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Monday, June 22, 2009

Questions from Sundays Talk

Exorcist-the-exorcist-2824273-1024-768 We talked out of Luke 10 last night about the typical Father's Day topic of exorcism!

If you were not there last night than you can download the talk through itunes or directly from our website here.

Here are some questions that might help keep the conversation going a little bit.

1.) What is your initial reaction when you read in scripture about things like exorcism?  If your honest would you say you tend to ignore them, think about them literally, or think about them symbolically?

2.) Do you feel like the images you have attached to things like exorcism, demons, etc are more influenced by popular culture, the Bible, things you have actually seen, or some combination if these?  Explain...

3.) One thing we seem to know for sure from these passages is that the life of discipleship has power.  Do you feel strange talking about power in regards to your Christian life?  If so why?  In what ways have you experienced the power of following Christ?

4.) Did the talk Sunday night cause you to think about things like exorcism any differently?  How so?  Was there anything in particular you found thought provoking, or any thing you think you disagree with?  (and yes, as always, it is more than ok to disagree with something said on Sunday night)

5.) We talked about the fact that the Kingdom of God doesn't accupy the same space as the Kingdoms of this world.  Do you feel comfortable sharing some ways in which you experience the tension in your own life of the two kinds of Kingdoms trying the push the other out?

6.) If we are all, in a sense, called to be exorcists (those who embody/help establish the Kingdom of God which pushes out all competing Kingdoms)... How do you see that playing out practically in your own life?



Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Questions from Sunday 6-14-09

If you were not with us you can catch last week's talk on our podcast page.  Here are some questions that will hopefully keep the conversation going.

Luke 10:16"He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."


1.) How would you react/feel hearing Jesus say this to you?  Does it seem like Good news, bad news, unrealistic....?

2.) Do you tend to see yourself as a person that represents God's words in this world?  Why or why not?

3.) Was there a time in your life when you felt confident speaking on behalf of God?  Have there been times when you felt totally unqualified?  Have you ever seen God really use something you have said?  Have you ever said something that you thought represented God, that you are now sure did not?

4.) What are some of the best or worst things you have heard said "in the name of God".

5.)  we talked about two safeguards against the dark side of speaking for God.  How do you see humility helping to protect us from the dangers we discussed? 

6.) How do you see the guiding question of , "Does it look like Jesus?" helping to protect us from the dangers we discussed?

7.) Mike mentioned the recent murder of a Doctor in Kansas as an example of a time and place where those safeguards could have changed things.  Can you think of specific instances in your life or the news where those two safeguards mentioned should have been in place?



Monday, June 8, 2009

Questions from Sunday 6-7-2009

If you did not get the chance to come out this last week you can download the talk from the last week on our website

Here are some questions that might help unpack the topic a little bit.

1) Can you relate to the tension that is sometimes present in the way we talk about the Love and Peace of God on one hand, and the Judgment of God on the other hand? In what ways do you think we over-emphasize or under-emphasize either God's Peace or God's judgment?

2) We talked about having glimpses in our life of the Shalom of God.  Those moments when everything seems to be the way it was intended to be.  When are some times and places in your life when you feel like you get these glimpses of Shalom?

3) How do we as followers of Christ really offer Peace to those we come across?

4) In what ways do you see yourself, or people of faith in general, lean towards judging instead of offering peace?  What are some times and places where you have seen Christians take the job of judging as there own?  What are some times and places in which you have seen some choose a message of Shalom when it would be much easier to judge?

5) How do you think the message "the Kingdom of God is Near" can simultaneously be a message of Peace/Hope and a message of Judgment?  What does this mean practically for you in the way you live out your faith?