This week's Life Group Questions
1. Conversation starter: what was the key insight you gained from Sunday’s sermon?
2. Read Ephesians 6:10-12
3. Read Matthew 4:23-24. Jesus’ announcement of the Kingdom of God did not only involve the (message of the) forgiveness of our sin, but also the demonstration of His power over the effects of sin. The Kingdom of God is the reversal of everything that went wrong when sin entered the world (Rob Reimer), which is why Jesus healed sicknesses and cast out demons.
4. Read Matthew 10:7-8. God is building His Kingdom, which will come to completion when Jesus returns. To advance God’s Kingdom, Jesus has given His followers the mandate to use His authority to carry on the ministry He began (see before). As the Father sent Him, He sends us (John 20:21).
5. Close your time together in group prayer. Suggested prayer pointers:
2. Read Ephesians 6:10-12
a) How has the worldview you grew up with shaped your thinking about the existence of the “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms?”
b) How do you notice the reality of the battle we are in?
c) In what ways do you take your stand against the “devil’s schemes” (verse 11)?
3. Read Matthew 4:23-24. Jesus’ announcement of the Kingdom of God did not only involve the (message of the) forgiveness of our sin, but also the demonstration of His power over the effects of sin. The Kingdom of God is the reversal of everything that went wrong when sin entered the world (Rob Reimer), which is why Jesus healed sicknesses and cast out demons.
a) What place do healings, deliverances and other miracles have in your personal theology?
b) How have you witnessed Jesus’ power over the effects of sin in your life?
4. Read Matthew 10:7-8. God is building His Kingdom, which will come to completion when Jesus returns. To advance God’s Kingdom, Jesus has given His followers the mandate to use His authority to carry on the ministry He began (see before). As the Father sent Him, He sends us (John 20:21).
a) How does this assignment resonate with you?
b) What have been your experiences with practicing your spiritual authority so far?
c) As we learned from Sunday’s sermon, exercising faith is one of the essentials for practicing spiritual authority. What areas of doubt or unbelief do you need to overcome to develop your spiritual authority?
5. Close your time together in group prayer. Suggested prayer pointers:
- Praise Jesus for His victory over sin, death and satan (Colossians 2:13-15).
- Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you from a state of awareness to a stage of developing your spiritual authority.
- Confess any areas of doubt or unbelief that hold you back in using the authority Jesus has given you and ask Him for more faith and boldness.