Bible Study - STRANGERS - Out of Place

Sermon-Based Bible Study - October 18, 2020
  1. What is something God has done for you that you are thankful for or are celebrating? How have you experienced God’s love and faithfulness this week?
  2. Where are you experiencing stress, anxiety or discouragement? How would you like to see God move in your life or in the life of someone close to you?
  3. What did you hear in this week’s sermon that was new or particularly interesting? Who would benefit or be interest in hearing about that from you?  Did anything stand out to you as puzzling or troubling?
  4. As a follower of Jesus, do you sometimes feel out of place in our culture?  When? Do you feel like your lifestyle, choices, behaviors, or convictions as a follower of Jesus, seem odd, strange, out of place or different to the average person in your community? If so, in way?
  5. Read 1 Peter 1:3-6 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13.  What encouragement do these passages provide to disciples who are struggling with feeling out of place?  What is the foundation of the “living” hope that these passages suggest should encourage Jesus’s disciples?
  6. Read 1 Peter 3:15.  We have a living hope when Jesus is our Lord and it’s going to empower us to live strangely – we’ll make some different choices and have some different values.  This will provoke some questions from people: (i) What are two or three choices or values that you’ve made or adopted since making Jesus Lord of your life that might seem strange to others? (ii) Have any friends or family asked you about those choices or values?  How did you respond? 
  7. Read 1 Peter 1:5-6.  What encouragement does this passage provide to disciples who are struggling with feeling out of place?  When is the last time you greatly rejoiced over what’s ahead for you that’s kept in heaven?  When it comes the inheritance that’s ahead for us, what in particular makes your greatly rejoice?
  8. Read 1 Peter 1:8 and Nehemiah 8:10.  Why are people who are following Jesus filled with joy?  Do you think others would consider it strange or out of place for a person in our culture to have hope and joy?  Why? How might remembering what’s ahead for you if who believe in, and rely on Jesus, fill you with joy? 
  9. What is a simple, next step you could take in obedience to what the Spirit is saying to you through this time in the Word?  Who would benefit, or be interested in hearing about what you’ve learned in this study?