God's Powerful Word | Isaiah 55:1-13

Prayer Points

  • Pray that God would give you insight into any potential false breads you’re running to for life besides him. Confess these false breads to the Lord and ask him to show you what it looks like practically to come to his life-giving Word instead.

  • Pray that God might give you an opportunity to share with someone outside the church how you’ve found deep satisfaction in him. 

Discussion Questions

  • When you think of “The Word of God”, what comes to your mind?

  • When you aren’t looking to God to satisfy your deepest longings, where do you tend to run instead? 

  • Have you ever experienced the pardon of God for your sins? If so, share what that moment was like. If not, what’s keeping you from coming to him for forgiveness?

  • Share about a recent time when the love of God for you specifically brought peace and joy?

  • How should our final hope in the new heavens and earth change how we live today?

  • What has it looked for you in this season to “come feast on the life-giving Word”? Are there any new habits or rhythms you want to integrate in your life to help you experience the life God offers us through his Word?

The Suffering Servant | Isaiah 53:1-12

Prayer Points

  1. Ask that God would open our eyes to the sins that we need Jesus to take and cleanse us from.

  2. Intercede for those who either have not heard, understood, or believed in the powerful truth of salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice.

  3. Ask that God would send us to the world with this message.

Discussion Questions

  1. When did you first understand the depth of your sinful rebellion against God?

  2. Describe your understanding of God’s wrath and judgment against sin and sinners.

  3. What role should fear of wrath play in someone’s faith journey?

  4. Have you turned to Jesus as your only hope for forgiveness? Describe what that experience was like.

  5. Who do you know who either have not heard, understood, or believed in the powerful truth of salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice?

  6. How can we join God in taking the message of Jesus to others?

A Global Ruler | Isaiah 9:1-7

Discussion Questions

  1. What was the gloom & darkness Isaiah prophesied and what did that mean for God’s people?

  2. How similar or dissimilar is the joy in this passage compared with your own life? 

  3. Have the four titles of Jesus from this passage changed the way you think about him? If so, how?

  4. What comfort can we take as a church in being a part of Jesus's Kingdom?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that we would be swept up in the grand reality that Jesus rules all things and put our hope in him above any earthly figure.

  2. Pray that the truth of being citizens of Jesus’s eternal kingdom would give us encouragement and boldness to share his good news.

Idle Busybodies | 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Discussion Questions 

  1. How does Paul’s instruction to keep away from idle/disorderly believers strike you?

  2. Are there any relationships this passage brings to mind you need to address?

  3. Do you have anyone in your life who is imitating you to follow Christ? Who? If not, is there someone you can start discipling? 

  4. Are there any ways in which you have obligated yourself to others and need to become independent to be a healthy Christian? 

Prayer Points 

  1. Pray that God would mature us as a church so that we are more concerned about what God desires than what the world says. 

  2. Pray that we wouldn’t get entangled in worldly concerns but be obedient to Christ.

Evil People and the Evil One | 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Discussion Questions

  1. Are you experiencing any persecution or hardship for believing in Jesus?

  2. What are your first prayers in hardship? How does this passage change your approach?

  3. How do the realities of the Devil and God’s faithfulness reframe your daily difficulties?

  4. What does it mean for the Lord to “direct our hearts” to his love and Christ’s endurance?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that God would awaken our church to experience a powerful movement of prayer that would change our region for God’s glory.

  2. Pray that our church would endure as faithful witnesses of Jesus to evil people and God would rescue them from the Devil.

How Long Will Your Suffering Last? | 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Discussion Questions

  1. What is a story of the persecution of believers that has made an impression on you?

  2. How does learning about the persecuted Church change your perspective on what it means to follow Jesus?

  3. How is it comforting to know that God will bring ultimate justice and judgment on those who do evil to others?

  4. When has your faith in the justice of God been tested nearly to breaking?

  5. How can you prepare for suffering, even suffering because of persecution?

  6. In what ways have you sought to put Jesus at the highest place in your heart and life?

  7. Who is someone you know now who needs to be encouraged and served because they are suffering?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray for the persecuted Church around the world. Some of the greatest persecution is happening in North Korea, India, Northern Africa, China and Middle Eastern countries.

  2. Pray for the believers in your life or in the church who you know are facing suffering of various kinds.

    • Pray that God would send them relief.

    • Pray that God would sustain their faith.

    • Pray that they will persevere until Christ returns.

  3. Pray for your own heart and those of your family, that God will help you put Christ as the highest source of joy, satisfaction, and hope. Then you will be prepared to face persecution or suffering.

  4. Pray that our church will grow in peace or persecution and that we as believers will grow whether we suffer or live in safety.

A Set Apart Lifestyle | 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Discussion Questions

1. What are some ways that you can honor your church leaders?

2. Do you have people in your life that can admonish you? Do you need to admonish a brother or sister but have been avoiding it?

3. What would our church look like if we consistently had the attitudes of rejoicing, prayer, and thanksgiving. What is in place of that in your life?

