Next Steps--Lesson 5--Have I Got a Job for You--Exodus 3-4

Discussion Questions:

1.  How would you describe the success of God’s mission to bring transformation into your life?  What things hinder you from accepting that you are a new creation, born again, with a new heart and spirit? 

2.  Explain how one has an immediate new nature when they accept Jesus as LORD and Savior but still must endure a step-by-step process of maturing.  What kinds of things has the LORD provided and done to help you mature step by step?

3.  What kinds of things represent your identity and your security?  How difficult would it be for you to throw them down? 

4.  Tell of any times you reached a point of self-preservation.  How did the LORD move you out from there?  How does having purpose outside of yourself help with moving forward?  How did God use those times to transform you?

5.  Why did God get angry when Moses asked if someone else could do what God was asking of him?  How does God feel when you resist the transformation He wants to bring into your life?

6.  Why did God have Moses pick the staff up again?  What should we learn from the way God used this to emphasize transformation and the role Moses went on to play in shepherding the people of God?  Is there an area like this in your life where God wants to use your identity in a transformed way to accomplish more for His Kingdom?

7.  Why did God have Moses take his shoes off at the burning bush?  Are there things you need to remove to get closer to the presence of God?  Is it a coincidence that Moses gets closer to God than anyone else of his generation?  What does this teach you?

8.  Moses messed his life up in a big way and put himself out to pasture, but God wasn’t done with him yet.  What does this help you understand about your own failings? 

9.  Who is there around you that could be led to freedom from oppression if you took up your staff and entrusted yourself to the LORD?  What will you do to be prepared for opportunities to do this?

Next Steps--Lesson 4--Courage to Take the Next Step--Matthew 19 & Nehemiah 1-2

Discussion Questions:

1.  How do you know what the will of God is for your life?  What next step do you think God wants you to take in your spiritual development and your service to the Kingdom?  What fears or doubts or other struggles are holding you back from taking that next step? 

2.  How has fearing what you might lose hindered you from achieving more with God?  Are there things in your life right now that you will look back on later and wish you had done them differently?

3.  What next chapter do you think the author and perfector of faith would like to write into your life?  How much license do you give Him to write your story?

4.  What things do you typically find yourself praying about?  What kinds of things move you to tears or to disciplines like fasting?  How are these passions a sign of where to spend your energy and time for the sake of the Kingdom?

5.  What stuck out to you from Nehemiah’s response when he heard about the condition of Jerusalem?  Why would he leave the position of cupbearer to fix walls in Jerusalem?  What security has God asked you to let go of so you can fulfill a good work for His Kingdom?

6.  Why does fulfilling a passion often come with suffering?  How did Jesus provide a model for this?  How did Nehemiah overcome the heavy amount of opposition and suffering that came with fulfilling his passion?

7.  How have you seen passion help someone overcome what seemed impossible?  What is one area of your life where your passion could be used by God to accomplish good things for His Kingdom?

8.  How have you seen remaining in one’s comfort zone hinder growth or fulfilling good works in the Kingdom of God?  Is this always the case?  What helps you to get comfortable with being called out of your comfort zone?

Next Steps--Lesson 3--Memorial Sunday--Sharing What God Has Done--Genesis 3 & Luke 4

Discussion Questions:

1.  What did you see in the memorials that moved you and helped you see God’s involvement in the lives of our church family?  How did seeing people’s stories encourage you in your faith? 

2.  How does ruling over the earth and subduing it play out in our time today?  What is the significance of the serpent being in the form of a serpent?  Is it really possible to rule over the serpent?

3.  What are the steps the serpent takes to deceive the woman?  (Isolation; Raise questions based on desires; Step away from God and redefine good & evil for yourself)  How have you seen him use these steps in your own life?  How can you overcome these lies and acts of aggression?

4.  Why is the advice to follow your heart a foolish endeavor?  Is this true after God gives you a new heart—a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26)?

5.  In what ways is Jesus the 2^nd Adam?  Why is He referred to this way?  How does Jesus show us the way to live that we forfeited through our rebellion and being deceived by the serpent?

6.  How is Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness parallel to the fall of mankind in the Garden?  How is it very different? 

7.  Why did Jesus overcome what the devil threw at Him?  What practices did Jesus have that enabled Him to be victorious rather than succumbing to His flesh?

8.  How has Jesus helped you get your place and your calling back?  How does the memorial of communion help you to remember this?