Wednesday, April 8, 2009

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?

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