Jonah Study Guide

8/3/2019 Jonah Study Guide

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The Gospel according to:

JONAH


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CONTENTS

Jonah 3Introduct ion 3Background 4The Reluctant Prophet 6Jonah 1 6prayer inside a f ish 10

jonah 2 10NINEVEH AND GODS MISSION 14JONAH 3 14

ANGER AND COMPASSION 18JONAH 4 18resources 21

Appendix 21The 4 Gs 2210 Quest ions to Diagnose Spir i tual Heal th 2310 Quest ions for Studying the Bible 26COMA Method for studying Scr ipture 27

Asking good discussion quest ions 28Recommended resources 29


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JONAHINTRODUCTION

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The Book of Jonah in the Bible is a familiar story and usually relegated to Sunday School,

morali sms, whales, and disob edien t prophet s. Whil e Jonah may be a popul ar story in Sunda y

School classrooms it has profound impact for understanding God, sin, spirituality, racism,

obedience, prayer, and true faith. In fact, Jonah could be one of the most important Old

Testament books for understanding the gospel.

This study guide can be used in a varie ty of setti ngs. For our communi ty (New City Church) it

will be used mainly for CITY Groups. These guides can be used for facil itat ing discussi on as

we eng age the sermon s each week. Ano the r use of thi s gui de can be for person al stu dy and

refl ect ion . Ple ase tak e adv ant age of thi s gui de and let it lea d you int o the Bib le to ask

questions, reflect, pray, and in the end lead us to worship in the one true living God - Jesus

Chr ist . The same God we see in the Old Test amen t. The same God Jonah ran from . The same

God that granted salva tion to Nineve h and Jonah. The same God who offers salvation to

anyone who puts their trust in Jesus.

BackgroundThe Book of Jon ah is wha t we cal l a min or prop het . Thi s doe s not mean tha t Jon ah is

insi gnifi cant, or any of the twelve minor prophets are any less important in Script ure. The

twelv e minor prophets in the BIble are call ed such becau se they are shorter books. Short er in

length compared to the major prophets (Jeremiah, Isaiah, etc.). These longer prophetic

books consist of 40+ chapters in some cases. Jonah only has four chapters; but is packed

with signif icance because al l scr ipture is necessary and God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Jonah is writ ten during the reign of Jereboam II (2 Kings 14: 23-28). This season of Israel s

history is one of rebellion and walking away from God. Even in the midst of being led by an

evil leader God conti nues to expan d Israel and show compass ion on them. Some have argued

that Jonah is a myth or allegory. Jonah is seen as a mythical cha racter to symbol ize some

other reality. The text above (2 Kings 14:25) would disprove this argument and Jonah is even

quoted by Jesus himself (Matthew 12:40-41). The geographic details of Jonah would alsomake it hard to think Jonah is simply a parable, story, or al legory (1:1-3, 3:2-10, 4:11).

Every book of the Bible has a particular genre that we must consider to get a good

unders tandi ng of what is going on and its theol ogical meaning for us today. Jonah is writ ten

not as mere history but as prophetic narrative. This means that what is happen ing in thes e

historical events with Jonah, the fish, Nineveh, God, are meant to be seen as lessons for our

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benefit. It is not just about history - but about theology. They are trying to teach us significant

thin gs about us, God, sin, and many other truths. In fact, the way the book of Jonah ends

invi tes us into the story to ask the questio n: Do I have the same compassion towards lost

people as God does? (4:11)

Themes

Jonah is diff icult to nail down all the lessons and themes that emerge as we engage the text.

At its core we see a God with limi tless compas sion towards sinn ers (Jonah, sailor s, Nineveh,

and us). A God who not only is compassiona te but makes this compassio n avail able to all

who trust in Him. Another main theme is Do we have the same compassion God showed this

pagan city(and us)? (4:11) Below you wi l l f ind a few more important themes:

1. Gods sovereign plan and control over events on the earth.

2. Gods determination to get his message to the nations.

3. Gods compassion on his people and sinners.

4. People cant run from the presence of God.

5. The need for repentance from sin in general.

6. The need for repentance from self-centeredness and hypocrisy in particular.

7. The confidence that God wil l relent when people repent.1

Key Words

Evil/disaster/discomfort (1:2, 1:7, 1:8, 3:8 , 3:10, 4:1, 4:2, 4:6)

Great (used 14 t imes). Actually means evi l and wicked (1:2, 4, 17, 3:2, 4:11, and others).

