WEEK 7 SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR GROUPS

Practicing the way – The Holy Spirit

Introduction:

The power and presence of the Holy Spirit are often understood as intertwined. The Holy Spirit’s power is manifested through His presence and guidance in believers’ lives, enabling them to live a life of service and witness.

Bottom Line: Discipleship is a Partnership with God.

Something To Talk About:

The Holy Spirit’s power is demonstrated through the ability to perform miracles, heal the sick, and deliver the oppressed, as seen in Jesus’ ministry and the early church. The Holy Spirit’s Presence: The Holy Spirit’s presence is a constant comfort and helps the disciple follow Jesus in His walk and witness.

God’s Power and Presence: The power of the Holy Spirit is what He does. The presence of the Holy Spirit is Himself. The power of the Holy Spirit endorses God’s message. The presence of the Holy Spirit endorses God’s people. The power of the Holy Spirit can change your circumstances, but the presence of the Holy Spirit can change your heart. The power of the Holy Spirit comes upon you. The presence of the Holy Spirit dwells within you. The power is for service. The presence helps you to become more Christlike. Here is the presence within you. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Here is the power upon you. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8). The power stirs you. The presence stills you. The key to the power of the Holy Spirit is the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The Person, The Power, The Presence of God: The Holy Spirit is not a mere expression, an essence, or a sense of God’s presence. He is the omnipotent God, a complete and entire person in Himself, acting in our lives with the authority of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is the personal presence of God. The Holy Spirit has the attributes of God. He is all-powerful, all-present, and all-knowing. The Holy Spirit is God because He is co-equal, co-existent, and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. God the Father sent Jesus Christ to reconcile us to himself by the forgiveness of sin. In the Person of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent, we are transformed and united to God.

Discussion Questions:

How did Moses’s reliance on the Holy Spirit shape his leadership and decision-making?
How did Moses’s experiences with the Holy Spirit influence his interactions with the Israelites?
What is the Holy Spirit’s role in a believer’s life?
How does the Holy Spirit help us to understand and live out our faith?
How can we be more aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence and guidance daily? Power?
What practical ways can we cultivate a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit?
In what areas do you feel the Holy Spirit’s presence and guidance in your life?
What areas do you need more of the Holy Spirit’s power and presence?
What is one thing that stood out to you from this week’s message? What challenged you?

Take one thing home with you:

How often do you think about the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in your life? The power to live a Christlike life has to come from an external source. Fortunately, as Christ followers, we have been given the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives to do what we were created and then redeemed to do.

Do you ever wonder what this means for us as believers? What is it that we are created and redeemed to do? Acts chapter 1:8 helps me understand better the wonder of the work of the Holy Spirit in my own life. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” In life, the power and work of the Holy Spirit is so much bigger than who we are, but at the same time, is the “external source” that leads and guides our lives and actions.