Series: Focus 2024 – Disciplines for an Abiding Life
Title: Seeking God through Prayer and Fasting
Text: Joel 2:12-13, Ezra 8:21-23

In the Bible, the people of God fasted and prayed to indicate or express the inner conditions of their hearts. Today, we are not required to fast and pray. But we can still benefit from this spiritual discipline when we practise it from the heart. What is the value of sincere fasting and praying?

General Questions:

  1. Share about a previous experience with fasting. Why did you choose to fast? How did it go? How did you experience God through the period of prayer and fasting?

Perspective Questions:

  1. In our struggles with different sins, what might lead us to depend on our willpower and wisdom, instead of taking the fight spiritually? How does the way we deal with sin reflect our relationship with and understanding about God?
  2. What hinders you from fasting (apart from medical conditions)? What do these hindrances reveal about our understanding of the purpose and impact of fasting? How has the sermon addressed these hindrances, if any?
  3. Think of different ways in which you might fast. How does fasting set us in the posture to allow God to change our hearts?

Application Questions:

  1. What are some steps we can take to help us practice fasting (examples given below)? How can the LG support one another in fasting?

Series: Focus 2024 – Abide
Title: Spirit-Filled Gathering
Text: Ephesian 5:18-20

Gathering for fellowship is one of the key spiritual habits that enables us to abide in Christ. So how should a Spirit-filled community look like? What does a Spirit-filled gathering look like?

General Questions:

1) Personally, what are the reasons that you commit yourself to regular gatherings, such as life group (LG) meetings and church services? What are your personal values and convictions concerning gathering as a spiritual family? How have you been blessed and benefitted from these gatherings?

2) What do you think are the differences between Christian fellowship gatherings and other social groups? Are there similarities? Do you think LG should be different from other social groups? Why?

Perspective Questions:

1) Do you think your LG meetings are Spirit-filled? What are the areas that you think your LG has gone well? Which areas
(mutual edification, gratitude filled, being other-centred) do you think your LG can grow in?

2) The LG is made up of imperfect people who are growing in their faith. What should our attitude be when the LG is going through challenging circumstances (e.g. conflicts within the group, lack of commitment from members)? How do you think by coming with the right attitudes of wanting to edify one another, with gratitude and with a desire to prioritise needs of other above ours, help and give us a new perspective when there are challenges in the LG? Personally, what differences do you think you can make if you come to LG gathering with these attitudes?

Application Questions:

1) The verses in Hebrews 10:24-25 were intended to encourage believers in Hebrews who were going through persecution to persevere in gathering so that they may encourage one another. What can we learn from Hebrews 10:24-25 when we face challenges in coming to LG or when we see other LG members struggling to gather?

Hebrews 10:24-25 “24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good
deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

2) What are the practical things that you can apply as a LG to build the LG to be a spirit-filled gathering? Which of the following practical pointers do you think your LG can do more in your gatherings?

Practical points:

· Build culture of affirmation in our gatherings.
· Activate prophetic ministry in our gatherings.
· Allocate time for people to share testimonies.

Series: Focus 2024 – Abide
Title: When Sin Came In
Text: Acts 5:1-8

The church is an imperfect community that is set apart for God. Yet our call to be holy is often threatened by the presence of sin within the community. How should we as a church respond to sin so that collectively, we remain holy before God?

General Questions:

  1. Describe fear as an emotion. How can this be reconciled with the idea of the fear of God?

Perspective Questions:

  1. Read Acts 1 – 4 (or 2:42-47 and 4:32-37). What are some characteristics of the early church? How is what Ananias and Sapphira did potentially damaging to the spiritual health and credibility of the community?
  2. “My sin affects you even if you are not aware of it.” Do you think this is true? Why? How does the personal sin of someone in the community affect the community at large? Give some examples.
  3. How can we reconcile removing sin from the community and welcoming sinners into it?  How should our expectations of believers and non-believers differ?

Application Questions:

  1. Often, we can only help one another to be holy when we know what one another is struggling with. What hinders you from being open with your struggles to the faith community? How can you help one another to be vulnerable?
  2. Sin should be dealt with swiftly before it spreads to affect others in the community. How can we approach the sins of others without compromising on either grace or holiness?

Title: When God comes in
Passage: Exodus 19:10-25

There is a right kind of fear that we should have, which is essential to fulfilling God’s call to holiness. The God who came down to dwell among us is awesomely and perfectly holy. Therefore, approaching God is a very serious matter that must take place on God’s terms.

General Questions:

  1. What has been your views on holiness? From the sermon, what does it mean to be holy for God?
  2. God is a personal God, but He is also a holy God. How have Jesus bridged these two aspects of God?
  3. What is the relationship between abiding in Christ and having the right kind of fear for God?

