1. What is your summer rhythm like? In what ways is it different from the rest of the year? What do you look forward to in the summer?

2. Read Psalm 138:1-3. This first ‘stanza’ of the psalm focuses on praise. What language does the author use to describe his praise? What part of this stanza reflects your own practice of worship? What part feels most foreign?

3. Read stanza 2 (vv 4-6). How does the the language shift? What is the relationship between the singing kings of these verses and the singing psalmist in vv1-3?

4. In the final stanza (vv7-8) the focus shifts to David’s experience of walking ‘in the midst of trouble.’ How do these verses affect the tone of the psalm overall? How do they relate to the rest of the psalm?

5. In the sermon, Robb mentioned Daniel Henderson’s ‘transforming prayer’ template (below). Take some time to write out prayers in this template. Share them with one another in a season of prayer and praise.

Transforming Prayer

“Prayer is intimacy with God that leads to the fulfillment of His purposes.” – Alvin Reid

• I praise God because He ___(praise)_______________.

• In response to God’s character, I request prayer for ____(prayer)______________.

• I’m praying about this SO THAT ____(purpose)______________.

1. Recount a time when you realized you were at the end of your rope. What brought you to that place? How did you respond? What was the outcome?

2. Read John 7:37-39. The ‘Great Day’ of the Feast of Tabernacles was the apex of the largest celebration in the Jewish year. Why do you think Jesus chose this day to make his announcement?

3. “If anyone thirsts,” is likely an allusion to Isaiah 55:1ff. What does it mean to ‘thirst’ in these verses? Why does Jesus direct his message specifically toward those who thirst? What about those who aren’t thirsty? Why doesn’t he speak to them?

4. To the thirsty ones, Jesus said, “come to me and drink.” Why is it significant that Jesus drew attention to himself in this way? What was the reaction of his hearers (vv40-52)? How do people in your circle respond to Jesus’ exclusive claims today?

5. Jesus says believers will experience, “rivers of living water,” which John says is a reference to the Spirit (v39). What role[s] does the Spirit in the life of a Christian? Review the following verses and thank God for life in Christ & the Spirit abiding:

   • John 3:5

   • John 14:26; 16:13

   • Acts 1:8

   • Acts 2:17-18

   • Acts 20:28

   • Romans 5:2-5

   • Romans 8:1-6

   • Romans 8:10-11

   • Romans 8:13-14

   • Romans 8:15-16

   • Romans 8:23-27

   • Romans 15:13

• One of the things we see from the crowd is their desire to use Jesus to meet their own desires. In what ways, right now, can you identify with the crowd in only pursuing Jesus because you want a specific result?

• When you think about Jesus being the bread of life, and satisfying your need for sustenance that gives eternal life, what ways would that not only impact you eternity, but also impact your here and now? For example, if one of the hungers you are experiencing is a sick relative, knowing that Jesus loves you and provided a means of eternal life to you can also give hope that he is working for you (and your relative’s) best.

• Can you think of and share a time when Jesus was revealed to be the powerful Son of God in your life? This would generally look like your life moving from a me-centered view of the world to a way of viewing the world that is centered on Christ.

• Have you had an, “eat my flesh and drink my blood moment?” What was it?

• In what ways, right now, can you identify with Jesus’ disciples as they hear his hard sayings, but know that they must stay committed to Jesus because he is the Christ?

• Can you share an experience when having community around you allowed you to continue to pursue Christ even though following Christ was hard in your given situation?

1. One of VBCC’s core values is Teaching God’s Word. Share an experience of your own encounter with God in the Scriptures. What scripture[s] were part of that particular experience? Why is it a special memory?

2. Read John 5:30-40. Name the witnesses Jesus calls in his defense. What does Jesus mean when he says in v39, ‘it is they that bear witness to me’? Who/what are ‘they’? What does he expect to be our proper response to their witness (v40)?

3. In the sermon today, Robb referenced the Word Hand developed by the Navigators. Take a moment to review the five ‘fingers’ of personal engagement. Where do you feel most engaged personally? Where do you feel least engaged? Share one step you will take this week to engage the Word more deeply.

4. Word ministry in Community helps us learn and remember the Gospel. Take a moment to map out your own life of community around the Word. List the environments where you regularly engage in Corporate (large group), Communal (small group discussion), and Confidential (one-on-one) Word Ministry. What value does each have in your life?

5. When we come to the scriptures, we must come with expectant hearts, hungry to encounter the living Christ. What keeps people from approaching the Word with expectation? How can we spur one another on to stay connected to Christ through the Word?

