1. Begin your discussion by reviewing last week’s memory verse, Luke 9:23. Offer your group members the opportunity to recite it from memory. This week’s verse is Matthew 28:18, “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”

2. Share about a time when you noticed something that had gone unnoticed for a long time. What caused you to start noticing it?

3. Read Matthew 28:16-20.

4. How is the Great Commission a result of the resurrection of Jesus? What does that mean for how we receive and apply Jesus’s words?

5. A disciple is a learner, someone who follows Jesus. In this passage, it is disciples who are told to make disciples. What does it practically look like to be a disciple who makes disciples?

6. Disciples don’t make disciples on their own; they do it together, in community. How is community important to you as a disciple and as you make disciples?

7. In the sermon, Family Ministry was described as disciplemaking ministry in which the life of the church shapes the discipleship of families. What opportunities are there for you and your community group to shape the discipleship of VBCC’s families (within or outside your group)?

• Begin your discussion by reviewing last week’s memory verse, Matthew 11:28-30. Offer your group members the opportunity to recite it from memory. This week’s verse is Luke 9:23, “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’”

• Share about an experience you’ve had, whether in work or relationships, where you were surprised by the cost of maintaining it. For example, you made a purchase with hidden expenses or a friendship starting easy, but growing difficult over time, etc.

• Read Luke 9:23-27. What is Jesus saying in these verses? Who is Jesus speaking to? What is the reward for those who answer Jesus’ call?

• Notice the preceding context in verses 21-22. What might Jesus’ hearers expect when they are told to “take up your cross daily”?

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”  What does self-denial look like in your life? Is there “a daily cross” you have hesitated to take up? How can we as a group support one another to deny ourselves and follow Jesus?

1. This week is the first of this year’s Community Series on Jesus’ model of discipleship. For this series, we encourage your group to memorize Scripture together. Next week, you will review verses to begin discussion. Your first verse is Matthew 11:28-30,

   Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:28-30

2. Who does Jesus invite? What does Jesus invite them to come to him for? What does he promise in return?

3. What does it mean that Jesus is “gentle and lowly in heart”? How does this description motivate us to respond?

4. In his book Gentle and Lowly, Dane Ortlund writes, “You don’t need to unburden or collect yourself and then come to Jesus. Your very burden is what qualifies you to come. No payment is required; he says, ‘I will give you rest.’ His rest is gift, not transaction. Whether you are actively working hard to crowbar your life into smoothness (‘labor’) or passively finding yourself weighed down by something outside your control (‘heavy laden’), Jesus Christ’s desire that you find rest, that you come in out of the storm, outstrips even your own.” Do you agree with this quote? Which of the two postures (labor or heavy laden) best describes you?

5. What are ways besides Jesus that you look for rest, or a feeling of relief or being okay? How do you think the rest that Jesus offers might be different?

6. What is a practical step you can take this week to go to Jesus for rest?

1.    What stood out in the sermon? What were major takeaways that you had?

2.    Read Verse 1-6: What were the four things we saw in the sermon about God’s design for the creation?

3.    Read Verse 7-11: What characteristic of God’s Word stands out most to you? Why?

4.    How does God’s word orient how you think about yourself, others, your circumstances, and God himself? Where do your thoughts about these four categories need to be corrected by God’s Word?

5.    Read Verse 12-13: What were the characteristics about sin from these verses that were mentioned in the sermon?

6.    What are specific bible verses that speak to sin struggles you have?

7.    We talked about how in verse 14, the psalmist joins in on the song. How can you, as a community group, join in on God’s global purposes?
One idea: Consider praying for a nation each time you gather using Joshua Project or Operation World – resources that give you specific things to pray for related to each nation

8.    Close by praying as a group for people at VBCC to be raised up and sent out to the nations, and that we here in Virginia Beach would reach the nations who are among us.

Joshua Project Electronic Resources can be found here: https://joshuaproject.net/pray/unreachedoftheday

Operation World Hard Copy Resource to pray with as a family: https://www.ivpress.com/pray-for-the-world

1. Read Proverbs 9:1–6, 13–15. The chapter contrasts Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly, both of whom call out to the "simple" and those who "lack sense." How would you describe the "voice" of Wisdom versus the "voice" of Folly in today’s world? Where do you hear these two voices competing for your attention in your daily life?

