Date: June 30, 2024
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 11

Facilitator Questions:
Themes:  Faith in action, pleasing God
Start thinking:  Ask a question to get your group thinking.

• Read Chapter 11. Why do you think the author of Hebrews gave so many examples of God’s people doing such a variety of amazing things? What was the underlying message to the struggling Christians?
• Reread verses 4-6. What does it take to please God, and what does He commend?
• Reread verses 13-16. What does it mean to be “strangers and exiles on the earth” and to “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one”?
• What are the implications of the words in verse 16 that “therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God”?
• Verse 38 says the world was not worthy of them. What does that mean?
• What gave all these people the power to be extraordinary instead of ordinary?

Start sharing:  Choose a question to create openness.

• What is the Holy Spirit saying to you about God’s expectation of radical faith?
• How important is it to you to please God and receive His commendation? Be honest. What questions do you have about this?
• Are you caught in the common traps of trying to blend in with the world and seeking other people’s acceptance? If you are, what does that reveal about the depth or strength of your convictions about God?
• Read verses 39-40. What does these verses tell you about God’s purpose for your life in the privileged time and place He has chosen for you? How do you fit into the grand scheme of His plan?

Start praying:  Be bold and pray with power.

• Thank God for His Word, which teaches us who He is, what He has done for us, and how He gives us power to live.
• Praise God for His infinitely wonderful character and worthiness of our total surrender to Him.
• Thank God for the inspiring examples of faithful people, who prove that it is possible to live in obedience to Him and overcome the world.
• Pray for yourself, your loved ones and the whole Church to believe God wholeheartedly and live for His glory.

Start doing:  Commit to a step and live it out this week.

• Read these verses about grace in the Bible, and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you about the active, sustaining power that is available to help you live by faith:
• Acts 4:33
• Acts 20:32
• Romans 5:2
• Romans 6:14
• 1 Corinthians 15:10
• 2 Corinthians 9:8
• 1 Timothy 1:14
• 2 Timothy 2:1
• Hebrews 4:16
• Watch for ways to depend on God, and ask Him to give you grace to be faithful in the moment.