Hosea 1: 22 When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.” Wow. Wow. The very beginning of this book and this text is shocking. “Go and marry a prostitute, so that...  Read More

1 John 3:1616 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. What are other types of real love? What does love look like in a church community? How can we experience real and true love together as brothers and sisters in Christ? What does a Christian community look and feel like that reflects and expresses the lo...  Read More

Galatians 2:2020 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. We use the term “crucified with Christ” often in Christian circles, but what does it really mean? Why would we follow Christ to our own crucifixion? Are we really wanting to die that badl...  Read More

John 15:1313 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.This is the kind of text that we have come to love. We love the idea that this is the kind of love that we have from our God. However, it becomes a great deal more uncomfortable when we start thinking about how much love that takes for us to give our lives for those around us. I think that because the language is t...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add or subtract or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENHave you ever experienced a miracle? What was it and what was it like to experience it? Did anyone ever doubt or question your experience?HEADRead John 2:1-11; Exodus 7:14-24; John 14:6; and 1 Corinthians 3:1...  Read More

1 Corinthians 3:11-1511 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. 12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder wil...  Read More