Large group #11 - Faith

This week is Large Group Number 11, the last Large Group before we go on break. We will be talking about faith this week and discussing some of the following questions: What is faith? What is its purpose? Why should we have faith? What does the faithfulness of God have to do with our faith? We will also be looking at the faithfulness of some characters in the bible including the Syrphoenician woman, the centurion, and, in the Christmas spirit, the faith of Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna (also read Hebrews 11 for a long list of those faithful to God).

I have a challenge question based on part of Psalm 4 (When you are on your bed, search your heart and be silent):

Examine your heart for five minutes and ask yourself, ‘What have I put my faith in?’ If you aren’t sure or find any surprises, seek out another believer whom you trust and talk with them.

I look forward to seeing you all at this last Large Group of the term!

Love in Christ,

Peter

P.S. I have included this week’s discussion questions—if anyone wants to start a conversation about them, please reply all to the email thread!

1.      Hebrews 11. This chapter is full of examples about faith. What is faith?
2.      Romans 5:1-2. We are justified by faith.  What does this mean? Compare this to Proverbs 16:6 (recalling that this we written before Jesus was sent to save us).
3.      James 2:14-25. Faith without works is dead. What implications does this have for how we live our lives?
4.      Matthew 17:20. Do we believe that our faith has this kind of power? How does one use faith? What is faith?
5.      1 Corinthians 13:13. Compare faith, hope, and love. How does faith compare to love?
6.      John 18:15-27. Does faith mean that we never doubt or that we always stand strong? Peter was the cornerstone of the church and yet he denied Jesus 3 times.  What does this story have to tell us about faith?
7.      John 7:24-30, Matthew 8:5-13. What can we learn from the faith of the Syrophoenician woman and of the centurion?
8.      Joel 2:23. God is faithful to us. How does God’s faithfulness relate to our faith? Perhaps think about Luke 12:13-34 in the context of faith. A personal question (you don’t need to share if you don’t want to): Examine your heart and ask yourself, ‘What have I put my faith in?’ Where does that mean your heart will be?
9.      Matthew 1:18-25. A Christmas story! Imagine the faith that Mary and Joseph had (think about the consequences for Mary if she were to be discovered as pregnant and unmarried, and the trust Joseph had). How is this an example to us? Do we have faith and trust like that?
10.  Luke 2:22-40. Another Christmas story! How does the faith of Simeon and Anna manifest itself? Do they have the same reaction?