2. In what ways do these two ladies’ banquets differ from one another? Why do you think Folly’s "stolen" offer is often more tempting, even when it’s empty? What are some modern "stolen waters" that people are often lured by?

3. Look again at verses 5-6 and 18. What are the two outcomes for those who attend the two banquets? Reflecting on this, why do you think it is so difficult for the "simple" person to see the difference between these two outcomes until it is too late?

4. Read Proverbs 4:10-13. Throughout the prologue of Proverbs (chapters 1-9), we frequently hear the voice of a father saying, "My son". Why do you think wisdom requires this kind of urgent, personal transfer from one generation to the next, rather than just being something we figure out on our own? Who has played that "fatherly" or "mentor" role in helping you discern God’s wisdom in your life?

5. Read 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 and Colossians 2:2-3. Proverbs 9 describes wisdom as a lady who prepares a banquet for the simple. The New Testament points to Jesus as the true embodiment of this wisdom. How does it change your perspective to view the invitation of Proverbs 9 not just as a metaphor for "being smart," but as an invitation to a relationship with Jesus? What does it look like to "turn in" to His banquet today?

1. Share a lesson you learned the hard way. What happened? Were you warned ahead of time? If so, why didn’t you listen?

2. Read Proverbs 1:1-6. What details do you notice about wisdom in these verses? What are the synonyms used to describe wisdom?

3. What is the difference between a proverb and a rule (or statute)? Why doesn’t the Bible include a step-by-step book to tell you how to become healthy, wealthy, and wise?

4. Read Proverbs 1:20-22. Who are the three types of people mentioned in this verse? What does Wisdom call us as readers? What is a scoffer? What makes a someone a fool?

5. Read Proverbs 1:7. What is the fear of the LORD? How does God want us to fear him (cf. Ps 42:1-2; 130:3-4; Rom 8:1, 15)?

6. What are ways you are tempted to be impressed by fools? How can we as a group encourage each other to walk in the way of wisdom instead?

1. What might be reasons an atheist would remove God from his or her worldview?

2. Definite practical atheism and give examples of what this pitfall can look like for a believer.

3. Read 1 Timothy 4:7. Discuss your experience with Biblical meditation and prayer throughout the day. What are possible next steps for growing in these areas?

4. Read Psalm 103:2-5. Which benefit for God’s people (that a fool misses out on) stands out to you the most in life right now? Why?

5. Read Ephesians 2:12-13. What has been your experience when you lived without God? How did your heart soften to seek Him?

6. If you had the opportunity to interact with an atheist, what would you say? What Bible verses could you use in your conversation?

1. Can you remember a time you took refuge in God when you felt anxious or afraid? What was the fearful situation? What did you practically do to take refuge in God? What was the outcome?

2. Read Psalm 91:1-2. These two verses set the stage for the rest of the psalm. Verse 1 provides us a proverb, verse 2 a response. What imagery does the psalmist employ in these two verses, and what does it communicate?

3. Read Psalm 91:3-13. These two stanzas (3-8 & 9-13) constitute two extended meditations on the opening proverb. How does the psalmist meditate on the truths of v1? What aspects of the proverb are expanded in these stanzas?

4. Read Psalm 91:14-16. What affect do these “I will” statements have upon you when you read them? How do God’s promises help us in a moment of fear or anxiety?

5. Read Luke 4:9-11 and John 10:17-18. The New Testament depicts Jesus as the fulfillment of Psalm 91’s “Invincible King” archetype. How does Jesus’ power and invincibility change how we understand the cross?

1. In your opinion, what makes or breaks a worship service? Are there certain elements in our services that you love, or that you can’t stand? What do you think matters most to God when we gather for worship?

2. Read Psalm 50:1-6. What words would you use to describe the emotional tone of this passage? Psalm 50 was most likely recited during a large corporate worship service - a covenant renewal during the Feast of Tabernacles. What does the elevated language tell us about the act of corporate worship?

3. Read Psalm 50:7-13. In this stanza, what ‘worship myth’ is being debunked? In our day, we don’t bring bulls or other sacrificial animals to the worship meeting. How can we apply these verses to our own lives as New Testament Christians?

