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White Noise (Silent Night) - Advent 04

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca

White Noise (What Child Is This?) - Advent 03

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca

White Noise (Go Tell It On The Mountain) - Advent 02

Know
Was there anything specific that encouraged you or challenged you from the updates we heard from the missionaries / ministries we partner with?
Grow
Take a minute or two to share your God-story with your growgroup.
Read Romans 10:9. Why is it not enough to believe to be saved? Why do you have to confess as well?
Read Romans 10:13. What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord?
Read Romans 10:14-15a. What part of this process are we doing well at Cornerstone? Where are we falling short? How could we improve?
Read Romans 10:15b. What are the feet beautiful of the person who preaches the good news? Why the feet?
Show
Share who you are going to invite to the Christmas Eve service. Take a couple of minutes to commit this to God and pray for them.

White Noise (O Come, O Come Emmanuel) - Advent 01

Know
When you hear the words “Christmas carols” what is
The first song that pops into your head?
The first image that pops into your mind?
Grow
As a group, recite O Come, O Come Emmanuel in the first person and replace the word “Israel” with me or I. How does the meaning of the song change when you view Israel as yourself?
What are you doing to prepare the way of the Lord?
What is distracting you from Christ?
What do you need to let go of?
What do you need to build into your life?
Do you hold onto God with the same tenacity that a bulldog holds onto things? Why or why not?
What can you do to deliberately put meaning back into Christmas carols this season so that they are more than just white noise?
Show
The carol tells us that “Son of God will appear” and that we should then “rejoice!” How will you do that this Christmas season?

JOY (Living Without Flip Flops) - Philippians 4.14-23

Know
Have you ever given recklessly (no need to share the details) to the work of God? If so, what was that experience like for you?
Grow
What is the difference between being complacent and being content?
Hudson Taylor said: “When God's work is done in God's way for God's glory, it will not lack for God's supply”. Do you agree? Why or why not?
If the sacrificial system had been fulfilled by Jesus and was no longer needed, why did Paul describe the generosity of the Philippians as an aromatic sacrifice (Leviticus 4:31)?
What are ways that Cornerstone is giving to the work of God around the world? What do you know about the missionaries / organizations we support?
How can we fulfil God’s command to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19) without necessarily going overseas?
In a letter that is filled with finding joy in Jesus, why is it important that the letter starts (1:2) and ends (4:23) with ‘the grace of Jesus’?
Paul talks about the ‘saints of Caesar’s household’ greeting the Philippians. Using your imagination, how do you think Paul connected and interacted with these particular saints?
Show
Take time to pray for your outreach project this Christmas. Pray that God prepares you and mightily uses your growgroup to share the hope found in the gospel in whatever you do.

JOY (Living Without Flip Flops) - Philippians 4.10-13

Know
On a scale of 1-10, what is your level of contentment right now (be honest!)
Grow
Read Philippians 4:10-11 – Paul thanks them for their help but then says that he is not in need. Is he being rude here? What is he trying to communicate?
If helping others gives us ‘helpers high’ does that make us selfish if we help others?
What are the temptations that someone who is poor faces?
What are the temptations that someone who is rich faces?
What lessons has God taught you through times of poverty or wealth?
Do you think that as Christians we are good at asking for material help (money etc)? Why or why not?
Read Acts 2:45. What does this tell us about the early Church’s view of possessions and money? Do you think we should still practice this today in our church / growgroups? Why or why not?
Is it appropriate to use the term blessed when referring to living in Canada, a relatively wealthy country? Explain your answer.
Do you believe that for some people, it is their ‘lot in life’ to be poor? Explain your thinking.
4:13 Paul says “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”. How should it be understood? How can this verse be misunderstood or misused?
Show
Finalize your plans for your Christmas Outreach project. Make sure everyone knows the details (where, when, what etc).

JOY (Living Without Flip Flops) - Philippians 4.8-9

Know
In general, I think it’s fair to say, that kids today are exposed to more things than we were as children (internet, smart phones etc). What impact could this have on them do you think?
Grow
What kind of rules should we have in our homes regarding social media / internet usage etc?
Why is it so much easier to think on things that are bad than things that are good?
org describes mindfulness as “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us”[i]. How is this similar or different from Paul’s command to think upon these things?
Read Psalm 119:36. Why does the Psalmist ask God to ‘turn my eyes from looking at worthless things’ instead of ‘help me to turn my eyes from looking at worthless things’?
According to 2 Corinthians 11:3, how can our thoughts be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ? What tactics does the enemy use?
According to our scripture today, what is the connection between thinking on these things and putting them into practice?
Why is it so difficult for us to be honest with each other regarding our sin?
Why does Paul bookend verse 8 with ‘the peace of God’ (verse 7) and ‘the God of peace’ (verse 9). What is the difference between the two?
Show
Take some time to plan out in more detail your Show (outreach) project this Christmas? Who’s doing what?
 
