message encourage you to be patient in light of the gospel?

  3. How do you now understand the purpose of the Lord’s return, and also His timing?

  4. What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of worship can be found here.

"Warning to the Rich" (James 4:13 - 5:6)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Are you enamoured by the idea of becoming rich? How do you take the warning from God’s word?

  2. What does it mean to depend on God’s will for your future and all that you do?

  3. How are we able to trust God about all our future matters?

  4. What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of Worship can be found here.

"Draw Near in Humility" (James 4:1-12)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. How do the raging passions of your heart manifest themselves in your decisions/attitudes/habits/ambitions/desires?

  2. Why does it take so much (ie. disaster) for us to humbly submit ourselves and draw near to God in godly sorrow/repentance?

  3. How should the softening/transformation of our hearts change our attitudes and behaviour towards other Christians?

  4. What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of Worship can be found here.

"Wisdom from Above" (James 3:13-18)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. How would you say the scriptures and wisdom from God has impacted your conduct?

  2. Can you resonate with the Bible’s description of selfish-ambition and bitter-jealousy? How does it in some way describe your past or present feelings and behaviour?

  3. How can we attain a “harvest of righteousness and peace” that the Bible exhort?

  4. What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of Worship can be found here.

"Season Your Words" (James 1:26; 3:1-12)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. How is the perfection of God’s word most fully revealed?

  2. Can you recall a time when you were greatly impacted (for good or ill) by mere few words whether yours or by others? What happened? What would you change about those words, if anything?

  3. What should we do with our words? How can we make the best use of our words? What would you specifically commit to do differently as a Christian?

  4. What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of Worship can be found here.

"Playing Favourites" (James 2:1-13)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. Is there a person/group of people that you almost instinctively don’t like? Why? How does this passage challenge you?

  2. Why is the sin of favouritism foolish? Can you name some examples, both personal and general?

  3. How does being under the law of liberty both comfort and challenge you to keep growing in faithful obedience to Christ?

  4. What was the most helpful / challenging / encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of Worship can be found here.

"Living Out the Gospel" (James 1:19-27)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. What is the motivation for your life’s activities? How does God’s Word inform you of who you are and how you should live?

  2. To become more Christ-like, do you detect any improvement in your Christian character - to be less angry and mean, but instead more gentle and accommodating?

  3. What of your life’s activities promote those things that please God?

  4. What was the most helpful / challenging / encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of Worship can be found here.

"Testing of Your Faith" (James 1:1-18)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. How did you do on the simple spiritual inventory survey? Would you care to share the score and comment on it?

  2. What did you learn from the sermon on the importance of spiritual assessments, and how would you apply them in your own life?

  3. According to the sermon, how does Christ’s grace stack up to the spiritual tests? And how do we benefit as Christians?

  4. What was the most helpful / challenging / encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of Worship can be found here.

"The Greatest Commandments” (Matthew 22:34-40)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. Are you a good listener? Please share. Do you hear and obey God well?

  2. Which of the 10 Commandments are the “vertical call’, and which do you find most challenging and why?

  3. Which of the 10 Commandments are the “horizontal call”, and which do you find most challenging and why?

  4. What was the most helpful / challenging / encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of Worship can be found here.

"More Than Survive" (Ephesians 3:14-21)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Can you resonate with the list of hard things we experienced this year? What would you add to the list?

2. Can you also resonate with the list of those things which were actually good for us as a church? On a personal level, what would you add?

3. According to the message, what can we anticipate from God for next year?

4. What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of worship can be found here

“The Songs of Holy Commotion” (Luke 2:25-38)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Compared with Simeon’s and Anna’s longing for Christ, describe your own sense of anticipation of the returning Christ.

2. How does Mary’s joy and gratitude inform your own as a chosen and redeemed saint?

3. What is Zechariah’s perspective about salvation according to the sermon?

4. What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of worship can be found here

“Heaven and Earth Rejoice” (Luke 2:8-20)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How would you have reacted if you were in the shepherds’ shoes? Do you remember the first time you believed in the gospel?

2. Why are the angels rejoicing? How does that help you to also rejoice this Christmas?

3. Can you relate to the shepherds in their wonder and joy? Why/Why not?

4. What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of worship can be found here

"Your Love is Better" (Song of Songs 1:1-11)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How would you describe your affection for God, especially towards Jesus your Saviour? What words and images do you use to describe your passion for your Saviour?

2. How does the mission of the church “sing chorus” for your personal pursuit of Christ?

3. In what ways is God’s love better than anything you can imagine?

4. What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of Worship can be found here.

"Wise Living While Here" (Ecclesiastes 5:13-20)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Would you say you have sober awareness of your own propensity for sin and foolishness? What prescription does the Word of God provide against sin and foolishness?

  2. What practical means help you to find that elusive “balance” in your Christian life? What is the role of the Holy Spirit?

  3. What in your life do you require more moderation and discipline?

  4. What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?

Order of Worship can be found here.