The Christian Atheist Discussion Guide

So many of you have commented about how much you are currently enjoying Pastor Craig’s new book entitled The Christian Atheist and have expressed a desire to study this book with your LifeGroup. Our friends at the Oklahoma City campus have written a wonderful small group discussion guide for The Christian Atheist that you can use to lead your LifeGroup through the book. This discussion guide contains lessons for each of the book’s 12 chapters with scriptures and questions.

If you are interested in using this discussion guide, simply click here to download the PDF document. Even though the book is no longer available at the campus, you can still buy it at a discounted price at any Mardels store and online at Amazon.com by clicking here.

Feel free to share your thoughts on The Christian Atheist and how it has impacted you and your LifeGroup by commenting below.

Red Letter Day – Week 4

“It is finished.” Those were last words that Jesus spoke before He died. These three words are some of the most powerful that Jesus ever spoke during His life. During week four of Red Letter Day, we are going to look at the practical meaning behind Christ’s final words. Jesus was sent by God with a specific mission and a purpose, and when He said those final words, Jesus meant that His unique mission to take upon Himself the sins of all mankind was accomplished.

Just like Jesus, God has a specific purpose and tasks designed for each one of us and one of our primary goals in life should be to accomplish those tasks and finish strong. We are going to learn this weekend how we can finish strong by making a commitment to completing our unfinished business with God and taking the next step.

Pastor Craig will be team teaching this weekend with over 100 campus and network pastors around the world to bring this powerful message. They will be speaking from several passages from the Bible including John 19:28-30, 2 Corinthians 8:10-12, Galatians 5:22-26, Philippians 1:3-6 and Acts 20:22-24. As you prepare to lead your LifeGroup through this message, you might take some time to read over these verses. Additionally, here are some of the questions from this weekend’s Talk It Over study guide that will also help in your group preparation.

• We all have unfinished business. What is your unfinished business in your life?
• What are some of the things holding you back from completing your unfinished business?
• Describe a time when you finished strong. What did you learn from your accomplishment?
• What is your next step to accomplishing your unfinished business? How will you take that next step?

Red Letter Day – Week 3

We are in store for a real treat this weekend at LifeChurch.tv as we will be hearing from Joel A’Bell who is one of the lead pastors at Hillsong Church in Australia. Joel is a passionate speaker who will be bringing us week three of Red Letter Day.

In his message, Pastor Joel will be speaking on John 19:28-30. This passage gives an account of Jesus’ final moments before He died on the cross when He told the onlookers “I am thirsty,” and He was given a taste of wine vinegar to quench His thirst. This weekend, Joel will talk about our own hunger and thirst for the things of God. Furthermore, he will also speak on John 4:1-42, which tells the story of Jesus meeting the need of a Samaritan woman by giving her a drink even though He was not supposed to associate with a Samaritan. Joel will show us that there are people all around us that are thirsty and in need and he will encourage us to help meet these needs.

This message will be very impactful for LifeGroups and I want to encourage you to talk during your time together this week about the needs in your group and the needs of others outside your group that you could help meet. Talk with your group about how they can become the hands and feet of Christ in ministering to your local community. That is one of the primary functions of a LifeGroup.

In addition, here a few of the questions that you can expect to find in this week’s Talk It Over study guide that will help you in preparing to lead your LifeGroup.

• What types of things do you currently hunger and thirst for? Do you hunger for the things of God or something else? Explain.
• How have you found satisfaction in your life through your relationship with God?
• What side of need are you on? Are you needed or needy? Explain.
• What are some specific needs of someone you know that you are aware of? What can you do to help meet some of those needs?

Red Letter Day – Week 2

One of Jesus’ final actions as He was crucified on the cross was to ask God to forgive the two criminals that were crucified on both sides of Him. Despite their crimes, Jesus showed compassion and mercy on them by calling out to God, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Forgiveness is a powerful thing and Jesus gave us an incredible example by making one of His final actions an act of forgiveness towards these two criminals.

In week two of Red Letter Day, we are going to dive deeper into this passage of scripture, which can be found in Luke 23:26-43, and learn about the importance and power of forgiveness towards others. We have all been wronged by others in our lives and when we choose not to forgive; it creates bitterness and resentment that negatively affect our lives.

As you prepare to lead your LifeGroup this week, you may want to spend some time reading Luke 23:26-43, as well as Matthew 18:21-35, which tells the parable about the king who forgave his servant of a debt that he owed. Furthermore, here are a few of the questions from this week’s Talk It Over study guide that will also help you in preparing to lead your LifeGroup through this powerful message.

• If God is so willing to forgive us, why are we sometimes unwilling to forgive others?
• Prior to knowing Christ as your savior, how differently did you treat others that wronged you?
• Describe a time when you forgave someone that wronged you. How did your act of forgiveness impact your life and the lives of others?
• What are some practical ways you can show mercy this week to someone who has wronged you?

