Benjamin Murphy
Small Group Questions
Benjamin Murphy
Sermon Series Highlights
Sermon Series Highlights

The Power of God@Work!

Review:


Is My Ministry About Me or About Jesus?

  1. Do I make People the priority? (Acts 9:32)

    2. Review: John 21


  2. Do I want people to See Jesus' greatness... or Think I am great? (Acts 9:33-35)


  3. Do I manage Interruptions and Overtime well? (Acts 9:36-42)

    4. Review: Mark 5:40


  4. Is Prayer my "go-to"? (Acts 9:40)


Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
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Small Group Questions (Whole Group):
Read Acts 9:32-43

  1. What do Aeneas, Tabitha, and Simon have in common? What does this say about our approach to ministry?

  2. Many Jews hated tanners because they worked with dead animals. Do you have any prejudices? How can you overcome them?

  3. *How did you do on the questions evaluating your ministry? In what areas do you struggle?

    1. Do I Make People the Priority? (Acts 9:32)
    2. Do I Want People to See Jesus’ Greatness... or Think I Am Great? (Acts 9:33-35)
    3. Do I Manage Interruptions and Overtime Well? (Acts 9:36-42)
    4. Is Prayer My “Go-To”? (Acts 9:40)

Breakout Questions:
Pray for one another.

The Power of Conversion

Review:


What to Expect When You Are Born Again:

  1. Expect to Talk about Jesus... constantly. (Acts 9:20-22)


  2. Expect to Mature in the Lord... constantly (Acts 9:22)


  3. Expect to need the Church ...constantly (Acts 9:23-31)
Galatians 1:16-18 – (God) was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.

Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
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Small Group Questions (Whole Group):
Read Acts 9:20-31

  1. Why didn’t God do a miracle for Saul like He did when He got the apostles out of jail (Acts 9:25)? What does this tell you about God? What does this tell you about man’s responsibility in hardships?

  2. Why did the disciples send Saul out of town (Acts 9:30)? Why didn’t they just let him keep preaching?

  3. The disciples walked in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:31). How do you, and we as a church keep this balance?

Breakout Questions:

Ask “how well does our church take care of new believers”? What do we do well? Where can we improve? Pray for one another.

The Power of Meeting Jesus.

Review:

1 Timothy 1:15-16 - The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
 

What We Learn About Grace:

  1. The Worst people can receive grace. (Acts 9:1-14)


  2. Grace Chooses you because God wants to use you. (Acts 9:15)

    3. Review: Eph 2:10


  3. Receiving grace does not mean "Exempt from Suffering". (Acts 9:16)

    4. Review: Phil 1:29 | 2 Cor 11 | Acts 5:41 | Phil 3:10


  4. We have the privilege of Demonstrating grace. (Acts 9:17-19)

Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
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Small Group Questions (Whole Group):
Read Acts 9:1-19

  1. *Read 1 Timothy 1:15-16. How does Paul’s conversion story serve “as an example”?
     
  2. Why do you think Saul was so zealous to hunt down and arrest Christians (Acts 9:4)? How do you see such zeal against Christians today? Do you think it’s the same kind of motivation?
     
  3. Why do you think God got Ananias involved (Acts 9:10-12)? What does this say about how God may use you to disciple someone?
     
  4. Paul obviously had a special calling (Acts 9:15). Does every believer have a special calling, or just some? Defend your answer biblically!

Breakout Questions:
Pray for one another. Pray specifically for those baptized: Corinne, Sherri, Stephen, Kate!

Guilt, Goats, and God's Grace

Introduction:


  1. Men must be persuaded by the Holy Spirit of their Guilt. (Romans 8:1-2)

    2. Review: 2 Peter 1:21 | John 14:16 | Col 2:13

    Review: Lev 16 | John 8:3-11


  2. Believers must be persuaded by the Holy Spirit of their Innocence. (Romans 8:3-4)

Guest Speaker - Mark Ort (HBCPN Elder)

Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
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Small Group Questions (Whole Group):
Read Romans 8:1-4

  1. What is the purpose of the Law? Is the Law good?

  2. If it were possible to obey every aspect of the Law, would that be enough to save someone? Provide scripture as to why or why not?

  3. Describe the difference between ‘guilt’ and ‘conviction’.

  4. What is the Holy Spirit’s role in a believer dealing with feelings of guilt?

  5. What does the theological term ‘justification’ mean? 

Breakout Questions:
Pray for one another.

Celebrating our Great God

  1. Celebrating God is a Daily, Forever thing!


  2. CELEBRATE God Specifically by praising Him for Who He is!


  3. CELEBRATE God Publicly for What He has done!


    4. Faithful Celebration of God is:

    • Intentional

    • Inter-generational

    • Theological

    • Personal

    • Prayerful

  4. COMMIT to celebrating God by Praising Him Verbally!

Guest Speaker - Richie Reeder HBCPE Pastor

"God is so GREAT that the human mind cannot fathom Him (Isaiah 40:28, Job 5:9; 9:10; 11:7; Romans 11:33; Ephesians 3:8), but the human heart can love Him and tell others how great He is. God’s CHARACTER and God’s awesome WORKS furnish us with more material than we could ever exhaust, and we will have all of eternity to keep learning more!”
– Warren Wiersbe

Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!

Small Group Questions (Whole Group):
Read Psalm 145

What Do You Celebrate?

  1. If what we celebrate shows what we value, than what is your celebration (or lack thereof) showing about what you value?

  2. What about when I dont' feel like celebrating (praising God)? David had a history with God…what's your history with God? What has he done in your life that you need to be giving Him public praise for?

  3. How does you daily routine incorporate praising God?

30 Observations of who GOD is from Psalm 145:
King, Great, Unsearchable, Mighty, Glorious, Wondrous, Awesome, Good, Famous, Righteous, Gracious, Merciful, Compassionate, Loving, Patient, Steadfast, Powerful, Faithful, Everlasting, Kind, Strong, Provider, Sustainer, Satisfier, Near, Preserver, Listener, Just, Worthy, Eternal…

  1. Which of these characteristics encourages you / strengthens you / means the most to you?
     
  2. How can this passage change our prayer life?
     
  3. Take the attributes of God in this passage and do some introspection - Which characteristic of God do you need to ask the Holy Spirit to infuse into you?

  4. Do you agree with the assertion that most Christ followers can improve how we celebrate?

  5. What if your Facebook Wall and Instagram Feed reflected how great your God is, rather than "how great you are?"

Faithful Celebration of God is:

  • Intentional
  • Inter-Generational
  • Theological
  • Personal
  • Prayerful
  1. Which of these themes from Psalm 145 resonated with you the most? Which of these is the most challenging for you?
     
  2. Name several of the Verbal Phrases and Celebratory Actions from Psalm 145.

David’s Celebratory Actions:
Extol God, Bless His Name, Praise Him Greatly, Commend God’s works to others, Declare God’s mighty acts, Meditate on His majesty & wondrous works, Speak of His might & great deeds, Declare His greatness, Pour forth (or CELEBRATE) the fame His goodness, Sing Aloud of His righteousness, SPEAK of the Kingdom, TELL of His power, Make Known his deeds, Call on Him, Fear Him, Love Him, and SPEAK the praise of the Lord!

  1. Give an example of what it would look like to live out these actions in your life.
     
  2. How can you effectively COMMEND God’s works to the next generation?

Breakout Questions:
Pray for one another.