CG Discussion Questions (“The Fish”)

“The Prayer” (Mercy Upon Mercy)

Scripture: Jonah 1:17-2:10

Sermon Summary: 

Many people know that they should pray but the problem is that they don’t know how to pray. This is especially true during times of suffering and difficulty. We know we should pray but we simply can’t find the words to articulate. When Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, he was in a very dark and depressing place. And yet he managed to pray. How? A close examination of Jonah’s prayers reveal that none of his prayers were original. They were all adaptions and modifications of various psalms. Every verse of Jonah’s prayer can be traced back to prayer in a psalm. 

God gave us the psalms so that his words could become our words, especially when otherwise all we would have are groans. God gives us the psalms as a provision, as an act of grace, so that we can express our heart back to him in an intelligible way. The psalms help us express our frustrations and our fears, our doubts and our distress in God-approved ways. In order to grow in prayer, it will be incredibly helpful to grow in your familiarity, understanding, meditation, and memorization of the psalms. This will give you better access to the language of God that you can use to pray back to God. 

Our comfort as Christians though does not come simply from the command – pray the psalms like Jonah. Our hope comes from the gospel. When Jesus likened his death and resurrection to Jonah’s experience in the fish, Jesus was identifying himself as the greater Jonah. But as the fulfillment of a greater Jonah, Jesus also prayed the psalms in his own suffering and despair. As he hung on the cross for our sins, Jesus was reduced to borrowing the words of the psalms. By doing this, Jesus was experiencing in himself the fullest sting and greatest agony of the the psalms. Jesus took on every experience and emotion that the psalmist articulates so that it would have no more power over us. This means when we experience these things in our lives, they can not ultimately drown us. We have new hope and new strength. 

Group Discussion Questions

  1. As a group, summarize the sermon together into a few sentences. 
  2. Share an experience where you wanted to pray but couldn’t find the words to pray. Were you eventually able to pray through it? What helped? 
  3. What is your general view and attitude of the psalms? Is it a book that you love to read or do you have a hard time enjoying it? Why? 
  4. Do you have a favorite psalm? Share it and tells others why. What about it resonates with you? How has it ministered to you and helped you pray? (Or take a favorite psalm of yours and try to turn it into a prayer to borrow)
  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 Parenting Questions

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

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. Did you personally experience godly and wise parenting in your own childhood? What kinds of things did you commit to not following in the footsteps of your parents and what kinds of things did you want to model after them? 
  3. Make a list of things that are most important for a godly and wise parent to be and do for his/her child(ren)? Are those things easy or difficult? Why? 
  4. What are the challenges/difficulties that you face or that you can imagine facing as a growing godly and wise parent? In what area do you want to commit to grow personally? 
  5. Do you tend to be a parent/person who 1) confronts with law and expects change with more law or 2) never confronts with law and so ignores need to change by grace? What are the failures in these two ways. Articulate to one another how the gospel way works and how it is a better way. 
  6. How does the world’s expectations of parents and the Word’s expectations of parents look different? Can you think of some examples where Christ-centered parenting and child-centered parenting clash? 

CG Discussion Questions (Colossians 3:1-2)

“Hope in Heavenly Things”

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-2

Group Discussion Questions

  1. The gospel rests on the pillars of the death and resurrection of Jesus. List some of the benefits that Christ’s resurrection hope provides for the Christian. Which of these do you look forward to most? Share how it would impact your life. 
  2. Has hope found on the horizon/things below on earth ever disappointed you? In what was have you experienced the frailty, fragility, futility and finitude of earthly hope? How would heavenly, resurrection hope be any different?
  3. 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? 
  4. 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 (Matthew 23:23-24)

“The Weightier Matters”

Scripture: Matthew 23:23-24

Group Discussion Questions

  1. As a group, summarize the sermon together into a few sentences. 
  2. Why do you think the Pharisees and scribes gave so much attention to tithing their spices but neglected the weightier matters? What are some matters of the law you pay more attention to than the weightier ones (justice, mercy and faithfulness)?
  3. How should Christian/gospel-centered mercy and justice differ from the agenda of mercy and justice set and pushed by the world? How can you make mercy and justice a “big rock” in your life?
  4. 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? 
  5. 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 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