How does Jonah f it in salvation history? How does Jonah point us to Jesus?

Jonah is rescued from death as he finds himsel f in the belly of a fish. This points us to the

death and resurrection of Jesus overcoming physical and spiritual death (Matt. 12:39-40).

This book also point s to Gods missi on of redeemi ng the enti re world (not just Israel) . We see

these Gentile people (non-Jewish) repent in Nineveh which points to the global mission found

in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). Salvation is for al l ! (Jonah 2:9)

1 Adapted from ESV Study Bible.

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THE RELUCTANTPROPHET

JONAH 1

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Rig ht out of the gate we see the real ity of our sinfu l nat ure. We run . We run from God , his

will , his commands, and his desires for our lives. From the beginnin g of hist ory we have

though t that we are smarte r than God. Adam and Eve find themselve s in the Garden of Eden

livi ng in perfect harmony with God and one anoth er. That was not good enough . The serpe nt

spo ke yo u can be lik e God . Tha t see med li ke a good offe r. Des pit e alr ead y hav ing

everything they needed - they got greedy and wanted more.

As we read the first few verses of Jonah - nothi ng has change d. God has given Jonah a

missi on to go and preach good news to people far from God. Inst ead of accept ing the call he

goes in the exact opposite direction. Tarshi sh (Spai n) was as far away in the opposi te

direct ion as you could get from Nineveh. Jonah is in an all out pursuit of escaping from God

and his presence. The problem is that no one can run from the presence of God (Psalm 139).

Jonahs Mission and Disobedience (1:1-3)

The role of a prop het in the OT was to call peopl e bac k to the one tru e God Yahw eh. Jona h is

one of those prophets who has a simply mission to go and tell the people living in Nineveh

that they are evil and need to repent of sin and follow God. Instead of being obedient to God

he lite rally tr ies to escape the presenc e of God (3). Jonah heads as far in the opposite

direction as possible ( Instead of going East you head West).

The story of Jonah is going to focus exclusively on the life of Jonah. Most of the prophetic

books do not focus on the prophet. Jonahs life is one of disobe dienc e, confusion, and lack

of compassion. God is going to teach us many important things through his l i fe.

Jonah and the Sailors (1:4-16)

As the storm rages on you see these sailors cry out to their pagan gods. Jonah seems to be

unmove d by it all as he goes into the bowels of the ship. This movement of Jonah is a great

pic ture of try in g to move away from the presen ce of God . The furth er we move away from

God - the more we self-destruct.

In this intere stin g exchan ge it seems that the pagan sailors have more fait h than Jonah. The

sail ors realiz e that their false gods are not answering their cries . Maybe Jonahs God can

save the day?

You will notice the word fear/afraid in verses 5 and 16. It starts with a physical fear that will

lea d to death if they are not rescu ed from the stor m. Then it leads to in verse 16 to a fe ar

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or reverence to the one true God Yahweh . Theses pagan sail ors are now making sacrif i ces to

the same God Jonah believes in.

The turmoil in the life of Jonah is not more clearly seen as in verses 8-10 . Jonah is asked why

this evil is happening and where he comes from. His response is that he is a Hebrew (Jew)

who fears the God who crea ted the hea ven s and the ear th. The same God that he has run out

on and is fleeing from his presence. The same God who is causing this storm because of his

sin and disobe dienc e. Jonahs confes sion is in exact opposi tion to his actio ns. Even the

pagan sai lors know Jonah is a fool for f leeing the presence of God (10).

Someth ing has change d. The pagan sailors who once worshipped false gods are now crying

out to the one true God. Notic e: it is not Jonah crying out to God for deli veranc e. It is not

the Jonah who just minutes ear l ier confessed hi s al legiance to the one true God.

What does this say about Jonah? What does this say about us? What does this say about

God?

2 Ways to Run from God

We can run from God in two ways. 1. By being moral, religious, and keepin g all the rules.

By doing this, we believe that God should save us, bless us, and give us a comfortable life.

