Creative Community

The Promise (week six)

2007-10-17T10:00:00.000-04:00

Week Six: God's Family Became a Nation

As a group, read through the ten commandments. (Exodus 20:1-17)
The first four commandments focus on our relationship with God. Of these four, which is the most difficult to keep? Why?
How do you think the fourth command (vs.8-11) should be observed? Maybe you don't, talk about why.
How is the fifth command (vs.12) similar and different from Ephesians 6:1-3? According to Ephesians 6:4, what role do parents have in the fifth command? How have you seen these instructions violated?
The final five commands focus on our relationship with our neighbor. Of these five, which is the most difficult to keep? Why?
Read Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, 33-37, 38-40. How do Jesus' words change the way you think about the commandments? Are Jesus' commands easier or harder to fulfill than Moses'? Why?
The final five commands seem to be focused on eliminating a self-centered attitude. How has focusing on your own desires, needs, and priorities caused you to break these commandments?
If you had to choose one of these commands (Exodus, Matthew, or Ephesians) to work on in your life this week, which would it be? What can you change to bring your life into more alignment with Jesus?

The Promise. (week three)

2007-09-20T10:18:00.001-04:00

LIFEGroup Questions:

Talk about a time you made a mistake or a decision that caused something good to be ruined.
Read James 1:13-15. Think about people you've observed. What causes people to fall into temptation? How can it be avoided?
What do you think caused Eve (Genesis 3) and Cain (Genesis 4) to give in to the temptation they faced?
What role does selfishness play in our "battle" against temptation?
Read Genesis 3:16. God describes a tension between men and women. How have you seen that tension play out in your life and others?
How have you observed yourself contributing to problems in the relationships you have? What changes could you make to heal some of the relational dysfunction in your life?
Read Genesis 4:26. What do you need to "call on the LORD" about?

Week Two: God Made Everything Perfect

2007-09-13T15:03:00.001-04:00

As a group, create a list of all the words you would use to describe God's creation at the end of the first week.
Why do you think God made a point of calling his creation "good" after each day?
Why do you think God said "It is not good for man to be alone"? God's creation of woman completed his work. In the ideal world, how would men and women perfectly complement each other?
Chapter one says that "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Talk about the parrallels between the marriage relationship and the relationship within the Trinity.
As God's image bearers, Adam and Eve were commanded to take care of God's creation. How should Christians seek to take care of God's creation today? How should Christians seek to take care of other people?
At the end of chapter two, Adam and Eve had the ideal relationship. How would you describe the "ideal relationship"? What actions can you take this week to move toward a more ideal relationship with someone in your life?

The Promise. (week one)

2007-09-07T13:18:00.000-04:00

The first week of the "The Promise" is an overview of the Old Testament. The following questions will help your group to talk about the big picture of the OT, and focus on the need for Jesus to intervene.

What is the best movie you have ever seen? What makes it so good?
If you were going to describe the perfect story, what are the key elements you would use?
How would you explain the “big story” of the Bible to someone? What are the key elements?
When you think about the Old Testament, what are the main stories that come to mind?
What are your favorite parts of the Old Testament? What are your least favorite parts? Why?
Read Genesis 1:26-31; Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 6:6-8. How would you describe the relationship God desires to have with men?
Read Jeremiah 7:21-29. Why did the nation of Israel fail to maintain their relationship with God? How do you sometimes act the same way?
Read Matthew 1:23. How did God “fix” the mess humanity made during the Old Testament?
Jesus was the answer to the Old Testament’s problems. How is Jesus the answer in your life?