« Back to Beyond the Message

How to use it: After watching/listening to this week’s message, from May 1, 2022, use the questions to go deeper into the message, with your group…or on your own. The questions will introduce you to the topic, reflect content from the sermon, go ‘Beyond the Message’, & get you thinking about practical applications for your life.

1. What Bible translation do you usually use? Do you ever use others? Why or why not?

   1. Find a selection of translations from different people in your group or go to bible.com. Look up 1 Kings 20:10 (and other verses if you like) and read in a few different versions (especially compare the King James Version, New International Version, and The Message). Which translations were more technical (word for word), easy to understand (paraphrased), middle of road (thought for thought)?

   2. Do you think there is a use for different translations or is it unnecessary?

2. Throughout the Bible, regardless of how dark and evil times are, God has His witnesses; Noah in pre-flood days, Abraham in Canaan, Joseph in Egypt, Gideon and other judges. In Revelation 11, we are introduced to two more of God’s witnesses.

   1. Read Rev 11:3-13. What awe-inspiring abilities and events take place to prove that God is involved in their message? How do people react to them?

   2. Have you ever served as a witness of God in a public or personal setting? How did people react to you? If you could relive that moment, is there anything you would do differently?

3. Have you, or someone you know, ever had a vision or a dream that you believe was a message from God?

   1. If comfortable, share it with the group and what you understood it to mean?

   2. What thought process did you follow to determine that was indeed a message from God?

   3. Read Acts 10:1-48. Take note of the four-step process commonly found in how God is revealing himself to people in regions closed to the Gospel. (God appears or speaks in a vision, the person is directed to find an individual or location, the encounter occurs as predicted, the Good News if shared and accepted)

4. When you first learned about the ordinance of Communion, how would you have explained it to someone?

   1. Read Matthew 26:26-29. Reflecting upon Pastor Mark’s explanation of the bread leading us to “look back” to Jesus as our redeemer, and the cup as our “look forward” to Jesus as the bride groom, how does this help you better understand and participate in Communion?

   2. Do you have any other questions about Communion that the group could help you answer, or that you could send in to Pastor411?