That is what Jonah does. 2. By being irreligious. By being your own god and breaking all

the commands. Both ways of runni ng is a lack of belie f in the gospel . Both try and find thei r

salvation by being their own god - one by keeping all the rules, one by breaking them. Which

one are you?

The gospel is a third way: I can never do enough things to please God. I will never find true

salva tion by being my own god. I will always be a slave to sin. Jesus dies for those trust ing

in their good record - by living a perfec t life in our place . Jesus dies for rebels who have

tur ned their backs on god and want to sit on the throne of the ir own heart s. Bot h grou ps

need the gospel! We rest in the reality that we are more sinful than we ever dreamed, and

more loved than we could ever hope. See Luke 15:11-32.

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//Discuss and Reflect

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How to facil itate a discussion?

The goal in these discussi ons is not simply to gain more knowl edge of Scrip ture. Whil e that is

important- the point of scripture is to lead us to Jesus and obedience in Him (see Matthew

28:19 -20, John 5:39- 40, James 2:22- 27). We want to try and find a balan ce of head, heart,

and hands. In other words, we want to gain more unders tandi ng in the truth of God (head),

that changes our desires, wills , emotio ns (heart), that will lead to obedi ence and action

(hands).

We want to help facilitate discussions that lead to repentance, faith, and transformed lives in

the gospe l. We hav e to get aft er peop les heart s so the y see where their live s are not livi ng inal ignment with t he gospel story.

The following tools wil l help facil itate a discussion to thi s end (Swedish Method):

1. Have the group take turns reading through the passages (3-4 verses/per person).

2. Give the group a couple of minutes to skim over the passages and look for three things:

Lightbulb - anything that shines out in the passage and draws attention; it can be

important, or something that particular ly str i kes the reader.

Questions- anyth ing that is hard to understa nd; somethin g that the reader would like to be

able to ask the author about?

Arrows- anyth ing that applies personall y to the reader. How are you convi cted, challeng ed,

and what do you need to repent of and turn to Jesus for grace?

3. Enc our age the grou p to thi nk of at lea st one lig ht bulb, quest ion , and arrow to share wit h

the group.4. Begin shar ing your l ight bulb/s and discuss.

5. Begin shari ng your quest ion mark/s and then do your best to formul ate some answers

together as a group from the passages (dont worry i f you cant f ind an answer).

6. Begin to share your arrow/s and discuss.

7. Pray together about what you learned and for each other.

*See appendix for other suggestions how to faci l i t ate and ask good questions

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PRAYER INSIDE AFISH

JONAH 2

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Thing s are not going well for Jonah. He has fled from God, fell asleep in the midst of a storm,

sold out God in the process, and has now been eaten by a fish - and has three days to think

about what he has done. It would be easy to be self-righ teous in this moment and think we

are much bette r than Jonah. God continu es to show compassi on on us as we try and flee his

presence on a daily basis.

Our story now shift s to the ins ide of a fis h. Jon ah is in the bel ly of the fish for three days and

decid es to pray. Keep in mind that Jonah did not pray for the pagan sailor s to be saved . But,

he does pray tha t he wou ld be sav ed. How doe s Jon ah see those out sid e of the Jewis h

communi ty? How do you see people outsi de of your tr ib e? (Chri stian , non-Ch rist ian,

ethnical ly, class, polit ical, etc. )

(1:17-2:10)

This prayer of Jonah is very simil ar to the prayers in the Psalm s. It has many of the same

featu res. You notice very quickl y that Jonah knows God will hear his prayer s and cries (1, 6,

7). God is the only one that can save the pagans and deliv er Jonah. God is the only one who

can calm the storm s. God is the only one who can del ive r Jon ah from the bel ly of a sme lly

f ish! God is Jonahs only hope. Al l of these cr ies from Jonah are found in many Psalms.

It is in this acknowledgement of the mercy and sovereignty of God that we see Jonah give

credit to God. Jonah knows that God is in control of the whole situ ation and has put him in

this predicam ent (3, 6, 9). Jonah knows that this horri f ic event must happen for his good and

by Gods plan.

