IBC Richmond

Application Questions: How valuable is wisdom according to Proverbs 8:4-11? Give several examples of how wisdom can be chosen over possessions. Is wisdom rare? Is wisdom’s value associated with its availability? How does wisdom bless leadership? What is the impact of its absence in leadership? Read Proverbs 8:24-25. Is Jesus the wisdom of God? If so, is Jesus a created being?

Application Questions: Should you lend money to family or friends? Is it wise to ever loan money? How does wisdom govern lending practices? What can be learned from the ant? What observable behaviors inform work and rest in the life of the wise? What is an abomination? Why does Proverbs say God hates them? How should Christians hate what God hates? Define the phrase “one who sows discord among the...

Application Questions: What is the result of succumbing to sexual temptation? How does Proverbs describe it? What examples in the Bible prove that sexual sin is foolish? What practical do's and dont's apply the principle of Proverbs 5:8 by avoiding exposure to sexual temptation? Is avoiding sexual sin the same as avoiding sexual sinners? How did Jesus treat sexual sinners? How should Christians an...

APPLICATION QUESTIONS: How can wisdom be gained? How can wisdom be lost? How should you think about aging and growing in wisdom? After reading Proverbs 4:3-5, what is the influence of a father? What should you do in the absence of a godly, instructive father? To what degree should long life, success, and profit motivate your tenacious pursuit of wisdom? What is worldview? Proverbs 4:18-19 contrast...

APPLICATION QUESTIONS: In what sense is moral wisdom a "tree of life"? How is "good" defined, qualified, and expressed in Proverbs 3:27-30? How does privilege, influence, and opportunity factor into doing good? What implications does this have on a person and in a community? Why does moral wisdom need a community context? What examples have you observed of Proverbs 3:35, "The wise will inherit hon...

APPLICATION QUESTIONS: What does it mean to “acknowledge God” in all your ways? What will God do in response? Do you study to be intelligent? Do you learn in order to be smart? How does pursuing education fit with wisdom’s counsel to “be not wise in your own eyes” (Prov 3:7)? How may a believer honor God with their wealth as an application of Proverbs 3:9? Give 4-6 examples. Why does God disciplin...

Application Questions: Wisdom is described as a treasure to be sought and searched. How does a person pursue wisdom? What practical means will assist in a search for wisdom? What is the significance of the path imagery in Proverbs 2? What does is signify about life? Define righteousness, justice, and equity in Proverbs 2:9. What examples of each show up in daily life? In what ways will your life b...

Application Questions: 1. Proverbs speaks of a father’s instruction and a mother’s teaching (Prov. 1:8). Who gives you spiritual advice and wise counsel? What is their name? How have you learned from them? 2. What will a wise person avoiding by not consenting and by not walking with sinners? 3. What is the destination of the evil path? How does this connect with Jesus’ teaching in Luke 9:25? 4. As...

APPLICATION QUESTIONS: 1. Why does Luke describe the two companions on the Emmaus road as “looking sad”? What was their disappointment? What circumstances cause you to be disappointed with God? 2. What does it mean that “their eyes were kept from recognizing him” (Lk 24:16)? Were they blinded by emotion or blinded by God? 3. Why does Jesus ask Cleopas and his companion, “What things” (Lk 24:19)? D...

Application Questions: 1. What does it mean to walk in the fear of the Lord? 2. Why don’t people fear the Lord? 3. Who are the wise, the simple, and the fool in the book of Proverbs? 4. If you choose to live in godly fear, what would it change about your life on day one?

Application Questions: 1. What is the difference between your ideal life and real life? How does the book of Proverbs reconcile the two? 2. Who wrote Proverbs? What can be learned from his life? 3. Defined the categories (1) wise, (2) simple, and (3) foolish. How does each category relate to your decision making? 4. Who is the hearer and listener in Proverbs 1:1-6?

Why study Jonah? It is highly theological, extremely personal, and intensely missional.

Application Questions: 1. What did Paul and Barnabas do in the first visit to Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe? What did they do on the return trip? Compare and contrast the purposes for each trip. 2. How does a person enter the Kingdom of God? Why is the path littered with tribulation? 3. Who listens to Paul and Barnabas “declare all that God had done with them”? How does this story inform missionary a...

Application Questions: 1. What is the involvement of church members in Jerusalem and in Antioch? How does this influence the doctrine of congregational polity? Who makes decisions in the local church? 2. How should a church resolve conflict? What issues call for deference? What issues call for division? Who decided and lead on these decisions in Antioch? 3. What four abstentions did the Jerusalem...

Application Questions: 1. How many prophets and teachers are listed for the church at Antioch? Does the New Testament teach a plurality of local church leadership? Why or why not? 2. Who are separated and sent from Antioch for global evangelism? What can a local church learn from this model of missions? 3. Have you ever fasted and prayed? What was the circumstance and the outcome? What spiritual g...

APPLICATION QUESTIONS: 1. What do you know about Antioch? What can 21st Century churches learn from the church that thrived in that city? Why is there no New Testament letter to the church at Antioch? 2. How can you see grace? What does it mean for Acts 11:23 (“And when he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad”) to describe the church at Antioch? How can the church today nurture a grace cultu...

APPLICATION QUESTIONS: 1. Is worship and doubt mutually exclusive? What does it mean to doubt in this context? How can a Christian doubt anything about God? 2. What divine characteristics of Jesus does the Great Commission depend on for fulfillment? Will the Great Commission be accomplished? 3. What does it mean to be a disciple? How have you been discipled by others? How are you discipling others...

APPLICATION QUESTIONS: 1. Who witnessed the resurrected Jesus in Matthew 28? How does their testimony influence your belief in the resurrection? 2. What causes your greatest fear and greatest joy? Is it the message or the messenger that provoked the two Mary’s fear and joy (Mt 28:8)? 3. Did the soldiers lie in their report of the resurrection? How can you defeat false accusations? 4. What does the...

Application Questions: 1, What heart issue drove the high priests and elders to demand Jesus' crucifixion? How did Pilate identify the heart issue? Should actions be driven by emotions? Why or why not? 2. How many words does Jesus speak in Matthew 27? Why did Jesus quote Psalm 22? Why did God the Father forsake God the Son? 3. Was Jesus the king of the Jews? Why does Pilate ask? Why does Jesus as...

Application Questions: 1. What is betrayal? Have you been betrayed and how? How can a Christian model Jesus Christ's response to Judas’ betrayal? 2. Judas regrets his betrayal of Jesus (Mt 27:3-5) and Peter regrets his denial of Jesus (Mt 26:69-75). What are the similarities and differences in their response? What does the Bible teach about regret and denial? 3.Jesus said, “all this has taken plac...

Application Questions: 1. As the disciples asked Jesus, When will the kingdom come (Mt 24:3)? When will Jesus reign from the David throne? 2. What’s the significance of not knowing when Jesus will return to earth? “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Mt 24:36) and “For the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect...