Seeking the Family of God
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Am I In Christ?7 Digging Deeper
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Digging Deeper
- There is nothing wrong with asking the questions, “Am I in Christ?” or “Am I really saved?” 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, “Test everything; hold fast what is good.” Why would you think it is healthy for us to ask these questions?
- Have you ever felt doubtful of your relationship with Christ? Did you feel like your doubt was due to your inability to properly obey God or God’s inability or lack of love towards you?
- What are some of the blessings we can enjoy when we are in Christ? Do you have any personal experiences with these blessings that you can share with your group?
- What must we do to come into a relationship with Christ?
- What does it mean to “Follow Jesus”? How does the idea of commitment relate to this?
- At what point does our relationship with Jesus start and we begin to enjoy the blessings in Christ?
- Is it possible to know for certain if we are in Christ? Why or why not?
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What is the Kingdom of God?3 Digging Deeper
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Digging Deeper
- Just as there are different countries or kingdoms with different cultures and practices, what makes the Kingdom of God different than the rest of the world?
- What is the goal and purpose of the Kingdom of God?
- If those who are in Christ do not belong in this world, where do they belong and where is their home?
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What is the Church?5 Digging Deeper
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Digging Deeper
- What will happen to Christians who try to remain faithful to God by themselves?
- Why do you believe God desires Christians to come together as a family?
- The church is made up of many different races, ethnicities, and social classes. Despite these differences, what unites the church?
- What blessings come from being a part of God’s family? Do you have any personal examples?
- How would you define God’s church?
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Why Are There So Many Different Christian Religions?6 Digging Deeper
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Digging Deeper
- What are some things people look for when searching for a new church home? Are these necessarily bad things? Are they good things?
- After watching this video, what mindset must we have when searching for a church home? What should be the determining factor when selecting a church home?
- Jesus, the apostles, and the early Christians emphasized unity and oneness when discussing the church. Where is this unity based and how is it achieved?
- Do you believe this unity is possible? Why or why not?
- Why is it important for Jesus’ church to remain unified? What happens when the church stops being “one” (see Ephesians 4:4-6)?
- Do you believe it is possible to discover the church Jesus established among all the religious organizations in the world? How would the apostles and early Christians respond to this same question?
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How Can I Know the Will of God?4 Digging Deeper
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Digging Deeper
- In your experience, what are some things that hinder or make it difficult to fully know God’s will?
- In John 1:1, Jesus is referred to as the Word. John 14:5-6 confirms truth is in Christ Jesus. How does this prove we can definitively know truth and God’s will? How do we gain access to it?
- Do you believe absolute truth is attainable? Why or why not?
- What can protect us from being deceived by Satan?
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How Do I Pray?5 Digging Deeper
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Digging Deeper
- Many people view prayer like making a wish. Why is this an unhealthy approach to God in prayer?
- The narrator in the video stated prayer is “about us being conformed to God’s will for us and asking for His help to accomplish this.” How might this effect the way we talk to our all-powerful God and Father who wants an intimate relationship with us?
- What is the difference between demanding things from God verses being dependent upon God when praying for what we need?
- What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name?
- Why is it important to recognize who God is and his will for us as we pray to him?
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What is Worship?6 Digging Deeper
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Digging Deeper
- After watching this video, how would you define worship to God?
- What has God done in your life that moves you to worship him?
- What does worship to God look like in a church that worships like the believers did in New Testament times according to the teachings and pattern established by Jesus and his apostles?
- What does our personal spiritual worship to God look like when one follows the standard set in the New Testament?
- How does worshiping with our church family effect our continual daily spiritual worship to God?
- Why should we worship God? Why should we participate in worship services with our church family? Why should we be in constant spiritual worship to God?
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What is the Significance of the Lord’s Supper?5 Digging Deeper
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Digging Deeper
- What makes the Lord’s Supper more significant than an ordinary meal? Jesus commands us to remember his body as we eat of the bread. Why does Jesus want us to remember his body?
- Jesus commands us to remember his blood as we drink of the grape juice. What is the significance of Jesus’ blood?
- In what way is baptism connected to the Lord’s Supper?
- Why does Paul command us to examine ourselves before we take the Lord’s Supper?
- What should we be reminded of as we partake of the Lord’s Supper? How should this reminder impact the way we conduct ourselves throughout the week?
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How Do I Become Like Christ?6 Digging Deeper
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Digging Deeper
- What led you to become a Christian or to want to learn more about Christ?
- Since the beginning of your journey to becoming like Christ, would you consider it an instant transformation or a gradual one? Why?
- Rather than measuring the power of our conversion story based upon our degree of sinfulness before we became a Christian, we should base it upon the cost Jesus paid to bring us back to God. How should this understanding impact the way we view our conversion story in comparison with others?
- What has God provided that enables us to become like Christ?
- How do we know when we are being led by the Holy Spirit?
- At what point do we begin being led by the Holy Spirit?
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What if there is no New Testament Church Near Me?5 Digging Deeper
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Digging Deeper
- What do you believe is the most important thing to consider when seeking a church home?
- According to the New Testament, how did first century Christians respond to the Great Commission? What challenges did they face and how did they overcome them? Was this something only church leaders had to follow?
- "A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation": How will you specifically respond to these truths from God?
- What does it mean for the church to be its own unique culture or society?
- How is it that the Lord’s church can exist under any government or within any culture?
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Group Progress
Group Progress
What is the goal and purpose of the Kingdom of God?
The word “kingdom” refers to the rule and sovereignty of God over all things because “from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever” (Romans 11:36). In our time, the Christian era, Jesus is the king in God’s kingdom. Jesus refers to his kingdom as His church (Matthew 16:16-19). The people who have accepted Jesus as Lord of their lives are members of this kingdom because they have been “born again of water and Spirit” (John 3:3-5) and added to Christ’s church (Acts 2:47). They were “translated out of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son” (Colossians 1:9). Their purpose is to worship and serve Jesus in everything. They do this by loving God and loving others (Matthew 22:37-40). They use their talents and resources to serve others in the name of Jesus (Matthew 25:14-30). They minister in the name of Jesus to the poor, the hungry, the naked, the thirsty and the imprisoned (25:31-45). They focus their lives on “laying up treasures in heaven” by loving and serving others and sharing the good news of Jesus with them (6:19-21). They are “grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” and “offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28). Jesus is praised because he “loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever” (Revelation 1:5-6).
Believers anticipate the coming of God’s eternal kingdom in the heavenly world (2 Timothy 4:18). They “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). They “wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). At that time, Jesus will say to each faithful believer, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). He will invite them, saying, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (25:34). They will “enter into eternal life” and “be with the Lord forever” (25:46; 1 Thessalonians 4:17).