Community Group Questions

Community Group Questions | John 16 | 3.23.2025

Brad Wright — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 08:44:00 -0400

1. How does Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit in John 16:16-33 give us confidence in times of uncertainty, suffering, or doubt?
2. What does it mean for our grief to be turned into joy, as Jesus says in verse 20? Can you think of a time when God brought joy out of sorrow in your life?
3. Jesus warns that His disciples will scatter in fear (v. 32), yet He reassures them with peace (v. 33). How does this tension between fear and faith play out in our own spiritual journey?
4. In John 16:33, Jesus declares, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.” How should this truth shape the way we respond to trials, disappointments, and the brokenness we see around us?
5. Jesus describes the work of the Holy Spirit as guiding, enlightening, and sustaining us. How do you experience the Spirit’s presence in your daily life? What practices can help us remain attentive to the Spirit’s leading?

Community Group Questions | John 15 | 3.16.2025

Kyle Bobos — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 12:48:19 -0400

What does it mean to "make your home" in Jesus, and how does this idea challenge the ways we seek significance, meaning, and identity in our daily lives?
What are some things you connect to for life, meaning, and purpose instead of Jesus? Why do these things ultimately fail to satisfy
Jesus says, "Remain in me, as I also remain in you" (v. 4). What are some practical ways we can remain connected to Jesus in our daily routines?
The sermon mentioned that feelings can sometimes be misleading when it comes to knowing God's love. When have there been times in your life that you didn’t “feel it” and what are some ways you can ground yourself in the truth of God's love when those times come?
Have you ever experienced spiritual dryness or distance from God? How did He draw you back to Himself?
In what ways does prayer help us abide in Jesus? How can we grow in making prayer a central part of making our home with Him?
The sermon highlighted that obedience to Jesus' commands is an evidence of remaining in Him (v. 10). How does obedience relate to love, and why is it important to see it as a response to grace rather than a means to earn God's love?
Jesus calls us to love one another as He has loved us (v. 12). What does this kind of sacrificial love look like in our homes, relationships, workplaces, and neighborhoods?
Jesus promises that when we remain in Him, we will bear fruit (v. 5). What kind of spiritual fruit have you seen in your life or the lives of others who are deeply connected to Christ? How can we encourage one another to remain in Him and bear fruit for His glory?

Community Group Questions | John 13 | 3.2.2025

Brad Wright — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 10:07:05 -0500

List some places you see Jesus express his grace in John 13.
Why does Jesus wash the feet of the disciples? (Read John 13:1).
Read John 13:6-11: Discuss the interaction with Peter and Jesus. What is Peter asking for and why? What is he misunderstanding about Jesus' grace?
What is the difference between following the example of Jesus to earn favor vs. following the example Jesus because of his favor?

Community Group Questions | John 12 | 2.23.2025

Jaime Jimenez — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 08:58:45 -0500

Why does Jesus refer to His death as a time of glory in John 12:23, and how does this challenge our understanding of glory?
In what ways does Jesus' agony and obedience to the Father’s will (John 12:27-28) reflect His deep love for us and for God’s plan of salvation?
What does Jesus mean by the “prince of this world” being driven out (John 12:31), and how does the cross serve as the ultimate defeat of Satan?
In what ways does the "hour" of Jesus confront the crowd in John 12, and how does it confront us personally today?
How does the metaphor of the kernel of wheat falling to the ground (John 12:24) reveal the paradox of the Christian faith?
What does Jesus mean when He says, "Anyone who loves their life will lose it" (John 12:25)? How should Jesus' self-sacrifice (John 12:24-26) impact the way we live as followers of Christ, especially in terms of dying to ourselves, serving others, and bearing fruit for the Kingdom?

Community Group Questions | John 5:1-15 | 11.20.2024

Brad Wright — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 08:07:41 -0500

Read John 5:1-15: Pay attention to the questions of the Jewish leaders and the man who was lame. What are these questions most interested in seeking to answer?
Jesus’ question to the man who was lame is simple. What is required of the man?
This text reminds us that people really do go through great suffering and difficulty. What are helpful answers we can glean from this text when we are struggling? What might be unwise responses to those who are suffering?
Jesus is confronting something in both the lame man and the Jewish leaders. While they want to approach God on terms they can control and explain, Jesus invites them to believe in his power, authority, and grace. The main issue: we are sinners in need of the grace that Jesus so generously offers. How does being a recipient of this grace change your understanding of your own sin? How does being a recipient of Jesus’ grace change your understanding of other people’s sin?
As one who has been forgiven through the gospel, what does it look like to hold out that gospel to others in their sin? This means that anytime we interact with others, though forgiven, we are bringing sin into the situation. How does this teaching and reality change our posture in arguments and differences?

