In the Workshop--Lesson 21--Take Up Your Cross & Surrender--John 21 + Various Passages

Discussion Questions:

1.  What is your understanding of taking up a cross to follow Jesus?  Why is this a necessary step in living as an apprentice of Jesus?

2.  What are some things God has asked you to leave behind or let die in your life?  How are power and control false illusions of what the Kingdom of God is about?  Why is it so difficult to give up power and control?

3.  What kinds of struggles did Jesus have with carrying His cross (physically and emotionally)?  In what ways did God provide for His need and in what ways did God allow Him to struggle and persevere to victory?  What should we learn from God acting in both ways?

4.  How do a window and a mirror illustrate the problems we face being influenced by the world?  What are some things you do to put your flesh to death? 

5.  Why does God have us live in flesh, knowing the struggles we will have because of our flesh?  How does going through these battles lead us to entrust ourselves to our faithful Creator?

In the Workshop--Lesson 20--Obedience to His Call & Direction--John 21 + Various Passages

Discussion Questions:

1.  How is obedience to what God says a vital part of transformation?  What are some things Jesus did to provide a model of obedience?

2.  Why is obedience to what God says difficult?  What kinds of preconceived ideas about who God is and how His Kingdom works have you had to let go of or overcome to live a more obedient life? 

3.  Peter, Andrew, James & John dropped their nets and left family to follow Jesus.  What kinds of things have you been asked to let go of to follow Jesus?  What have you found difficult to let go of?

4.  When Jesus asks the apostles if they want to leave Him along with the crowd, why is Peter’s response that Jesus has the words of eternal life and that He is the Holy One of God so profound?

5.  What does Jesus mean in John 15:5 when He says, “apart from Me, you can do nothing”?  What helps you to stay connected to Him?  What kinds of things break this connection to Him?

6.  Are there some areas of your life where you are susceptible to trusting your own expertise, skills or knowledge over what God says?  How have you seen Jesus allow you to fail or cause you to wait for fulfillment so you grew out of dependence upon yourself?

7.  Tell of a time when you experienced hardship, frustration or discouragement and it turned into an “It is the LORD!” moment.  Why are these kinds of moments so valuable for faith-building and becoming a better apprentice of Jesus?

In the Workshop--Lesson 19--His Word is Fulfilled--Isaiah 55; Luke 4 & Various Passages

Discussion Questions:

1.     What does it look like to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”?  What kinds of things have been added to your life by doing this? How does seeking first the Kingdom and God’s righteousness help you with worry?

2.     How have you seen God’s word fulfilled in your life?  What kinds of memorials have you built into your life to not forget how God has been faithful to fulfill His word?

3.     How does the story of The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson show the harshness and cruelty of this world?  What kinds of “match” dreams have you experienced in your life?  What kinds of things have you seen tried to provide warmth for oneself that have proven to only be temporary?

4.     Are there any times you have felt afraid to return home to the Father?  How is what the Prodigal Son experienced when he returned home to his Father similar to the invitation we have been given in Isaiah 55:1-2?   Why is the same invitation brought up in Revelation 22:17?

5.     How is the promise shared in Isaiah 55:10-11 and Revelation 22:17 a solid foundation to build our lives upon?  What are some ways we can help a person feeling hungry and alone in a harsh world understand what is available to them in the promises of God?  In other words, how  do we get this message of Good News to the people who desperately need it?

6.     How did Abraham get sidetracked to focus on the cracks in his life instead of the foundation?  What kind of struggle have you faced trying to fix cracks instead of making sure the foundation is secure?

7.     Why did the people from Jesus’ hometown want to throw Him off a cliff?  What made them so angry?  What did the two stories Jesus told about Elijah being taken care of by a Gentile widow and Naaman (another Gentile) being healed of leprosy have to teach these people?  Is there any danger of unbelief causing us to miss out on the good that God wants to do for us?

8.     Why is knowing that His word is fulfilled the best security and foundation for our lives?