Agents of Reconciliation (Micah 7:18)

Read Micah 7:18. What 3-4 words jump out at you in this verse? Have a few people use 4 words or less to summarize the verse.

How does this verse shape your understanding of God's character and mercy?

What does the term "God's remnant" mean to you, based on your understanding of the Bible verses provided?

Read Matthew 7:13-14. How does this verse describe God's remnant?

Why do you think God has left a remnant on earth? Why do you think He doesn't just take all of His people to heaven immediately?

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-20.What is the main point of this verse? What is the job that has been given to God's remnant?

What do you think it means to be an agent of reconciliation with your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, etc.?

God's remnant should look like God. Micah described God as one who pardons and forgives. Why is it hard to forgive the people who have wronged us?

Take some time and share some practical hints with each other to help you forgive others.

God wants us to reconcile with other people and He wants us to help other people be reconciled to Him. How can you help more people be reconciled to God?

Have each person share the name of one person they know who needs to be reconciled to God.

Take a few minutes and pray specifically for each of these people.

Have each person in the group identify one action they can take in the next few days to be an agent of reconciliation.

You Have a Representative That Cares About You (Romans 5)

Have you ever had the opportunity to be a representative for a person or group? How did you do?

Have you ever been represented poorly by someone else? How did you feel?

Do you feel that Adam was a good or bad first representative of humanity? Why?

Read Romans 5:19. Use the previous verses for help answering the following questions.

Who is the first “one man” mentioned in this verse? How do you know?

Who is the second “one man” mentioned in this verse? How do you know?

How did the first man’s disobedience affect everyone who came after him? How did his disobedience impact you? Explain.

If you had been the first man, would you also have disobeyed? Why or why not?

Make a list of all the ways the second man was obedient to God. How did his obedience impact you?

Read 2 Corinthians 15:49. How is this verse connected to Romans 5:19?

What do you think it means that we will “bear the image of the heavenly man?”

When God looks at you, does He think you look more like the first man or the second man? Why?

If you do bear the image of the heavenly man, then God, the Father, must feel about you the same way He feels about Jesus. How would you describe the way God, the Father, feels about Jesus?

Knowing how God feels about you should inspire you to live a certain way. How do you want to live this week as a result of God’s love for you?

What are you going to change in your life to help you live this way?

All Things New (Genesis 17)

Read Genesis 17:1-8

• What do you think God meant when he told Abraham to "Walk before me and be blameless."?
• How would your life change if every step you took you remembered that God was watching you? Would your life be more blameless? Why or why not?
• Abram means "exalted father" and Abraham means "father of a multitude." Why do you think God changed Abram's name to Abraham even though he only had one son at the time?
• Why do you think Abraham believed God's promises? How do you think Abraham was able to wait so long for God to keep his promises?
• Which promises of God are important to you? Why?
• If God were going to start a new thing in your life, what do you think He would do?

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17 and rewrite it in your own words

• Do you believe these words are descriptive of you? Why or why not?
• What changes in your life do these verses inspire you to consider?

Read Ephesians 4:17-24

In your old life, you walked in darkness. Your new life is lived in the light of the Son of God.

• How would you describe the "former way" of living? What are some things the old you would have done that the new you won't?
• What old things are still lingering in your life? How can you take action to push those things out of your life?
• If every day is the opportunity for a fresh start, how will you make tomorrow better than today?

Life on Earth is Best Lived for Others! (Philippians 1)

Study Thoughts:

Philippians 1:21-30 is broken into two sections. The first section consists of Paul's answer to the question, "Is it better to live or to die?" The second section builds on this by answering the question, "If I am going to live, how should I live?" His answers are simple, and yet profound.

He determines that while death is selfishly preferable because it means enjoying the presence of the Lord, life is the correct choice because it provides opportunity to benefit others. The unspoken truth here is that life is not worth living if it is only lived for one's own benefit.

In verses 27-30 he reminds the Philippians that they are citizens of a different kingdom. This passage is similar to 1 Peter 2:11-12. He calls on them to live as if they are citizens of heaven, and then uses the following verses to paint a picture of what that looks like. I see at least three character traits of the citizens of heaven: they are unified, they are gospel-centered, they are fearless.

This discussion guide will focus on the first half of the passage. I'll cover the second part of the passage later.

Discussion Questions:

What was the greatest day of your life? What made it so great?

