Grand Lake Church

1. What does the word “faithful” mean to you? What does it mean for God to be faithful? 2. What does it mean for God to be faithful in his promises? Can you think of examples in the Bible of God being faithful to his promises? How about in your own life? 3. What does it mean for God to be faithful in provision? Read Matthew 6: 25-34. What does this tell us about God’s provisions for life? 4. God i...

1. What does it mean to you that God is just? How does God’s justice shape your view of His character? 2. How do we reconcile the idea of a loving God with the reality of His justice? In what ways do God's love and justice work together rather than contradict each other? 3. God’s justice is perfect, unlike human justice. How does this challenge the way you think about fairness and judgment in the...

1. What does it mean that God’s heart is loving? How has your understanding of God's love grown or changed over time? 2. How do we reconcile God's love with the suffering we see in the world? How can we trust in God’s love even in difficult circumstances? 3. We believe that God’s love is not earned but is a free gift (Romans 6: 23). How does this concept challenge the way you think about your rela...

Read Hebrews 4: 14-16. 1. What does the word “grace” mean to you? 2. How is grace different than “mercy” that we discussed last week? How are they similar? 3. Pastor Mick said one of his seminary leaders used to say, “The answer is always grace.” What do you think of that sentiment? Do you agree? Why/why not? 4. What do you think about the Wesleyan understanding of grace as Prevenient Grace, Justi...

Read Exodus 34: 5-9. 1. What does the word “mercy” mean to you? 2. Can you think of some ways others have shown mercy to you in the past? How have you shown mercy to others? How has God shown mercy to you? 3. Read John 8: 1-11 about the woman caught in adultery. How is this an example of mercy? 4. Pastor Mick talked about how we often want mercy for ourselves, but justice for others. What did he m...

Read Exodus 19: 16-20. 1. The word “holy” most literally means “set apart” or “separate.” In what ways is God holy? In what ways are you called to be holy? 2. What is significant about the opening phrase of this passage, “On the morning of the third day”? What is significant about the number 3? Where else do we see “3” show up in key Biblical passages? 3. In what ways does today’s passage describe...

Read Exodus 20: 17. 1. What does it mean to be truly content, and how does that look in daily life? 2. How does coveting affect our relationship with God and others? What are some examples of how covetousness can damage community and trust? 3. What role does gratitude play in overcoming a covetous heart? 4. How does our culture encourage covetousness, and how can we resist this influence? What pra...

Read Exodus 20: 1-17 (today’s focus is v. 16). 1. What do you think of when you hear the word “lie”? What does “lying” mean to you? 2. Why is it is so important to always tell the truth? What can happen if we don’t tell the truth? 3. Commandment #9 refers to “false testimony” or “false witness,” depending on the translation. What do these terms mean? Do they expand your understanding of why lying...

Read Exodus 20: 1-17 (today’s focus is v. 15). 1. What do you think of when you hear the word “steal?” What does “stealing” mean to you? 2. What are some obvious ways people steal? What are some less obvious ways people steal? Have you ever done any of these? 3. Pastor Mick talked about integrity. What does integrity mean? How is integrity related to Commandment #8 (and all the other commandments...

Read Exodus 20: 1-17 (today’s focus is v. 14). 1. What does the word “adultery” mean to you? How about the words “fidelity” and “infidelity”? 2. The RightNow Media study this week describes physical intimacy as both a wonderful and dangerous gift. What do you think they mean by that? In what ways is it wonderful? In what ways can it be dangerous? 3. How does physical intimacy connect two people? (...

Read Exodus 20: 1-17 (today’s focus is v. 13). 1. The 6th Commandment says, “Thou shall not murder.” The KJV uses the word “kill” rather than “murder.” How are these two words different? Which do you think best speaks to the intention of this Commandment? 2. The United Methodist Book of Discipline states, “We affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth, created in the image of God.” Wh...

Read Exodus 20: 12. 1. What does the word “honor” mean to you in the context of the 5th Commandment? How might it look different for children versus adults? 2. Why do you think God included the commandment to honor parents in the Ten Commandments? How does this commandment contribute to a healthy society? 3. In what ways can honoring our parents reflect our relationship with God? How does it serve...

Read Exodus 20: 1-17. (today’s focus is v. 8-11) 1. What does the word “Sabbath” mean to you? 2. What does it mean to “remember the Sabbath”? 3. What does it mean to “keep the Sabbath holy”? (hint: holy means “set apart”) 4. What do you think are the primary purposes (and benefits) of Sabbath-keeping? 5. How does Sabbath-keeping create a healthy rhythm of life? How can life get out of rhythm when...