It is not easy to under stand why pain is the anthe m of our lives , and why suffering is all

arou nd us. Some hav e qui ppe d: Why does bad things happen to good people?. That is

the air we brea the in Amer ica . Eve ryo ne is good, no one deser ves to suff er, no one will be in

hell , all will be in heaven with God. The better quest ion is: Why does any good happen to

bad people?. Bibli cally speak ing there was only one perfect, good human, his name is

Jesus. He was good and was punished because of our evi l and sin. See Romans 3:10-23.

Jonah could have gotten it a lot worse. He is begin ning to see that his predica ment is

brought on by his own sin and acti ons. Most of what comes to us is brought on by our

rebell ion towards God. There is no condem natio n for those in Chris t Jesus (Romans 8:1). But

there certainly are consequences.

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What was the result of Jonahs prayer ? God vomite d Jonah out (2:10 ). This is a beauti ful

pictu re of Gods salva tion and deli veranc e. God alway s relent s when people repent of thei r

sin and acknowledge God as their only hope.


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(hands).


the gospe l. We hav e to get aft er peop les heart s so the y see where their live s are not livi ng in

the gospel st ory.











the group.

4. Begin shar ing your l ight bulb/s and discuss.

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*See appendix for other suggestions how to faci l i tate and ask good questions

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NINEVEH AND GODSMISSION

JONAH 3

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(3:1-5)

Jonah gets a second chanc e. He is spit out from the belly of a fish and given another chance

to ful fil l his missi on. To prea ch good news to the great cit y Nin eve h. To mis s the grace of

God towards Jonah is to miss his grace towards sinn ers. Jonah ran from God. We run from

God . He did not care abo ut Nin eve h and cou ld care les s abou t it s sal vat ion . Most day s we

seem unmoved by the lost, hurting, and broken people around us. Yet, here is God speaking

to Jonah a second time (1).

The mis sio n is sim ple : go to Nin eve h, an evi l cit y (l ike all citi es) , and tell it wha t I spe ak

through you. Tell Nineveh if you dont repent your city is doomed. If you dont turn from your

ido ls, fals e god s, and turn to the one tru e God that will be the end. It is imp lie d tha t God will

relent i f they do repent and turn to God (see Jeremiah 18:7-8, Jonah 3:9,10, 4:2).

It seemed to work. Jonahs message came and the people of this great city began to repent

and mourn by sackcl oth and ashes. This was an ancie nt way of displ aying your sorrow

towards God because of your sin.

As we peel back the layers there is something else going on here. Jonahs message seems to

be very brief and to the point. Some commentator s have suggested that Jonah; despi te being

rescued himself , has no intere st in this pagan city. He has no compass ion on them. He does

not explain the kindness of God towards them, an opportunity for forgiveness, he seems cold

and unmoved.

Yet, it is r ight after the deli veranc e of Jonah that God will do his best work. Jonah is being

used by God despi te him. God alway s uses weak, ungrat eful, rebell ious people for his

purpos es. If he didn' t, the good news of the gospel would never get out. God continues from

the beginnin g to end of the Bible to use most unli kely candidat es for his purpos es. Exampl es:

David - kil led a man and cheated on his wife. Noah - was found naked and drunk in his tent.

Paul (formerly Saul)- kil led Christ ians before his conversion. Moses- had a speech

impediment and killed a man. Jeremiah- was a crying baby. Peter- was clueless. Should we

go on?

The message of the gospel is that Chris tiani ty is for losers and weak peopl e. People who

have come to the end of themselves and thei r own resources knowing God is the only answer.

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(3:6-10)

Then the King repents and asks his people to repent - even the animal s. Being Gentil es it

seems that he wanted to cover all his bases in this act of repentance. Even the animals

needed to repent so they would not be destroyed. It is interesting to note that the king did not

know if God would relent of his anger (9). But God does (10).

Do you and I bel iev e tha t no matte r how far we see m to be from God he wil l forgive us? Do

we believe that no person, city, or people group is beyond the gracious han ds of God?


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(hands).


the gospe l. We hav e to get aft er peop les heart s so the y see where their live s are not livi ng in

the gospel st ory.

The following tools wil l help facil itate a discussion to thi s end (Swedish method):









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the group.