1. One of VBCC’s Core Values is Transforming Lives. Think of an example of life transformation in your life or someone you know. How did it happen? What were the key ingredients needed for transformation to occur?

2. Read John 3:1-9. What do we learn about Nicodemus in the opening verses? Why do you think he came to Jesus at night (see vv 19-20)?

3. How many times does Jesus talk about birth in these verses? What does he mean by the phrase ‘born again’? How does Jesus’ use compare/contrast with the modern use of the phrase ‘born again’?

4. Compare Nicodemus’ religious tradition (Pharisee) with Jesus’ notion of being born again. Why was this difficult for Nicodemus to grasp? (If you need help understanding the perspective of Nicodemus, read the memoir of another Pharisee in Philippians 3:4-6.) What does being born again have to do with Transforming Lives?

5. In his sermon, Robb related John 3:5 to Ezekiel 36:25-28, and 37:1-10. These prophetic passages tell of the coming day of the Lord, when he restores his people. What are the hallmarks of this restoration, according to the Ezekiel passages? How does Jesus’ ministry fulfill them?

6. Where are you in your own spiritual journey? To stretch the birth metaphor, which statement below most accurately describes where you are? Explain.

   • Not yet conceived?

   • Developing, but not so anyone could tell?

   • Heavy with child and waiting for birth?

   • Kicking and screaming like a newborn infant?

   • Growing and maturing in new life?

*Some questions derived from the Serendipity Study Bible

1. Take some time to recount your own journey of faith. What did you experience as barriers to faith in Jesus? How were those barriers overcome? What doctrinal issues are still matters of difficulty for you today?

2. Read 1 Cor 15:3-5. These verses are known as the Corinthian Creed. What is the importance of the repeated phrase, “in accordance with the scriptures”? How are we to understand Jesus’ relationship to the Old Testament, and what bearing does it have on the claims of the gospel?

3. Read 1 Cor 15:5-8. What groups and people are listed here as eye witnesses to the resurrection? Why does the early date of the creed matter in discussions concerning eye witness accounts and the historicity of the resurrection?

4. Robb referred to the three people named in 1 Cor 15:5-8 as, “Peter the defector, James the life-long skeptic, and Paul the opposition leader.” Do you relate more with one of these three? If so, why? How do the experiences of these three men affect our faith today?

5. Read 1 Cor 15:9-11. What story does Paul tell about himself (vv9-10) and about the church (v11)? How do these stories translate to a confirmation of the Gospel?

   PS

   For more on the historicity of the resurrection and its implications, watch these lectures by Gary Habermas and N T Wright

1. Have you ever been in the presence of ‘greatness’? Why do you think people often act differently around someone who is exceedingly rich, famous, or powerful?

2. Read 1 Corinthians 14:26. When the church gathers, we gather in the presence of the triumphant King Jesus! According to this verse, what should characterize those gatherings?

3. In the sermon, Robb said, “We gather as SHARERS. Each one has something to offer.” What kinds of gifts do you have to offer when you gather with the church?

4. In your experience, does our church err more on the side of ‘sharing too much’ (like the Corinthian church) or ‘sharing too little’ (like many Western consumer-oriented churches)? How can we avoid these two errors when we meet together?

5. “We gather as BUILDERS. Let all things be done for building up.” Read through 1 Cor 14 and mark all the verses that speak to the idea of building up, edification, encouragement, etc. What kinds of things hinder us from sharing freely out of our gifting?

PS

For two opposing and equally well-reasoned articles on the use of charismatic gifts in the modern church, see Sam Storm’s Why I Am A Continuationist and Thomas Schreiner’s Why I Am A Cessationist.

Group Discussion Questions

• What things are you often tempted to make the “linchpin” of church instead of love?

• How does the eternal nature of love help you restructure from the things you would most often view as the linchpin of church?

• Share a time that you served (or received from someone) who was not operating in love.

• When you read the list in 13:4-7 do you first think of it as a to-do list or do you think about it as God’s disposition to you in Christ?

• One of the ways to understand the list in v.4-7 is to think about the areas you see needing to grow in loving as being places where you haven’t “received” God’s love in your life (not in a “salvation way,” but in a “sanctifying way”). Share that with the group.

• In your group, talk about some of the variety between you that you have learned to appreciate even though it may have at one time been tempting to divide you.

