Wisdom and Marriage Questions

Please use the following questions to aid in your own personal meditation on wisdom and marriage in Proverbs as well as be a guide for your group discussion. You can find the sermon on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/OFAklA7vchA

Remember that as a group you do not have to cover all of these questions. You can dive deeper into fewer questions as long as you don’t go off on an irrelevant tangent. Also, group members feel free to ask follow up questions! Please respect everybody’s time and don’t sacrifice time for sharing prayer requests and praying for one another.

Personal Reflection/Group Discussion Questions:

  1. What stood out to you most about the teaching? What was most challenging, confusing, convicting or clarifying to you?
  2. What do you think is most important for a godly husband to be for his wife and why? Then share what you think is most important for a godly wife to be for her husband and why. 
  3. In what way does Proverbs 31 challenge what the world says you need to find in a good husband/wife? How does Proverbs 31 challenge what the world says you need to be in order to be a good husband/wife?
  4. What are the challenges/difficulties that you face or that stand in the way of more successfully being a godly spouse? In what area do you want to commit to grow personally?

CG Discussion (Jonah 1:7-9 “The Contradiction”)

“The Contradiction”

Scripture: Jonah 1:7-9

Group Discussion Questions

  1. As a group, summarize the sermon together into a few sentences. 
  2. In what areas has the Lord revealed or is revealing contradictions in your life between your profession and your practice? 
  3. What are some ways you can personally come to embrace more of the value of global missions in your own life? What has helped in the past? 
  4. List as many prayer topics about global missions that you can. Consider what kinds of things churches and Christians should be praying for. 
  5. Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this message? 
  6. Everybody should formulate a one sentence prayer response and request to everything heard and discussed. Have a few people share what they came up with. 

CG Discussion (Jonah 1:3 – “The Runaway”)

“The Runaway”

Scripture: Jonah 1:3

Group Discussion Questions

  1. As a group, summarize the sermon together into a few sentences. 
  2. Share something you found either interesting, memorable, convicting, confusing or challenging about the passage/sermon.  
  3. How did you tend to think of/view sin before this sermon? What difference does it make when sin is understood as running away from God? How does it change the way you view sin in yourself and sin in others? How does it change the way you preach the gospel to yourself and share it with others? 
  4. Can you share a personal example of a time you chased after a god-substitute and found that it left you empty, unsatisfied and discontent? What was that experience like? How were you awakened from your disillusionment? 
  5. Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this message? 
  6. Everybody should formulate a one sentence prayer response and request to everything heard and discussed. Have a few people share what they came up with. 

Wisdom and Friendship

Please use the following questions to aid in your own personal meditation on wisdom and friendship in Proverbs as well as be a guide for your group discussion. You can find Tim Keller’s sermon on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/8Tc4VIQrXdE


Remember that as a group you do not have to cover all of these questions. You can dive deeper into fewer questions as long as you don’t go off on an irrelevant tangent. Also, group members feel free to ask follow up questions! Please respect everybody’s time and don’t sacrifice time for sharing prayer requests and praying for one another.

Personal Reflection/Group Discussion Questions:

  1. What stood out to you most about the teaching? What was most challenging, confusing, convicting or clarifying to you?
  2. Do you tend to have a high or low view of friendship? Over the years, how has your approach and attitude to friendship changed? Do you feel you’ve become more or less concerned with friendships as you’ve grown older? Please share why and how. 
  3. Honestly assess how much attention you’ve given to forging friendships (on a scale of 1 to 10). What are the challenges you face or that stand in the way of being more intentional in forging biblical friendships? Which of the four marks of biblical friendship do you find most difficult to live out (constancy, carefulness, candor, and counsel)? Which do you find easiest to live out? 
  4. What are 1 or 2 things from the friendship of Jesus that really challenge you and inspire you to be a better friend (put another way, how does the gospel actually help you be a better friend). 