Community Group Questions | John 4:4-26 | 10.27.2024

Jaime Jimenez — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 11:14:51 -0400

What stood out to you from the reading and the preaching of this passage?
How is Jesus’s revelation “I who speak to you am he” (meaning the Messiah) critical to understanding the passage? In what ways is the coming of Jesus in the gospels a new chapter in the story of God’s plan of salvation?
What cultural or societal barriers do you think Jesus overcame in his conversation with the Samaritan woman, and how can we apply this lesson in our interactions with people from different backgrounds to share the good news of Jesus with them?
How does the concept of "living water" differ from the temporary satisfaction we find in worldly things? What does it mean for us to quench our thirst in Jesus?
What can we learn from the Samaritan woman’s reaction to Jesus' revelation about her life? How did that lead her to experience His grace?
The Samaritan woman became an early evangelist by telling others about her encounter with Jesus. What can we learn from her example about sharing our faith with others, even when we feel inadequate or unprepared?

Community Group Questions | John 3:22-36 | 10.20.2024

Brad Wright — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 08:08:28 -0400

What were John's disciples arguring about? What is at the heart of their confusion?
How does John answer his disciples?
John gives us lesson in Christology in John 3:31-36. What do we learn about Jesus in these verses?
What are some of the results of "Jesus being greater" in our lives? What sorts of things compete with his greatness in our hearts?
John says in 3:36, "Whoever belives in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them." How does being "born again" (see John 3:5) enable us to see the light of Christ and believe that his greatness is not only good, but it is also best for us?
Discuss what it means to reject the Son in our lives (both for followers of Christ and those who do not belive).

Community Group Questions | John 3:1-21 | 10.13.2024

Kyle Bobos — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 08:42:52 -0400

Why should the church be the safest place for people to be vulnerable with their brokenness, struggles, failures, and doubts?
How does Jesus respond to us when we expose our darkness to him? What are some ways we can reflect Jesus’s grace towards us when people share their darkness/struggles/doubts with us? Have you been exposed before and how were you treated by those around you, inside and outside the church?
Why does being reborn have to come from outside of us (through the Holy Spirit)? Why might this frustrate us? Why is this the best news there is?
Why is God graciously generous in saying that “everyone who believes may have eternal life”? What does it mean to believe?
What are the effects of being reborn in our lives? What might our church, family, community, friendships look like if we really lived into our new reality as reborn followers of Jesus? Discuss.

Community Group Questions | John 2:13-25 | 10.06.2024

Brad Wright — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 09:57:23 -0400

Read John 2:13-25. Take a few moments and discuss your initial impressions.
Think about a time you have been angry. What is the reason or reasons you are angry? Would you say those answers could be defined as either love for God or love for others? Whatever Jesus is doing here, it is driven by both of those "loves".
Jesus turns the tables over in the temple courts to the religious. This is not what we often think of when we think of gentle Jesus, talking about peace, healing and feeding the thousands. Is Jesus "God-enough" for you to not limit your understanding of him to simply your expectations? When we don't understand why he is doing what he is doing, how can we still have faith in him?
We read that Jesus in the outer courts. We also read in John 2:16 that he addresses those who sold pidgeons? What is the significance of this? What does this mean for us? Who does Jesus have "zeal" for?
Read John 2:11 and then read John 2:23. When you think about both the banquet and the temple scene, what is similar about these two events?
What does it mean for us to "see the glory of God" in our own lives? Do we believe he is zealous for us, for outsiders, for the world?

Community Group Questions | John 2:1-12 | 9.29.2024

Brad Wright — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 05:14:05 -0400

Read John 2:1-12. List the charatecters and their different roles.
John 2:5 says, "'His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.'” WIth this brief statement, Mary communicates at the very least that she cannot provide what the party needs but that Jesus however is able. Though not necessarily a perfect act of faith, how would you describe Mary's response? In one sense, we could see Mary's response as one of frustratingly "giving up" - personally, I don't believe this is what is going on here entirely. What apects of faith is Mary showing here by saying "Do whatever he tells us?" In some sense, Mary doesn't personally know the solution but she seems to also believe Jesus does. Consider these two questions:
- What are areas in our lives where find ourselves responding with this kind of faith?
- What is necessary for us to believe about Jesus to do so?
Who gets credit in this account for the blessing of the banquet? What does this tells us about the heart of God?
Ultimately, the disciples and Mary do see the glory of Jesus. This further confirms and affirms their faith. How does the Lord continue to confirm and affirm our faith? What are the different means he uses to do so?
The Bible refers to the church as the bride and Jesus as the bridegroom. What does this communicate about Jesus' love for us? What kind of bridegroom is he? How does this shape the purpose and mission of the church and each of our roles in it?