Romans

Romans 14

1. Can you think of a funny or seemingly insignificant disagreement that people can get surprisingly worked up about (not-church related)? Why do you think relatively small issues can produce such strong reactions?

2. Why do you think Christians sometimes have such a difficult time disagreeing with one another?

3. Take a moment to outline the two areas where the Roman Christians were disagreeing with each other.

4. What are some contemporary examples of genuinely disputable matters? (Feel free to dispute about what is disputable ;)

5. Paul identifies two different responses to disputable matters: despising someone who disagrees with you and passing judgment on someone who disagrees with you. What's the difference between these two attitudes?

6. Francis Schaeffer writes that the bitterness left behind by Christian disagreements often comes not from the original issue but from the unloving things Christians say to one another. Why do you think hurtful words can have such a lasting impact?

7. Paul says that we shouldn't judge another Christian because they are ultimately accountable to their own Master (God). Why is it so tempting to take God's seat and pronounce judgment on other Christians?

8. Paul says that each person should be fully convinced in their own mind. What does it look like to take this seriously? How can we make sure our convictions are thoughtfully formed rather than simply inherited or assumed?

9. Paul says that whatever we do, we should do it to the Lord. How does asking, "Can I do this to the Lord?" change the way we approach everyday decisions?

10. What does it mean that "whatever does not proceed from faith is sin" (v. 23)? Why is it important not to violate our conscience simply because other Christians are comfortable doing something?

11. Paul tells Christians not to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another believer. What is the difference between exercising your Christian freedom and exercising it in a way that harms someone else?

12. How do we distinguish between pursuing peace and simply avoiding difficult conversations? When might it be wise to keep an opinion between ourselves and God (v. 22)?

Romans 13:8-14

1. What stood out to you from the sermon? Was there something that particularly encouraged or challenged you?

2. Paul says we should owe one another a continuing debt of love (v. 8). How would viewing love as an ongoing obligation change the way we approach our relationships?

3. The sermon emphasized that love involves actively doing good. Where might you be avoiding harm to someone while overlooking opportunities to love them?

4. How does loving your neighbour fulfil God’s commandments (vv. 9–10)? How do those commandments help us understand what love actually requires?

5. What does spiritual sleepiness look like in an ordinary Christian’s life? What tends to make you complacent or distract you from following Jesus?

6. Paul says our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed (v. 11). How should the certainty of Christ’s return shape your priorities?

7. Paul includes quarrelling and jealousy alongside sins we might consider more obviously serious (v. 13). Why do we sometimes tolerate these attitudes? How can they damage a church?

8. What does it mean to “make no provision for the flesh” (v. 14)? What habits, situations, or excuses can make it easier for us to give in to temptation?

9. The sermon calls us to “put on Jesus.” What does that look like in practice? How does abiding in Christ help us grow in ways that willpower alone cannot?

10. Looking at the four calls—love, wake up, cast off darkness, and put on Jesus—where do you most need to respond? What specific step could you take this week?

Note: If you’d like to spend some time as a group discussing the Sunday announcement of Ben’s forthcoming resignation to pursue church planting in Barrie, please feel free to take as much time as is needed to discuss together. A few questions are below if you’d like some help opening up this topic together.

1. What thoughts and feelings did you have watching the announcement on Sunday?

2. Have you ever been through a pastoral transition before?

3. What are some of the hopes or worries that you have for Resurrection Church during this time?

4. Are there any questions you have about what is going to happen?

Romans 13:1-7

1. Paul wrote these words to Christians living under Nero. How does that context challenge the idea that we only need to submit to governments we like or agree with? Do you think these words are easier or harder to obey in different contexts?

2. The sermon asks us to examine our first impulse toward authority. When you encounter a government decision you dislike, what is your usual response? What would it look like to respond in light of God’s mercy?

3. How can we believe that God has instituted governing authorities without approving of everything they do?

4. How should we distinguish submission from total obedience? How can we know when we should go the Daniel in the Lions den route of not obeying?

5. According to verses 3–4, what is government’s God-given purpose? What are some examples of our authorities fulfilling that purpose well (try to be specific)? Why might we find it easier to name their failures?

6. Verse 7 calls us to pay taxes and give respect and honour. Which of these obligations do you find hardest? What might your conversations at home or your social media activity reveal about your attitude toward authority?

7. The sermon closes by reminding us that God’s mercies go with us into public life. How does God’s love for us in Christ give us what we need to live faithfully under imperfect authorities? What is one practical response you can make this week?

Romans 12:9-21

1. Besides Frozen, what movies or books have good examples of sincere love?

2. The sermon distinguishes genuine love from “Canadian niceness”. What is the difference? How can we grow in sincere love when loving feelings are absent?

