DISCUSSION GUIDES
Sometimes life leaves us feeling trapped—old armies behind us, impossible seas ahead. Exodus 14 invites us into one of Scripture’s most powerful pictures of rescue, faith, and a way forward. Where might God be inviting you to stop standing still and take your next step?
What is God doing when answers are delayed, progress is slow or the road ahead is harder than expected? When God led Israel out of Egypt, he deliberately did not take them by the shortest road. From Exodus 13:17–18, we’ll discover how the wilderness can become a place of God’s presence, provision and preparation—and how to keep following Jesus through seasons of waiting, uncertainty and difficulty.
Paul reminds the Ephesian elders that his life among them was a display of humility through proclaiming the truth and investing deeply in people's lives, even through hardship and opposition. Though he knows suffering and danger await him in Jerusalem, he remains surrendered to the Spirit’s leading and refuses to let fear or uncertainty determine his path. The mission of sharing the Gospel of Jesus is worth any sacrifice, and costly faithfulness leaves a legacy of transformed lives and deep Christ-centred love.
How should followers of Jesus live in a city that does not share their beliefs? Acts 17 takes us into the streets, marketplaces, and intellectual centre of ancient Athens, where Paul encounters a culture both impressive and spiritually lost. Join us as we explore what faithful Christian witness can look like in our own changing city.
Sometimes our plans are good, but God’s mission is bigger. In Acts 16, the gospel moves beyond Paul’s expectations and reaches people in completely different places: a seeking woman, a trapped servant girl, a shaken jailer, and a city that does not know what to do with the kingdom of God. God is still calling us to hold our plans loosely, watch for people he is reaching, press into worship when resistance comes, and love the people Jesus brings into his family.
SUMMARY - What happens when following Jesus brings together people with very different backgrounds, convictions, and expectations? Is faith in Jesus really enough, or are there additional requirements for belonging? In Acts 15, the early church faces a disagreement that threatens both the clarity of the gospel and the unity of the church. What they discover still matters for anyone trying to follow Jesus alongside imperfect, complicated people.
#WhenGraceGetsComplicated #Acts15 #BookOfActs #JesusAlone #GraceOfGod #ChristianFaith #FollowingJesus #GospelTruth #ChurchUnity #ChristianLiving #BibleTeaching #BibleSermon #FaithAndGrace #CentralBaptist #FollowingJesusTogether
SUMMARY - Do you ever wonder what God is doing? Has it ever felt like God is unaware of your situation or the problems in our world? In today’s passage, we will see that God is always at His work. In fact, He was at work in our world and in our lives long before we arrived in our current situation. Remembering this will enable us to keep going when we face uncertainty or difficulties in life.
Do you ever wonder what God is doing? Has it ever felt like God is unaware of your situation or the problems in our world? In today’s passage, we will see that God is always at His work. In fact, He was at work in our world and in our lives long before we arrived in our current situation. Remembering this will enable us to keep going when we face uncertainty or difficulties in life.
Acts 14 shows Paul and Barnabas living on mission with open hands. As the gospel moves into new places, God works powerfully through the Holy Spirit, but the response is mixed: some people are amazed, some misunderstand, and some become hostile. Through it all, Paul and Barnabas refuse to take the glory for themselves, point people back to the living God, and keep strengthening disciples even after suffering. This passage challenges us to ask what we are holding onto, where we need humility, and whether we are willing to follow Jesus with courage, perseverance, and trust.
Jonah 4 invites us to look beneath the surface of our anger, frustration, and comfort-seeking. It asks a question most of us would rather avoid: are we more concerned about what makes life easier for us, or about the people God loves? This final chapter of Jonah draws us toward the heart of God’s mission — and toward the kind of heart God wants to form in us.