Tuesday 19 February 2013

Small Groups – Week of February 17


1. Nathan Kwan (our missionary apprentice) shared his testimony of how God led him to pursue missions. Do you have a story relating to how God opened up your heart and mind for missions (perhaps a calling to go overseas yourself, a great passion to pray for a specific country, a strong urge to give generously to God’s work around the world, etc.)? Please share this story with your group.

2. Who is part of your sphere of influence today? [Think of work, school, other nationalities,
neighbourhood, etc.] How have you influenced one person in your sphere of influence for
Christ? What keeps you from increasing your sphere of influence?

3. Read Acts 10 together. Have each person share one thing which stands out for them from this passage. How was Peter’s sphere of influence increased in this passage?

4. How might God want you to expand your sphere of influence in 2013? [A new ministry at TAC? A new cultural group? A new religious group? A different socioeconomic group? A new country – short or long-term?] Consider regularly praying to God for wisdom, courage and love so that you can step into a greater sphere of influence for the sake of the kingdom of God.

5. Would you be willing to allow God to move you into this new sphere of influence? If not, what is holding you back?

6. This Sunday TAC made available handbooks for our iMission week. Please conclude your time together by reading through the specific prayer requests for the missionaries included in the booklet and by praying for them and their families.

Thursday 14 February 2013

Small Groups – Week of February 10, 2013


1. What is the difference between the way that an earthly kingdom grows and the way the
kingdom of God grows?

2. Can you recall some of the encouraging statistics which Rev. Ford shared in regards to the
kingdom of God. [eg. 3500 new churches a week, 3000 new believers an hour, 28,000 new
believers in China each day, number of Muslim Background Believers in Central Asia growing
significantly since 1990 (when there were 100), etc.]

3. What are some biblical passages which affirm that Christ is the only way to God? How does
knowing that Jesus is the only way to God shape your life?

4. Christ-centered. Spirit-empowered. Mission-focused. What do these terms mean? What would a
life look like if it experienced each of these realities?

5. The article that God used to lead me to Bible college is entitled Why You Should go to the
Mission Field by Keith Green: http://www.lastdaysministries.org/Mobile/default.aspx?
article_id=1000008651. Skim through Keith Green’s 8 reasons describing why you should go to
the mission field. What do you think of his reasons? Do they resonate with you at all? Explain.
What do you think of the 15 excuses people give to get out of going to the mission field? Have
you ever used any of these reasons? What is keeping you from going to the mission field?

6. This week we will be participating in a Skype call with Victor and Betty Chin. Victor and Betty
are presently studying Spanish in Costa Rica in preparation for a ministry in Mexico. Operation
World is a work which helps believers pray for the nations. Read through Operation World’s
entry for Mexico: http://www.operationworld.org/mexi#prayer. Spend some time as a group
praying for that nation.

Monday 4 February 2013

Extraordinary Life Week 4 - Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness




Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6

1. Has anyone in the group ever participated in the 30 Hour Famine or another similar fasting event? How well did you do at going without food? What activities did you do to keep your mind off of food?

2. Pastor Bill said, “It is an extraordinary life when the deepest longings of the heart are met.” What are the longings people have today? How well are these longings met?

3. Think of a time in your life when you felt significant hunger pains or when you were so thirsty you would have gulped down muddy water if it were available. How does the body react when it is facing extreme hunger or thirst? How does the mind react? [I would like people to recognize that in these times nothing else in the world seems to matter compared to our hunger or thirst.]

4. What is the difference between hungering and thirsting for food and drink and hungering and thirsting for righteousness? What are the similarities? What evidences are there in the life of one hungering and thirsting for righteousness (what would such a life look like)?

5. In Christianity we speak of justification (God forgiving us/declaring us to be righteous/accepting us, eg. Romans 3:28)(Pastor Bill spoke about a hunger to be accepted by God), sanctification (God leading us into obedience, eg. Romans 8:12-14 and Philippians 2:13)(Pastor Bill spoke about the desire to be free from the power of sin and from the desire to sin) and glorification (us receiving glorified bodies and living with God, eg. 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 and Revelation 21:1-4). We can also speak about personal holiness (me personally living for God) and societal righteousness (a society doing what is right and just). Discuss how hungering and thirsting for righteousness might be experienced under these categories. Be sure to interact with Isaiah 58 and Matthew 7:21-23.

6. Where do you go for righteousness? Pastor Bill said that God is the source of righteousness, always. In pairs, share what is getting in the way of your desire for righteousness [is there a sin you are struggling with, is a relationship getting in the way of your commitment to God, is entertainment more important that holiness, etc.? Remember that honesty before God and not self-sufficiency, pride or dignity leads to righteousness]. Pray that God would give you a hunger and a thirst for righteousness that exceeds your love of the world.