When Hearts Clash | Jonah 4:1-4

Discussion Questions

  • As we learn in Jonah 4:2, the baseline posture of God’s heart towards his children is one of grace and mercy. When’s the last time you remember experiencing his grace and mercy in a vivid way?

  • What things are you tempted to love as much or more than God? How do these rival gods influence your life?

  • Have you ever experienced a heart idol keep you from God’s call on your life to love others? Explain.

  • Who do you find it most difficult to feel mercy for rather than frustration?

  • Do you ever struggle to reconcile the love and justice of God. Explain.

Prayer Points

  • Pray that God would expose any rival gods in your heart that might be keeping you from loving those around you well

  • Ask that God would give us his heart of mercy towards those we encounter in our day to day life

  • Ask the Lord to provide opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ to those you encounter this week

How God Saves Cities | Jonah 3:1-10

Discussion Questions

  • What makes it challenging for you to believe God could use you to reach those who are far from him?

  • Share a time when God saved you out of a dark place in your life

  • In the sermon, we talked about the difference between a “come and see” model of mission and a “go and love” model. Do you think the church needs to move from the first to the latter? Explain.

  • Who are you intentionally moving towards with the love of Jesus? Is there anyone you think God is asking you to “arise, and go” to in order to share the love of Jesus?

  • How have you seen God use the hard parts of your story to minister to others?

  • What’s the right balance in sharing vs. showing the love of Jesus?

Prayer Points

  • Pray that God would give you opportunities to minister to those who don’t yet know the Lord in your everyday life

  • Ask the Lord to show you if there are parts of your story he wants to use to give hope to others

  • Pray that God would continue to grow our hearts as a church for those who are far from him

From Runaway to Reluctant | Jonah 2:1-10

Discussion Questions

  • How has God hounded you in your life like he did Jonah’s steps by sending the storm and then saving him by sending a great fish?

  • How would you describe God’s mercy and how have you seen it at work?

  • What does it mean that God is committed to the slow process of teaching us the mystery of his mercy?

  • Where would you say you are in the process of being changed from runaway to reluctant to faithfully on mission with God?

  • How can we move along on that journey?

Prayer Points

  • Pray that God will reach into our hearts to truly see where we are like Jonah and how we might be reluctant to join God on his mission to save the world.

  • Pray that we will not pretend with outward actions but not surrender our hearts.

  • Pray that God will prepare our hearts to encounter people where they are without reluctance, and that their hearts will be ready to hear without reluctance.

The God Who Runs After Runaways | Jonah 1:1-17

Discussion Questions

  • When you think of our church’s value of “everyday mission” what comes to mind?

  • What are some of the challenges you face personally to engaging in everyday mission?

  • Is there a particular part of your life you find it difficult to allow God’s word to speak into? If you feel comfortable, share why.

  • God is a God who runs after runaways. How might God be challenging you to emulate his heart for those who are far from him?

Prayer Points

  • Pray that God would grow Sound City into a church that more and more engages in everyday mission.

  • Pray that God would give you opportunities to show and share the love of Christ with those people in your life who don’t yet know him.

  • Thank God for how he ran after you when you were running after him.

Easter Sunday | United in His Resurrection | Luke 24:36-43

Discussion Questions

  • What role does the fear of death play in everyday life? What things do you do (or not do) in light of your own immortality?

  • How often do you think about the implications of the resurrection?

  • How has the resurrection helped you navigate life in the past?

  • Our ultimate hope as believers is of a personal, physical, and perfected future. How can this hope bring us comfort and strength today?

  • What about the new heavens and earth are you most eager for?

Prayer Points

  • Pray that the hope we in Christ would comfort us when the shadow of death looms large

  • Pray for those in your life who are living without the hope of the resurrection, that they may come to know the grace of God

Palm Sunday | United in His Humanity | Mark 11:1-10

Discussion Questions

  • What comes to mind when you think of Holy Week?

  • What stands out to you about the Triumphal Entry/Palm Sunday?

  • Is there a way to describe Jesus being fully God and fully man that has helped you understand the concept?

  • What about Jesus’ humanity impacts you the most?

  • Why is it important that Jesus became human?

  • What about his humanity helps you relate to Jesus? To trust him?

  • How does Jesus’ humanity affect your thinking about the rest of Holy Week?

Prayer Points

  • Pray that God will give you a renewed sense of wonder and worship by reflecting on Jesus’ being fully God and fully man.

  • Pray that God will draw to Christ people in our community who are far from God.

  • Pray that our church, individually and together, will shine the light on Jesus this Holy Week.

Worshiping with God’s People | Psalm 95

Discussion Questions

  • How would you define worship?

  • Is it always a sin to worship something besides God? Why or why not?

  • How can we know if God is the ultimate object of our worship or something else?

  • How would you explain why we need Christian community?

  • What makes it challenging for us to live deeply rooted in a worshiping community?

Prayer

  • Pray that the Lord would give you a heart that sees him as the most valuable thing in life

  • Ask the Lord to show you any lower-case “g” gods that are competing for your worship

Draw Near: Responding to God's Word | Psalm 102

Discussion Questions

  • What is the significance of the psalmist starting with “LORD”

  • This psalm shows us we can be honest with God during our difficulties. How should this inform how we relate to each other in the church?

  • Sometimes we need to help each other move forward in our lamenting to put our focus on God. How did the psalmist do that?