4. What comfort should we gain from Paul’s concluding blessing in 1 Thessalonians?

Prayer Points

1. Pray that God would lead us by His Spirit to encourage each other according to his Word.

2. Pray that God would give us wisdom to know when the person we are talking with needs a warning, comfort, or help.

Wake Up Sleepyhead | 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Discussion Questions

1. In what ways are you tempted to sleepwalk through life? How do the regional idols of comfort and convenience negatively impact you?

2. How can we cultivate an even bigger view of Jesus’ salvation beyond just “forgiveness of sin”? How is salvation an invitation to live awake and alive with God?

3. Compare and contrast the armor of God listed here in 1 Thessalonians 4 with the list in Ephesians 6. Why is armor a related metaphor for being alert and awake?

4. How can we as a church be effective in reaching people in our region who can be so asleep and numb to the love of God?

Prayer Points

1. Pray that God would purge our hearts of any sleepiness, numbness, drunkenness, or anything that prevents us from living fully alive and present with God.

2. Pray that God would use us to reach the lost and sleepy in our region.

The Day of Christ’s Return | 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Discussion Questions

  1. What has your experience been with the subject of the end times: fear, ignorance, confusion, or something else?

  2. Why is the return of Jesus an important part of the overall gospel message? Why do you think that we sometimes forget to include it?

  3. How does the gospel free us from fear of death? How does this freedom affect how we live our daily lives? How does it affect the way we relate to non-Christians?

  4. What practical steps can we take to help one another grow in endurance as we follow Jesus?

Prayer Points

1. Pray for Jesus to return soon.

2. Pray for urgency in all our hearts for sharing the good news of Jesus.

3. Pray for faithfulness, endurance, patience, and peace in the hearts of Christians everywhere as we face hardships, opposition, and challenges to our faith.

For Further Study

1. The Rapture Question essay on TGC by Alan S. Bandy

2. Is the Rapture Taught in the Bible? blog post by Erik Reed

3. What is the Rapture? short podcast from John Piper

A Quiet Life of Love | 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

Discussion Questions

1. What types of “work” have you really enjoyed in your life? How is that work a reflection of God’s good design for work?

2. How can we live in the tension of “not being dependent on others” while also cultivating a culture where we “bear one another’s burdens”? What happens if we go to one ditch or the other?

3. How does the earthly life and ministry of Jesus serve as the perfect example for our hard work? How is Jesus working for us still today as our high priest?

4. What does it mean that Jesus is working through us? How does this truth help avoid the trap of working to “earn” God’s love or acceptance?

Prayer Points

1. Pray that God would help us as individuals to have inspiration for our work as worship.

2. Pray that we would truly love the church family through our quiet, hard work.

3. Pray for God to make himself known to outsiders through our quiet, hard work.

Honoring God in Our Sexuality | I Thessalonians 4:1-8

Discussion Questions

Note: please exercise wisdom and discretion in this week’s conversations. You may consider separate conversations with men and women this week. For those who have experienced significant pain due to sexual sin, consider meeting with one of the pastors or a trusted biblical counselor as part of your healing journey.

1. Why do many people view the Bible (or God) as anti-sex or anti-pleasure? What is a more biblical perspective on sex? What passages help us understand God’s design for sex?

2. As appropriate, share with your group ways that your life has been harmed by sexuality not lived out God’s way. And even more, share how the gospel has brought grace and love and healing into your life.

3. What is holiness and why is it so important to remember that we have been set apart? How does a gospel holiness affect every aspect of our lives? How is holiness different from both legalism and license?

4. We can’t expect those who don’t know God to live like those who do. Rather than casting judgment or being frustrated, what are some more profitable ways to interact with people and a culture that is steeped in ungodly sexuality?

Prayer Points

1. Pray that God would bring deep forgiveness into our lives where we have failed and sinned with our sexuality.

2. Pray that God would bring full cleansing into our lives where others have sinned against us sexually.

3. Pray that we would honor God with self-control, but also by enjoying God’s good gift of sexuality in a way that honors him.

4. Pray that we would not be angry or frustrated at a culture who doesn’t know God and does not honor him. Rather, pray for opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus.

How Can I Pray For You? | 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Discussion Questions

  1. Why might you be tempted to think of prayer as a drudgery? And while duty/discipline is a good thing, why is that not enough when it comes to the idea of prayer.

  2. Why is it important to remember that without the work of Jesus, we have no right to talk to God? How is the gospel the foundation of our prayers?

  3. How can you encourage yourself and others in your life to delight in God through prayer?

  4. In your group, share with others what practical tools or methods have been helpful for you in your prayer life? Commit to trying something new in your prayers over the next week.

Prayer Points

  1. Thank God for the access and invitation that we have been granted through Jesus.

  2. Pray for the body of Christ to be built up, “blameless in holiness.”

  3. Pray for non-Christians in your life to come to know the Lord Jesus.

  4. Pray for Jesus to return soon, and pray that we would persevere in faithfulness until that day.