If you missed this past Sunday’s message, you can listen to it online here.
- Spend a few minutes debriefing Sunday’s service. How did God speak to you (through the singing, through the baptism, through the messages)?
- In Jeff’s first “sermonette,” he gave three reasons why baptism is important for believers, 1. Because Jesus commanded it (Matthew 28:19), 2. Because of what it represents (Colossians 2:12), and 3. Because of the Communal Nature of it (1 Cor 12:13). Which of the three reasons most struck a chord with you? Why? If you haven’t been baptized before, what’s holding you back?
Read the Story of Zechariah & Elizabeth together in Luke 1:5-25.
- What stood out to you as you read the story and as you listened to Jeff’s message? Why?
- Jeff talked about two stories within this one story, 1. The Story of Israel (waiting for a Saviour during 400 years of silence from heaven), and 2. The Story of Zechariah and Elizabeth (waiting for a baby). Why is it that God so often makes us wait for him to show up and answer our prayers?
- Jeff said that “If we knew what God knows, we would only ask for what God gives, and we’d only ask for it when he wants to give it.” What is the significance of this statement? What does this mean to you?
- Why do you think Gabriel silenced Zechariah and took away his speech? How was Zechariah ‘getting in the way’ of what God was up to? How do we sometimes get in the way of what God wants to do?
- What is the significance of Elizabeth’s response in verses 24-25? What can we learn about a life of faith (in the midst of suffering) from her example?
- Jeff said that “God doesn’t want to waste the pain” in our lives. How does God sometimes use pain & suffering in our lives for his glory and for our good? How have you seen this happen in your own life?
- “God’s timing is perfect.” How does knowing this give us hope and peace in life? In what area of your life do you need to trust in this truth more completely right now?
