A conversation on...

We are having conversations every week about Black history and the church. 

Take It Deeper Questions: Read John 2:1-11 What memorable things have you seen or experienced at a wedding? Where is the wine level (zest for life) in your life right now? Full? Half full? Empty? Why? What is filing you? What is draining you? What area seems like stale water in an old jug? How could Jesus bring more celebration into your life? Bible Reading Plan: Genesis 28 Genesis 29 Genesis 30 G...

Take It Deeper Questions: Ready John 1:35-51 As a child, what would it take for you to believe something your brother or sister told you? What is a disciple of Jesus? Historically and currently? What insights do you get into following Jesus as you see Jesus calling His first disciples? What are some different reasons or motives for following Jesus? John’s last words of chapter one refer to Jacob’s...

Take It Deeper Questions: Read John 1:6-34 What has set you up for success in your life? How did they do it? Why did they do it? The titles given to Jesus so far: The Word, The Christ, The Lamb of God, The Son of God) What is the significance of each of these? Which means the most to you now and why? How would you explain Jesus’ coming to forgive sins to a 10 year old? How do you personally unders...

Take It Deeper Questions: Read John 1:1-18 Have you ever had a nickname? How did it start? Does anyone still use that nickname for you? Put verses 1-5 and 14 into your own words. Words that someone who doesn’t have a Christian background could understand. Are there prerequisites to believing in and/or have faith in Jesus? If yes, what are they? Why does John start here? How does this help in getti...

Take It Deeper Questions: Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 What is something you always enjoy? When did you last enjoy it? What is something you never enjoy? When did you last not enjoy it? What are the differences between a person that never rejoices, sometimes rejoices and always rejoices? What are the differences between a person that never prays, sometimes prays and prays continually? What are the...

Take It Deeper Questions Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 What do you love most about the Christmas season? Least? How does loving others traditionally fit into your Christmas traditions? How do religious traditions traditionally fit into your Christmas traditions? What are the essential ingredients to the love that Paul is talking about in these verses? How are you challenged, encouraged, focused and/or...

Take It Deeper Questions Read Luke 2:8-14 What has brought you great joy in the past? What would bring you great joy in 2021? How would you have responded if you were the shepherds in this narrative? What is the message of vs. 10? What does it look like to live in response to the “good news?” What is it to live in that joy? Bible Reading Plan Revelation 21 Revelation 22 Matthew 1 Matthew 2 Matthew...

Take It Deeper Questions Read Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38 Share a pregnancy story. (personal, spouse, sibling, relative) How would you respond if you were Mary or Joseph and received the news? How did Mary and Joseph seem to respond? Why do you think they responded this way? How is peace in the midst of the unknown possible? Why is peace in the midst of the unknown valuable? How are you chall...

Take It Deeper Questions: Read Jeremiah 29:11 What are your plans for this Christmas season? How has COVID impacted your plans? How can hope and challenging circumstances be a reality? What is God given hope? How do the words in Jeremiah challenge you, frustrate you, focus you and/or encourage you? Bible Reading Plan: Revelation 11 Revelation 12 Revelation 13 Revelation 14 Revelation 15

Take it Deeper Questions Read Matthew 25:14-30 If someone said they had a story for you and then shared this parable, how would you respond? Why? Who are you in the parable? Master, Servant 1, Servant 2 or Servant 3? Why? With the parable in mind: What things have you been entrusted with in this season? What does not being passive about those things look like? What is success with those things in...

Take It Deeper Questions Read Micah 6:1-8 When have you felt undeserving? Undeserving of a good thing or a bad thing. What does it mean to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Why does God ask for these things specifically? Where have you had evidence of these things in the past? How did those moments look, feel, impact yourself and others? How are you focused, challenged...

