7/15/18 Study Questions

The Extended Family - Children

1. Think about your fears, insecurities, drives, optimism (or pessimism) and confidence.  As you look back at your childhood, can you see where they came from?

2. Read Job 5:17.  Our attitude to parental discipline can affect our ability to accept God's discipline.  How have you experienced this in your life or the life of another?

3. Read Proverbs 15:5 and Romans 13:1-5.  Why is learning to submit to authority as a child so important?  How is that relevant to you as an adult?

4. Read Matthew 7:24-25 and Psalm 119:9-11.  If you're a parent, how could you encourage your children to lay a foundation on God?  Share how you have built a foundation on Jesus' teachings as a Christian.

5. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 5:16, 24-25.  God has the ability to heal us and make us new regardless of our past.  What does this mean for people whose childhood was traumatic or less than ideal?

6. Think about a child you could encourage this week.  What specific thing could you do to help them grow into the person God made them to be?  Commit yourself to doing that.

7/01/18 Study Questions

The Extended Family - Marriage

1. Talk about how God's design for marriage is counter-cultural, and why that matters.

2. How are unconditional love and commitment related? What are the implications of this in the context of our relationship with Jesus? In the context of a Christian marriage?

3. Discuss how having God as the ultimate authority in a marriage changes things.

4. Why is submission hard? Talk about the possible fears associated with being submissive for wives. 

5. Headship is a non-PC concept in our society. Define it biblically, thinking about Ephesians 5:21-24, Christ's submission to the Father, and the order of creation. 

6. Ephesians 5:32 introduces this idea of our marriage being a 'lived-out' picture of the way God loves. If you are a steward of your marriage, how can you use it as an outreach tool? What would change about the way you currently live, in order to actually live this way?

7. Watch this video and discuss your reflections - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pldeZh69sKA

6/24/18 Study Questions

The Extended Family - Purpose and Place

1. God uses and works despite our brokenness. Reflect on your family of origin and how God has used them to grow your faith.

2. Read Genesis 1:27-28 and Ephesians 5:31. Discuss the biblical basis for defining marriage as between a man and a woman—and how you would explain it to someone who holds a different view.

3. Evaluate how you are contributing to your family:

   a) physically - see 1 Timothy 5:4, 8

   b) psychologically - see Psalm 68:5-6, 103:13

   c) spiritually - Ephesians 1:4, Psalm 78:5-7

   d) character - Ephesians 6:1, Proverbs 13:24, Matthew 15:4-6, Proverbs 3:12, Colossians 3:13, Matthew 5:23-24

Where is there room for growth?

4. Does your responsibility and obligation to your family change if it is not ideal? Give a biblical basis for your answer.

5. What are the implications for being 'truly known’ in a family? How does that develop your character specifically?

6. Talk about the affects of not dealing with conflict and dysfunction in your family.