4. Read Psalm 50:16-22. This stanza mirrors the previous one, but focuses on debunking yet another ‘worship myth.’ Why are some of the worshipers being labeled ‘wicked’? How can we avoid this kind of ‘wicked worship’ today?

5. Read Psalm 50:14-15. These three commands constitute the heart of the psalm, describing the positive alternative to the negative ‘wicked worship’ expressed in the flanking stanzas.. According to these verses, what are the marks of a wise worshiper living as a faithful member of the covenant community?

Below is the text included in Lily’s prayer:

O GOD,

Praise waiteth for thee, and to render it is my noblest exercise;

This is thy due from all thy creatures, for all thy works display thy attributes and fulfil thy designs;

The sea, dry land, winter cold, summer heat, morning light, evening shade are full of thee, and thou givest me them richly to enjoy.

Thou art King of kings and Lord of lords;

At thy pleasure empires rise and fall;

All thy works praise thee and thy saints bless thee;

Let me be numbered with thy holy ones, resemble them in character and condition, sit with them at Jesus’ feet.

May my religion be always firmly rooted in thy Word, my understanding divinely informed, my affections holy and heavenly, my motives simple and pure, and my heart never wrong with thee.

Deliver me from the natural darkness of my own mind, from the corruptions of my heart, from the temptations to which I am exposed, from the daily snares that attend me.

I am in constant danger while I am in this life;

Let thy watchful eye ever be upon me for my defence,

Save me from the power of my worldly and spiritual enemies and from all painful evils to which I have exposed myself.

Until the day of life dawns above let there be unrestrained fellowship with Jesus;

Until fruition comes, may I enjoy the earnest of my inheritance and the firstfruits of the Spirit;

Until I finish my course with joy may I pursue it with diligence, in every part display the resources of the Christian, and adorn the doctrine of thee my God in all things.

From The Valley of Vision

1. Do you have any traditions you love to observe on Independence Day? Fireworks, cookouts, or something more unusual? Why is it important to remember days like the 4th of July?

2. Read Psalm 78:1-8. How many generations are identified in verses 5-6? Why do you think the Bible places so much emphasis on generational dynamics? (see also Exodus 34:6-7, 2 Timothy 2:2)

3. According to v6-8, what are the positive and negative aims of this story-telling habit? Peruse the rest of this lengthy psalm and share examples of ‘their fathers’. How do you feel about remembering history this way? Your personal history? Our national history? Why might it be difficult? Why might it be beneficial?

4. Read Psalm 78:37-38. How do these verses summarize the stories being shared? Who is the hero?

5. How can we practice story-telling in a way that highlights God’s grace in our lives? Spend time praying for the next generation, and the one after them (and the one after them!), that they would know and cherish the story of God’s amazing grace.

1. What were you afraid of when you were a child? Share with the group. Did you ever outgrow it?

2. Read Psalm 112. This psalm uses the same acrostic device as Psalm 111 (each line begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet). How does this psalm flow out of the last one? To what “commandments” does the psalmist refer (v1)? What does fearing God mean?

3. What external signs point to his being blessed (vv. 2-3)? What kind of blessing is implied in verse 4a?

4. What two traits characterize his dealings with people (vv. 4-5)?

5. What internal blessings are available (vv. 7-8)? Why does disastrous news fail to shake him?

6. Read James 1:2-3. How does James help us to better understand the wisdom of this Psalm? How is God producing steadfastness in your life?

1. God reveals himself to his people as a Father. Can you recall a personal experience, either as a parent or as a child of parents, that has informed the way you understand the fatherhood of God?

2. Read Proverbs 4:1-18. According to v3, how many generations have benefited from the wisdom of these verses? How might a vision for generational blessing change the way we approach family life in our culture?

3. What specific blessings are offered in these verses? What instruction[s] does the author tie to the blessing? What is the relationship between the instruction and the blessing?

4. When you think about God as Father, what descriptive words come to mind? What does the father/ speaker in Proverbs 4 have to teach us about the fatherhood of God?

5. Take time to celebrate the gift of fatherhood together as a group. Give thanks for your earthly fathers, consecrate the fathers among you, and worship God as the perfect Father who calls us sons and daughters in Christ.

1. Do you have a ‘secret skill’ , something you do well that not everyone knows about? Share with the group, and demonstrate if you can.

