This week's Life Group Questions
1. Read Ephesians 4:31.
a. Bitterness reveals itself through symptoms like rage, anger, harsh words, slander, silence, … How does bitterness express itself in you?
b. Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die (Rob Reimer). How have you noticed the contaminating impact of bitterness in your life?
2. Read Hebrews 12:15 in both NIV and NLT. Roots of bitterness corrupt the flow of God’s grace from you to other people. In what ways have you experienced this to be true as the “giver” of God’s grace as well as the “receiver.”
3. Read Ephesians 4:26-27. Anger is a justified emotion when you are wronged for as long as it doesn’t cause you to sin. Anger turns into sin when we don’t deal with it properly and swiftly; it causes roots of bitterness that give Satan access to wreak havoc in your life.
a. What does dealing with anger “before the sun goes down” look like for you?
b. In what ways have you seen roots of bitterness growing in you at times when you chose to hold on to anger?
c. How have you seen Satan making use of the access you gave him by holding a grudge against someone?
4. Read Ephesians 4:31-32 and Colossians 3:13. The cure for bitterness is confrontational: to get rid of bitterness, you have to do that what you naturally would not do: you have to forgive. Instead of claiming your right to pay pack, you need to let go of that right to be set free from (the devastating impact of) bitterness.
a. What emotions stir in you when you think about forgiving those who have offended and hurt you?
b. Forgiveness is a unilateral act, initiated by you before God, whether or not someone else asks you to forgive them. How does this change your view of being able to remove the roots of bitterness from your life?
c. How has the power of forgiveness helped you in getting rid of bitterness? Share your story to encourage each other.
5. Prayer
a. Spend 15 minutes by yourself and ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your mind the names of people that you need to forgive. Don’t be surprised if the Holy Spirit reminds you of people and situations that you had already forgotten about. Write down the names of these people, how they have hurt you and the impact this has had on you.
b. Break out in groups of 2-3 and share with each other (to the degree you feel free to) what the Holy Spirit has made you aware of. Try to keep it brief so that you have enough time to pray with each other.
c. Spend time in prayer together to forgive those who have hurt you. When you do so, tell God who it is that you forgive and what you are forgiving them for, to remind yourself of what you are letting go of. If there are many names on your list, pray through the first 3 names so that the others in your group have time to pray as well. Pray through the other names at a later moment, by yourself or with a friend.
d. Thank God together for His gift of forgiveness to us.
a. Bitterness reveals itself through symptoms like rage, anger, harsh words, slander, silence, … How does bitterness express itself in you?
b. Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die (Rob Reimer). How have you noticed the contaminating impact of bitterness in your life?
2. Read Hebrews 12:15 in both NIV and NLT. Roots of bitterness corrupt the flow of God’s grace from you to other people. In what ways have you experienced this to be true as the “giver” of God’s grace as well as the “receiver.”
3. Read Ephesians 4:26-27. Anger is a justified emotion when you are wronged for as long as it doesn’t cause you to sin. Anger turns into sin when we don’t deal with it properly and swiftly; it causes roots of bitterness that give Satan access to wreak havoc in your life.
a. What does dealing with anger “before the sun goes down” look like for you?
b. In what ways have you seen roots of bitterness growing in you at times when you chose to hold on to anger?
c. How have you seen Satan making use of the access you gave him by holding a grudge against someone?
4. Read Ephesians 4:31-32 and Colossians 3:13. The cure for bitterness is confrontational: to get rid of bitterness, you have to do that what you naturally would not do: you have to forgive. Instead of claiming your right to pay pack, you need to let go of that right to be set free from (the devastating impact of) bitterness.
a. What emotions stir in you when you think about forgiving those who have offended and hurt you?
b. Forgiveness is a unilateral act, initiated by you before God, whether or not someone else asks you to forgive them. How does this change your view of being able to remove the roots of bitterness from your life?
c. How has the power of forgiveness helped you in getting rid of bitterness? Share your story to encourage each other.
5. Prayer
a. Spend 15 minutes by yourself and ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your mind the names of people that you need to forgive. Don’t be surprised if the Holy Spirit reminds you of people and situations that you had already forgotten about. Write down the names of these people, how they have hurt you and the impact this has had on you.
b. Break out in groups of 2-3 and share with each other (to the degree you feel free to) what the Holy Spirit has made you aware of. Try to keep it brief so that you have enough time to pray with each other.
c. Spend time in prayer together to forgive those who have hurt you. When you do so, tell God who it is that you forgive and what you are forgiving them for, to remind yourself of what you are letting go of. If there are many names on your list, pray through the first 3 names so that the others in your group have time to pray as well. Pray through the other names at a later moment, by yourself or with a friend.
d. Thank God together for His gift of forgiveness to us.