Perspective Questions:

  1. Consider the concept of holiness and reverence shared in this sermon. How do they challenge your perspective on living as a Christ follower in the world today?
  2. How would approaching God’s presence with reverence in your daily lives impact your relationship with God?

Application Questions:

  1. What are the practical ways in which we can maintain a distinct Christian identity while actively engaging with those around us? How can this impact our witness to non-believers?
  2. What are the specific actions or changes you can make this coming week to be careful and serious in areas such as worship, devotions, tithing etc? How can your lifegroup journey with you and keep you accountable in these areas?

It’s easy to look for the next big thing in this fast-paced and fast-changing world. Yet amid the wars, economic uncertainty, and constant pressures of life, we can find our stay. Come and hear what God has in store for our church and personal lives as we move forward in 2024.

Series: Focus 2024 – Abide
Text: John 15:1-8

It can be hard to abide in something when we live in a fast-paced, ever-changing world. We tend to abandon old things when we get tired of them and we chase after new things. Yet God calls us to abide in Christ, to remain united with Christ, and to hold onto Christ.

General Questions:

  1. Do you find it a challenge to abide or remain in the same thing over time? Why or why not? What is one thing you have abided or remained in (e.g. a job, a marriage)? What makes you stay?

Perspective Questions:

  1. When we abide in Christ, God prunes us so that we can grow spiritually. Describe a pruning experience you had with God. What happened, how did it feel, and how have you grown? What is an important attitude to have when we experience God’s pruning?

  2. When we abide in Christ, God makes us fruitful to His glory. Knowing that fruitfulness depends on God, how do we make sense of the fruit, or the lack thereof, that we see in our lives?

Application Questions:

  1. How is God wanting to prune your life today? How can you allow God to complete the pruning process?

Series: Focus 2024

In 2024, as we abide in Christ, let’s focus on holiness and harvest.

Perspective Questions:

  1. As we review the resolutions we have made for the new year, how much of our resolutions have to do with growing in holiness?

Application Questions:

  1. What are some steps we can take to grow in holiness?

  2. By God’s grace, we are able to influence people beyond our generation, socio-economic status and ethnicity. What are some opportunities or platforms we can utilise to reach people who are different from us?

Come and hear what God has in store for our church & personal lives as we move forward to 2024.

Title: Step Out & Step Up
Series: A Brick In His House
Text: Haggai 1:1-11

Every now and then, we need to honestly reflect on our priorities. Have other responsibilities or endeavours crowd out the commitment to build God’s church?  

Perspective Questions:

  1. Late Bible scholar Gordon Fee once said, “God is not just saving individuals and preparing them for heaven; rather, He is creating a people among whom He can live and who in their life together will reproduce God’s life and character.” What do you think of his quote? How does it reinforce or challenge your view of God’s purpose for His church? How would your view affect your priorities?  

  2. The people in Haggai’s day chose to build their own homes instead of rebuilding God’s temple. What do you think cause them to make such a choice? What are some of their fears or concerns that you can identify with? What does God’s word have to say about them?

  3. Most of us recognise the value of working hard. But being hardworking does not mean we have the right priorities. We can be working hard, but we are not producing fruit that honours God. What kind of hard work would God want to see from us? What are His promises to those who strive to honour Him?  

Application Questions:

  1. What are some needs you see around you that God may want you to meet? What are some practical steps you can take to address these needs?

  2. If you are feeling disillusioned or disheartened because of challenges you meet in serving, how can you bring to God all that is on your heart? How can you allow God’s word to heal or renew you?

Title: Step Out & Step In
Series: A Brick In His House
Text: Ephesians 6:10-20

Christ calls us out from our former lives to a relationship with Him and become part of His Church. Let’s explore the importance of belonging to a local church that we may be reminded of the privileges and responsibilities of belonging to a local church.

General Questions:

  1. Do you belong to a local church and a life group? Why do you think it is important to be part of the local church?

Perspective Questions:

  1. The church community is not perfect, and we may rub each other the wrong way. What are the challenges or hurts that you experienced in God’s community? What are the lessons that you learnt or areas that you have grown as a result? 

  2. The church community does not wait for war to be ready – it is ready during peace time, it never lets its guard down. How do you think a church community can become complacent and unprepared? What does it take for a church community to be prepared?

  3. The Bible warns us that we will face spiritual battles that could shake our faith and draw us away from God if we are not prepared. What are some spiritual battles that we may face? What is the danger in thinking that we can face such battles on our own? What is the advantage of facing spiritual battles with the community of God?

Application Questions:

  1. How does knowing that we are supposed to watch one another’s back in spiritual warfare change the way we relate with our church community?

  2. A life group is not just another social group, but one where Christ is at the centre of our relationship and the word of God is the foundation of our relationship. Besides learning the Word together, how do you think your life group be a Word-centred community?