Chapter 3 – Here’s Where God is Taking You
1. Page 33 has a list of “if only”. What might yours be?
2. What is the problem with most of our dreams and desires? (p. 33-34).
3. Read II Corinthians 5:15 and II Peter 1:4. How is God working to change you? (p. 34).
4. What is the dilemma of the Christian life and what is the solution? (p. 34).
5. What do your prayers reveal about you?
6. Read Philippians 1:3-11. What are the main elements? How does this encourage you? (p. 35-36).
7. Convicting question from the author on page 36 – “Do you want what God wants for you, or do you hold tightly onto your own agenda?”
8. Check your perception: do you see your life as a hopeless dump or a quaint fixer upper? (36-37). What does God want you to see? Look at series of questions at the top of page 37.
9. How does knowing where we are going affect our life now? (p. 37 – end of chapter).
10. Read Revelation 7. Comments? What is the celebration about?
11. What does this eternal perspective mean for Joan, Frank, Nikki, and Bo who introduced this chapter? (p. 40-42).
12. What does the eternal perspective mean for you?
13. Page 43 has another series of convicting questions. How does focusing on Christ and our final destination affect you here?
14. What other points in this chapter did you underline?
15. What was most significant for you from this chapter?
16. Action point: (What are you specifically going to do?)
9/14/08
How People Change, Chapter 2
Chapter 2 – Counterfeit Hopes
1. The opening stories of Craig and of John and Cindy show their ways of coping in the world. The author says of John and Cindy that when a crisis came, suddenly ignoring or sidestepping the problem was no longer possible. He says of Craig that one tiny problem on top of everything else put him over the edge (p. 17-18). Do you have experiences of crisis or culmination forcing problems to the surface? Why does this happen?
As you read the chapter, consider the real problem in the above scenarios.
2. Read Colossians 2:6-8. For this week, memorize these verses, read them each day, or write them in a paraphrase personal to you. Comments on verses?
3. The author states that the Colossians verses apply both to big decisions and to little ones. He states, ”It is in the little moments of life that battles are lost or won”(p. 19). Explain and given an example.
4. There are many deceptive theories that “masquerade as biblical wisdom”. List these five common perspectives. For each consider why it seems plausible and seductive, why it doesn’t work, and what the real solution is (p. 21-25).
5. Read Colossians 2:9-15. As you read through the remainder of Chapter 2, write your thoughts on each verse in this Colossians passage.
6. Now, what are the real issues with Craig and with John and Cindy?
7. What is the main thing you learned from this chapter?
8. Action point. (What are you going to do about it?)
1. The opening stories of Craig and of John and Cindy show their ways of coping in the world. The author says of John and Cindy that when a crisis came, suddenly ignoring or sidestepping the problem was no longer possible. He says of Craig that one tiny problem on top of everything else put him over the edge (p. 17-18). Do you have experiences of crisis or culmination forcing problems to the surface? Why does this happen?
As you read the chapter, consider the real problem in the above scenarios.
2. Read Colossians 2:6-8. For this week, memorize these verses, read them each day, or write them in a paraphrase personal to you. Comments on verses?
3. The author states that the Colossians verses apply both to big decisions and to little ones. He states, ”It is in the little moments of life that battles are lost or won”(p. 19). Explain and given an example.
4. There are many deceptive theories that “masquerade as biblical wisdom”. List these five common perspectives. For each consider why it seems plausible and seductive, why it doesn’t work, and what the real solution is (p. 21-25).
5. Read Colossians 2:9-15. As you read through the remainder of Chapter 2, write your thoughts on each verse in this Colossians passage.
6. Now, what are the real issues with Craig and with John and Cindy?
7. What is the main thing you learned from this chapter?
8. Action point. (What are you going to do about it?)
How People Change, Chapter 1
Chapter 1 – The Gospel Gap
1. According to II Peter 1, why are Christians ineffective and unproductive? What is the solution?
2. What does the author mean by ‘gospel gap’? (p. 2-4).
3. Talk about how the gap produces three kinds of blindness and how these can be resolved (p. 4-6).
4. List and briefly describe the Christian “isms” that tend to fill the gospel gap (p. 7-10).
5. Which of these ‘isms’ is the easiest for you to stumble into?
6. What are some of the reasons behind our fall into the “isms”? (p. 11-12).
7. The author proposes five Gospel perspectives that bridge the gap between what we say we believe and how we actually live on a daily basis. What are they? (p. 13-16).
8. What were the most significant points in this chapter for you?
9. Action Points: (What are you specifically going to do?)
1. According to II Peter 1, why are Christians ineffective and unproductive? What is the solution?
2. What does the author mean by ‘gospel gap’? (p. 2-4).
3. Talk about how the gap produces three kinds of blindness and how these can be resolved (p. 4-6).
4. List and briefly describe the Christian “isms” that tend to fill the gospel gap (p. 7-10).
5. Which of these ‘isms’ is the easiest for you to stumble into?
6. What are some of the reasons behind our fall into the “isms”? (p. 11-12).
7. The author proposes five Gospel perspectives that bridge the gap between what we say we believe and how we actually live on a daily basis. What are they? (p. 13-16).
8. What were the most significant points in this chapter for you?
9. Action Points: (What are you specifically going to do?)
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