*See appendix for other suggestions how to faci l i tate and ask good questions

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ANGER ANDCOMPASSION

JONAH 4

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It would seem that a happy endin g is in order. Jonah runs, God rebukes , Jonah prays, God

relent s, Jonah gets a second chance, Jonah fulfi l ls the mission, the city repents... Then Jonah

gets angry (1).

Jonah confesses that he would have rather died than see these people repent. Jonah knows

that God is graciou s and slow to anger and did not want that for thes e pagan people. It is

obviou s that Jonah has not learn ed anyth ing. He is not remorseful of tur ning his back on

God. He is superior to these people.

Verse 2 is the key verse for unders tandi ng the scope of this narrat ive. Jonah reveals his true

hea rt. A hea rt ver y sim ila r to the older brot her in Luk e 15: 11- 32. The old er brot her was the

self- right eous, smug, religi ous one. The one who could not celeb rate the fact his young er

brother had gone off to the far country to waste his money and his life- and yet he came home

to a party. The older brother believe d he was entitled because of his moral achie vement s. He

had done everything r ight.

Jonah is no different. He is an Israe lite , from the right clan, knows the commands , and how

dare these pagan, non-Jewish people have the opportunity to repent and be spared by God.

The story of Jonah reveals his heart. A heart that seems to be right with God but in reality he

is far from Him. He has no idea how deep his sin goes.

You see, you can be moral, religious, and from the right part of town and not know God in any

trans formati ve way. The gospel is for the religi ous and irreli gious. It is for those who are

trust ing in thems elves for salva tion. It is for those who are trust ing in thei r moral, religious ,

and self-sa lvat ion projects . The gospel is not just for younge r brothers; it is for older brothers

as well .

The story of Jonah leaves us hangi ng. It ends with no resolve or concl usion . It begs the

quest ion: Do the pagan people of Ninev eh deser ve to be spared by the merciful, gracious,

loving hand of God? The answer to the question shows us if we really believe the essence of

the gospel.

Nobody deserve s anything good because of our sin. Nobody has earned a right to be in Gods

fami ly. How do you see God ? How sho uld he wor k in the wor ld? Do you kno w the gra ce

poured out on you because of th e bloody and r isen Savi or-Jesus?

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_________________________________________________________________________







(hands).


the gospe l. We hav e to get aft er peop les heart s so the y see where their live s are not livi ng inthe gospel st ory.










3. Enc our age the grou p to thi nk of at lea st one lig ht bulb, quest ion , and arrow to share wit hthe group.






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RESOURCESAPPENDIX

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These resources are to be used for a varie ty of situa tion s. Some are for studying the Bibl e

and others are for diagnosi ng spiritua l health. Please take advantage of these resources for

your group and personal study and ref lection.

The 4 GsThis resource is to be used to minis ter to other s and for self- exami natio n. At the heart of our

sin is a lac k of belie f in the gospel . Whe n we sin, in a sen se we are sayi ng to God : I dont

believe in you, your commands, or that you have the best for my l i fe.

We got these ideas from a book we highly recommend You Can Change By: Tim Chester.

Read a summary below:

In my book You Can Change I identif ied four liberating truths about God. I suggested that

underlying all our sinful behavi or and negat ive emotions is a fail ure to beli eve one of thes etruths at a functional level. Embracing, believing, tru sting, del ighting in the appropriate

liberating truth therefore has the power to set us free from sin though we need to recognize

that this typica lly involv es a dail y struggle the fight of faith . These four liberat ing truths

offer a great diagnostic tool for addressing sin in our lives and in the lives of others. The four

truths are:

1. God is great so we dont have to be in control

2. God is glorious so we dont have to fear others

3. God is good so we dont have to l ook elsewhere

4. God is gracious so we dont have to prove ourselv es 2

So what might this look like in real life? Someone share s in the group: I hate my boss. He

is such a jerk. My last boss was much bette r. I shoul d get another job or hurt this guy. Not

to downp lay a cru ddy job or a jer k of a bos s. The beli ef in my heart is that I des erv e to have

a good boss. I cant be a good worker i f my boss is a jerk. I am not a jerk.

We act ual ly could apply all of the 4 Gs to this situa tio n. If God is grea t I don t hav e to

control the situa tion and my boss. If God is glori ous I dont have to fear this person

regardless of who they are - because they are limited, human, and God will take care of us.