• Where is somewhere this week that you could flex your love muscles by getting out of your comfort zone and trusting the God will move as you express the love you have been given to others?

• For conversation: much of the conversation about the cessation of gifts revolves around these verses. Feel free to discuss, but also discuss how the fact that a discussion about gifts that dominates these verses is directly antithetical to what Paul was doing.

1. Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-3. What sorts of activities might cause a Christian to praise someone as ‘spiritual’ today, even if that person does not claim Christ as Lord? What is Paul’s word of instruction on the matter? Is it wrong to celebrate such ‘spiritual’ people?

2. Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. What words or themes are repeated for emphasis in this passage? Why do you think the author is stressing the point[s]?

3. How does it make you feel to think that God has apportioned spiritual gifting to you ‘individually just as He wills’ (v11)? What does it tell you about how he deals with his children? About the gifts you’ve been given?

4. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. What is the main point of the ‘body’ imagery? Explain in concrete rather than metaphorical terms.

5. Take a moment to review this list of gifts compiled from various passages of scripture. This is not a comprehensive list of gifts, but a good starting point. Go around the room and share as a group what you perceive to be the gifting of each one present. Take time to worship together and thank God for his generous gifts made manifest among you.
   
   If you have time, you can also each take the online test. Does the test agree with your community’s assessment of your gifting?

1. Compare 1 Corinthians 11:2 and 11:17. Why are the Corinthians commended in v2? How does Paul change his tone in the second half of the chapter?

2. Read v18-22. What behavior caused Paul’s change in tone? How were people ‘despising the church of God’?

3. Read vv23-26. Count the number of references to Jesus (proper nouns and pronouns). How is this emphasis an antidote to the problems expressed in vv18-22?

4. Communion is about looking BACK. In the sermon today, Robb said, “it’s easy to get preoccupied with trivialities and miss the main event.” What trivial issues distract us from Christ as the object of our worship when we gather? What distractions do you personally struggle with? Are there distractions we could eliminate from our worship gatherings?

5. Communion is about looking FORWARD. In the sermon today, Robb said, “Jesus is from the future, and so are you.” Rehearse what that means (or explain it to those who didn’t hear the sermon) in light of v26. How ought Christ’s imminent return affect our community today?

6. Communion is about looking IN. Review the three key verbs below. What is the particular value of each one? Is there one that feels more foreign than the others to your own experience of communion?

   •v28 – Examine: ‘prove genuine’

   •v29 – Discern: ‘recognize & honor’

   •v31 – Judge: ‘lead in righteousness’

1. Read Acts 7:54-60. Do you know someone that has been persecuted specifically for the cause of Christ?

2. Jesus tells us in John 15:18-16:4, Jesus tells us that if we are abiding in Him and obedient to His Word, we will be hated, persecuted, and even killed. Have you personally experienced any persecution due to your faith in Jesus?

3. This morning, we discussed our responses of rejoicing and boldness in the midst of persecution. (Matt. 5:11-12; Phil. 1:21-26) What does it look like to respond this way in 2021?

4. The general rule in Scripture is to be bold with our preaching. Can you think of references that teach us to be silent or say little regarding Gospel proclamation?

5. We discussed the fact that in Scripture, persecution of the believers always brings about salvation for others. Are you willing to walk into persecution in order that the lost are saved?

1. Have you ever had the experience of a ‘little thing’ turning out to be a bigger deal than thought it would be? Share your story with the group. If you had known at the beginning how the story was going to end, what might you have done differently?

2. Read Acts 3:1-5. How many sight-oriented words or phrases can you count in these verses? Why do you think the author is drawing our attention to these details about who looks where?

3. In today’s sermon we discussed having our eyes ‘calibrated’ to see the one in need. What makes it difficult for people to see the little places where God is working? If you could design supernatural glasses to correct spiritual vision, what sorts of distortions would the glasses need to correct?

4. Read Acts 3:6-10. Does Peter give the beggar what he wants? How does the beggar respond to Peter’s unexpected gift? What lessons can we learn from this story about serving the needy in our midst?

5. Read Acts 3:11-26. What details stand out to you about Peter’s sermon? If you had to boil these verses down to a single summary sentence, what would it be?

6. In the sermon today, Robb said that many Christians dread talking to their unbelieving friends about Jesus. Do you find that to be true in your own life? What keeps people (or you) from freely speaking about Jesus? What would help you to be bolder with our faith?