Take It Deeper Questions: 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 What would your closest friends and/or family say is your greatest strength? Weakness? How do these verses make you feel about your place in the body of Christ? About your need for others? What is the cost of isolation? How are you challenged and focused by this text today? Bible Reading Plan: 1 John 3 1 John 4 1 John 5 2 John 1 3 John 1

TAKE IT DEEPER Where have you seen God at work outside of the Church? Do you think the Church has struggled recognizing the work of God outside its community and control? Why do you think that? What is the danger of ministry/missions work that focuses on attempting to make people more like the minister or missionary? Does God have the capacity to use people outside of the Church to effect His will...

Take It Deeper Questions Read Hebrews 10:1-18 What daily rituals do you enjoy most and dislike most? What are the differences between Old Covenant atonement and New Covenant atonement? How much of your time is spent with a gnawing and/or vague sense of guilt? What does a life look like as it is continually being made holy? If you were to memorize one verse from this section, what would it be and w...

Written study guide: A conversation on the old and new covenants Take It Deeper Questions Read Hebrews 9:11-28 What have you gone through once but have since vowed to never do again? The author used Old Testament analogies to explain the meaning of Christ’s death to religious Jews. What analogies might clarify with non-religious people today? What is the Old Covenant? What is the New Covenant? Wha...

Take It Deeper Questions Read 1 Peter 2:4-12 When have you been most closely connected to a home improvement project? How did it go? What was most enjoyable? What was most unenjoyable? How do you respond to Peter's description of you in verse 9? What struggle within yourself are you facing that only Christ can help you overcome? How are you focused, confused, challenged or confused by this text to...

Take It Deeper Questions: Read Mark 1:9-12 What do you need to hear (what would you like to hear) from people in your world? What do you need to hear (what would you like to hear) from God? What was God telling Jesus? What do you hear as God speaks these words over you? Do you hear what God is trying to say? Why or why not? How does it impact you that God spoke these things to Jesus before he star...

Take It Deeper Questions Read John 3:1-21 Who are the most important or famous people you know? What do you think Nicodemus had to overcome in order to come to Jesus? Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus? (vs. 1-2) How did Jesus respond? What does it mean to be born of water and Spirit? Why is Nicodemous an important perspective to bring to the famous verses of John 3:16-18? Bible Reading Plan Hebrews...

Take It Deeper Questions: Read 1 John 4:7-12 Share your “first love” story. If the absence of love leads to indifference, how is indifference similar and/or different to hate? How does God love? How does being loved by God and people affect you? How are we to love? Bible Reading Plan: Philippians 1 Philippians 2 Philippians 3 Philippians 4

Take It Deeper Questions Read Luke 18:35-43 Who is the most famous person you have seen up close? What were the circumstances? What do the disciples still fail to see about Jesus in this moment? What stands out about the beggars handicap, faith and character? What would have happened if the man didn’t take any initiative? What would have happened if Jesus would not have responded to the initiative...

Take It Deeper Questions Matthew 13:44-46 What is the most valuable thing you have either lost or found? Define joy. How and why is it possible to have joy in the midst of pain or cost? Why would someone joyfully do something that is not easy to do? Why do some people have a greater perspective while enduring things that are “costly” and are able to do them with joy? How are you challenged, focuse...

Take It Deeper Questions Read John 14:25-27 What is peace? How do you know when you have it or when you see it in someone else? How does a person get it if they don’t have it? How can you help others in their relationship with peace? How should peace be affected by current circumstances and how should it be unaffected by current circumstances? Bible Reading Plan 2 Corinthians 7 2 Corinthians 8 2 C...

Take It Deeper Questions Read Matthew 5:3-12 If our culture would write a version of blessed statements, what would they be? What is your version of personal blessed statements? How have Jesus’ blessed statements come to a different light in 2020? What are the internal changes that this year is giving you opportunity to embrace and follow through with? Bible Reading Plan 2 Corinthians 1 2 Corinthi...

What to read Read Psalm 139 and reflect on the concept of God being present through support and opposition. Take It Deeper Questions Read Philippians 4:10-20 What do you look back on as being the happiest days of your life? What is Paul’s secret to contentment? How does Paul’s view of contentment resemble or clash with our cultures view of contentment? How does Paul’s view of contentment resemble...