God is good so I don t have to loo k to a bos s, job, or per for man ce to fin d my ident it y. God is

gracious and forgives when I have not loved this guy like Jesus. That is a simplif ied way to

apply some of these truths to the hearts of people.

2 Adapted from You Can Change By: Tim Chester (Crossway 2010)

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10 Questions to Diagnose Spiritual

Health

Why do we need this tool?This tool is created for personal, communa l, and church -wide diagno sis of the spirit ual health

of peo ple . The scrip ture s make it cle ar tha t we are are create d in Chris t to gro w up into the

ful lne ss of Him (Je sus ). Our liv es are to bea r fru it, make prog ress , and look more lik e Jes us

as we mature in Christ. Sadly, not many Christians take the time to diagnose if they have even

made any prog ress in the gospe l. We sim ply accep t our love of sin and ido lat ry as the way it

is.

We pray this tool will bear much fruit in the lives of peopl e. We want to fight the nomin alism ,

poor understanding of Jesus and the gospel, and the lack of living lives of holiness as the

norm. This tool can and shoul d produce a bette r versi on of what biblical Christi anity is

supposed to look l ike in our l ives and world.

These questions can be used personally, with CITY Groups, leadership teams, in homes, and

for periodic check ups of spiritual health when needed. They are not meant to be legalistic

check marks or boxes . They are to be discu ssed, reflected on, and when used most

effe cti vel y - the y sho uld be use d in commun ity. Ask a spo use to be hon est with you, a clo se

fr iend, CITY Group, etc. This fol lows the pr inciple of speaking truth and love to one another.

Question #1: Do you hunger and thirst after God?3

So holy desire, exercised in longings, hungerings, and thirstings after God and holiness,

is often mentioned in Scripture as an important p art of true religion - Jonathan Edwards

The foundat ional ques tion is if there is genuine hunger, thir st, and desire to know, trust , and

belie ve in God through Jesus Chris t. Can you say with the Psalm ist: Taste and see that the

Lord is good ? Can you rela te to the word s of Jes us: Th ose who bel iev e in me wil l nev er

thirs t again ? The apost le Paul says in Phil ippi ans 3:10 ...th at I may know Him. Paul

already knows Jesus. What is he talki ng about ? He is talking about moving from a one-t ime

decision for Jesus to a life long pursuit to love, cherish, know, and delight in the God of the

Bible.

3 Adapted from 10 Questions to Diagnose Spiritual Health Donald Whitney (kIndle edition)

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Question #2: Are you being shaped m ore and more by the Gospel (Gods Story, the Bible)?

The sum and substance of the preparation needed for a coming eternity is that you

believe what the Bible tell s you and do what t he Bible bids you - Thomas Chalmers

We all l ive by a story. It is eithe r our story or Gods story. Paul in Galat ians 1 even tells us

that there are many false gospels or false stories that give meaning and life to everything.

If we listen to any gospel other than the one about Jesus life, death, and resurrection we are

to be condemned.

Sadly, even in the Script ures we see the religio us leaders of Jesus day espousing that there

was more to spi rit ual growt h and to kno w God other than his Word. If we are not bein g

shaped by Gods Story, we are being shaped by another Story, and we are not going to look

more l ike Jesus (which is our goal) .

Question #3: Are you becoming more loving?

The more a person loves, the closer he approaches th e image of God - Martin Lu ther

Jesus when pinched to summarize the entire Law by some religious leaders he said: You are

to love God and to love your neighbor as yourse lf... . One of our main spiri tual diagnos tics of

true life in Jesus is how we love and whom we love. It is not theolo gical effic iency, spiritu al

gift ing, but love.

Question #4: Are you becoming more aware of Gods presence in your l ife?

This is not about mystical or chari smatic experi ences . This is becomi ng more and more led by

Gods Spirit, seeing and experiencing Gods presence in the midst of every day life, and

desir ing to being more aware of it each day.

Questi on #5: Do you have a growing concern for the spiri tual and tempor al needs of

others (Mission)?