1. There are four spiritual disciplines we see in Acts 2:42-47, each with inward and outward dimensions:

   • Scripture Intake

   • Community (ie, Generosity)

   • Evangelism (ie, Hospitality)

   • Prayer

   What role do these disciplines play in your walk with Christ? Are you practicing these by yourself? With your family? With your neighbors?

2. The early church recognized that salvation was a gift from God to the church. How do you make sense of God’s role in saving lives and your role in the partnership? What advantage does a strong church home give to gospel witness? Can a “good church” become a disadvantage? How?

3. In his book, Center Church, Tim Keller writes, “Because of the forward-back, kingdom/restoration aspect [of the biblical gospel], the church will place great emphasis on seeking the welfare of the city, neighborhood and civic involvement, cultural engagement, and training people to work in “secular” vocations out of a Christian worldview.” (pp. 47-48) In this sentence, Keller provides some practical ways to imitate Christ’s resurrection in our day to day lives. What in your own life does this list bring to mind for you? Are there other ways to apply the resurrection in our daily lives? What about applying the life and death of Christ (ie, incarnation, atonement)?

Today Ronnie “Mack” McAdoo spoke at VBCC from Acts 2 to kick off Missions Month. The theme is One the Move

1. Mack said, “Even when we can't see him, he's moving.” Why do you think God chooses to move in ways that are hard for us to see until after the fact?

2. Read Acts 2:36. In this verse, what two titles does Peter assign to Jesus?

3. Lord means that Jesus has all authority and power over creation and humanity. Christ is a title referring to God's chosen one who would come to save his people. Why are both of these titles important? What would it mean if Jesus were one without the other?

4. Mack said, "If you believe the message today, God is calling on you to deliver that message." Discuss with your group: What obstacles keep believers from sharing the gospel with others? Which of the obstacles discussed in your group is the most difficult for you to overcome personally?

5. Read Acts 1:8, and 2:33, 38. What is the role of the Spirit in gospel movement? How have you witnessed the spirit's work in your own life and ministry? What did Mack mean when he said, “Freedom is not independence but dependence."

6. "God has placed you where you are for such a time is this." Mack started his ministry in his backyard because inner city kids in Norfolk you need to hear the gospel. He knew basketball, so that's what he used to reach them. Today, his ministry is global and hundreds of kids have found life in Christ. Answer these questions with your group: Where has God placed me? What gifts, talents, and resources has he giving me to use for his glory? Pray for one another to experience God’s empowering and movement!

Learn more about 1Died4All and the McAcoos by watching the video below, or visit https://www.trinitychurchvb.com/1died4all

1. Jim Marshall is famous for his 66 yard run to the wrong end zone. Have you ever had a ‘Jim Marshall moment,’ where you realized your terrible mistake after the fact? How did it make you feel?

2. Read 1 Cor 9:19-23. What is Paul’s AIM in these verses? What does it mean here to ‘win’?

3. What is Paul’s STRATEGY for achieving his aim? In discussing strategy today, Robb mentioned Incarnational Ministry and People Groups. What do these terms mean, and how do they relate to Paul’s strategy?

4. How are you or your Community Group custom built for ministry? What unique skills, knowledge, access, position, etc. do you have? And how can you help remove barriers to gospel movement among a particular people?

5. Read 1 Cor 9:24-27. Paul uses imagery from the Isthmian Games to communicate a sense of URGENCY and focus. What ‘perishable wreaths’ - or temporal rewards - are believers in our culture tempted to pursue? What does it look like for us to ‘run to win’?

1. Dr John M Perkins said, “Whoever controls your values controls you.” Who controls values in our society? In the Christian community? In your family or personal life? Share an example of how values affect actions.

2. Read 1 Cor 9:1-12. What ‘rights’ does Paul assert he has? What justifications does he cite?

3. What reason does he offer for foregoing these rights in vv12, 15?

4. Read 1 Cor 9:18-19. In your own words, explain Paul’s motive for preaching “free of charge.” How does Paul’s motivation and use of Christian freedom compare with those with ‘knowledge’ in 1 Cor 8?

5. Paul’s excursus in chpt 9 is meant to be an example to the church. How can his example, and the example of Dr Perkins, be followed in our context? Answer the question, “Where is God leading me to freely make myself a servant for the sake of the Gospel?”

• Join the Hampton Roads City Collective to pray at noon tomorrow

• Learn more about Dr John M Perkins

1. When you hear people talk about ‘liberty’ or ‘rights’, what do you think of? What are our most basic liberties? What rights are most often threatened, and how?

