Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Summary of April 21 Care Group
We met at the DeVivo's home. The Angels, DeVivos and Versaces attended. We briefly discussed the first message in the Paul Tripp series about how God wants us to demonstrate his fruit in our lives as we grow in effectiveness and productivity. We also talked about how walking together as a community of believers is a multi-faceted process including encouragement, long-suffering, and helping one another in trials, as well as pointing out areas of weakness or sin. The bulk of our time was spent encouraging one another in the God-given gifts and talents that are evident in each other's lives. We all were thankful for the opportunity to point out evidence of God's grace in each other.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Summary of April 7 Care Group
All attended. The meeting occurred at Tony and Maria's house. Tony had previously assigned listening to the first CD of "your walk with God is a [community] project". See the side bar for more information about this CD. Tony lead us through the first 9 questions of the 17 he compiled (see below). We will pick up the remainder of questions for discussion at the April 21 meeting.
The group discussed God ruling in the mundane moments of our lives, God sending his grace to us through the thoughtful and sometimes challenging words of friends, and our desperate need for each other as we navigate through this Christian life.
The group discussed God ruling in the mundane moments of our lives, God sending his grace to us through the thoughtful and sometimes challenging words of friends, and our desperate need for each other as we navigate through this Christian life.
Care Group Questions - Paul Tripp- CD #1
1. At the beginning of the CD, Tripp gives an illustration of a man waiting for a dentist. What was his point in giving this illustration?
2. Tripp described his former self as being very angry, despite Luella’s gracious attempts to get him to confess this sin. Have you been deflecting or have you ever deflected your spouse’s gracious attempts to deal with an area of sin in your life?
3. Questions from Ted, Paul’s brother, changed the direction of Paul’s life. By these seemingly innocuous questions, Paul was deeply convicted by the Holy Spirit. Have you ever had any “Paul Tripp” moments like this in your life when someone, led by God, asked you a question or series of questions that revealed a sinful pattern in your life? Explain.
4. Paul said that his freedom from anger was a process. What pattern of sin has God, by His grace, freed you from or is in the process of freeing you from?
5. What does Paul mean when he says, “western culture Christianity has been damaged by western culture individualism?” Do you see any examples of this in either your life of the church?
6. Is there a difference between your private life and your public persona? If yes, explain.
7. Our walks with God are intended to be community projects. Explain this statement. Do you resist this in any way? How?
8. Paul said that we live in the utterly mundane, and if God doesn’t live in the utterly mundane, then He doesn’t rule us. Explain what he meant by this.
9. Read 2 Peter 1:3-9. Paul said that, according to this passage, areas of a believer’s life could be ineffective and unproductive, not reflecting the full harvest of the fruit of faith. Examples of ineffectiveness can be seen in unruly debt, anger, envy, problems in one’s thought life, etc. In what areas have you been ineffective/unproductive? Where have you been effective?
10. How can you guard against being ineffective and unproductive?
11. Where do you easily let go of some aspect of faith, love, brotherly kindness, and perseverance?
12. What does Paul mean when he says that identity in Christ is paramount?
13. What does Paul mean when he states that “identity amnesia leads to identity replacement?” What are the results of identity replacement?
14. How is your identity in Christ two-sided?
15. One problem with our identity is that we are very skilled at minimizing our sin. Have you ever minimized your sin? How?
16. Paul indicated that the knowledge of sin doesn’t necessarily separate us from God? What does? Give an example of this.
17. Paul maintains that it is God’s desire for us to have a God-honoring life until we are called home, but this will not happen unless we live in an “intentionally intrusive, Christ-centered, grace-driven, redemptive community with others.” So what is the problem? What is the solution?
2. Tripp described his former self as being very angry, despite Luella’s gracious attempts to get him to confess this sin. Have you been deflecting or have you ever deflected your spouse’s gracious attempts to deal with an area of sin in your life?
3. Questions from Ted, Paul’s brother, changed the direction of Paul’s life. By these seemingly innocuous questions, Paul was deeply convicted by the Holy Spirit. Have you ever had any “Paul Tripp” moments like this in your life when someone, led by God, asked you a question or series of questions that revealed a sinful pattern in your life? Explain.
4. Paul said that his freedom from anger was a process. What pattern of sin has God, by His grace, freed you from or is in the process of freeing you from?
5. What does Paul mean when he says, “western culture Christianity has been damaged by western culture individualism?” Do you see any examples of this in either your life of the church?
6. Is there a difference between your private life and your public persona? If yes, explain.
7. Our walks with God are intended to be community projects. Explain this statement. Do you resist this in any way? How?
8. Paul said that we live in the utterly mundane, and if God doesn’t live in the utterly mundane, then He doesn’t rule us. Explain what he meant by this.
9. Read 2 Peter 1:3-9. Paul said that, according to this passage, areas of a believer’s life could be ineffective and unproductive, not reflecting the full harvest of the fruit of faith. Examples of ineffectiveness can be seen in unruly debt, anger, envy, problems in one’s thought life, etc. In what areas have you been ineffective/unproductive? Where have you been effective?
10. How can you guard against being ineffective and unproductive?
11. Where do you easily let go of some aspect of faith, love, brotherly kindness, and perseverance?
12. What does Paul mean when he says that identity in Christ is paramount?
13. What does Paul mean when he states that “identity amnesia leads to identity replacement?” What are the results of identity replacement?
14. How is your identity in Christ two-sided?
15. One problem with our identity is that we are very skilled at minimizing our sin. Have you ever minimized your sin? How?
16. Paul indicated that the knowledge of sin doesn’t necessarily separate us from God? What does? Give an example of this.
17. Paul maintains that it is God’s desire for us to have a God-honoring life until we are called home, but this will not happen unless we live in an “intentionally intrusive, Christ-centered, grace-driven, redemptive community with others.” So what is the problem? What is the solution?
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