[i] https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/

JOY (Living Without Flip Flops) - Philippians 4.2-7

Know
Dan talked about declogging the bath drain hole of hair. Who has the honour of this job in your household? Why?
Grow
George Mueller said: “The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day is to have my soul happy in the Lord”. What do you think he meant by getting himself happy in the Lord?
What practical steps do you take to get yourself happy in the Lord? Share with each other what works for you.
4:2 Do you think that Paul was fair in mentioning Euodia and Syntyche’s falling out? Why do you think he did this?
What are your coping mechanisms for dealing with anxiety?
Dan said “We don’t rejoice because of warm and vague thoughts of God. We rejoice in solid truths”. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?
Read Romans 12:17-20. Why could verse 19 be considered a cause for joy?
Discuss what it might mean to let your gentleness / graciousness (reasonableness) be known to everyone.
Just like your smartphone, the Lord is at hand. How can you use your smartphone to remind you of this truth that the Lord is at hand?
Dan talked about how our worries are like the ball of hair that clogs up the bath drain hole and how we grab one hair that leads to pulling the whole lot out. How does this picture help you understanding how prayer helps us deal with our worries?
Share your thoughts about the image of God’s peace standing guard around your heart and mind. Have you ever experienced this?
How does Paul’s description of God’s peace in verse 7 differ from the world’s understanding of peace?
Show
Start thinking about Christmas. What can your growgroup do as a service project / outreach project to share the gospel / God’s love with our community?

That Pesky Little Monk (Martin Luther's Story)

Growgroup questions
Most of today’s sermon was reworded from “Meet Martin Luther: A Sketch of the Reformer’s Life” by Anthony Selvaggio. You can pick up your own copy of this book here https://goo.gl/FFdJYP. 
Know
Before Sunday, what did you know about Martin Luther?
Grow
Luther would spend time confessing his sins for up to six hours. Is it possible to be too honest when confessing our sins to God or others? Why or why not?
At the top of the Santa Scala steps, Luther asked “Who knows whether this is really true?”. Have you ever wrestled with questions like this in your faith? How did you deal or are you dealing with times of doubt / questioning?
Luther began to hate God because he misunderstood the gospel and what righteousness meant. Have you ever struggled with God because of a misunderstanding you’ve had of who He appears to be in scripture?
Luther debated Eck at Leipzig about who has final authority – the Bible or the Pope? 2 Timothy 2:23 says this: Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. How do we know when it’s a foolish controversy or a matter worth standing our ground over?
Do you think that it would have been better for reform to happen in the Catholic Church instead of the big church split that led to the Protestant Church coming into being?
Imagine if Luther had never realized that the righteous shall live by faith. How would life today be different?
Show
How important are the 5 Solas today?
Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”): The Bible alone is our highest authority.
Sola Fide (“faith alone”): We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
Sola Gratia (“grace alone”): We are saved by the grace of God alone.
Solus Christus (“Christ alone”): Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King.
Soli Deo Gloria (“to the glory of God alone”): We live for the glory of God alone.

JOY (Living Without Flip Flops) - Philippians 3.17-4.1

Growgroup questions
Know
Why do you think the death of the Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie affected Canada so strongly? Do you have a favourite Tragically Hip song or memory?
Grow
3:20 How should the promise of Jesus’ return affect the way you live your life?
3:20 In what ways is Cornerstone a little colony of the Kingdom of heaven?
3:14 talks about pressing on. 4:1 talks about standing firm. What is similar or different about these two phrases?
3:17 In 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul says he is the worst of sinners. But in Phil 3:17 he says join in imitating me, and in 1 Corinthians 1:11 he says be imitators of me as I am of Christ. Why should we imitate someone who considers himself the worst of sinners?
How do you respond to Rachel Gilson’s words: “I had to learn my first lesson of the Christian life: how to obey before I understood”?
Have you ever held yourself back from speaking truth / wisdom into someone’s life because you are aware of your own sin? What level of holiness do we need to speak into another person’s situation?
3:18 Why did Paul think of the enemies of the cross with tears? Why not with anger or hatred?
Show
3:19-20 During this week using the infographic Dan made for Philippians 3:19-20 (you can see it here - gl/LrU77R), honestly consider your direction, your desire and the decisions you’ve made. Consider your destiny. Are you one who is standing firm in God or are you an enemy of the cross? Is there anything in your life that needs to be adjusted or brought into alignment with God? Take time to speak honestly with God and share this with a trusted Christian friend or Dan.
To read Rachel Gilson’s story in full go here - goo.gl/Kmr7Si