Know Grow Show

Living In A Place Of Remembrance

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Church, North Gower, Ontario. 
www.knowgrowshow.ca
 
Note: if the formatting of the questions is not the best for use in a group setting, then visit knowgrowshow.podbean.com
The Passage
Luke 22:14-20
The One Thing
Living in a place of remembrance
Growgroup questions
Know
K1: Google “Bill 21 Quebec”. Do you see a time when Ontario / your country will face something similar? What are the implications for Christians or people of other faiths?
Grow
G1: Sarah shared the statistic that 99.3% of Quebec is unreached by the gospel (read the original Gospel Coalition article here: bit.ly/2Rxwd1U). What is your response to this stat?
G2: Sarah: “Community helped me to see God when I couldn’t”. If you are struggling to see God in your life, how can you lean into community so that you can see God again.
G3: Sarah shared very honestly about being in a dark place earlier in the year. Do you think God’s leading can end up with us being in a dark place? Why or why not?
G4: Read Mark 2:3-5. What in Jesus’ words of response helps you understand the vital role of Christian community in your spiritual health?
G5: Sarah shared about using a notebook to keep recording a list of reasons why God has called her to Montreal. What about God’s character or calling do you need to remember in this season of your life? Think of a hands-on way you can do this.
G6: How would you respond to someone saying to Sarah: “Why go to Quebec, there’s plenty of need here in Ontario”?
Show
S1 How can you be more engaged in the evangelization of Quebec, perhaps through what Sarah is doing? Invite Sarah over for supper and hear some more of her stories. Sarah is looking for people / families to partner with her at $25, $50 and $100 per month. Are you such a person? 
 

Memes that Matter (Getting Wholly Angry with Unholy Anger)

The One Thing
Get wholly angry with unholy anger
The Passages
Proverbs 5:1, 12:16, 14:17, 15:18, 19:3, 19:11, 19:19, 22:24-25, 29:22, 16:32; Ephesians 5:26-27; Matthew 18:15-17; Romans 12:16-21; Matthew 5:44-45; Galatians 6:9; James 1:2-5
Questions for discussion / personal reflection
Dan shared about totally losing it one day in the church building. Have you ever had a moment where you’ve lost it? What was the cause? How do you feel about that incident now?
Grow questions
Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit (Proverbs 25:28 NASB) Picture this image of a wall-less city in your head. Then picture yourself when you are angry. Why does this verse compare the two?
Read Ephesians 4:31. How many types of anger are mentioned? What are the differences between each type? Which type of anger is most like you? Read verse 30-31 – what is Paul’s advice for people who struggle with anger?
Read Colossians 3:5-9. In these verses God’s anger and our anger are both mentioned? How does God’s anger encourage us to deal with our anger? Is this hypocritical of God? How does God’s anger differ from ours?
Read Ephesians 4:26-27. How are we told to deal with anger here? What does “non-sinful” anger look like (think of Jesus or other examples in the New Testament)?
How can we tell the difference between righteous anger and unholy anger in our own lives?
Dan said that Satan takes what is a good thing (our God-given sense of justice) and weaponizes it against us as unholy anger. How does this knowledge change how you view unholy anger in your own life?
Dan spoke about two ways that scripture gives us to deal with anger
1) face it / deal with it (Matthew 18:15-17). What is the goal of this approach (verse 15)?
2) forget it / let it go. Why is overlooking an offense our “glory” (Prov 19:11)? Look at the adverbs (always, never etc) in the verse. Why is Paul’s language so strong?
Are there any wrongs / sins that fall outside of the face it / forget it categories? Are there times when we are allowed to respond in a different way?
Satan weaponizes our sense of justice against us as unholy anger. How does Romans 12:20-21 and Matthew 5:44-45 teach us to weaponize Satan’s arsenal against him?
Show questions
Think of one person you are angry with you can go all “Romans 12:20-21” on? Plan strategically how you are going to bless them in a practical way (it can be anonymous). Tell someone you trust about your plans for accountability’s sake.
 

Memes that Matter (Wisdom = Foundation and Location)

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Church, North Gower, Ontario. 
www.knowgrowshow.ca
 