2. Read 1 Cor 8:1-7. In your own words, explain the controversy involving food sacrificed to idols. If you have children in your group, ask them to explain it back to you. Why do you think idol food was such a controversial subject for the new believers in Corinth?

3. Robb defined Christian liberty as, “Freedom from the slavery of earning acceptance with God.” What are some common ways people in our culture try to earn acceptance, either with God or with others? What is one way you are tempted to earn, rather than receive the free gift of sonship and acceptance in Christ (Gal 4:7)?

4. How is liberty in Christ abused in 1 Cor 8? What are some common ways modern Christians might use the freedom we have in Christ to ‘puff up’ ourselves rather than build up others?

5. How has Jesus used his freedom to serve in love? Spend time recounting Jesus’ free acts of love toward us out loud (read verses, or say recount in your own words). Worshipping Jesus is transformative, helping to conform us to his image, fueling our devotion and obedience.

6. What specific ways can you exercise your freedom in Christ to serve in love this week? Share your ideas with one another and pray for each other.

Discussion Questions

• As you think about the different evaluation question about what you actually value and what is actually your purpose in life, what are your answers?

  • Where did you experience loss in 2020?  What does that tell you?

  • What priorities stayed priorities in 2020?  What does that tell you?

• When you catch yourself daydreaming about 2021, what are your daydreams?  What does that tell you?

• Does it feel too dramatic to paint a picture of the world that is cosmic in scale and dire in consequence?  To say (and believe) that Satan and the world are trying to woo us into throwing our lives away and abandoning our faith?

  • What would change for you if you truly believed that?

  • How would you interact with the four items Peter lays out (prayer, love, hospitality, and serving)?

• Share a time when you experienced the joyful worship of having been saved.

• Share a time when you experienced the struggle of being in the process of being saved.

• In looking ahead to 2021, where do you think God’s purpose of his glorying through the saving death of Jesus is leading you to be giving help in the “holding on” of being saved, and where do you think he’s leading you to be getting help in staying the course of faith?

Look at the Bible

• 4:11b is the end of a number of Peter’s sections in 1 Peter.  In those sections, we see themes of judgement, suffering for good (which, I think, is Peter’s way of saying, “hold on”), evangelism, and rejoicing in salvation.  Discuss how you see those themes happening today.

• You can’t be in 1 Peter and not look at 2:19-25.  How do you see that happening for yourself today as you say, “no” to creating your own purpose, and say, “yes” to God’s purpose of glorifying himself through saving you?

1. Take a moment to recall some of your past ‘resolutions.’ These may be new year’s resolutions or just important life goals you set for yourself at some other point in time. Did you accomplish the goals you set? If you did, what impact did that accomplishment have on your life? What do these particular resolutions say about you, your strengths and weaknesses, and your notion of ‘the good life’?

2. Read Matthew 28:18-20. What activities come to mind when you think about ‘making disciples’? How do those activities compare or contrast with the three participles (Going, Baptizing, and Teaching) Jesus uses in the passage?

3. Think of concrete examples from your own experience that illustrate going, baptizing, and teaching. Where have you seen these commands obeyed faithfully? What was the result?

4. Read Matthew 1:23 and Matthew 28:20 together. These two verses form an inclusio, a literary bracket in Matthew’s gospel that frames his message. In your own words, what is the message being conveyed? Why is it significant that Jesus finishes with this message, rather than with the commands? What does it say about Jesus’ notion of ‘the good life’?

5. Take time to share with one another how God may be leading you to obey the great commission in 2021. Where might you go, who might you baptize/enfold, and how can you teach? Pray together for the Lord’s leading, empowerment, and joy for the year ahead.

1. Take a moment to silently recall one of your most joyful memories, and also one of the most painful. Which came to mind more quickly? Which memory is more vivid? Why might that be?

2. Read Hebrews 1:7-9. In your own words, explain the comparison being made between angels and the Son. Who is speaking in v8? Who is being addressed? What part does the dialog play in the comparison being made?

3. In v9, what are we told about this special anointing? How is the oil described? Why is the ceremony being performed? Compare this verse with Hebrews 12:2. What similarities can you find?

4. The ‘companions’ of v9 are believers who participate in Christ’s saving work by faith (Heb 3:1). In what way do believers participate in the joy of Jesus?

5. When hard times come, what practical steps can we take to resist the temptation to despair and instead press into the joy of God?

6. Sing a Christmas carol together to celebrate God’s joy (Joy To The World, etc.).