Sunday’s Bulletin

Discussion Questions:
Nancy Eckardt

1. Can you think of a time when you felt excluded from a group because of a false standard?  How did you feel?  How did you overcome it?

2. Can you think of a time when you were a part of a group that had false standards that may have excluded others.  What were those standards?

3. Can you think of a time when trying harder has led to greater failure?  What did you take away from that experience?  Discouragement?  Disillusionment?  Grace?

4. “I follow the law in order to better follow Jesus.”  Can you think of examples in your own life to support this statement?

5. “The law confronts us with the reality of sin. Sin confronts us with the reality of death. “ What is the difference between taking the law seriously versus being legalistic?  What role does grace play in this?

6. “The root of all sin is autonomy.”  How do you respond to this statement?

7. 2 Corinthians 5:17; I John 3:3.  New creation, new identity that cannot sin; and Romans 7:17, 18. yet sin still dwells in me. How is this dualism in your life apparent to you?

8. We need to see the gap between our problem – “wretched man that I am! – and the solution  - transformation in Christ?  What fills your gap?

9. What is the importance of letting others see your gap?  What are the barriers to allowing others to see your gap?

There are two things going on leading up to Romans 6. Let’s follow the thinking:
- We’ve got big problems
- God has a solution
These truths run the risk of a terribly wrong conclusion. If sin + God’s love = revelation of grace, then sin > love > grace. Romans 6:1–2 addresses this.

Discussion Questions:
Nancy Eckardt

1. Vs. 1, 2a “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be!” Why can this never be? How is this the true gospel?
2. Have you ever been baptized? Why or why not?
3. Can you think of a time when you have said no to something in order to say yes to the greater thing?
4. What is something right now that you had to or need to say no to?
5. In Hebrews 12:1,2, Jesus is our example of saying no in order to say yes. To what did he say no? To what does he say yes? What does that mean for us?
6. As a community we are committing to incorporate Prayer, Scripture Reading, Generosity, and Service into our lives. How can we approach these spiritual disciplines as saying no in order to say yes to God?
7. What is a “no” that might now be holding you back from being able to say “yes”?

There will be times when we all feel like quitting. Often, the quitting comes
not at the beginning, but halfway up the mountain—or, worse, after all the hard
parts are behind us. That’s why Hebrews 10 calls for endurance. How does
Paul motivate us to continue in our journey with Jesus?

Discussion Questions:
Nancy Eckardt

1. What makes you wonder if God is for you?
2. How have you wrestled with God?
3. Can you think of a time when wrestling with God was painful? How did it lead to intimacy?
4. How does proven character lead to hope?
5. He is safe because he loves us. He who knows us best loves us most. It is based on his capacity to love, not our capacity to be lovable. Why is it difficult to believe this?
6. Why do you hang in there?
7. What does “more” look like to you? How has Christ provided more for you than anything that is strictly human?
8. How does your activity reflect the reign of Christ?

1. How has biblical truth become knit with your story?
2. What does fruitfulness look like to you?
3. What are your areas of barrenness where you desire fruitfulness?
4. Are there areas where fruitfulness seems impossible?
5. Can you share the time when you came to Christ, recognizing y our need for him to transform you and make you fruitful?
6. How do you believe in transformation when all you see is failure?
7. How have you seen Jesus revealed in another?
8. Can you think of a time in your life when you have added to faith as the requirements of righteousness?
9. When have you been tempted to give up on God? What keeps you persevering?
10. What have you committed to God by faith that seems impossible?

Discussion Questions:
Nancy Eckardt

1. How would you describe “vampire Christianity’?

2. How close was Moon’s description of the gospel, quoted by Moon, to your own understanding?

3. What do you see as symptoms of the sickness in the world?

4. What do you hear as inaccurate diagnoses of the symptoms?

5. Richard defined sin as “the sickness in us that makes intimacy with God impossible.” How does sin get in the way of intimacy?

6. How is shame a part of our barrier to intimacy with God?

7. “none righteous, no not one….none who seek God.” Why don’t we seek God?

8. Richard suggested that we want intimacy with armor. What is makes up your armor?

9. 2 Cor 5:20 – As an ambassadors of Christ, Paul begs us “Be reconciled to God!” Why do we resist being reconciled to God?

10. 2 Cor 5:21 The righteousness of God – we live into the righteousness that has been bestowed on us. We “move into our uniform.” How have you seen this reflected in your life?

11. How does the original definition of the gospel as escape from hell allow room for boasting? How does this new view of the gospel leave no room for boasting?

12. What might you be tempted to overlook in your life, rather than walking into intimacy, opening yourself up to exposure?

