Dwelling in the House of the Lord | Psalm 84

Discussion Questions

Read Psalm 84 aloud together and praise God for the gift of his presence in our lives.

1. In what ways does your life reflect a biblical or unbiblical understanding of the presence of God? 

2. If we are always in God’s presence because of Jesus, then why is it important or necessary for Christians to continually seek His presence? (Matthew 28:20, Psalm 105:4, 1 Chronicle 22:19)

3. Discuss ways in which you as an individual and collectively as a group can take God’s presence to the world.

Prayer Points

This week, find a quiet place and take some time alone. Read a psalm and see if one specific word or phrase jumps out at you. Take that phrase and sit quietly with it for 10-15 minutes and ask God to make you aware of his presence. If your mind wanders, give yourself some grace, and bring your thoughts back to the words of the psalm and God’s presence.

1. In your group, pray that we would each become more assured and aware of God's presence in our lives. 

2. Pray that our church would be a body of believers who rest, seek and express the presence of God. 

The Folly of Trusting in Wealth | Psalm 49

Discussion Questions

1. Read Psalm 49 together out loud and pray for the Holy Spirit to lead and guide the discussion. 

2. Good or bad, in what ways has your upbringing shaped your views and beliefs on wealth?

3. In what areas of your life are you tempted to put your trust in wealth as the source of your security?  

4. Mathew 6:24 tells us that we cannot serve both God and money. Do you find yourself wrestling to serve two masters? 

5. Through Jesus we have the promise of an imperishable inheritance. How does this truth help us frame our relationship with wealth?

6. Share ways the Holy Spirit is leading you to put money in its place (e.g. tithe, share, margin, save, simplify). 

Prayer Points

1. During your own prayer time, ask the Lord to reveal and forgive you in areas of your life where you’ve been serving two masters.

2. In your group, pray that we would each have a Christ centered, eternal perspective that would help us have a right relationship with money. 

3. Pray that the Holy Spirit would lead Sound City to be a generous church.

The Lord Cares for Me | Psalm 27

Discussion Questions

1. Before unpacking the discussion questions, take time to read aloud Psalm 27 and pray seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance and leading. 

2. In what specific areas of your life are you prone to 1) believing that God doesn’t care for you or 2) believing that you “are worthy” of God’s love? What is the heart’s motive in either response? 

3. How is David’s confident humility demonstrated perfectly in Jesus? How does this truth shape our relationship with God?

Prayer Points

1. This week, find a time to journal all the ways the Lord cares for you and praise Him for them! 

2. In your group, pray that the Holy Spirit would help each of you grow in Christlike confident humility.

3. Pray that our church would be an agent of God’s love and care in our homes, work and community. 

Moved by Glory | Psalm 73

Discussion Questions

1. Where have you been tempted to envy the prosperity of the wicked? In what specific ways is your heart prone to desire after sin?

2. Why is it important for followers of Jesus to have a “both/and” mentality when it comes to 1) theological knowledge and 2) a personal experience of God’s presence? What happens when we neglect one or the other?

3. In what ways did Jesus rely upon the presence of his Father and the Holy Spirit? If Jesus needed to take time in the presence of God, how much more do we need to?

4. How does Jesus make it possible for us to enter into God’s presence? Practically speaking, what does it look like for us to enter into God’s presence since there is no longer a physical temple?

Prayer Points

1. This week, find a quiet place and take some time alone. Read a psalm and see if one specific word or phrase jumps out at you. Take that phrase and sit quietly with it for 10-15 minutes and ask God to make you aware of his presence. If your mind wanders, give yourself some grace, and bring your thoughts back to the words of the psalm and God’s presence.

2. In your group, pray that we would each become more aware of God's presence in our lives. Pray that our hearts would be moved by his glory more and more often.

3. Pray that our hearts would not envy the arrogant or the wicked, but that we would tell people about the good news of Jesus with great joy and passion.

Take Refuge in the Lord | Psalm 118

Discussion Questions

1. Why are the psalms so important for those who follow Jesus? How do they shape our minds as well as our hearts?

2. In Psalm 118, we are instructed to put our ultimate trust in the Lord. Why do our fickle hearts so often search for refuge elsewhere? Where are you personally tempted to put your trust apart from the Lord?

3. How did Jesus face distress, danger, disgrace, and death? How does his perfect faithfulness in these situations ensure our salvation?

4. Share with those in your group some ways that God has proven to be a refuge for you? Give testimony of his trustworthy nature as our rock.