Jonah 1-4 CG Guide (“The Lesson”)

“The Lesson”

Scripture: Jonah 1-4

Group Discussion Questions

  1. As a group, summarize the sermon together into a few sentences. 
  2. Share something you found either interesting, memorable, convicting, confusing or challenging about the passage/sermon.  
  3. Is it easier to see yourself as a person in need of mercy or others as more in need of mercy? Explain. Do you see yourself as one of the “bad guys” – immoral, irreligious, disobedient – or as one of the “good guys” – moral, religious, obedient? What does it mean to you that nobody is beyond the reach of God’s mercy and nobody is beyond the need for God’s mercy? What hope or comfort does that offer to you or others? 
  4. List the three highlighted aspects of “the spirit of Jonah.” Which do you sense in yourself most? What other things can you add to this list? Can you share an example of how self-righteousness has manifested itself in your life? 
  5. Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this message? 
  6. Everybody should formulate a one sentence prayer response and request to everything heard and discussed. Have a few people share what they came up with. 

grace in Bulgaria. Grace Chung

BIO

  • Grace was born in Korea and immigrated to Pennsylvania as a child.
  • As a pastor’s wife, Grace directed Sunday school and ran special programs for special needs children at her home church in Yuong Sang Church.
  • Mother of two daughters, Miran and Liz.
  • Trained as an occupational therapist and now uses her training in her mission field to help people find dignity in life.
  • After the death of her husband, Grace found the strength to continue with her calling into the mission field abroad, which would take her away from her family and friends.
  • Grace has served in Plovdiv, Bulgaria since 2017.
  • She is part of the church-revitalizing team in post-communist, free Bulgaria.
  • Local churches are supported through teaching, preaching, discipleship, and community mercy outreach.
  • Grace enters the disability community, partnering with the local churches and nationals to be a tangible evidence of Christ’s love.

PRAY for Grace

  • Her church in Plovdiv, Bulgaria–First Evangelical Church of Plovdiv–and the church plant in West Plovdiv.
  • The transformation and reconciliation to God for the lost and the hurting of Plovdiv.
  • That she will continue to stay connected to the community during Covid19 social distancing.
  • She needs creative ways to stay connected with the children in the orphanage.
  • That God will continue to use her mightily for the advancement of His Kingdom in Bulgaria.
  • God will guard her from loneliness– esp. due to the isolation that is forced upon her during this pandemic.
  • That peace of God will protect her and comfort her and strengthen her every day.

LINKS to support Grace

https://www.mtw.org/missionaries/details/chung-grace

https://www.facebook.com/groups/651061988693501

WISDOM AND WEALTH: DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Please use the following questions to aid in your own personal meditation on wisdom and wealth in Proverbs as well as for your group discussion.You can find the talk on our YouTube page: https://youtu.be/agKaQ9Pxj5g

Remember that as a group you do not have to cover all of these questions. Set a time limit and stick with it! And please don’t sacrifice time for sharing prayer requests and praying for one another.

Personal Reflection/Group Discussion Questions:

  1. What stood out to you most about the teaching? What was most challenging, confusing, convicting or clarifying to you?
  2. What is your personal story/past experience with money? How do you think that has shaped your view of wealth more than the Bible’s view of it? (Or how does the Bible challenge your view of wealth?)
  3. How has money’s grip over you manifested itself in your life? Were those negative or positive consequences? Share. Is there a way that the loosening of money’s grip in your life has had certain consequences? Share.  
  4. Which of the areas of spending/giving best describes your practice (church, missions, justice/mercy, self, family, friends/community)? Which least describes you? Which do you want to work on the most and what do you hope that’ll accomplish?

Sermon Reflection/Discussion Guide (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7)

“Worship Under the Sun”

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Sermon Summary

The purpose of our weekly gatherings is to worship God. So in what ways do we ready ourselves to worship him? The Preacher says to “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God” (5:1) which means we need to prepare our hearts as we enter into God’s presence. When we come to worship God, we are entering the Holy of Holies through Christ who has torn the veil separating us from God. In coming before him verse 1 tells us that God doesn’t want mere empty religious formalism (“the sacrifice of fools”) but he wants our hearts (“to draw near to listen”). We cannot afford to gain the applause of man but lose the audience of God. Remember the words of God in 1 Samuel that “man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” So we should prioritize preparing our hearts to worship God. 