2. Read Psalm 1:1-6. What emotions do you feel when you read this psalm? What tone do you think the psalmist trying to convey?

3. In the sermon today, we learned that biblical wisdom is “the art of skillful living.” What imagery in Psalm 1 develops the idea of wisdom as a way of life?

4. Read Proverbs 1:8-19. The fruit of wisdom is blessing. What central images depict the blessing of wisdom vs the plight of the foolish/wicked? How are these contrasts depicted in Psalm 1?

5. Read Proverbs 1:20-22. Compare the desires & delights of the foolish to the delight of the Blessed Man in Psalm 1. What do these contrasting desires tell us about what it means to be a ‘fool’ in the Bible? What other parallel words are used to depict a person whose delight is NOT in the Lord?

6. Consider the ‘Wisdom Challenge’ presented in the sermon. Do you intend to try it? If so, see if anyone will do it with you, and make a point to compare notes on a regular basis over the summer.

   1. Read Proverbs every day, matching the chapter to the calendar. If it’s the 15th day of the month, read the 15th chapter of Proverbs.

   2. Underline one verse that is meaningful to you, and put a question mark beside one verse you’d like to understand better.

   3. Bring those two marked verses to God in prayer.

1. What would be different if you were king/ queen of the world? Considering the world is like it is, why do you think the kingship of Jesus is an important doctrine?

2. Read Acts 12:1-11. What might have motivated Herod to persecute Christians? How do you think the believers felt when James was killed and Peter was imprisoned? How did they respond?

3. What does Peter’s release communicate about Jesus’ authority vs Herod’s? Where do you see Jesus’ authority contested today? How should Christians respond when Jesus’ authority is challenged?

4. Read Acts 12:12-19. In v15 the believers don’t believe Rhoda. Why do they have trouble believing that their prayers have been answered? When have you prayed fervently and then had trouble believing that God was answering? Why is it sometimes hard to believe that God has answered our prayers?

5. Read Acts 12:20-25. In this whole chapter, including these verses, what can we tell about the character of Herod? What conflicts and contrasts does Luke draw between King Herod and the true King Jesus? Spend time in prayer, worshiping Jesus for his goodness and power.

* Some questions adapted from Acts: 24 Studies for Individuals and Groups (N. T. Wright for Everyone Bible Study Guides). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

1. Share an example of a personal value that shows up in how you do an otherwise normal thing. Do you count the seconds while brushing your teeth because you value precision? Do you always eat dinner at the table together because you value family? Share a few examples with one another, and then discuss: How do values shape outcomes over time?

2. Read Acts 11:19-21. How do the persecuted believers live out the gospel value of PERSONAL OWNERSHIP of their faith and mission? Do you think this kind of personal ownership is harder or easier for Christians today? Why?

3. Read Acts 11:22-26. How do you see the gospel value of GODLY LEADERSHIP lived out in these verses? What role do these leaders play in the movement of the gospel? Can you think of examples of godly leadership in your own experience?

4. Read Acts 11:27-30. This passage begins with suffering (v19) and ends with the church in Antioch choosing to enter into the suffering of the church in Jerusalem. Why is this an important moment in the life of these two churches? In what way is HOLY SUFERING a gospel value?

5. Take a moment to review these three gospel values: Personal Ownership, Godly Leadership, Holy Suffering. Which of these values feels most closely aligned with your own faith journey? Which feels most distant? How can we spur one another on in these areas?

1. Describe a time when you unexpectedly felt welcomed in a place where you thought you might not belong. What was that experience like for you?

2. Read Acts 10:9-22. Peter is pushed out of what was familiar and comfortable. What specific things did God use to challenge Peter’s attitude toward Gentiles? What does that show Peter about God’s heart?

3. Read Acts 10:34-35. How does the Gospel challenge our assumptions about belonging (either the insider mentality (“insiders only”) or outsider mentality (“nobody belongs anywhere”)?

4. Read Acts 10:36-43. What is Peter’s main point. Why do you think the death, resurrection, and forgiveness of Jesus are repeated so often throughout Acts?

5. Why can it sometimes feel difficult to believe that God’s grace is for us personally?

6. Who might God be calling you to welcome, pursue, serve, or share Christ with this week?

1. Share about a time when you believed a person, relationship, or situation would never change. What made it feel “unchangeable”? Did anything eventually shift your perspective?