Discussion Questions:
Nancy Eckardt

1. How would you describe your heritage?  What influence did Christianity have on your formation as a child?

2. During the time of Abraham, the community of God was reflective of his character, causing surrounding communities to acknowledge Him as the one true God.  Yet, by the time we get to the book of Isaiah, the opposite is true.  How is the character of God seen in the Bethany community?  How do you contribute to that?

3. Richard reminded us that as believer’s, we are blessed to be a blessing.  What does that look like to you?

4. Can you think of a time when you have set a standard for righteousness that was based on your own sense of righteousness rather than God’s?  How did you overcome this?

5. Can you think of a time when you have been criticized for not maintaining an artificial, human-based standard of righteousness?  What impact has this had on you?

6. When our knowledge or moral high ground becomes the thing we place our trust in, we lose our capacity for intimacy with Christ.  What might be a barrier to intimacy with Christ for you?

7. Can you think of a time when you have reached a point of saying, “I can’t go on; will you carry me?”  Can you think of an area of  your life right now that is beyond your ability to manage?  What keeps you from surrendering to God?

Discussion Questions:
Nancy Eckardt

The wrong diagnosis leads to the wrong treatment.

1. Can you think of a time when you or a loved one was wrongly diagnosed?  What happened?

2. Why are you not ashamed of the gospel?  Or, positively, why do you have full confidence in the gospel?

3. God accepts us where we are and is committed to our transformation.  How have you seen this in your life?

4. What in nature draws you to God?  How do you respond?

5. Can you think of an example from your own life when the sense of natural law has kicked in?  To what did you appeal in your outrage?

6. We are wired to suppress the truth by running from intimacy.  What does that look like in your experience?

7. Richard said that the biggest dysfunction is our own inability to evaluate our own dysfunction.  Christ referred to it as the “log” in our eye.  How do you respond to that?

8. The result of God’s treatment for our own dysfunction is a change of nature, abounding grace, and the ability to replace our dysfunctional nature with one of hospitality, grace, generosity, and hope.  Where have you seen the transformation of God in your life?  Where do you need to see his transformation?

Today, as we begin the book of Romans, we come to discover that Paul’s introduction is earth-shattering. It lays down the gauntlet, challenging conventional notions of power in the world. In doing so, it also reframes the meaning of the gospel to include far more than a ticket to heaven and personal transformation.

Discussion Questions:
Nancy Eckardt

1. Can you think of a time when you received some good news? What was it? How did it affect you? How long did the ramifications of the good news last?

2. Richard outlined Paul’s purpose in writing the letter to the Romans as well. How does Paul’s desire to continue to Spain relate to Acts 1:8?

3. Can you think of a time when your allegiance to Christ has put you in an awkward position? What is risky about being a Christian in your community?

4. Read Romans 1:5, 6. How does relate to John’s vision in Revelation 7:9, 10. How does this open up your understanding of the Christian faith?

5. Read Romans 1:16, 17. What do you think Paul means by “not ashamed’? How would you reword his assertion to be a positive statement? How does sound in light of the context of living under Caesar’s rule? How is this attitude risky in your own context?

6. What challenges your allegiance to Christ as King? What areas of your life are threatened by his kingship?

7. What would living more recklessly look like to you?

8. How is Lordship different than Kingship? How do you see the Lordship of Christ reflected in someone close to you? In your own life?

Sermon Discussion Questions:
Nancy Eckardt
1. In John 4, Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman, and the conversation turns toward worship.  Why do you think the Samaritan woman asked about worship?  What was she trying to avoid?  What might have her underlying question been about?

2. How do you experience Christ’s presence in worship on Sundays?  How do you see Christ as the presence of God during the week?

3. What gets in the way of your entering the presence of God on Sunday?  What about during the week?

4. How have you seen the character of Christ manifested in your life and experience this week?

5. Sacrifice of Another was demanded in order for us to be in relationship with God, because his character both infinite love and infinite justice. What thoughts or feelings do you have as you consider God as being infinitely loving and infinitely just?  How does this impact your understanding of yourself in relationship to God?  To others?

6. Read 1 John 1:9.  How much is confession a part of your life?  What would a habit of confession look like to you?

7. The table of bread represents to us the way that Christ’s fullness is the perfect match for our hunger.  What is your soul hungry for?

8. How does the light of God illuminate your perspective of life?

9. What aromas do you find pleasing?  Can you think of an aroma that brings back a special memory?  How do you experience God as a pleasing aroma?

10. Where are you on your way into the presence of God?  In what areas would you like to grow over the next few months?