A humble worshipper who recognizes what’s taking place in worship will let their words be few. They won’t be chatty or babbling in God’s presence because they recognize and realize that in worship, earthly man communes with heavenly God. The Infinite One and the finite share a moment in space and time. The Holy One stoops to be with the sinful. We must remember that God is in heaven and we are on earth in order to understand and feel the reverence with which we approach God. This formality doesn’t kill intimacy with God but seeks to preserve it. God allows us to call him Abba Father but he also calls himself a consuming fire. We worship on the terms that God allows, not on the terms that we insist. 

God also detests unfaithful worshippers who come before him making all kinds of propositions and promises and fail to keep their vows. In fact, God says it’s better not to even make the vows because he’s never asked for them in the first place! Those who come to worship God and make vows in the hopes that God will do something for them are engaged in religion-centered worship. This is different than gospel-centered worship which is worship always in response to what God has already. God has kept his vow by sending his Son into the world in order to bridge the chasm between God in heaven and us on earth caused by our sin. The gospel says God came from heaven to earth to die so that we could go from earth to heaven to live. And in response to God’s sacrifice, we respond with our utmost worship. We take worship seriously because we take God’s sacrifice seriously. 

Group Discussion Questions

  1. Share something you found either interesting, memorable, convicting, confusing or challenging about the passage/sermon.  
  2. How can you “guard your steps” in coming into Sunday service? What distracts or prevents you most from preparing your heart to worship God? 
  3. What have you found helpful in your preparation for worship? 
  4. Do you often think about coming before God in fear and reverence or are you more concerned with something else? What helps stir and sustain reverence for God in worship?
  5. Is it difficult or easy to have an attitude and approach of reverence in coming to worship? What contributes to that? 

Sermon Reflection/Discussion Guide (Philippians 4:10-20)

“Fruitful Partnership”

Scripture: Philippians 4:10-20


1. Warm-up question: What are some questions you ask before investing your money? What are some of the red flags you look out for? Can we apply this same method or the same set of questions as we invest in the gospel? 


2. The Philippian church was the ONLY church that invested in the gospel. How can we gauge how we’re doing regarding our investment in the gospel? Is there a measuring stick we can use? 

What about on a personal level? Is there room in your budget to support missionaries? Are you currently supporting missionaries/organizations? Do you feel like it’s a partnership? What is the relationship like?


3. Today’s message emphasized the benefit of investing for heavenly rewards, but what are some of the rewards we can reap now when we invest in the gospel?


4. Paul says he didn’t seek the gift, but he seeks the fruit that increases to your credit. It’s highly doubtful that the Philippian church was proving for Paul because of the rewards waiting for them. The parable in Matthew 25 (the king rewarding his servants) comes to mind when we picture the generosity of the Philippian church. Are rewards necessarily a bad motivator to invest in the gospel? 

WISDOM AND WORK: DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Please use the following questions to aid in your own personal meditation on wisdom and words in Proverbs as well as for your group discussion. 

You can find the talk on our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf9wVAKjc3k&t=738s

Remember that as a group you do not have to cover all of these questions. Set a time limit and stick with it! And please don’t sacrifice time for sharing prayer requests and praying for one another.

Personal Reflection/Group Discussion Questions:

  1. What stood out to you most about the teaching? What was most challenging, confusing, convicting or clarifying?
  2. Share with each other the main work you are presently responsible for and engaged in. 
  3. Would you consider yourself diligent in your work? Would others consider you diligent? What kind of Christian witness do you think this gives to people?
  4. What is your attitude and approach toward work? Do you tend toward idleness in work (sluggard to work) or idolatry of work (slave to work)? Share your struggles with work. 
  5. What other implications can you derive from the fact that God was the first worker and that our work is patterned after God’s? What practical difference does this make in our work?