Read James 3: 9-12 and Exodus 20: 7. 1. What does it mean to you to honor God's name in your daily life? Can you share specific examples? 2. In what ways do you see people taking God's name in vain in today's society, and how can we, as Christians, respond to this? 3. How can we ensure that our actions reflect the reverence we hold for God's name? 4. Why is it important to be mindful of our speech...

Read Exodus 20: 1-17. (today’s focus is v. 4-6) 1. What does the word idolatry mean to you? How would you describe an idol? 2. What kind of idolatry were the ancient Israelites guilty of practicing? What kind of idolatry is prevalent in today’s society? Why is modern idolatry sometimes harder to recognize? 3. Why is God so concerned about idols? How does this Commandment compare with the first Com...

Read Exodus 20: 1-17 (today’s focus is v. 1-3). 1. How do we know that the 10 Commandments are given directly by God? (hint: see Exodus 20: 1 and 31: 18) 2. What does it mean to you that the 10 Commandments were etched in stone by the finger of God? How do you treat these Commandments in your everyday living? 3. Why do you think these Commandments are on two tablets instead of all being on one tab...

Read Matthew 7: 24-27. 1. What do you think of when you hear the word “equip”? 2. In what way is Jesus equipping his followers in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)? 3. Why do you think Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount with the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders? Why are parables effective for equipping? 4. What might using parables (stories) to equip look like in your everyday life wit...

Read 2 Corinthians 1: 3-7. 1. What do you think of when you hear the word comfort? What gives you comfort? 2. Why is comfort important? Why do we need comfort? When do we need comfort? What happens if we don’t receive comfort? 3. In today’s passage, who does Paul describe as our primary source of comfort? 4. Pastor Mick talked about the Greek words paraklesis (comfort) and paraclete (comforter, ad...

Read John 17: 11-15. 1. What do you think of when you hear the word protection? Who do you protect? Who protects you? 2. Why is protection important? What did Pastor Mick mean when he said without protection we can become prey? 3. What does Providence mean? How have you experienced Providence in your life or the lives of others? 4. Read Psalm 46: 1. What does this tell us about the nature and char...

Read Genesis 2: 15-17. 1. What is a boundary and why are boundaries important? 2. Pastor Mick told a story about a farmer putting up a fence. In what ways are boundaries ways of both “fencing in” and “fencing out”? 3. What boundary did God set for Adam and Eve? What happened when they ignored the boundary? What can we learn from this? 4. Read Proverbs 3: 5-6. What does this tell us about obeying t...

Read 1 Thessalonians 5: 14-15. 1. What does it mean to be a child of God? (Hint: see John 1: 12-13) 2. In the book “The 6 Needs of Every Child,” the second need is “support.” Why is support so important? What kind of support do you long for as a child of God? 3. What are the three specific ways Paul urges us to support one another in today’s passage? 4. Pastor Mick referenced the baptismal covenan...

Read Zephaniah 3: 14-20. 1. In Zephaniah 3: 14, the people of Zion are called to sing, shout, and rejoice with all their hearts. How does this passage encourage you to express your joy in God's love in your daily life? What practical steps can you take to cultivate a spirit of delight? 2. Zephaniah 3: 17 mentions that God will take great delight in His people, quiet them with His love, and rejoice...

Read John 3: 1-17. 1. Who is Nicodemus? Why does he come to Jesus at night? 2. Read Matthew 23. What does Jesus think about the Pharisees based on this passage? What are the Pharisees doing wrong? 3. Do you ever see modern-day Christians acting like Pharisees? If so, in what way? Do you ever act like a Pharisee? If so, what needs to change? 4. Why do you think Nicodemus was drawn to Jesus? Why do...

Read Acts 2: 1-6. 1. Verse 6 tells us that “there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.” Why were all of these people in Jerusalem at that time? 2. According to verse 1, Jesus’ closest followers were “all together in one place.” What were they doing? Why were they there? Why did Jesus tell them to wait there? (see Acts 1: 4-5) 3. Why do you think the Holy Spiri...

Scripture for Study and Reflection: Read Colossians 3: 12-17. 1. Today we finish our sermon series “Healing Hearts: A Journey to Wholeness.” What does wholeness mean to you? What do you think it takes to make you, and/or the congregation, whole? 2. What are the virtues with which Paul tells us to clothe ourselves? Why do you think he chose those virtues? What does it mean to clothe yourself with t...