3. Paul connects love with hating evil and holding fast to good. When might loving someone require a difficult conversation rather than giving them what they want?

4. “Outdo one another in showing honour” means taking the initiative and treating others as valuable. What might going first look like in your family, friendships, or church?

5. Love meets actual needs rather than simply giving what we feel like giving. How can we learn what people need? What need could our group help meet?

6. Read verse 15 again. Which do you find harder: rejoicing with those who rejoice or weeping with those who weep? What gets in the way of entering into another person’s experience?

7. Paul says to live peaceably “if possible, so far as it depends on you.” What does this teach us about both our responsibility and our limits? How can pursuing peace include boundaries and protection from harm?

8. Near the end of the sermon, the question becomes: “Why should I keep loving when I’m tired of trying?” How does God’s love for us in Christ answer that question? How is this different from simply trying harder?

Romans 12:1-8

1. Paul begins with “therefore.” In your own words, summarize all that has led up to Romans 12.

2. The sermon described offering God your “sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life. (from Eugene Peterson’s The Message) ” Which ordinary part of your life do you tend to overlook as an opportunity to offer back to God?

3. A living sacrifice involves offering ourselves to God repeatedly. Where do you find yourself wanting to take back something you have previously surrendered to him?

4. What fears arise when you think about giving God your whole life? What do those fears reveal about how you view him?

5. The sermon used a paint-by-numbers illustration to describe two competing patterns for life. Choose a few examples to discuss how does the surrounding culture’s pattern differ from God’s? (Suggestions: Leisure Time, Friendship, Moving to a new city).

6. How are your media habits and friendships shaping your thinking? What is one change that could help you pursue the renewal of your mind? (What do you think your podcast rotation or youtube history would say about the way your mind is being shaped?)

7. The sermon identified two ditches when it comes to your gifts: thinking too highly of our gifts and thinking too little of them. Which are you more likely to fall into? How can other Christians help you assess yourself honestly?

8. What gifts have you noticed in other people in this group? Take some time to encourage one another with specific examples.

9. What holds you back from using your gifts more fully—uncertainty, fear of failure, overcommitment, or something else? What would a manageable next step look like?

10. The sermon ended with a father delighted to see his son get into the game, even when he makes mistakes. How does the love of the Father change our willingness to be involved?

Life Together

Worship and Liturgy - 1 Corinthians 14:26-40

1. Paul begins, “When you come together” (v. 26). What can gathered worship give us that private worship cannot?

2. Paul says, “Let all things be done for building up” (v. 26). Whose good should we have in mind when we participate in worship? How might that change our approach?

3. Why does Paul care so much that people can understand what is said (vv. 27–31)? How can a church make its worship understandable to newcomers without assuming everyone already knows its practices?

4. Paul says God is “not a God of confusion but of peace” (v. 33). What does peaceful worship look like? Does it have to be quiet?

5. What do you think about how Resurrection Church handles speaking in tongues and prophecy? What are the strengths and weaknesses of our current approach?

6. The sermon acknowledged disagreement about verses 34–35. How can we discuss a difficult passage honestly and charitably while still taking Paul’s teaching seriously?

7. What ongoing questions do you have about worship and how we practice it at Resurrection?

Church Government - Acts 15:1-21, 16:4-5

1. What stood out to you most from the sermon? Did anything challenge or change how you think about church government?

2. Why was the disagreement over circumcision so serious? What was at stake beyond a difference in cultural practices?

3. The sermon described the “impulse of the Judean teachers” as requiring other Christians to adopt our customs. What church traditions or preferences are we tempted to treat as marks of genuine Christianity?

4. Even though Paul was an apostle, the church in Antioch sought help from the wider church. What does this teach us about the limits of local-church independence?

5. What do you notice about how the apostles and elders reached their decision? What roles were played by debate, personal testimony, Scripture, and collective wisdom?

6. What are the strengths of having elders govern together rather than giving final authority to one pastor or leader? What difficulties can shared leadership create?

7. How did the council defend salvation by grace while also asking Gentile believers to make sacrifices for the unity of the church?

8. According to Acts 16:4–5, how did the churches respond to the council’s decision? What does healthy submission to church authority look like—and what should someone do if they believe church leaders are wrong?

9. What can churches accomplish together that would be difficult for a local congregation to accomplish alone? Where have you personally benefited from connections with the wider church?

10. The sermon concludes that “Jesus is running his church,” even through meetings, debates, letters, and imperfect leaders. How does that truth encourage you? How should it shape the way we respond to frustration or conflict in the church?