Note: if the formatting of the questions is not the best for use in a group setting, then visit knowgrowshow.podbean.com
The One Thing: Wisdom is about foundation and location
Scripture: Various scriptures in Proverbs about foolishness and wisdom. Matthew 7:24-28, Proverbs 9:1-6 + 13-18, Psalm 84, John 14:2-4
growgroup questions (know)
K1: Dan scarfed down a whole box of cookies last week. Have you ever done something “world class foolish” that you still kick yourself about when you remember it?
growgroup questions (grow)
G1: Emmie Lou (Vlogger) defines wisdom as “choosing God’s opinion over your opinion”. Why, in day to day living, is this so hard for us to do?
G2: Dan said likened wisdom to getting a couch out of his basement while respecting the natural limitations (immovable walls, stairs etc). In what ways do you see today’s society moving away from this understanding of wisdom (Judges 21:25)?
G3: Over and over again Proverbs gives us two options: wisdom or foolishness, and our decisions have real world consequences: Hurting or healing (12:18), Consulting or clashing (14:1), Create or annihilate (14:6, Matthew 7). Think of a few other ways that choosing wisdom vs folly leads to real consequence in our lives.
G4: Wisdom is all about foundation / geology. Compare Matthew 7:25 and 27. What are the differences or similarities between the two examples? How does verse 26 shed light on these two verses?
G5: Wisdom is all about location / geography. Compare Proverbs 9:13-18 with 9:1-6. List the differences or similarities between the character and words of the two women. Why do you think Solomon paints wisdom and folly as people rather than ideas (also known as “anthropomorphism”)?
G6: Read Luke 2:49-52. How did Jesus’ decision to be ‘in His Father’s house’ have an impact on His growth in verse 52? How does this apply to you as a son or daughter of God?
growgroup questions (show)
S1: Pray Psalm 84 to God this week. Find a quiet place and read it slowly and out loud to God. Is there any phrase or sentence that God seems to be bringing out to you? Throughout the rest of the week, continually pray this phrase to God as an act of devotion and faith and ask Him to do a new work in your heart and life.

Proverbs (Become a Pirate for Wisdom and Wonder)

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Church, North Gower, Ontario. 
www.knowgrowshow.ca
 
The One Thing: Become a pirate for wisdom and wonder
The Scripture: Proverbs 2
growgroup questions (know)
What are some of your favourite memes you’ve seen on the internet? (if you’re not sure what a meme is, google “funny clean memes”).
What age do you think children should start having smart phones? What, if any, restrictions should they have?
 growgroup questions (grow)
Dan said “the treasure (we used to believe existed) gets buried under monthly bills. We exchange living for wonder for living for the weekend”. Is this a necessary part of growing up or is there a way to keep that childlike wonder?
Read Proverbs 2:3-5. Read the action verbs – what words could describe the person outlined in these verses? What is their emotional state?
It would seem that our Lord finds our passions not too strong, but too weak…We are far too easily pleased (CS Lewis).
Do you agree with Lewis? Why or why not?
Verse 5 and 9 are the promises God makes – you will know God, and you will know life. Verses 1-4 are the conditions for those promises (note the “if/then” language used). Why do you think God didn’t just make the promises in verses 5 and 9 unconditional?
Wisdom enables us to avoid the dual enslavement of Public Peer Pressure (2:12-15) and the Seduction of Secret Sin (2:16-19). Which of the two is the greatest temptation for you? How can wisdom / Jesus help you in this battle?
Dan and his mate Willy have used biblical principles to arrive at different conclusions regarding smartphone usage for their children. Does this make one right and the other wrong? Explain your answer.
 growgroup questions (show)
Verses like Hosea 3:4-5 and Proverbs 2:3 depict someone actually giving voice to what’s going on inside their hearts and minds. Why is talking to God out loud (not just in our head space) such an important part of the Christian life?
Keep reading through the book of Proverbs, one chapter a day.

Memes that Matter (Wisdom = Walking With Jesus)

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Church, North Gower, Ontario. 
 www.knowgrowshow.ca
The One Thing: Wisdom = walking with Jesus
The Passage: Proverbs 1:1-7, 1 Cor 1:30, James 1:17
growgroup questions (know)
When have you felt fear (in the “awe / deep respect” way we read about in Proverbs 1:7)? Share with the group the circumstances surrounding this.
growgroups questions (grow)
Why are we drawn to resources with “quick and easy steps to success”? Why do we approach Proverbs like this?
How did the Fall mess up our wisdom? How did it affect our relationship to the world, to God, and to other people?
Solomon, the king of Israel, uses proverbs to teach his son to rule an earthly kingdom in righteousness. What then do they have to do with Jesus? In the big picture how are we to see Jesus from Proverbs?
When you think of someone you know who represents wisdom, who do you think of?
If wisdom is good, then why did God tell Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? How can the moral confusion in our world today be traced back to the first sin?
How does Proverbs push back against the “follow your heart,” Disney-fied culture?
Instead of a concept or set of ideas, what does Proverbs ultimately teach is wisdom? (Also reference 1 Cor 1:30)
growgroups questions (show)
This week start reading one chapter of Proverbs a day for the month and ask Jesus to show you how to walk with Him in wisdom.
Most questions this week were taken from “Exalting Christ in Proverbs” commentary.
 
 

We fight from victory. Not for victory.