Prayer Points

1. Give God thanks that he is a rock, a firm foundation, and an unwavering source of safety.

2. Pray prayers of repentance for the ways that you have put your hope in other places.

3. Pray that God would use us to bring the good news of Jesus to a world that is being constantly shaken in so many ways.

Childbirth and Atonement | Leviticus 12:1-8

Discussion Questions 

• How do ritual purities help us see the nature of God more clearly?

• In what ways can we see childbirth being celebrated in the Bible?

• What would it look like for you to carry the death of Jesus in your body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in your body in your family, work and community?             

• Share examples of how God brought new life from moments that felt like big or small deaths. 

Prayer Points

• Praise God for His goodness in bringing new life out of death! 

• Pray that the Holy Spirit would deepen our understanding and love for God as we study and meditate on challenging topics like ritual purities. 

• Pray that Sound City Bible Church will be filled with disciples who carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. 

Why Does God Care What I Eat? | Leviticus 11:1-47

Discussion Questions 

• Why was it important for God’s people in the old covenant to obey His commands concerning food? 

• What are some of your struggles or internal wrestlings as you read through challenging passages like the food laws? How can the more challenging parts of scripture deepen our affections for God?  

• Does your eating demonstrate a satisfaction in God? Is there gluttony you need to address? How can you incorporate the spiritual discipline of fasting as a response and reminder to finding our satisfaction in Jesus.

• Does your eating set you apart as belonging to God? Care for your body? Care for your neighbor? Care for the earth?

• Does your eating further the mission of God? As a group, come up with ways you can incorporate eating to further the mission of God in your local context. 

Prayer Points

• Praise God for His sovereignty in all things reminding us that His thoughts and ways are higher. 

• Pray that the Holy Spirit would deepen our affections for God through even the most challenging parts of the Bible. 

• Pray that Sound City Bible Church will be filled with disciples who find our greatest satisfaction in God. 

• Pray for opportunities and relationships in your life to further the mission of God through sharing a meal together.

A Holy Priesthood | Leviticus 8:1-10:20

Discussion Questions

• Consider your daily “rituals”, where are you following false, impotent priests and what is at the heart of following these false priests?

• Currently in your life, are you drawing near to God through Jesus? Where and how can you practice and encourage the sacrifices of prayer and praise in your life and the lives of others?

• Are you guarding that which is holy and sacred? (e.g. sabbath day, marriage bed, etc.)

• In what ways can you shape your life to extend the glory of God?

Prayer Points

• Praise God for the gift of the ultimate priest in Jesus.

• Spend time in prayer confessing areas in your life where you’ve been following false priests.

• Pray that Sound City Bible Church will be filled with disciples who offer sacrifices of prayer and praise.

• Pray for opportunities and relationships in your life to extend the glory of God.

The Guilt Offering | Leviticus 5:14-6:7, 7:1-10

Discussion Questions 

• What are some of the differences and similarities between the guilt offering and other offerings? 

• What are some ways you use the word “guilt”? How is the word “guilt” used in Leviticus?  

• Share and discuss examples of unintentional sins. How do we realize when we sin unintentionally? 

• What role does restitutions play in the practice of guilt offerings? Why was it necessary? What does it mean for us today? 

• In what ways is the Holy Spirit leading you to repent of your sins and make necessary restitutions?  

Prayer Points

• Praise God for the forgiveness he offers us through the work of Jesus! 

• Praise God for the opportunity we have to respond and care for those that we sin against. 

• Pray for healing and shalom for individuals in your life who have been sinned against.

• As recipients of God’s forgiveness, pray that the Holy Spirit would empower our church body to respond and do all that we can to bring the good news of the gospel to the world.

The Sin Offering | Leviticus 4:1, 5:13, 6:24-30

The Fellowship Offering | Leviticus 3:1-17, 7:11-38

Discussion Questions 

For this week’s discussion questions, we’re going to ask that you take an inventory of your life as you focus on the truth that the fellowship offering reminds us that in the presence of God, there is shalom. Breakout into smaller groups of 2-3 people and discuss the following questions. 

1. Share one meaningful moment or season of life when you experienced God’s shalom. 

2. Take an inventory of your life in the following areas of finance, emotion, spiritual, physical, and relational. 

   1. Are their areas in your life that you feel out of sorts, alone and without shalom? 

   2. Have any of these situations or feelings led you down a path of sin?

   3. In what ways have you tried to fix your circumstances that still left you without shalom? 

3. Share practical ways you can encourage and be encouraged to:

   1. Focus on Christ over circumstances.

   2. Allow your heart to rest.

   3. Fellowship with the church. 

4. End the discussion by reading Psalm 16.

Prayer Points

1. Praise God for the shalom he gives us through Jesus! 

2. Pray that the Holy Spirit would remind us of God’s truth and empower us to practice shalom.  

3. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help us share the good news of Jesus so that people may be reconciled and receive true peace. 

