Study Questions for Groups
By Michael C. Mack
1. Last week, how specifically did you either . . .
• draw nearer to God?
• hold unswervingly to the hope you profess?
• spur on others toward love and good deeds, encouraging them?
2. During the past week, what were you most thankful to God for?
Ask two people to read aloud 11:1-6, 30-40; 12:1-3 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Then ask a third person to summarize the passages in a minute or less.
3. From these passages, describe what real, biblical faith looks like.
4. Let’s dig deeper:
• What do people of faith know?
• What kinds of things do faithful people do?
• What kinds of things do faithful people endure?
• What kinds of things do faithful people receive?
• What kinds of things might faithful people not receive?
• What kinds of things do faithful people look forward to?
• What do faithful people do to keep from growing weary or losing heart?
• What does it look like for you to fix your eyes on Jesus, the “pioneer and perfecter of faith”?
5. What do you learn about God’s nature from these passages?
6. What do you learn about human nature?
7. What do you learn about obeying God from the examples given in these passages?
Note: This week, you are encouraged to break into same-gender subgroups of 3-4 people for the last three questions.
8. What specifically does running “with perseverance the race marked out” for you look like as you put your faith into action this week?
9. Based on our study and discussion, complete this sentence: “This week, I will . . .”
10. What tends to hinder or entangle you from living a life of active faith?
• How can we help you throw that off and run the race marked out for you?
For Next Week: Read and reflect on Luke 7:1-10 as we begin a four-week study in the book of Luke with the theme, “Surprise!” You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
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