Second Nature

 

Study Questions

  1. SECOND NATURE Study Materials

    WEEK 2: IT TAKES EFFORT

    Questions for Group Discussion

     

    Watch the brief message from Pastor Billy, then consider these questions:

     

    1.        Open your small group time by reading or reciting together Joshua 1:8.Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful.

     

    2.        This past Sunday, Pastor Billy used playing a guitar and playing basketball as examples of activities that require real effort in order to grow in them. Everyone recognizes it’s silly to imagine you can play a guitar well just by wanting to and praying, so why do we sometimes assume that’s all it’s going to take to learn to think and speak and act like Jesus? 

     

    3.        II Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”  If this is something God has already done for us in Christ, why are there so many Christians not walking in actual godliness?  What role is played by “our knowledge of Him”?  What are some very practical things you can do to grow in your knowledge of God?

     

    4.        The more often we do something, the more likely it is to become a habit.  What are some of the wrong things you tend to do – wrong ways of thinking or speaking or acting – that just seem to keep popping up without you consciously choosing them?  What sorts of things have you tried in the past to break these habits that have proven to be unsuccessful?  What are some of the areas where you’ve experienced real change and victory?  What sorts of things did you do that proved successful in helping you make those changes?  Can you think of some virtues you’ve developed as a result of consistent practice, things that didn’t initially come naturally to you but now have become second nature? 

     

    5.        Dallas Willard was fond of saying, “Grace is not opposed to effort, just to earning.”  What did he mean by that?  How does God intend for our hard work and effort to interact healthily with His grace?  Have you ever seen a Christian who was both saved and paralyzed by grace?

     

    6.        If the Bible is clear about anything, it’s clear that we should meditate on what it has to say.  Read Psalm 119:9-16.  What parts of this passage stand out to you, and why?  At least four phrases in the passage relate directly to Scripture memory and/or meditation.  Can you find them?  What has been your experience with Scripture memorization in the past?  Do you find it daunting?  Do you believe it has real value?  Why or why not?

     

    7.        Read Hebrews 4:12.  According to this verse, God’s Word is meant to penetrate and judge.  What practical things can you do so as to cooperate with the Spirit and the Word in this process?