Southlands Church Brea

Alan Frow // Acts 11:19-26 ESV

Brent Worthington // Acts 10:1 - 11:18 CSB

Joel Baker // Acts 9: 19-31 CSB Community Group Discussion Questions 1. The Power of a Transformed Life   Saul’s life changed dramatically after encountering Jesus. What is one area of your life where Christ has noticeably transformed you, and how can your testimony encourage others? 2. New Desires in Christ   Following Jesus often changes what we value most. What are some desires, priorities, or...

Alan Frow // Acts 8:4-21, 26-39 ESV  Community Group Discussion Questions 1. What “higher powers” compete with the power of the gospel in our lives today? 2. What stands out to you about Philip having no positional power, yet being used powerfully by God? 3. How can we use the power God gives us to lift others up rather than ourselves? 4. What can we learn from Simon’s wrong motive toward spiritua...

Acts 7:51-8:1 CSB // Joel Baker Discussion Questions: 1. Can you think of a time when telling the truth was costly? What held you back—or helped you move forward? How do we discern when to speak boldly versus when to remain silent? 2. Stephen prays for those who are killing him. What is your honest reaction to that? Why do we naturally lean toward fairness or justice rather than grace? Who in your...

Community Group Discussion Prompts: 1. Growing pains can expose neglect and tension. In Acts 6, the church leaned toward unity instead of division. Where have you seen conflict become an opportunity for growth, and how can we pursue unity when people feel overlooked? 2. The early church shared leadership and raised up Spirit-filled servants. How has serving alongside others strengthened your faith...

Matt Larsen // Acts 5:17-21, 26-42  Community Group Questions: 1. Joy under pressure (Acts 5:41):    When you’re “in hot water,” what tends to come out of you—fear, frustration, or joy? What does that reveal about where your identity is currently anchored? 2. Identity in “the Name”:    In practical terms this week, what would it look like to live from who Jesus says you are rather than from achiev...

Alan Frow // Acts 4:31 -5:11 ESV Community Group Questions: 1) What could be some common, practical examples of how we can demonstrate value for people over possessions? 2) Share of a time when you sensed the Holy Spirit guide you to give unto the Lord sacrificially. 3) Do you recall a time when you did something with mixed motives? How did the Holy Spirit bring this to your attention? 4) Pray tha...

Joel Baker // Acts 4: 23-31 CSB

1. Think of a time when you were mistreated for the sake of Christ. What happened? How did you respond to the person (or people) that mistreated you? 2. What is some other “cornerstone” that you might have built your life upon at some time in your past (or even now, if it applies) 3. What may be a circumstance when civil disobedience as a church may be not only acceptable but even required in orde...

Matt Henderson // Acts 3: 1-16 CSB Community Group Questions: 1. Would people that know you well generally find you interruptible by people, or rather protective of your boundaries? 2. When was the last time you found yourself interrupted by the Spirit of God? What were the circumstances, what happened? Briefly share.  3. What are some things or someone other than Christ that you might lean on for...

Andrew Scherer // Acts 2: 40-47 CSB

Alan Frow // Acts 2: 12-41 CSB Community Group Questions: 1. From Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, preaching was multiplied by the Spirit through the people of God. It was often not from behind a pulpit. But the Jesus people preached wherever they went. Speak about a time that God used you to proclaim His Word in ordinary ways. (refer to Act 8:1) 2. When we are encouraged to ‘preach,’ what are some us...

1. If the Spirit truly fell on our group the way He did in Acts 2, what would change first?  2. What step can you take this week to be bold in proclamation while walking in Spirit-empowered love? 3. What does being “clothed with power” look like in everyday life (home, work, school)? 4. How can the church live as evidence that the curse of "Babel-like" division has been broken? 5. Calling on witne...

Kevin Meish // Acts 1: 6-14 (CSB) 1. What are some things that people speculate about than being obedient to what is already in scripture? 2. What are some ways that you have relinquished control since you have been trusting the Lord more? 3. Through Jesus’ Ascension, He is now even more accessible than ever before. What are some ways you sense the Holy Spirit empowering you to partake in His miss...

Alan Frow // Acts 1: 1-5 CSB Community Group Questions: 1. What does it mean to you practically, to grasp the baton of Jesus’ message and mission and to pass it on to the next generation? 2. How does our gathering together help us to grow more certain of the faith we proclaim? Share insights from your own experience. 3. When was the last time you had waited on God with anticipation and expectancy?...

Andrew Scherer Community Group Questions: 1. What is alluring about the promise of paradise through technology? 2. What do we notice God doing both in our lives and in Scripture to expand His Kingdom and to have us participate in this? 3. How might we become “the light of the world, the salt of the earth” and “aroma of Christ”?

Alan Frow // 1 Kings 3: 7-9 Community Group Questions: 1. Share of a time when you noticed someone apply good information and good ethics to real life situation(s).  2. What are some ways that God’s wisdom may appear counterintuitive, while the so-called wisdom of the world, more appealing? 3. Share if you can, of a situation when having the right information and the right motives was simply not e...

Special Guest Brett McCracken, from Southlands Santa Ana and The Gospel Coalition // Psalm 1 ESV Community Group Questions: 1. What in your life is causing you to become more "chaff like"? Pray that God would give you disciplines to reduce these influences in your life. 2. If you become more like the sturdy, fruitful tree in Psalm 1, how does that serve your neighbor and a lost world? What's the m...

Alan Frow // Romans 12: 1-2, John 17 Community Group Questions: 1. In what ways has digital media caused you to conform to the patterns of the world in habits, values, or thinking? 2. How has this disrupted your connection to God and people? 3. What apps on your phone would you consider “distraction” apps that consume a lot of your time? 4. What uncomfortable symptoms are you experiencing so far d...

Joel Baker // Ps 119: 37 & Rom 12: 1-2 CSB

Joel Baker // Zechariah 11: 12-13, 12:10 CSB 1. What are some ways in which Jesus and the Gospel invert our idea of power in the world? 2. How does Jesus being pierced for our sake restore unto us our inability to be with God because of Sin? 3. The fact that Jesus was pierced for all, is compelling for a Missional impetus in our lives. What are some practical ways in which we can participate in Hi...

Andrew Scherer // Zechariah 9: 9-10, Philippians 2: 1-11 CSB

Alan Frow // Zechariah 2: 5-13 ESV Community group questions: 1. Do you recall a time when you waited for someone for a long time, and when that person finally showed up?  2. Was there ever a time when you were able to just be there for someone during a difficult time, or when someone made your hard times more than bearable because of his or her compassion and solidarity? 3. Share about a time whe...

Alan Frow // Joshua 24: 1-31 ESV Community group questions: 1. How has the Grace of God helped you to serve Him, rather than yourself? 2. Have you ever found yourself disappointed for breaking a promise or a vow? 3. The message talked about Israel serving the gods of Egypt and the gods of the Ammonites. These could represent nostalgia or relevance. We can also find ourselves serving the gods of mo...