What was the most difficult day of your life? How did you get through it?

When you think of heaven, to what do you most look forward? What questions do you have about heaven?

Read Philippians 1:21-23. What do you like about these verses? What raises questions?

What kind of things would have driven Paul to be having these kind of thoughts? (read 2 Corinthians 6:3-10)

Have you ever experienced the kind of feelings Paul writes about in these verses? How did you deal with them?

When you think about being in the presence of the Lord, are you excited or terrified? Why?

Read Philippians 1:24-26. Why did Paul decide it was better to remain present on the earth?

Life is not really worth living if you are only living it for yourself!

How has someone impacted your life because they were focused on your benefit instead of their own?

What are some simple ways you can be more others focused in your life?

How can this group be more others focused? What are some things we can do to bring benefit to our church, our community, or our workplaces?

How will we pray for one another this week?

The Worst Judge of All. The Greatest Deliverer of All (Judges 13)

What are some of the objects in your house which have special meaning to you? How do you treat those objects? What rules do you have for others (children) regarding these objects?

Do you ever have projects for which you set money aside? For what are you setting aside money right now?

What do you think it means to be "set apart" as a person?

Read Judges 13:1-14. (this is the story of Samson)

What parts of this passage seem to be similar to the birth of Jesus (particularly Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38)?

Can you think of any other parts of Samson's life that are parallel to Jesus' life? What about his death?

What was the purpose for which God wanted Samson to be set apart? What was the most important thing He wanted Samson to accomplish? Did Samson accomplish this?

Based on what you know about Samson, make a list of some of his flaws. What were some of the mistakes he made during his life?

Were Samson's flaws and mistakes worse than the flaws and mistakes in your life? Why or why not?

Has God set you apart to do anything unique?

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. Samson was set apart to deliver Israel. Those who have been made new in Christ are also set apart to be deliverers.

To what groups of people are you to be a deliverer?  From what do they need deliverance?

Despite Samson's flaws, in some ways he was a representation of Jesus. Can you be a representation of Jesus despite your flaws? How?

This week, how will you represent Jesus to the people around you? How will you be a deliverer? How can this group help you accomplish these goals?

Messengers on Behalf of God (2 Corinthians 5-6)

What is the best message you've ever had an opportunity to deliver? What made it so great? How was it received?


What message do you think God wants you to deliver to those around you?


Read 2 Corinthians 5:20-21. What do you think is the "appeal" God is making through us? To whom is He making this appeal?

What does it mean to be "reconciled to God?" How have you been reconciled to God?

What are some simple things we can do to help others be reconciled to God?

Read 2 Corinthians 6:1-2. Talk about a time God has helped you. From what has God saved you?

In verse 4, Paul says, "we commend ourselves in every way." Another way to say this might be to say, "we seek opportunities to introduce ourselves in ever circumstance of life."

Read 2 Corinthians 6:4-5. Have you ever experienced these kinds of life circumstances? How could these kinds of things provide you an opportunity to introduce yourself to someone? If you were committed to God's mission of reconciliation, how would you need to react to these kinds of life circumstances?

Read 2 Corinthians 6:6-7. Of which things in this list do you need more in your life? What is one word in these verses that is challenging to you?

Read 2 Corinthians 6:9-10. Which of these comparisons is most striking to you? Have you had a time in your life when one of these phrases would have described you? How did you work through that time?

How do you think Paul's handling of adversity provided him with opportunities to introduce himself? Why do you think he was always trying to build new relationships with people? What good message did he have for them?

How does this passage challenge us in our relationships? What are some simple things we can do this week to build new relationships? In the relationships we already have, how can we be ambassadors for God?

What is your one goal for this week? How can we help you accomplish this goal?

Ministers of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 2)

What is the best parade you've ever seen? What made it so great? Would you rather watch a parade or be in a parade? Why?

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 is a brief interlude in which Paul talks about what it means to be a "minister of the gospel". His thoughts are helpful for us as we consider our identities as ministers of the gospel. The New Living Translation's rendering of this passage is very helpful so I've included it below:

But thank God! He has made us His captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?
You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ's authority, knowing that God is watching us.

What victory do you think, Christ is celebrating in this "triumphal procession"? If Christ is the victor, what role do we play?

How does God use us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere? How do we sometimes get in the way of God using us to spread the knowledge of Christ?