2. Read Acts 9:1-9. Before seeing Jesus, how did Saul view himself and his mission? How was Saul’s ignorance exposed by Jesus?

3. Jesus exposes both our pride (“I don’t need to change”) and our shame (“I can’t change”). Which do you tend to experience more?

4. Humility says, “I need God’s help to see my blind spots.” Why is humility necessary for real change?

5. Read Acts 9:10-19. Why was Ananias hesitant to obey Jesus’s command? How would you have felt in his position?

6. How is labeling someone “unchangeable” a denial of Jesus’s power?

7. Courage says, “I will do the next thing, because God will be with me.” Why is courage necessary for real change?

8. Read Acts 9:26-31. Why were the believers afraid to trust Saul? What did Barnabas see that the others missed?

9. Hope says, “The gospel means that this story has a happy ending.” How does the gospel give hope for stories that currently feel unfinished or broken?

10. Do you most need help seeing yourself, seeing your enemy, or seeing revival (hope for the future)?

11. How do you need humility, courage, or hope right now?

1. Have you ever watched a child’s beautiful creation come crashing down? Describe the scenario to your group. What happened? How did it make the child, or you, feel?

2. Read Acts 8:1-3. Put yourself in the shoes of these early Christians in Jerusalem. What are you seeing and feeling? What conversations might you be having with one another? Where are you going next? In your modern life, have you ever experienced a ‘scattering’ disruption like this? Why do you think God allows these sorts of disruptions in the lives of the people he loves?

3. Read Acts 8:4-8. How does God empower Phillip in Samaria? What is the result?

4. Read Acts 8:9-25. Simon treats Jesus like a means to the end of the signs, rather viewing the signs as a means to the end of Jesus. What various responses do people have to ‘sign gifts’ in the world today? Do you believe they still truly occur? Why or why not?

5. Read Acts 8:26-40. Eunuchs are historically considered outcasts in Israel (Deut 23:1). How does his story show us God’s purposes in scattering the church?

6. Pray together that God would scatter VBCC all around Hampton Roads and beyond, and that God’s Spirit would continue to empower God’s People to share God’s Word.

1. When has a story—a book, a movie, an account you heard—upset you? And why?

2. Briefly review Acts 6. What factors contribute to Stephen’s rise to prominence? Three times we are told that Stephen is full of the Holy Spirit. What is the role of the Spirit in Stephen’s life and ministry?

3. Review Acts 7:1-53. How do you think Stephen - a Greek-speaking pilgrim - must have felt being dragged before the high priest and his council? What is the role of the Holy Spirit in this exchange?

4. Two great Old Testament truths (God’s independence from the Temple, and Israel’s chronic spiritual resistance) point to Jesus as “the Righteous One” (v52) to whom we must each respond, either with faith and devotion or with stiff-necked resistance. How can we apply Stephen’s sermon in our own lives today?

5. Read Acts 7:54-60. What details stand out to you as Stephen is martyred? Why do you think Luke goes to such great lengths to draw parallels between Stephen and Jesus? What is the Spirit’s role at this moment in Stephen’s life?

6. How do you feel when you think about Jesus standing in honor of Stephen? Spend time in prayer together. Surrender to the Spirit’s work in your own lives, and worship Christ enthroned in glory.

1. Share about an experience or a commitment you made that required the entirety of your time and attention. What was that thing? Was it worth going “all in” on?

2. Read Matthew 22:34-40. Notice how Jesus uses the word “all” in this paragraph. What is Jesus telling us is required by the Old Testament Law? What is emphasized by the word “all”?

3. Read Matthew 28:18-20. Where does Jesus use the word “all” in this passage? What is the scope of the disciples’ ministry according to this passage? How does “all authority” belonging to Jesus show us the significance of this commission?

4. Read Acts 6:1-6. What are the apostles “all in” on in this passage? How do they solve the problem with the daily distribution?

5. Are you “all in” with Christ? Why or why not? What are things (maybe even good things!) that distract or keep you from going all in? Spend time this week praying over these things for each other.

6. What is one step you can take this week in response to this week’s sermon?

For more information about Dr. Paul Hardy and his ministry Recovery for Life, go to https://myrecoveryforlife.com/.