Immanuel Church

1. What is the difference between the wisdom of the people and the wisdom of the Spirit (God)? 2. Can we know true wisdom on our own or does it need to be revealed? 3. What is the difference between the spiritual person and the natural person? 4. How essential is the Holy Spirit for salvation? What about Christian living? 5. How have you experienced the Holy Spirit’s activity in your life, even if...

1. Reflect on a time when you felt a clear leading or direction from the Holy Spirit in your own life. How did you discern it? How did you respond? What impact did it have on your faith journey? 2. Discuss the significance of sending and supporting missionaries to spread the gospel. Have you ever considered that God may be calling you to global missions? How can you practically participate (hold t...

1 What do you think about this idea that you are a preacher? And how does that reality change the way you engage with this text? 2 Since we are all preachers, what are some practical implications of the fact that the mighty message is carried through relational pursuit? (Consider - Who are you pursuing, and how are you pursuing them?) 3 How does the manner of Paul’s preaching differ to a TED talk...

1. What is the message of the cross? What happens to the Bible and Christianity without the cross? 2. In what ways have you witnessed the message of the cross perceived as “folly” or “foolishness” to the world around you? How can you respond with wisdom and grace? 3. How does one move from thinking that the message of the cross is foolishness to believing that it is the power of God? 4. If “true w...

1. In what ways does division in the church distort the gospel and ruin the church's reputation? How does unity promote the gospel to a lost world? 2. What does it mean to be of the "same understanding" and "same conviction"? 3. In what ways do Christians attempt to justify their divisive and quarrelsome attitudes? 4. What issues are Christians currently quarreling and dividing over? 5. Does the i...

Read 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 1. Why do you think Paul starts his letter off with such gratitude for God’s grace given to the Corinthians? How is God’s grace seen and confirmed in the lives of the church? (Salvation; alignment of Word and Action; Gifts) 2. What do you think it means to be ‘enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge’? (verse 5) 3. Have you ever considered what spiritual (grace) gif...

Read Proverbs 24:3-4 1. If you are married, what are practical steps that you can take to move toward one another in the areas of passion, intimacy, and life-giving speech? 2. As a husband, if you are called to cultivate or nurture your wife with trust and gratitude, what practically can you do to grow in these areas? 3. As parents, if you are called to create a refuge for your children, and this...

Read Proverbs 30:7-9 1. Are you more of a saver or a spender? Why do you think that is? What in your heart is the motivating force to either spend or save? 2. What are some key truths from Proverbs that God wants us to learn about our relationship to money? Concerning earning money? Concerning giving? Concerning spending? Concerning saving? 3. What are some of the inherent dangers of money that th...

Read Proverbs 19:23; 1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 4 1. Where in life do you most struggle to be content? Where is your heart most restless? 2. What do you believe is the primary desire of your heart that leads you to this life of discontentment? 3. What do you think of Jeremiah Burroughs definition of contentment: “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, whic...

1. What is a big decision that you recently had to make? How hard was it to make that decision? Did you follow some plan to assist in the process? What was the process or what were the steps that you walked through to make this decision? 2. Have you ever had trouble making a decision because you were waiting on the Lord to reveal you to you some part of His secret will? Do you think that this is n...

Read: Proverbs 4:1-27 1. Spend some time discussing the challenges of parenting. If you are not a parent, share some of the challenges you faced growing up. How does Solomon's instruction in Proverbs 4 encourage and help you? 2. Read Proverbs 4:10-13. What are the benefits of embracing wise parental instruction? What are some practical ways that you can share these benefits (and others like them)...

Read: Proverbs 4:1-19 1. What commands does the father give to his sons in this passage? (There are many) What do these commands imply about the sons? What do these commands imply about parenting? 2. Why do you think the father conveys his instruction in a personal way in verses 3-9? How would this personal approach help the children? Share some of the personal and meaningful wisdom that your pare...

Read Proverbs 6:6-11; 26:13-16; 24:30-34 1. How would you define a sluggard? 2. What are the character failures of a sluggard according to the above texts? 3. How prevalent is this within our society? Why? 4. When or where or how has this been a part of your life story? In the past? Currently? 5. Where are you complacent? Or idle? Or lazy? 6. What are you doing to fight this? 7. How do you balance...

1. What are the 5 primary things one must consider in Conflict Resolution? - Is this worth fighting over? Should I just cover it in love? - How can I set my heart on glorifying God? Is this about winning or honoring God? - How can I get the log out of my own eye? Take Responsibility for your sin - How can I gently restore this relationship? This is not about payback or revenge but restoration - Ho...

Read Proverbs 17:1 1. What does God think of discord or dissension or conflict? Why? 2. What are the first two steps in being a Peace Maker? (glorify God; take the log out) 3. Before we begin this process, what is one thing that we should consider? (should we just cover it in love?) 4. How can God be glorified in the way you handle your conflict? 5. How does one go about finding and taking the log...

1. This past week have your words been more life giving or harmful? 2. 15:4—A gentle tongue is a tree of life 3. 16:24 -- “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” 4. Please share about a time when some friends words to you were nourishing and life giving at a time that you desperately needed them? How were they nourishing? Did this inspire you to speak nourishi...

1. What does this one chapter alone teach us about our words? Read the chapter and make a list. 2. Focus on verse 8 – what do we learn? What does this teach us about human nature? 3. Focus on verse 13 – What do we learn? How can we apply this to life? Also see v17, how does this apply as well? 4. Focus on verse 21 – Where have you seen your words bring the power of death? How did you reconcile? Ho...

1. Where in life do you struggle with lust? Not necessarily sexual lust, but a perverted desire that treats a want as a need, and sets yourself as the god of that area of your life. 2. Then Discuss ANTHEM A – AVOID as much as is possible and reasonable the sights and situations that arouse unfitting desire. N – Say NO to every lustful thought within five seconds. T – TURN the mind forcefully towar...

Read Proverbs 1:9-19 1. What is the main message Solomon is trying to convey to his son in this passage? 2. How does this passage speak to the responsibility of parents to teach wisdom to their children? 3. Why do you think Solomon warns his son about the dangers of joining a gang of murderous thieves? How is our culture a “culture of death?” How can we as believers make sure that we are creating...

1. What were the marks, or tendencies, or characteristics of the fool according to scripture as mentioned in the message on Sunday? What others can you think of? 2. What were the marks, or tendencies, or characteristics of the wise according to scripture as mentioned in the message on Sunday? What others can you think of? 3. Can you think of times in your life when you have walked the path of the...

Read Proverbs 3:1-12 1. How is your love for God seen in your love for his word? What are you doing to develop or deepen your love for His word? How are you implanting the word into your heart and mind? 2. Where in your life do you trust in your own wisdom rather than God’s? Where do you struggle to submit your choices to the truth of His word? 3. There are two paths in life: the path of the fooli...

1. Who do you know that is filled with Biblical wisdom? How did they get that way? 2. Do you enjoy texts like the proverbs that invite you into the learning process? What do you think you will find difficult about this series in the book of Proverbs? What will be simple? 3. If someone observed your life today (family, finances, occupation, speech, etc), would they say that you feared the Lord?