Topic: Christian Living

Title: Key To Finishing Well
Text: Galatians 3:1-6

Saying the sinner’s prayer with faith is a joyous event, but it is just the beginning. Not only do we want to start well, we also want to end well. How can believers progress toward spiritual maturity and finish the race well such that on the final day of judgment, they will receive the promised salvation?

General Questions:

1. Do you remember how it felt when you first accepted Christ into your life as your Lord and Saviour? What did it mean to you that you have been saved? Share how you felt with the lifegroup.
2. Do you still feel the same way about your salvation? How has it changed over the years?

Perspective Questions:

1. What does it mean for a believer to finish their life well?
2. What are some signs that you may have forgotten that you are saved by grace alone? What are some indications that you may be trusting yourself instead of God for salvation?
3. What are some situations or ways of thinking that may lead us to rely on our strength instead of looking to God for His grace?

Application Questions:

1. What are some ways we can keep our eyes on the Cross and our faith in God?

2. What are some things you are believing in God to do in or through your life?

3. What are some past experiences with God that have taught you to depend on Him? As you face current challenges in your life, how can you apply the lessons you have learnt from past experiences?

Apostle Paul defended the Gospel with all his might to persuade the Galatians to resist the bondage of the Law and remain in the freedom of the Gospel.

Would you do the same?

In this second instalment of our Galatians book study, learn how we can resist returning to the Law and resolve to live freely in Christ.

How can we keep our emotions, especially our anger in check in this fast paced and stressful society?

How can we keep our emotions, especially our anger in check in this fast paced and stressful society?

Title: Alcohol According To The Bible
Text: Various

Drinking alcohol is socially acceptable for many people. Yet besides the commonly heard mantra “you can drink, just don’t get drunk,” what are some principles we can consider from the Bible that can guide our decisions about drinking?

General Questions:

1. What are your experiences with alcohol? Would you say you have a positive or negative impression of it? Why?

Perspective Questions:

1. The Bible neither prohibits nor encourages drinking. How does knowing this fact help us to relate with people who may disagree with us on the issue of drinking?

2. Just because the Bible does not condemn or commend drinking (for purposes other than medical) does not mean that it does not have principles that can guide us in deciding whether to drink or not. For example, consider passages such as 1 Cor 10:23-11:1. What is the key principle in this passage? How does this principle affect our approach to drinking? 

3. Some may ask, how about drinking when no one else is around? Many turn to alcohol to “drown their sorrows” or to take the edge off the stressful situations they are going through. What are principles from the Bible that can help us to better handle the pressures of life?

Application Questions:

1. Instead of turning to alcohol (or other forms of escapism), how can we cope with the pressures of life in a healthier manner?

2. In ethical issues such as drinking, asking the right questions can help us to arrive at wise, God-honouring decisions. Instead of asking, “Can I drink?” or “How much is too much?” what are wiser questions to ask?

Title: Wrestling with God
Series: Hearts On Fire – Focus Series 2
Text: Genesis 32:22-32

God is inviting us to wrestle with Him because He desires for us to have a deeper dependence on Him and to fulfill His purposes for us.

General Questions:

1. Have you seen people wrestling before? Describe it, what can it tell us about the process of wrestling with God?

2. Who is Jacob? What kind of person is he? What part does he play in God’s redemptive story shared in the Bible?

Perspective Questions:

1. Before Jacob wrestled with God, he was anxious at the thought of Esau coming to meet him although he had made plans to stave off Esau’s attack (Gen 32:7-8, 13-21). His great need led him to pray (Gen 32:9-12), remembering God’s promises and goodness to him, and asking God to save him. This was where God wanted Jacob – uncertain, helpless, and vulnerable; so that Jacob would realise that relying on God was the only way out. When were the times when you felt like you had done everything you could but you were still afraid or uncertain, and you could only look to God for help? 

2. It took many hours of wrestling and a broken hip to make Jacob yield to God (Gen 32:24-26). What would it take for us to trust God and submit to His purpose for our lives? God had to break Jacob’s hip – what would God have to “break” in us to make us realise that He is our only recourse and surrender to Him in trust?  

Application Questions:

1. We “win” in our wrestle with God when we choose to “lose” by surrendering to God and letting His purpose control our lives. In our walk with God, how can we “lose” to Him more? What are some truths from the Bible we can remind ourselves with that would help us to surrender to God in trust? 

2. Feeling fearful and vulnerable is no fun. However, recognising our fear and vulnerability may be necessary to recognising our need for God. Therefore, we should not neglect negative emotions, but deal with them. How can the LG be a place where people feel safe to confront their unpleasant feelings? 

3. With a broken hip, Jacob limped into his calling as the father of Israel. Likewise, God might have to break us before He could use us for His purposes, so that we learn to always rely on Him. How can we deepen our dependence on God as we live out His purposes for our lives? 

Title: Walking In The Light
Series: Hearts On Fire – Focus Series 2
Text: 1 John 1:5-10

Walking with God is really a commitment to follow a righteous God. This commitment comes with expectations to walk in the light as God is in the light. What does God ask of those who desire to walk with Him?

Perspective Questions:

1. What is your understanding of what it means to walk with God? How does the apostle John define it?

2. Why do some people not want to walk in the light (see John 3:19-21) or lie about walking in the light? 

Application Questions:

1. What are possible ways people can downplay their sins? How can we properly deal with our sins?

2. A benefit of walking with God in the light is we get to enjoy true fellowship with other believers. How can we place the sacrifice of Jesus at the centre of our relationships with one another?

3. How can the LG help one another to walk in the light?

God, in His mercy and righteousness, has provided a way for us to continue walking with Him. But sin often trips us up and hinders us from being all we can be in Christ. How then, should we respond to God when we stumble?