Lesson Two: Discussion Guide for Group or Individual Use (click more)
A Voice in the Wilderness
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time you have provided for us to come together to hear from you and have fellowship in your Word and to learn and apply your Word to our hearts. We need you, Lord. We need your grace all the time. We praise you for your goodness and your love and mercy. Please open our hearts to you and to one another and lead our discussion. Help us not to fear, but to put all of our hope in Christ. Help us to remember there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. May you be glorified in all our thoughts and words and deeds. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I. LECTURE
Will someone share how the Lord used the lecture to speak to your heart? Did anyone have any questions or concerns about the lecture? If you ever have a question or something is unclear, please let us know. We want to serve you in any way we can!
II. PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK
An intimate relationship with the Lord begins when we trust in Jesus and deepens as we ‘lie down in green pastures,’ when we slow down and take time to be with the Lord in His Word and truly submit to Him. It develops when we stop and make time to listen to God and the truth of His Word and respond to it rather than to all the things in the world calling our names. John the Baptist came to the people of God. He pleaded with them to listen, to turn their hearts from their own ways toward God. Our call is the same. God is calling us to turn from self-absorption, self-sufficiency, and self-righteousness and no matter where we are, to lay everything at His feet. God wants Jesus to be not just a priority but to be THE priority in our lives. He wants Him to be our first love. Let’s ask Him to prepare the way deeper into our hearts. Let’s ask Him to make this more than just a bible study. Let’s believe God, prove His Word, and see Him move mountains before us!
III. QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK
Go through the homework, occasionally calling on women. Read scriptures aloud. After asking a question, remember to allow a brief period of quiet “wait-time” to give women a chance to think before answering. After pausing, if no one shares, go ahead with your answer, rephrase question, and/or move on.
DAY ONE Devotion: A Voice in the Wilderness
1. Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One?
DAY TWO
2. Quiet Moment - Read Matthew 3:1-3. Are you listening to the Lord in His Word? Would someone vulnerable share the prayer you wrote asking Jesus to give you ears to hear, wisdom, and understanding?
3. Going Deeper Question #1 – What changes do you need to make to help you put aside the time you need to listen to the Lord’s voice in His Word?
4. Question #2 - What do you think you need to do to prepare your heart for the Lord? What are the distractions in your life that hinder you?
DAY THREE
5. Quiet Moment - Read Luke 3:4-6. What did the Lord show you that He wants you to confess, lay aside, leave, stop, or start?
6. Going Deeper Question #1 – What are the similarities between Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts? What speaks to your heart from the passage in Luke?
7. Question #2 - Do you think our hearts are different than those of the people in the days of John the Baptist? How are our hearts similar? If we are in Christ, how can our hearts be hardened by unconfessed sin?
8. Question #4 - What would the Lord say to you if you asked Him, ‘If these things are true, Lord, what shall I do?’ If you turned toward God and loved Him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength, what would you need to get rid of in order to truly ‘clean house’?
DAY FOUR
9. Quiet Moment - Read John 1:1-8. Would someone vulnerable share the sin or darkness in your life that the Lord revealed to you?
10. Going Deeper Question #3 - What is the importance of listening intently to the Word and meditating on it in your daily life? Describe how you listen to the Word of God and obediently walk in the light of His Word. What is your recent example?
11. Question #4 - What do the people around you see in you? What do they hear from you?
DAY FIVE
12. Quiet Moment - Where do you see any similarities between God’s people in the time of Malachi and in the church today? When have you honored people, things, or comfort more than God?
13. Going Deeper Question #2 - Do you see a similar disregard for God and His Word in our culture or in the church? What examples do you have?
14. Question #5 - A more intentional relationship with Christ will result in ongoing heart, mind, and life changes with almost continual growing pains. What are your fears in relation to this?
IV. PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER
V. TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART TIME
We will now focus on taking God’s truth to our hearts and bringing it to life. James 5:16a states, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” And 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
Please turn to your Taking the Truth to Heart and Bringing It to Life Review page. We will each have 3 minutes so that every woman will have a chance to share. Please record one another’s confessions on the Taking the Truth to Heart Guide on the following page so you can pray for one another throughout the week. Leaders, please set the example by going first.
VI. PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER
