Questions for Covenant Groups - HOPE Sunday

Listed below are the small group questions for your Covenant Groups for this week following this Sunday's Worship service (October 6th). Please don't feel like you MUST go through all these questions - they are just a guide.  Perhaps there are 4 or 5 that really seem helpful to you and your group?

Before beginning, allow people to share if they sponsored a child through Covenant Kids Congo on Sunday and what that experience means for them.

Read Isaiah 58:6-12

1. What is meant by God’s declaration that he prefers a different kind of fast and why is it significant? (cf verses 1-5)
2. How will God show his acceptance of their fast?
3. How have you experienced this sort of “acceptance” in your walk with God and what difference did it make?

Read Ephesians 2:8-10

1. What does it really mean to be saved “by grace through faith”?  What, if anything, must we do then to be saved?
2. How do we demonstrate that we are in fact, God’s “handiwork”? And what is the difference between “doing good works that we were created to do” and “doing good works in hopes of receiving grace”?  If there is a difference, how is that expressed in the way you live your life of faith?

Read John 6:1-14

1. Why do you suppose that Jesus asked Philip “Where shall we buy food for these people to eat”?
2. When faced with the seemingly impossible tasks of meeting peoples’ needs, do you ever feel like Philip and Andrew - tempted to doubt you can really make an actual difference?  What do (or should) you do in those sorts of circumstances?
3. Is there an impossible task that you sense God calling you to do something about (is there something that breaks your heart that you suspect breaks the heart of God as well)?  What do you suspect it might be?  If not, would you consider praying that God would break your heart and show you what “good work” you were made for.

If your Covenant Group has not yet settled on what your particular justice or compassion ministry you are participating in, this might be a good week to seriously consider what that will be. 

Pray together that your faithfulness will be rewarded by God’s miraculous providence and that together with God, we might seriously contribute to changing the world for the glory of God.