Know Grow Show

Ultimate Questions - MyStory Edition: Al Brown

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca
 
 
Announcements: Good Friday, meet at Cornerstone for the Procession of the Cross to North Gower United Church. The service starts at NGUC at 10am. Easter Sunday, meet at Cornerstone at 10am. Easter Egg hunt takes place afterwards!
Growgroup end of Winter Season. Just a little note to say that our Winter Season will wrap up this week - the week of Sunday March 25th, 2018.  We will take a repose from Growgroups over the Easter season and recommence with our Spring Session the week of Sunday April 23rd, 2018.
 
Know
Was there anything particular that touched you or challenged you about Al's story?
Grow
Al talks about struggling with depression and anxiety as well as being physically abused. Can you think of any Christians that you've seen rise above the tough hand they've been dealt? What impact has this had on you?
Al mentioned many people through whom God showed Al His hand on Al's life (Mrs Prosser, Kirkpatricks, Rev Marian Gilmer, LIllian Tousaw, Craig Peters etc). Can you think of anyone that God has shown His love and care and presence to you through? Describe why these people are so precious to you. 
Al talks very candidly about being rough with Teri while she was pregnant. This is when he decided to start attending church which was the start of his journey of total transformation. Back when he pushed her, if either Al or Teri had confided in you about what had happened, what would your counsel have been? 
Al shared Ken Thompson's words, that God refines us as we continue to walk in faith and obedience. He later said that we don't have to change everything at once, but He allows us to change as we mature. How quickly or slowly should we see change taking place in our life if we are Christians?
Al talks about using the restaurant, His auction-skils, the Used Furniture store and Walmart as platforms to share God in many ways. Can you remember any stories of how God used Al in these different places of employment.  How would you like to see God using you in your work, if you work?
Al shared about receiving the North Grenville Mayor's Volunteer of the Year award and later in Walmart receiving the Employee of the Year Award for Integrity and Compassion. Do you think he was being proud in sharing this with us? Why or why not?
Al talked about going forward, he believes God wants him to read more scripture, to seek His face, to pray about all things, to ask the Holy Spirit to intercede, to ask the Holy Spirit to help Al understand his role and God's will and to fully understand the power we have through the Holy Spirit. Think about your life. What do you think God wants you to do or to understand as your next stage of growth? 
When Al talked about desiring to understand the power we have through the Holy Spirit, what did he mean? What is the power we have through the Holy Spirit? Power to do what? How do we access it?
Show
Take some time to pray about how God wants to use your story to bless others and give Him glory. 
Have you done your SHOW project yet? Make sure your plans are finalized tonight, and when you do it, try to take some pictures and (if appropriate) send them to Dan / Stacey :-)

Inheritance - Joshua 9.1-10.27

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca
 
 
Scripture: Joshua 9.1-10.27
The One Thing: God's faithfulness in Jesus swallows up our faithlessness
Growgroup Questions
Know
Was there anything about Sunday’s sermon on Joshua 9-10 that stood out to you...Perhaps it surprised you or alarmed you or spoke to you?
Grow
Joshua’s command from God was to clear Canaan of its sinful inhabitants including the Gibeonites. Their deception caused him to make a covenant with them and spare them. What was the right thing to do: honour God’s original command or honour a covenant based on deception made in God’s presence? What would you have done if you were in Joshua’s shoes?
What leadership or life lessons do you learn from 9:18-21?
Dan said that the Gibeonites had two choices: (1) lie and not die, or (2) tell the truth and die. Was there a third option?
Why do you think Joshua went to rescue the Gibeonites from the coalition army, when this army could have ‘taken care’ of the Gibeonite problem once and for all?
Read Joshua 10:12-14: Do you think the sun literally stopped in the sky (the earth stopped turning)? Or do you believe poetic license was used? Explain your answer.
In verse 14 what does it mean when it says,” There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being”? Is this incident unique in Scripture? Explain your answer.
Dan used the image of a toddler 'helping’ his Dad clean the car to explain how we humans work alongside God. What did he mean? How is this image helpful or true? How is it not?
What does it look like to live a life of ‘inquiring of the Lord'? (9:14). Should we inquire of God in all situations, or are there some situations when common sense is enough?
How was Saul’s slaughter of the Gibeonites in 2 Samuel 21 (300 years later) a consequence of Joshua's faithless decision?
In what way do we see redemption in Nehemiah 3:17?
Show
Who can you invite to the Easter Sunday service? Take time to pray about it.

