Week 5 - A Portfolio of Souls
Every person is a special creation, one-of-a-kind, made in the image of God. Discuss how the following attributes give each "soul" value...
- it's Designer (Genesis 2:7, Psalm 139:14)
- it's potential (Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17)
- it's durability (2 Corinthians 5:1)
- it's rarity (Jeremiah 1:5)
- it's desirability (1 Timothy 2:1-4)
What does Luke 19:10 say about the value God places on lost souls?
How can we, as individual Christians and as local churches, be more like Christ in "seeking the lost?"
Week 4 - Standing Up for Your Friend
Do you have a true friend? One who is…
- consistent in their affection (Proverbs 17:17)
- brutally honest (Proverbs 27:5-6)
- closer than family, to the point of death (Proverbs 18:24)
How has Jesus been a friend like that to you?
Describe a time when someone attacked your Friend, Jesus. How did you take a stand for Him?
Which of these qualities of friendship would you like to develop in your life?
- Be genuinely interested in other people.
- Smile.
- Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the most important word in the world. Use it often.
- Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves. Ask questions.
- Talk in terms of the other person’s interest. Avoid “I.”
- Make the other person feel sincerely important.
Week 3 - How to Respond to Skeptics
Do you feel you have surrendered all to Christ as Lord?
Are you challenged to study and learn to defend your faith?
Are there people challenging you now to prove that God is real or that Christianity is true?
What has held you back from proclaiming or defending your faith in Christ?
Some Principles of Preparation
1. Be committed (I Peter 3:15)
2. Be ready (Ephesians 6:15)
3. Be wise (Proverbs 11:30)
4. Be humble (I Peter 5:6)
5. Be confident (Proverbs 28:1)
Week 2 – Is Our Faith Blind?
Most people readily accept the authenticity of ancient writings like Scorates, Plato and Aristotle. Why do so many people challenge the authenticity of the Bible?
- Romans 1:18-21
- 1 Corinthians 12:14
How does fulfilled prophecy strengthen your confidence in Scripture and help you answer those who challenge the Bible? What about prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled?
- Isaiah 7:14
- Micah 5:2
- Can you think of others?
Share with the group a time when you have “proved God’s Word is true” with the outcome of obedience to Scripture or answered prayer.
- Malachi 3:10
- Matthew 6:31-34
Week 1 – Where Is God When You World Falls Apart?
Share with the group some of the criticisms that unbelievers have voiced to you about God or about the Bible or just the world in general.
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17
- Isaiah 55:8-9
What experience in your life that caused a great amount of struggle has you now looking back and seeing what the Lord was trying to accomplish in your life?
- Romans 8:28
- 2 Corinthians 7:10
- James 1:2-6
List as many as you can the purposes of suffering in the life of a Christian.
- Ecclesiastes 7:14
- Romans 5:3
- Philippians 1:29
- 2 Corinthians 1:4
If Job was "a man who feared God and shunned evil" and there was no one on earth like him, why did God allow so much heartache into his life?
