Title of Message: Freedom from Bondage
Testimony: Rafael Maldonado
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17
Follow-up Questions from Sunday:
Quick Review:
Looking back at your notes from last Sunday’s testimony, was there anything you heard for the first time or caught your attention, or challenged, or confused you?
Digging Deeper:
Read Psalm 1:1-6. What is influencing you?
1. How would you define “blessed” (v. 1), and how does it differ from the world’s definition of happiness, success or fun?
2. From the testimony last Sunday, what factors in the speaker’s family life and circumstances caused him to hang out with the “wrong” people and make destructive choices? What can we learn from that?
3. Why do you think some young people today get attracted to hang out with the “bad” crowd? Why do you think the “gangster” lifestyle can be attractive to some young people?
4. This passage warns against walking, standing, and sitting with the wrong crowd. Who or what can possibly influence your way of thinking (social media, podcasts, news, church, colleagues, etc.)? How can you tell if they are leading you toward or away from God? What safeguards can you take to ensure you’re only influenced by good, and not evil?
Read Jeremiah 29:11-13. Can you trust God for everything?
1. Hurtful or tragic circumstances are sometimes blamed upon God. The reasoning goes, if God is all powerful and all good, how can He allow an evil and horrendous thing to happen to innocent victims? It’s either, he is not all powerful or not all good. Based on this verse, how would you respond to this kind of reasoning?
2. The speaker shared such a painful life journey, which he now views from a more positive perspective. What part of his testimony can you relate with? Share a time in your life when a situation seemed hopeless and tragic but later revealed a purposeful outcome.
Read Romans 8:28-29. What is your life’s purpose?
1. Many people claim this promise to mean that God will work every circumstance for good, without noting its conditions. What are the two specific conditions listed for those to whom this promise applies? Explain. How does this verse apply to you?
2. In what area of your life right now are you struggling to believe that God is working things out for your ultimate good?
Taking it Home:
What is one thing you can apply to your life from this message and how can this group remember you in prayer this week?