Immanuel Church

1. According to 3:1-3, what makes a believer a spiritual baby? What happens when the church begins to associate spiritual maturity with knowledge rather than godly character? 2. What has God given to the church so that believers can grow into maturity? 3. Is it surprising that Paul highlights envy and strife as signs of spiritual immaturity? Why are they so dangerous to us as individuals and to the church as a body? 4. Why is carna...

1. What is the difference between the wisdom of the people and the wisdom of the Spirit (God)? 2. Can we know true wisdom on our own or does it need to be revealed? 3. What is the difference between the spiritual person and the natural person? 4. How essential is the Holy Spirit for salvation? What about Christian living? 5. How have you experienced the Holy Spirit’s activity in your life, even if you didn’t know at the time that i...

1. Reflect on a time when you felt a clear leading or direction from the Holy Spirit in your own life. How did you discern it? How did you respond? What impact did it have on your faith journey? 2. Discuss the significance of sending and supporting missionaries to spread the gospel. Have you ever considered that God may be calling you to global missions? How can you practically participate (hold the rope) in missions even if you ca...

1 What do you think about this idea that you are a preacher? And how does that reality change the way you engage with this text? 2 Since we are all preachers, what are some practical implications of the fact that the mighty message is carried through relational pursuit? (Consider - Who are you pursuing, and how are you pursuing them?) 3 How does the manner of Paul’s preaching differ to a TED talk or contemporary forms of

rhetoric? ...

1. What is the message of the cross? What happens to the Bible and Christianity without the cross? 2. In what ways have you witnessed the message of the cross perceived as “folly” or “foolishness” to the world around you? How can you respond with wisdom and grace? 3. How does one move from thinking that the message of the cross is foolishness to believing that it is the power of God? 4. If “true wisdom comes from God, and human wis...

1. In what ways does division in the church distort the gospel and ruin the church's reputation? How does unity promote the gospel to a lost world? 2. What does it mean to be of the "same understanding" and "same conviction"? 3. In what ways do Christians attempt to justify their divisive and quarrelsome attitudes? 4. What issues are Christians currently quarreling and dividing over? 5. Does the idea of unity in the church mean the...

Read 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 1. Why do you think Paul starts his letter off with such gratitude for God’s grace given to the Corinthians? How is God’s grace seen and confirmed in the lives of the church? (Salvation; alignment of Word and Action; Gifts) 2. What do you think it means to be ‘enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge’? (verse 5) 3. Have you ever considered what spiritual (grace) gifts God has given you for the servic...

Read Proverbs 24:3-4 1. If you are married, what are practical steps that you can take to move toward one another in the areas of passion, intimacy, and life-giving speech? 2. As a husband, if you are called to cultivate or nurture your wife with trust and gratitude, what practically can you do to grow in these areas? 3. As parents, if you are called to create a refuge for your children, and this is done best by teaching them who t...

Read Proverbs 30:7-9 1. Are you more of a saver or a spender? Why do you think that is? What in your heart is the motivating force to either spend or save? 2. What are some key truths from Proverbs that God wants us to learn about our relationship to money? Concerning earning money? Concerning giving? Concerning spending? Concerning saving? 3. What are some of the inherent dangers of money that the Bible warns Christians about? 4. ...

Read Proverbs 19:23; 1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 4 1. Where in life do you most struggle to be content? Where is your heart most restless? 2. What do you believe is the primary desire of your heart that leads you to this life of discontentment? 3. What do you think of Jeremiah Burroughs definition of contentment: “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in...

1. What is a big decision that you recently had to make? How hard was it to make that decision? Did you follow some plan to assist in the process? What was the process or what were the steps that you walked through to make this decision? 2. Have you ever had trouble making a decision because you were waiting on the Lord to reveal you to you some part of His secret will? Do you think that this is normally how God guides his children...

Read: Proverbs 4:1-27 1. Spend some time discussing the challenges of parenting. If you are not a parent, share some of the challenges you faced growing up. How does Solomon's instruction in Proverbs 4 encourage and help you? 2. Read Proverbs 4:10-13. What are the benefits of embracing wise parental instruction? What are some practical ways that you can share these benefits (and others like them) with your children? grandchildren? ...

Read: Proverbs 4:1-19 1. What commands does the father give to his sons in this passage? (There are many) What do these commands imply about the sons? What do these commands imply about parenting? 2. Why do you think the father conveys his instruction in a personal way in verses 3-9? How would this personal approach help the children? Share some of the personal and meaningful wisdom that your parents shared with you. 3. Why is the ...

Read Proverbs 6:6-11; 26:13-16; 24:30-34 1. How would you define a sluggard? 2. What are the character failures of a sluggard according to the above texts? 3. How prevalent is this within our society? Why? 4. When or where or how has this been a part of your life story? In the past? Currently? 5. Where are you complacent? Or idle? Or lazy? 6. What are you doing to fight this? 7. How do you balance a biblical view of work and leisur...

1. What are the 5 primary things one must consider in Conflict Resolution? - Is this worth fighting over? Should I just cover it in love? - How can I set my heart on glorifying God? Is this about winning or honoring God? - How can I get the log out of my own eye? Take Responsibility for your sin - How can I gently restore this relationship? This is not about payback or revenge but restoration - How can I Go and Be Reconciled? We mu...

Read Proverbs 17:1 1. What does God think of discord or dissension or conflict? Why? 2. What are the first two steps in being a Peace Maker? (glorify God; take the log out) 3. Before we begin this process, what is one thing that we should consider? (should we just cover it in love?) 4. How can God be glorified in the way you handle your conflict? 5. How does one go about finding and taking the log out of their eye? Why is this cruc...