The Grain Offering | Leviticus 2:1-16

Discussion Questions 

1. What does “free will” offering mean to you and why do we sometimes want God to command a certain offering from us?

2. If grain/bread was a symbol of life for the people of Israel, what would be a corresponding symbol for us today? 

3. How does giving offerings play an important part of our worship? 

4. Why is it important that giving offerings be costly to the worshiper? 

5. How would a worshiper have to plan ahead to be able to give a costly offering?

6. What does it say about God that he made provision for people of all economic levels to participate in worship through offerings? How does this translate into our worship today? 

7. What baggage or hang-ups might you have about giving offerings through the church?

8. Why is money and the management of money a touchy subject in churches?

9. How is giving a food offering (like grain/bread) in Leviticus different from giving food to idols/false gods? 

Prayer Points 

• Pray that God will enrich our worship of him through a better understanding of the sacrifices and offerings in Leviticus. 

• Pray that each worshiper at Sound City Bible Church will feel led to worship through free-will offerings proportionate to the way God has blessed them. 

• Pray for healing for individuals who have been harmed in the past by church leaders that wrongly emphasized money or misused the offerings given to God. 

• Pray a blessing on the offerings brought to God through our church that God will guide the church to use them for his purposes, the advancement of his kingdom, and the exaltation of Jesus.

The Burnt Offering | Leviticus 1:1-17, 6:8-13

Discussion Questions

1. Discuss ways in which you’ve previously misunderstood biblical offerings and sacrifices. Additionally, share and discuss specific areas that you would still like more clarity. 

2. Why were burnt offerings and sacrifices such an important part of Jewish life? 

3. What does it mean for Jesus to be a burnt offering? How does this impact you as a disciple?

4. Read together Ephesians 5:1-2. What would your life look like as a burnt offering in the following areas:

   1. Giving in response | not earning God’s love, responding to God’s love and grace

   2. Giving of everything | money, time, food, house relationships, sexuality

   3. Giving your best | prioritize things to put God first

   4. Giving to enjoy God | if anyone wants to offer a sacrifice, let him come near

5. Think about your non-Christian family, friends, and coworkers. How can you share Jesus through what you’ve learned about burnt offerings and sacrifices? 

Prayer Points

1. Praise God for providing the greatest offering and sacrifice in Jesus! 

2. Pray that the Holy Spirit would empower us to joyfully respond as we remember Jesus as our burnt offering. 

3. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help us share the good news of Jesus through a clearer understanding of the offerings and sacrifices.

Set Free to be Holy | Exodus 19:1-13

Discussion Questions:

1. What were some of your preconceived notions or reservations about the book of Leviticus? In what ways do you believe this has shaped your view of God?

2. Why was the tent of meeting such an important place for the Jewish people and what does it mean that Jesus is the ultimate tabernacle? 

3. What does it mean to be made holy by Jesus?

4. Paul refers to Christians as temples of the Holy Spirit. How does this truth impact you as a disciple? 

5. As we recognize our holiness through unity with Christ, what are some specific ways God is calling you to a life of holiness?

Prayer Points:

1. Praise God for the way he reveals himself to us through his word and the working of the Holy Spirit. Praise God for making us holy through unity in Christ. 

2. Pray that God would shape a clearer understanding of who he is through the study and teachings from Leviticus. 

3. Pray that the Holy Spirit would empower us to live holy lives pleasing to the Lord. 

Renewed Church | Matthew 16:13-20

Discussion Questions

1. How has God used the last few months of studying the theme of renewal in your life? Where has God shown you that your life is in need of renewal?

2. What are some common misconceptions regarding the church? In what ways are you prone to think wrongly about the church? Why?

3. What does it mean that the church is a spiritual entity, not merely a human endeavor? Put another way, why is it important to remember that the church only exists because of and for Jesus?

4. What are some things that you appreciate about our specific local church? And what are some ways that God has gifted and equipped you to help our church in this season of renewal?

Prayer Points

1. Pray that God would continue to renew our local church so that we could be effective witnesses to his gospel in our region.

2. Pray for the various leadership transitions that are coming up in the months ahead. And pray for God to continue to raise up new leaders to serve this church.

3. Pray specifically for the church renewal team as they work to help clarify our mission, vision, and focus for the season ahead.