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Church, North Gower, Ontario. 
 
www.knowgrowshow.ca
 
The One Thing
We don’t fight for victory. We fight from victory.
The Passage
John 3:34, 2 Kings 13:14-19, 2 Kings 4:1
Grow Group Questions
Know
Have you ever been responsible for a practical joke that worked really well? Or what about one that fell totally flat?
Grow
Why do you think Joash stopped shooting at 3 arrows?
Have you ever only given a partial effort like Joash in 2 Kings 13:14-19 because you didn’t think God could do it? Or because you were afraid He would do it?
Nathan said “We don’t fight for victory. We fight from victory”. Explain the difference between these two and how they apply to our every life in Jesus.
Nathan said instead of focusing on fighting sin we should focus on getting close to Jesus. Is this a helpful thought? Why or why not?
Why did Elisha get upset with Joash (2 Kings 13:19) and not the widow?
Read 2 John 1:8. What might a full reward look like?
Is there room available for God to move in your life?
Show
What are you going to do to try and get closer to Jesus; to receive the Spirit without measure (John 3:34)?
 

Agent's of Change

The One Thing 
Agent's of change
The Passage
Acts 3:2-6, 4:2-10, 5:28-33, 40-42
 
Thanks to Kevin Gay for sharing with us this morning.  
What was inspiring the apostles?  They believed that the world was radically changed by the resurrection.
What Jesus called the apostles to ...He is calling us to as well!
Are we being agent's of change?  Or are we waiting for a miracle before we choose to see the change? 
Kevin challenged us to see the everyday victories as miracles ...the saved marriages, the sick returning to heath, relationships being restored, our foes receiving forgiveness from our Heavenly Father ... and the list goes on 
"Forgiveness of sins was and is a fact about the way the world was and is today.  Rooted in the accomplishments of the cross, reveled in His resurrection, and put to work through the spirit in the transformed lives of His followers" 
~Kevin Gay
In living the way we believe...we will see victories in Christ!
 
 
 

The Last Supper

Memory is Powerful!
Thanks to Miranda Valentini for bringing a message of remembrance this morning.
Luke 22:7-23 - The Last Supper
The scriptures remind us that if we look upon communion only as a time of mental reflection then we're missing the mark.  In observing communion we are meeting with the living Christ!  
But it's not about our action, its about God working in our lives as followers of Jesus which forms us more and more into Christ's likeness.  Taking communion is a vessel whereby we remember Jesus dying on the cross where we meet the living Christ. Jesus meet us exactly where we are and it is His action in us and for us. 
We celebrate communion to remember, to experience the mystery of Gods grace and we celebrate as community.  
  

God can save those we deem unredeemable

Thank you to Steve Prendergast for sharing his testimony with Cornerstone this morning.
Steve encouraged us all to Never Give Up! like the Widow from Luke 18: 1-8
            “So don’t you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry out Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will grant justice to them quickly!” (Luke 18:7-8)
To persist in prayer and not give up does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Constant prayer means keeping our requests continually before God as we live for Him day by day, believing He will answer. When we live by faith, we are to Never Give Up. God may delay answering, but His delays always have good reasons. As we persistent prayer, we grow in faith, character, and hope. If we know He loves us, we can believe He will hear our cries for help.
The Lord says, ‘I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. Once again, you will have all the food you want, you will praise the Lord your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced’” (Joel 3:25-26)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Joel 29:11)
I am a man with a history (His story) delivering God's message of "hope" and "freedom" from addictions through our amazing Teen Challenge Ministry.
Stephen Prendergast
Teen Challenge Ottawa Valley
Teen Challenge Canada Inc.
 
email: Stephen.Prendergast@teenchallenge.ca
web: www.teenchallenge.ca
Story – www.teenchallenge.ca/stephens-story
100 Huntley St. – www.100Huntley.com : My Story/Steve Prendergast

The Servant King - Mark 15.42-16.8

The One Thing
Look up and see the stone has been rolled away.
Passage
Mark 15:42-16:8
Growgroup questions
Know
Take time to thank God today for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Servant King.
Look back through the sermon series on Mark. What has changed in the ways you view yourself, God or the world?
Grow
Which do you think is a better ending to the book of Mark: 16:8 or 16:20? Why do you think Mark ended with 16:8? What might we learn about God’s story from this type of ending? Why might later writers have ‘added on’ verses 9-20?
When you ponder your faith, or when you face doubts, what is the bottom line for you—what is your anchor? How do you give a brief answer to, Why are you a Christian?[i]
If you wanted to make up a story about a man being resurrected from the dead, how would it differ from Mark’s account of Jesus’ resurrection? Why is the difference actually evidence that Mark’s account is true?
How does the martyrdom of ten of the apostles provide evidence for the resurrection?
Toward the end of Jesus’ ministry, what were the disciples expecting of Him? When Jesus was crucified, what were they probably thinking? (See Luke 24:19-24.)
Consider Joseph’s and Nicodemus’ faith and friendship (John 19:39-40) in such a dangerous context like the Sanhedrin. How do you think they might have discovered each was a secret Jesus follower?
How does your own heart and personal experience give testimony to the resurrection of Christ?
Show
Start praying that God leads you to a Christian friend in your local context (home or work). Consider how you can start showing people (in an appropriate way) that you are a Christian.
 
[i] Questions taken from Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Mark 16:1…)