Opening Question: Can you recall a time when you were deceived by something that looked trustworthy? What did that experience teach you about the importance of discernment?

Discussion Questions:
On Deception

1. Pastor Rino described deception as one of the greatest tools of the enemy. In what specific ways do you see deception at work in culture, in the church, or in your own thinking?
2. Jeremiah warns that the human heart is deceitful above all things. How does that reality change the way you approach your own feelings, instincts, and assumptions when making decisions?
3. Pastor mentioned that deception often works by putting believers to sleep, particularly by convincing them that God no longer moves the way He did in Scripture. Have you ever struggled with that kind of doubt? What helped you, or what is still unresolved?

On the Two Groups

4. John draws a sharp line between the children of God and the children of the devil, and the pastor said there is no middle ground. How do you hold that biblical truth with grace when engaging people who do not yet know Christ?
5. Pastor Rino was careful to say this distinction is not about perfection but about direction. How would you describe the difference between someone who stumbles and sins and someone who is living in perpetual, unrepentant sin?
6. Is there an area of your life where you have been tolerating something that Scripture calls sin, perhaps rationalizing it the way the Gnostics in John's day did? What would it look like to bring that honestly before God and your community?

On God's Purpose

7. The sermon emphasized that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, not just to manage them. How does that truth change the way you pray for yourself, for others, or for situations that feel stuck or hopeless?
8. Pastor shared a personal story about praying for someone in a moment of spiritual confrontation and said there was no fear because of the authority of the name of Jesus. How confident are you in that authority in your own daily life? What builds or erodes that confidence for you?

On Personal Application

9. Ephesians 1:15-20 describes the same power that raised Jesus from the dead as being available to believers right now. Does your daily life reflect that reality? Where does it, and where does it not?
10. Pastor Rino asked a pointed question: Is Christ being magnified in your life? And then he said the honest answer does not come from the pastor but from the people closest to you. How do you think the people in your home or workplace would answer that question about you?
11. Pastor described the children of Israel making a covenant with the Jebusites because they were deceived, and how that compromise haunted them for generations. Are there compromises or agreements in your life, with habits, relationships, or mindsets, that are quietly working against your walk with God?

Closing Prayer Guide:

• Gratitude for the truth of Scripture and the community you have in one another
• Honest confession of areas where deception has taken root or faith has grown thin
• A specific request for God to make His power and presence more real in each person's life
• Prayer for anyone in the group or in your circles who does not yet know Christ