4. Pray that God would use our meager endeavors to bring much glory to himself, and to bring many people to saving faith in Jesus.

Renewed Hope | Luke 24:13-24

Prayer Points:

• Praise Jesus, our resurrected savior, who has conquered sin and death, ascended to the right hand of God and is reigning as the King of kings!

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to help lead and guide those recently saved and baptized to grow as disciples. 

• Pray that Sound City would be filled with Christians continually living in the awe and wonder of Jesus' resurrection.

Renewed Leadership | Mark 10:32-45

Discussion Questions

1. Read 1 Peter 5:1-5. What are the qualities of renewed leadership that we should look for in the leaders around us?

2. Is there a priority of these qualities or are they all of equal value in leadership?

3. How would you feel about following leaders who live out these qualities of godly leadership?

4. How do you feel about being called a leader? Even if you don’t feel like a leader, can you articulate how you can lead others in your life?

5. What are areas of growth regarding leadership that you see in our church? In your own life?

Prayer Points

1. Pray for the leaders in our church that they would increasingly grow in godly leadership qualities and abilities.

2. Pray that God will raise up new leaders to serve his people well and be on mission with him in proclaiming Jesus and making disciples.

3. Pray for the leaders in other areas of your life (work, politics, family, etc.) that they would humbly follow God’s guidance and use wisdom in their leadership.

4. Pray for God to show you the ways that you can lead others for their good and growth.

5. Pray for God to lead our church into a fresh vision of his purpose and mission for us during our time of renewal this year.

Renewed Evangelism | 1 Peter3:13-22

Discussion Questions

Read together 1 Peter 3:13-22  and answer the following questions: What stood out to you? What do these passages teach us about God (his character, his will, his plans, his principles)?

1. From the five parts of knowing the Messiah, which part(s) do you struggle to understand and communicate when sharing the gospel?  

   1. Jesus Christ | Messiah = the story of Israel

   2. Holy | Utterly unique and set apart

   3. Substitute | The righteous for the unrighteous 

   4. Victorious | Made alive by the Spirit

   5. Ruling | Ascended to heaven, authorities subjected

2. Have you responded to the gospel message through repentance and baptism? 

3. Can the gospel be shared without including your testimony, why or why not? Can you share your testimony without the gospel, why or why not?

4. Breakout into smaller groups of 2-3 and each take turns sharing the gospel with one another. 

Prayer Points

• Pray that Sound City would be a church filled with joy and passion to share the gospel.

• Pray that God would bring opportunities in your life and the life of other Christians to share the gospel. 

• Pray that the Holy Spirit would lead, guide, and help you share the gospel when the opportunities become present.

Renewed Community | Ephesians 4:1-16

Discussion Questions

1. Read together Ephesians 4:1-16  and answer the following questions: What stood out to you? What do these passages teach us about God (his character, his will, his plans, his principles)?

2. Centered around Christ, how do you see elements of individualism and collectivism in Christian community?

3. In what ways do we intentionally or unintentionally make a lesser community (affinity, activity, or affection) the primary foundation for community?

4. The work of the Christian community is to help each other mature as followers of Jesus. Share ways the group can guard itself from consumerism and overreach.

5. Share and Celebrate ways you’ve experienced God working in and through a Christ centered community. 

Prayer Points

1. Pray that Jesus would be the head of every discipleship ministry at Sound City Bible Church. 

2. Pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal, remove and protect our community groups from chasing after a “lesser community”. 

3. Pray that the Holy Spirit would encourage and embolden you to live in Christian community through the ups and downs of life.

Renewed Service | 1 Peter 4:7-11

Discussion Questions

1. Read together 1 Peter 4:7-11  and answer the following questions: What stood out to you? What do these passages teach us about God (his character, his will, his plans, his principles)?

2. We defined serving as a heartfelt activity in a clearly defined role for the blessing of another. In what ways can you identify similarities and differences between the biblical and secular understanding of serving?

3. In what ways do you struggle with the distorted serving categories of laziness, business not fruitfulness, self-focus not others, and heartless, not joyful? 

4. How does Jesus' service on the cross and his continual serving of his children encourage us to live a life of service? 

5. Share with your group ways you would like to begin serving at home, at church and in your community. 

Prayer Points

1. Pray that God would make the people of Sound City Bible Church servants who are fueled by the gospel. 

2. Pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal and remove any distortions that would hinder you and your group members from serving. 

3. Pray that the Holy Spirit would lead you in identifying new ways to serve at home, at church and in community.