  • What comfort does this passage give us that we can then comfort others with?

Prayer Points

  • Pray we would be long suffering together with each other as a church body as we experience various difficulties.

  • Pray we would be seeking out those around us that are suffering and need the hope of the gospel to comfort them.

Draw Near: Listening to God's Word | Psalm 19

Discussion Questions

  • What can we learn about God through the natural world? What can’t we learn?

  • How have you seen the scriptures “revitalize your soul”?

  • What are the biggest hurdles to you listening to God’s word through the scriptures?

  • Are there any rhythms of listening to God’s voice that you’ve found particularly helpful? Explain.

  • Why do we need a redeemer in order to hear God’s word clearly?

Prayer Points

  • Thank the Lord for being a God who speaks to us everyday through his wordless and written word.

  • Ask the Lord to show you the areas of your heart you’re not allowing God’s word to shine into

  • Confess your need for the word of God in your life and ask him to show you how you can turn up the volume on his voice

Creating Space to Draw Near | Psalm 62

Discussion Questions

  • What are some of the main obstacles you face when it comes to creating space to meet with God?

  • When you get overwhelmed, do you tend to work harder or distract yourself? Explain.

  • What parts of who you are or your story do you find difficult to hold out before God?

  • What are some different rhythms you’ve had in the past that have helped you create space to be with God?

  • Is there any habit you’ve considered implementing that would help you protect distraction-free space to be with God in this season?

Prayer Points

  • Ask the Lord to give you a heart that desires to draw near to him

  • Ask the Lord to show you the habits or beliefs in your life that are keeping you from his presence

  • Thank the Lord for sending his Son to make it possible for us to approach him in the quiet place without fear of rejection

Why Draw Near to God? | Psalm 16

Discussion Questions

  1. How would you describe the difference between knowing about God and knowing God in a more personal way?

  2. What are some of the main obstacles we face to “drawing near” to God in our everyday lives?

  3. What are some of the most common “lowercase ‘g’ gods” we run to for joy in our culture?

  4. Where are you personally tempted to run to for joy when you’re not looking to God? How has that led to “sorrow” in your life?

  5. How have you experienced the Lord’s guidance through life?

  6. Is there anything your community could do to help encourage each other to pursue the Lord more intentionally in this season?

Prayer Points

  1. Thank God for how He has drawn near to us in his Son Jesus

  2. Ask the Lord to expose in lowercase “g” gods that your running to for joy and life instead of him

  3. Ask the Lord to show you if there’s a practical habit or rhythm he wants to invite you to engage in this season

Remember God's Steadfast Love | Deuteronomy 5:26-33

Discussion Questions

  • Growing up, how did you view God’s instructions and commands?

  • Deuteronomy 5:29 tells us that God knows his people will not follow his law and commands but he gives them anyway. Why do you think this is?

  • Do you tend to try and obsessively follow all God’s commands or find the idea of God’s laws offensive?

  • How would you define God’s grace?

  • What are you most excited about for the future of Sound City Bible Church?

  • How might the ideas of God’s instruction and his grace guide Sound City in the future?

Prayer Points

  • Thank God for his instruction and truth in our lives. 

  • Thank God for his grace and steadfast love for us even when we do not follow his word. 

  • Father, please make us ambassadors of your love and grace to everyone in our lives.

Remember…to stop and remember | Deuteronomy 5:15

Prayer Points
1. Thank God for rest and remembering.
2. Ask God to bring to mind all that he has done in the history of redemption.
3. Ask God to remind you of all that he has done in your life and in the Body of Christ.
4. Ask God to help you establish a pattern of remembering.
Discussion Questions
1. When was a time that you needed to remember something very important?
2. What is something that God has done in your life that you need to remember and
praise God for?
3. Who is someone that needs to hear your testimony of how God worked in your life?
4. What are ways that you currently intentionally remember the work of God?
5. What are the patterns in your life that are unbalanced and keep you from remembering
God?
6. How can you begin to surrender those patterns and build new rhythms of
remembering?

Remember…we were once slaves | Deuteronomy 5:15

Discussion Questions

  • What is the significance of the Plains of Moab for Israel? What about us?

  • What did Israel’s slavery look like in Egypt? 

  • What are some things God has brought you out of?

  • We are all tempted to return to a sinful way of life after knowing Christ. Is there anyone you know trapped in habitual sin you need to address? 

Prayer Points

  • Pray we would not forget what it’s like to be separated from Christ.

  • Pray that we as a local church would have such a sense of wonder for God’s deliverance that our gratitude would be obvious to a watching world. 

Jesus Gives Love | John 15:12-17

Prayer Points

  1. Thank God for the love that Jesus brings us! That Jesus calls us his friends and reveals the work of God to us.

  2. Ask God to open your heart to love deeply those around you. That God will fill your heart with genuine concern, kindness, and care for his people.

  3. Pray that God will empower you to join him in his work of showing that same love to others and be part of growing them in faith.

Discussion Questions

  1. When was a time that you felt loved in an especially impactful way?

  2. How has love changed your life?

  3. How does it affect you to know that Jesus loves you personally knowing you exactly as you are, “worts and all”?

  4. What would it look like in your life if you lived out the love of Jesus by loving others deeply?

  5. Are there changes you need to make or actions you need to start in regard to loving others?