Portraits of God--Lesson 2--How God Responds When Relationship Becomes Religion--I Samuel 2:11-36

Discussion Questions:

1. Is there baggage you are trying to carry in your walk with God making it difficult to walk the narrow path? How can your Connect Group or church family help you let go of what is not necessary?

2. How is it possible to serve the LORD at the tabernacle and not know Him? Have you had

seasons like this in your own walk with God?

3. Why is religion not enough? Describe what the difference is between following a religion

and living in a relationship with God.

4. Is your spiritual walk more about verbs or nouns? Why should the church be a verb

instead of a noun? Why should worship? Why should faith?

5. Why would God destroy Hophni & Phineas (the sons of Eli), but spare David, Manasseh,

Ahab and Rahab? What do you learn from these examples for your own life?

Portraits of God--Lesson 1--Listening to the Cries of a Desperate, Barren Woman--I Samuel 1:1-2:10

Discussion Questions:

1. Which has more influence over the direction of your life: the winds of this world or the deep currents of God? What has helped you to develop depth in your character that allows God’s deeper currents to influence your life?

2. How have you seen God use emptiness and weakness to display His power, wisdom and sovereignty? Why is it so difficult for us to admit emptiness and weakness, considering these are qualities God often chooses to work through?

3. What do you learn from Hannah’s prayer in I Samuel 1:10-11? Which of these 4 elements in Hannah’s prayer (who she prays to; her attitude of a servant; praying according to God’s nature; praying with a heart to give it all back) do you find easiest to follow in your own prayer life? Which is most difficult?

4. What does the portrait of God revealed in I Samuel 1:1-2:10 show you about God’s plan for His people and His desire to be involved in our lives?

5. Can you think of an example where one person made a huge difference and changed the course of things? What struggles have you had with going in a direction different from the culture in which we live?

Stand Alone Sermon--When God Says "No!"--Deuteronomy 3 & 4

Discussion Questions:

1. When have you been told “no” by God? What did you learn from the experience?

2. Why do you think Moses keeps bringing up the fact that he was not allowed to enter the

Promised Land? Is he angry, or does he have other motives?

3. Whose fault is it that Moses can’t enter the land? Why does he say several times that it is

on account of the Israelites?

4. Since God called Moses and put the dream in his mind about taking possession of the

Promised Land, is it cruel for God to disallow his entry? How does God’s larger

perspective provide balance to this event?

5. If God said yes to all of your requests, how big of a mess would your life be right now?

6. How have you seen God fight against the things in your life that keep you from the depth

of relationship He wants to have with you?