Inheritance - Joshua 8.1-35

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca
 
 
The passage: Joshua 8
The one thing: Jesus is the one who gets us back on our feet again
Moving on after sin: (1) Do not fear. (2) Do learn from your failures. (3) Don't stay down. Get up! (4) Do follow God's word. 
Know
Like skier Millie Knight, have you ever had to overcome profound fear of failure? Share a little about this experience.
Grow
As they are skiing, Brett Wild communicates to Millie via a Bluetooth earpiece and skis in front of her wearing a bright orange jacket. In what ways can this be a picture to us of God?
The Israelites dealt with their sin in chapter 7. Why is chapter 8 so important as a next step?
Can you remember the four steps of moving beyond sin? (1. Don’t fear. 2. Do learn from your failures. 3. Don’t stay down, get up! 4. Do follow God’s word.)
Point 2 was Do learn from your failures. The Israelites had to learn not to underestimate their enemy: they brought the entire army with them. In your fight against sin, who is in your army? Do you share with anyone regularly and honestly about your battle with sin? Why or why not?
Dan said he has heard people say ‘I wouldn’t change anything about my past. It’s made me who I am today.’ But should we have this attitude about sins we’ve previously committed in our lives? Why or why not?
What do you make of the symbolism of Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (the Israelites splitting into two groups and standing in front of the mountains, the writing of the 10 commandments, the reciting of the blessings and the curses? Why did God make it so elaborate?
Dan talked about Jesus being a curse-buster. What did he mean by this, and how does Galatians 3:13 shed light on this?
Dan talked about Jesus being a cosmic filtration system: curses in and blessings out. Is this a helpful analogy? Where does it fall short? Explain your answer.
Show
Think of someone in your life that you know is struggling with long term sin that they are not able to overcome. Perhaps they are a Christian. Perhaps not. Take some time to pray for them, and pray for the opportunity to speak God’s truth to them. Perhaps it’s as simple as sending them the link to Dan’s sermon this week.

Inheritance - Joshua 7.1-26

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca
 
 
Scripture: Joshua chapter 7
The one thing: Deal with sin: admit it, identify it, put it to death.
Know
What’s the biggest or strangest pest that you’ve ever had in your house? How did you deal with it?
Grow
Chapter 7 verse 1 says “But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things. Achan…took some of them”. What does this verse tell us about the impact of one person’s sin? Can you think of examples today where one person’s decision to sin impacts many?
We are given the backstory of why Israel failed at Ai, but Joshua didn’t have the whole story yet. What do you make of Joshua’s response in 7:7-9? Was Joshua’s despair and confusion justified?
Dan said that Joshua ‘admitted it’ (that there was a problem) before ‘identifying it’ (what the sin was). God
In 7:11 God reveals the specific sin to Joshua. How do we know if it is God highlighting areas we need to change or grow in – how do we know it’s not ourselves?
God’s response to Achan may seem harsh, given Achan’s specific sin. But this was much more than a small theft. Go back through the chapter and list the various descriptions of Achan’s sin.
7:16-18. God knows everything. Why then did He choose to gradually reveal the culprit (tribe by tribe, clan by clan and family by family)? Why not just reveal Achan straight away? What might this show us about how God deals with sin in our lives?
Read 7:20. Achan clearly confessed his sin, but the broader context of Achan’s confession, including its timing and what he didn’t say is not encouraging. What features of this account highlight the problem in Achan’s heart?
Did anyone get to read ‘My Heart, Christ’s home’? How did God speak to you through it?
Show
Finalize details for your show project and pray specifically for the people who will be impacted by it.

Ultimate Questions - The God of Jericho

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca
 
 
Know
What do you think about the Pyeonchang Olympic stadium being used 4 times and then being torn down? Would you do anything differently if it was your call?
Grow
Do you wish you could cut parts out of the Bible, like Thomas Jefferson? If so, which parts do you wish were not there?
Stuart Briscoe was quoted as saying “There are some answers as to why God acted in the ways that trouble us”. How do you usually handle difficult parts of the Bible: do you ignore them? Wrestle with them? Write them off as God working in His mysterious ways? Something else?
God’s plan for creation was not war but shalom (which means the webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfilment, and delight): where do you see shalom in this world? Where do you see it lacking?
Why is inaccurate to say that the Canaan conquest was genocide or ethnic cleansing?
Language like ‘wiped out’ or ‘kill everyone’ is considered by Biblical scholars to be ‘trash talk’ or war language. It’s a kind of exaggeration that was commonly used across the ancient world. Does this make the Bible seem more or less reliable to you? Explain your answer.
Dan said that God’s goal is not for us to take every word in the Bible literally, but to take every word in the Bible seriously. What is the difference between the two terms?
Knowing what you now know, if your non-Christian friend came up to you and said “I don’t believe in God because He’s vengeful and bloodthirsty. Just look at Jericho”, how would you respond?
Show
Hopefully you’ve already decided what your show project is going to be this season. Keep on getting those details down. Please tell Dan or Stacey what you are planning to do so they can be praying for you. You can email Dan at dan.james.wallis@gmail.com