Why do you think some people perceive the knowledge of Christ to be like a stench? Why do some people perceive it as a beautiful aroma? What makes the difference?

Paul asks who is adequate for the task of spreading the knowledge of Christ. What factors make someone adequate for this task? What factors might keep someone from being adequate for the task?

Do you feel that you are adequate for the task? Why or why not?

How do you feel knowing that some people you may talk to about God might perceive that conversation as the "smell of death"?

What are some examples of how people share Christ for personal benefit in our world?

Do you think there are some people who choose NOT to share Christ because they think it will be more beneficial to keep quiet? Why or why not?

To whom has Christ given the authority to talk about the Gospel? Does Christ's authority mean that everyone will accept what is being said? What does his authority mean?

Paul finishes by saying that God is watching us. Is this a good thing or bad thing? How should it change the way we live?

Basics: Redemptive History (Genesis-Revelation)

This study is probably much too long for one session, unless you have 2 hours. It might work to have people go through the first section on their own, or to use these questions to construct a short teaching time in which you can summarize the overview of redemptive history.

In my opinion, it's the five questions at the end that are most important.

Note the illustrated guide at the bottom of the study.

1. How important is Jesus?
2. Why?
3. Have you ever thought, "It wasn't supposed to be this way?" What was going on?
4. Read Genesis 1:31. What are examples of how our world has become less than "good"?
5. How did Adam and Eve's disobedience bring this brokenness about? (Read Genesis 3:11-12,23-24)
6. According to Genesis 4, what were some of the consequences of sin on Adam and Eve's family? How do we still see some of these same consequences today?
7. Over the centuries, how effective have mankind's efforts been to eradicate the effects of sin?
8. Why do you think man is unable to rid himself of sin's consequences?
9. What does it mean that men have fallen short of God's glory?(Romans 3:23)
10. How does Jesus remedy the failure of mankind?(Romans 5:8)
11. Why was it necessary for Jesus to die?
12. How does Jesus' death make us into "new creatures?" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
13. How did God intend for his new creation to become ministers of reconciliation? (2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Matthew 28:19-20)
14. What are you most looking forward to when God finalizes the new creation (Revelation 21)

----------GETTING PERSONAL----------

1. Have you ever sinned? When did you first "fall"?
2. How has your sin kept you from being the person God created you to be?
3. How have you attempted to remove the effects of sin from your own life? How have you failed?
4. How important is Jesus?
5. Why?

God Uses Your Suffering For Other People (2 Corinthians 1)

Big Idea: Jesus expands our circles of influence through our suffering—we are put in contact with people He has prepared for our witness

When you hear the term "circle of influence", what do you think about?  How many "circles of influence" do most people have? What are some of the typical "circles of influence" people have?

Do you think people have more influence in certain circles and less influence in others?  Can you give an example or examples?

How might someone grow relationships within their circle of influence?  What steps could someone take to expand their circles of influence?

How could God use suffering to expand someone's circles of influence?   Give some examples.

Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.  What do you think is the main point of this passage?

How could an experience of suffering prepare you to comfort someone else who is suffering?

How could am experience of suffering prepare you to share Christ with someone who is suffering?

If we believe that God is using our suffering for someone else's benefit, how should we deal with our experiences of suffering?

How would your reaction to hard times change if every day you asked yourself, "For whom am I experiencing this?"

What is going on in your life right now that God could use to influence those in your circles of influence?  How can you help make this happen?

Who is in your circles of influence right now that could receive a benefit from something you are going through or have been through?  How can you help make this happen?

Repentance (Revelation 2)

Big Idea: Repentance is a lot more than saying, "I'm Sorry."
(this study accompanies a sermon from 2 Corinthians 7)

Have someone read 2 Peter 3:9. God will one day judge, why is He holding back his judgment right now? What is He waiting for?

Give some examples of the difference between just saying "Sorry" and truly repenting.

Why do some people have such a hard time repenting?

Have someone read Revelation 2:1-5.

Can you look back at a time in your life when you really loved God? Do you need to return to that? How can repentance be the first step in returning?

Has this group fallen away from our first love at all? Are there things we need to return to? Are there things for which we as a group need to repent?

Do you have any relationships which have fallen apart? How can repentance to another person help restore a relationship?

In light of this discussion, what is the next step God is calling you to?

What should be the next step be for our group?