Do we care about the spiri tual growth of Chris tian s and non-Ch risti ans? Do we feel the

wei ght of lif e now and fore ver separ ate d from Gods pres enc e? Do we see the temp ora l nee ds

of people around us: widows, orphans, homeles s, the poor, etc? Do we desire to meet these

needs with the hopes of pointing them to thei r true spir itual need?

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Question #6: Do you delight in your local church community (the Bride of Christ)?

Church hopping, shoppi ng, and consumi ng is rampant in the West. Most people see the local

chu rch as opt ion al or onl y par t of my lif e on Sun day s. Do you see the absol ute neces sit y of

committ ing to a local church to lear n, grow, worshi p, and serve? Do you know that Jesus

died for the church? Do you know that the local church will always be less mature as a whole

when people dont understan d the part they play. Do you believe that the local church is

Gods main vehicle of br inging the gospel, hope, and transformation t o the world?

Question #7: Do you sti l l grieve over sin and run to Jesus for forgiveness?

As we grow spiritua lly we shoul d become more aware of Gods holiness and our sin. Anoth er

tes t is when we sin - do we run to or fro m God ? If we run away from God we have not

full y grasped the mercy, love, and kindn ess shown to us in Jesus dying in our place for our

sins.

Question #8: Are you able to forgive more quickly?

Ephesians 4:32 says: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as

in Chris t God forgave you. We mus t hav e emb race d the gospe l in faith before we are abl e to

forgi ve others . Are we abl e to forgive othe rs as we see the merc y sho wn us in Chris t? Do you

harbor bitt erne ss and un-fo rgivene ss towards others ? Can you pray for and bless your

enemies?

Question #9: Are spiritual habits increasingly important to you?

Without a disciplined l if e you wil l stagnate as a Christ ian - Peter Jeffrey

Nobody stumb les into godliness. Grace is never opposed to effort in the Christ ian life . Too

many people wonder why they seem so dry, cant seem to be freed from sinful habits, or crave

wor ldl y thi ngs more tha n God . I hav e nev er met a godl y man or woma n who were not

intensely disciplined in Bible study/meditation, prayer, repentance of sin, confession, and

serving others.

Spiri tual habi ts such as prayer, Bible stud y, and fastin g should be something we enjoy doing.

Not something we use to earn favor with God, or to show how spiritual we are, but rather as

mean s to exp eri enc e more of God in our li ves . We hav e to be int ent ion al wit h the se God -

given avenues of becoming more l ike Jesus.

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Question #10: Are you understanding more and more that you are a pilgrim/sojourner

on the earth and you yearn to be with Jesus in h eaven?

You may judge a man by what he groans after - C.H. Spurgeon

Roman s 8 paints a pictu re of the entire creation groa ning for i t to be made right by God. Do

we gro an for Gods hea ven , ete rn ity, whe n all wil l be mad e new ? Are we too comfo rta ble in our

own skin and in this world? Do we see this as the f inal destina tion or are we simply pi lg rims

passing through.

Some would argue that i f we focus too much on heaven we wi l l be of no earthly use. CS Lewis

actua l ly thinks the more we see earth as our home the less usefu l we are on eart h. We wi l l try to

get everyt hing we can now thinki ng this is i t . Do we use our t ime, talent s, and treas ures with

etern i ty in v iew?

10 Questions for Studying the BibleThi s reso urce is for tho se new to the Bibl e. Or for thos e tha t real ly dont know how to ask

good question s of what they are readin g in Scrip ture. The main goal of Bible study is to lead

us to Jesus, worship, obedience, and l iv ing out what we are learning.

10 good questions to ask when reading the scriptures:

Who is the author?

Who is the audience that is bein g spoken to?

What was the or iginal cultural context?

Why was the book written (big idea)?

What are the units of thought in the book?

What is the bibl ical context?

What are the surrounding verses?

How does this verse/book f it into the overal l book?

How does this verse/book f it into the overal l bibl ical revelation?

What is revealed about God ( i .e. an attr ibute such as hol iness or love)?

How does this connect to Jesus?

What sins do I need to repent of?

What pr inciples need integration in my l i fe?

*Adapted from A Book You Wil l Actuall y Read on the Old Testament Mark Driscoll (42)

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COMA Method for studying Scripture

COMA - The Coma method is another method of studyi ng scriptu re for a more advanced

crowd. It can be used with any group or indi vidua l; but might be a step up from the SwedishMethod used above.

