Has God spoken?

In week four of Now What, Pastor Chip goes deep into the power of God speaking in our lives, and how we as christians should obey.

Dive deeper into the message with these discussion questions! 

General:

  • What do you think makes works like “The Da Vinci Code” so compelling to so many people? How might that reflect a deeper cultural curiosity (or confusion) about Jesus and Scripture?
  • Have you ever wrestled with how the Bible was formed? How has that impacted your trust in it?
  • Have you ever struggled with the idea that faith and intellect might be in conflict? How has that tension played out in your life or faith journey?
  • What’s the difference between believing the Bible is inspiring and believing it is inspired?
  • Why do you believe what you believe about who Jesus is? How confident are you in that belief, and what is it based on?
  • If someone asked you why you believe the Bible is trustworthy, how would you respond?
  • What changes might you need to make to spend more intentional time in Scripture, so you’re ready when the next “Now What?” moment hits?

Take Home 1: The early Christians simply believed God had spoken and did not get themselves caught up in trying to understand the complexity of the communication (2 Pe. 1:16-21)

  • Re-read 2 Peter 1:16–21. How does Peter describe the origin and authority of Scripture? What stands out to you?
  • How can trying to “explain away” the mysteries of Scripture sometimes lead us further from trusting God?
  • Pastor Chip quoted Ben Witherington who claims that trusting Scripture doesn’t mean turning off your brain, it means surrendering your self. How does this idea change or deepen your understanding of what it means to trust Scripture as God’s Word?
  • What part of your “self” (pride, control, preferences) might be resisting what God has revealed in His Word?

Take Home 2: Listening to and obeying God's Word is not optional for a Christian (Heb. 1:1-2; 2:1-3)

  • In what ways might we be tempted to treat God’s Word as optional rather than essential?
  • Heb. 2:1 says, “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” What does “drifting away” look like in your life?
  • What’s one area of your life where you’ve heard God’s Word but struggled to obey it? What’s holding you back?

Take Home 3: If we believe that the God of the universe has indeed spoken, why would we not do everything we can to know what He has said? (Job 23:13, Psalm 19:10-11)

  • How would you describe your relationship with Scripture?
  • How does viewing Scripture as God’s direct communication to you change how you approach it?
  • What practices (or lack of them) currently shape your time in God’s Word? What might need to change?

Keep learning

Learn about our Discover Classes and Grace University. Browse through topical short video series, view interviews with Christian thought leaders, or take an in-depth systematic theology video class with Pastor Chip.