A Prayer to Know and Experience God's Joy
February 1, 2016 | by: Anthony Orzo | 0 Comments
Posted in: Sermon Questions
PARTICIPANT'S GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP GATHERINGS
Sermon: A Prayer to Know and Experience God’s Joy - January 31, 2016
Series: Philippians – Finding Joy in the Circumstances of Life
Speaker: Pastor Anthony Orzo
Sermon Questions Prepared by: Pastor Anthony Orzo
Main Passage: Philippians 1:9-11
Launching Discussion: Why do you think prayer is important? Share with the group a time when God personally spoke to you through a prayer? Share a time when He answered one.
Sermon Questions:
1. How have you traditionally understood what “knowledge is”?
- Based on the talk, do you think there is a real distinction between the way Paul and we in the modern world understand how we acquire and use it?
2. Why do you think Paul makes such a strong connection between experiencing joy and praying for a deeper knowledge of God?
3. Based on Jonathan Edwards analogy, has there ever been a time when you “heard about” the honey of joy, but did not “taste” it in your life? Why do you think that was the case?
4. How does knowing that an evidence of truly “knowing” God in your heart is when you are able to “discern” what matters most in your life make you rethink our cultural understanding of knowledge?
- How does it reshape the way we understand knowing and growing in Christ?
5. Have you ever personally seen, or experienced a season in life where you saw "knowing and discerning" disconnected?
- Why can this be such a dangerous thing for those of us following Jesus?
- How can it be detrimental to the people in our lives watching us follow Jesus?
6. Do you believe that understanding your current circumstances in light of God’s eternity can have a meaningful impact on how you experience joy in your life? Please give an explanation for why, or why not.
- Also, if you’re willing, share a time when believing like this brought you hope and joy in a circumstance that did not necessarily merit it.