Context

What is the style of writ ing? (Eg letter, poem, narrative, prophetic. )

Who wrote it? Who to? Circumstances?

What preceded this passage?

What is the polit ical and social context?

Observation

Are there any surpr ises or interesting points?

What are the key words or phrases?

Are there words or ideas that are repeated?

Are there any cultural issues?

How are people relating to each ot her and God or Jesus?

What are the main points or point?

Meaning What is the Bibl ical context how does it relate to other parts of the Bible?

How does it relate to other parts of the particular book?

Does this passage relate to Jesus? How?

What does it teach about human nature?

What does it teach about God and Jesus?

What did it mean for the people at that t ime?

How could you sum up the passage in a few words?

Application

How does this passage challenge or confirm what I know?

Is there an att itude I need to change?

Is there something to obey or confess?

Does this passage cal l me to change the way way I l ive?

Note points of prayer regarding this and pray.

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Asking good discussion questions

The best ques ti ons to ask are one s tha t are not ye s or no . The y nee d to be ope n end ed to

keep the conver satio n going. Anoth er helpf ul techn ique is to not ask too many quest ions.Make sure to be clear and pointed with your questions. Below you will f ind good discussion

questions. These also can be used to share short versions of personal testimonies.

Lighter and icebreaker kind of questions:

What is your favor ite food and why?

What was the best meal you ever ate? Explain why?

What sports teams do you root for and why?

What is the best book you have ever read? Explain why?

Name a movie that you could watch over and over?

What do you love about l iv ing in Kansas City?

Share the good and the bad of where you grew up?

Questions geared towards sharing your story:

What was your home l i fe l ike growing up? Talk about your parents, sibl ings, etc.

What three events (good or bad) shaped you into the person you are today?

Share the people, influences, churches, that helped you receive Jesus and the gospel

message? Name one area in your l i fe that has changed drastical ly since becoming a Christ i an?

Name one area in your l i fe that is a place of constant struggle?

Share a time when God answered a speci fic prayer request /need? How did this change the

way you see God?

Share a favorite verse(s) and/or Christian resource that has helped you in your walk with

Jesus.

Share three people (dead or al ive) that inf luenced you most towards Christ.

Questions geared towards getting at gospel application:

What are you daydreaming about these days?

What areas in your l i fe are you not trusting Jesus in?

What places in your l i fe are you sensing anxiety an d worry?

Who are you not loving well r ight now?

What is taking t ime away from family, community, mission, and spir itual habi ts?

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Recommended resourcesBooks

You Can Change Tim Chester

Gospel-Centered Life Bob Thune

10 Questions to Diagnose Spir itual Health Donald Whitney

Total Church Tim Chest er and Steve Timmis

Christian Beliefs: 20 Basics Every Chri st ian Should Know Wayne and Ell iot Grudem

Websites

www.theresurgence.com - al l k inds of good reads on a var iety of topics (pr int, audio, video).

www.acts29network.com - many great teachers and preachers addressing a var iet y of topics.

www.blog.pastorpelton.com - New City Church blog that has many resources on a variety of

topics.

www.vergenetwork.org - tons of video and audio on a variety of topics (gospel, community,

mission).

www.desir inggod.org - John Pipers ministry with tons of Chri st-exalt ing resources.

www.gospe lcente redd isc iplesh ip .o rg - new website with gospel-centr ic resources for

discipleship.

www.thegospelcoalit ion.org - tons of resources for learning and growth (print, blogs, audio,

and video).
http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/http://www.gospelcentereddiscipleship.org/http://www.gospelcentereddiscipleship.org/http://www.desiringgod.org/http://www.desiringgod.org/http://www.desiringgod.org/http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/http://www.gospelcentereddiscipleship.org/http://www.gospelcentereddiscipleship.org/http://www.desiringgod.org/http://www.desiringgod.org/http://www.vergenetwork.org/http://www.vergenetwork.org/http://www.blog.pastorpelton.com/http://www.blog.pastorpelton.com/http://www.acts29network.com/http://www.acts29network.com/http://www.theresurgence.com/http://www.theresurgence.com/

Documents

Jonah Study Guide