Inheritance - Joshua 5.13-6.27

 
Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca
 
Joshua 5:13-6:27
Don’t hide from God. Seek Him.
Know
Did anything stand out to you or strike you about today’s message? What did you feel that God was drawing your attention to?
Grow
Who do you think the Commander of the Lord’s army was (end of chapter 5)?
Joshua asked the Commander are you for us or for our enemies and he answered “Neither”. Compare this with Romans 8:31. Do these verses contradict each other?
Why is the detail included in the Bible that the commander had his sword drawn (end of chapter 5)?
In what way were the people in Jericho hiding from God?
In what was were the Israelites seeking God?
How do you think Rahab’s accommodation was spared when the walls fell? How might this have actually taken place?
Dan said that Rahab is evidence that what happened to Jericho didn’t need to happen: if she, a hider from God from God became a seeker of God, then other people could have as well and the city could have been spared. Do you agree with Dan – why or why not? What other examples can you think of in the Bible where God has pronounced judgment but then relents because the people repent?
Are you a seeker of God or a hider from God? What evidence do you have to back up your answer?
Read Joshua 6:21. What questions do you have as you read this verse?
Read Joshua 6:26. What do you think this curse was pronounced on Jericho? How was this curse fulfilled (read 1 Kings 16:34)?
Show
Start thinking more definitely about your show project. Fill in some of the details and decide when you’re going to do it. Give yourself a goal / deadline.

Inheritance - Joshua 5.1-12

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca
 
 
 
Know
Was there any tradition that you observed as a child (either religious or not) that made sense at the time but now has you scratching your head?
Grow
Dan’s main theme was we need to back up in order to go on. What did he mean by that?
If God instituted circumcision as an everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:13), why do we not practice it today in the Christian church?
How would you explain the concept of Biblical covenant?
Why do you think the Israelites neglected both circumcision and the Passover during the 40 years in the desert?
What did God mean when He said “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you”? What’s the connection with circumcision?
In what ways has circumcision been replaced by baptism? How is baptism ‘better’ than circumcision?
In what ways has celebrating the Passover been replaced with Communion? How is communion ‘better’ than the Passover?
Dan said that in Jesus we are no longer to be identified as ‘ex-slaves’ but instead as a new creation (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). What does this new identity mean to you?
Consider these two verses
1 Corinthians 7:19: Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.  
Galatians 5: For in Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Take a couple of minutes to discuss what they mean.
Dan talked about the great reversal
Slaves – Passover – Cross the water – Wilderness – Cross the Water – Passover – Freedom
Has Jesus done a great reversal in your life? What does that look like?
Show
What can we do this season as a growgroup for a show project? Start thinking about it.

Inheritance - Joshua 3.1-4.24

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca
 
Growgroup questions
Know
Did anything stand out to you or strike you about today’s message? What did you feel that God was drawing your attention to?
Grow
Have you ever considered the fact that you will most likely be forgotten in 2 generations? How does this make you feel?
Dan summed up Joshua chapters 3 and 4 in this statement: “We give God our trust. He gives us our story”. What did he mean by God giving us a story?
Dan shared 3 steps from our passage on Sunday that leads to God giving us a story. Do you remember what they were? (If no one remembers: 1) Prepare 2) Participate 3) Promote)
Why is pursuing holiness such an important part of preparing ourselves (3:5)?
Read 3:9 and 3:11. Discuss the importance of these two truths we learn about God in these verses: a) the Living God is among you and b) the Lord of all the earth will go ahead of you? What emotions do these truths bring out in you?
Why do you think Joshua built two altars – one in the middle of the Jordan (4:9) and the other at Gilgal where the people camped on their first night (4:20)?
Think of someone who ‘oozes Jesus’ that you can intentionally spend time with this week or next week just to be with them and listen to their stories.
Who can you connect with who needs hope in their life, who needs someone who oozes Jesus, who needs you?
Show
What are you going to add in or take away this Lent season (starting Feb 14)?

Ultimate Questions - Worldview

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca
 
Know
In your own words, try to explain what a worldview is.
Grow
Try to describe what a matterist is (also known as an atheist). Think about the metaphor of the painter and painting.
Do the same for mindist (pantheist)
Do the same for Godist (theist)
Describe a situation in which you discovered that your worldview was very different from the worldview of someone else.
With the differing worldviews, do you think that Christians just mind their own business and stop trying to convert people? Why or why not?
Read Genesis 1:1. According to Dan, why is the miracle of creation so important in how we view or address the rest of the Bible?
In Canada, do you think we live in a largely matterist, mindist or Godist society? Explain your answer.
Read Romans 1:20-22 – using the ideas of Godist, matterist and mindist, describe what we’re seeing in these verses.
What were the consequences according to verse 24 and 25?

Inheritance - Joshua 2.1-24

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca
 
 
Know
How does your faith compare to Rahab’s?
Grow
Was Rahab right to lie to the local officials when God’s people are strictly prohibited from lying?
How was there more to Rahab’s faith than just belief in doctrines about God?
How can we communicate the seriousness of the coming judgment to our family and friends without turning them away?
What purpose does Rahab serve in God’s plan of salvation? What do we learn from her about God’s concern for the nations?
Who in your family do you wish God to rescue along with you? What can you do to share the good news with them?
Show
Think of some imaginative ways that we as a church could use the Show Room to show Jesus’ love to others.