Red Letter Day – Week 1

One of the most powerful and moving passages from the Bible can be found in the last words that Jesus spoke while hanging on the cross. It was in those brutal final moments of His life that Jesus took upon His shoulders the sins of all mankind and died so that we can all be free from the bondage of sin. Over the next few weeks, we are going to gain an in-depth look at the final words Jesus spoke during Red Letter Day and see how we can take these final statements and apply them to our own lives.

For the first week of Red Letter Day, Pastor Craig is going to teach from Matthew 27:37-46 and examine what Jesus meant when He cried out to God, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” There are times in all of our lives that we feel abandoned by God while in the midst of difficult situations and end up asking God why is this happening and where is God? This weekend, Craig is going to bring us a message of encouragement and show us that God never abandons us even in the midst of enduring difficult situations that we do not understand.

As you prepare to lead your LifeGroup this week, take some time study Matthew 27:37-46 during your quiet time and mediate on Jesus’ final words. Also, here are a few of the questions that you can expect to find in this week’s Talk It Over study guide.

• Describe your current level of trust in God. What types of things or situations help you build your trust in God?
• Describe a time when you felt completely alone or abandoned by God. How did God ultimately show you that you were not alone?
• We have all experienced tragedies and difficult situations that have caused us to ask the question, “why God?” What are some of the “why” questions you have asked?
• How have you experienced God’s goodness while in the midst of enduring tough times?

Once Upon a Marriage – Week 4

For the final week of Once Upon a Marriage, Pastor Craig is going to share with us about the unstable Old Testament marriage of Hosea and Gomer. Hosea was told by God to marry Gomer who was a prostitute. Hosea obeyed God and in the early days of their marriage, life was great; however, things begin to change when Gomer began to seek fulfillment outside of their marriage. Unfortunately, Gomer’s affairs led to her having children with men that were not her husband. As a result of her transgression, God responded to her with anger at first and then showed His unfailing love and forgiveness towards her and commanded Hosea to do the same.

The story of Hosea and Gomer is a great illustration of when we commit spiritual adultery with God and go outside of our relationship with Him to find fulfillment. No matter how far we fall, God is always there to pick us up and forgive us. God is truly faithful and you will see that this weekend during the message.

For those LifeGroup leaders that want to start learning more about Hosea and Gomer, begin reading chapters 1, 2 and 3 of the book of Hosea. Additionally, here are a few of the questions you can expect to find in this week’s Talk It Over study guide that will help you as you prepare to lead your LifeGroup.

• In what ways do you see today’s society training people towards divorce?
• The story of Hosea and Gomer is a picture of what spiritual adultery looks like. What are some of the ways you have been unfaithful to God? What will be your next steps towards restoring your relationship?
• How have you experienced God’s unfailing love and forgiveness in your own life? Give examples.
• Describe how you can better model God’s faithfulness and forgiveness in your own relationships.

Once Upon a Marriage – Week 3

For week three of Once Upon a Marriage, we are going to look at the marriage of Abraham and Sarah and the steadfast faith they had in God. Pastor Craig is going to show us that even though their marriage endured seasons where their faith was questioned and tested, they never lost faith in God. In the end, God delivered on His promise to Abraham and Sarah of blessing them with a child even at an old age.

During his message, Craig will be preaching on a number of scriptures that detail Abraham and Sarah’s faith. These passages can be found in Genesis chapters 12, 16 and 17. As you prepare to lead your LifeGroup this week, you might take some time to read and study these passages.

Additionally, here are a few of the questions that you can expect to find in this week’s Talk It Over study guide that will help you in your preparation:

• What did your earliest dreams of marriage look like? How different is your life now from how you thought it would be?
• How have you seen fear affect your relationships with others and with God?
• Sarah’s impatience caused her to get ahead of God’s timing of keeping His promise. How have you seen impatience negatively affect your relationships?
• What are some specific things you can do to have the kind of faith that Abraham and Sarah had?

Once Upon a Marriage – Week 2

I’m sure that most of us have heard of someone being referred to as a Jezebel, but few really know about who Jezebel was. This weekend, Pastor Craig is going to talk about Jezebel and her marriage to Ahab for week two of Once Upon A Marriage. Craig is going to show us how their marriage was a troubled one because of a passive husband and a controlling wife. Unfortunately, the type of marriage Ahab and Jezebel had is quite commonplace in today’s society, but the good news is that these type of marriages can be healed as the Bible offers us a wonderful blueprint of the roles men and women should take within a marriage.

As you prepare to lead your LifeGroup through this weekend’s message, you might consider spending some time reading and studying 1 Kings 21, which is the passage that Craig will be speaking on. Also, here a few of the questions you can expect to find in this weekend’s Talk It Over study guide to help you in your preparation.

• How have you seen passivity weaken a relationship? What types of experiences have you had with passivity?
• Jezebel controlled Ahab by belittling him with her words. Why are saying the right words so vital to maintaining a healthy relationship? How can you strive to make your words more positive instead of negative in your own relationships?
• How can we be effective leaders in our lives and in our relationships without being overbearing or controlling?
• What changes do you need to make that will allow you to step into the role that God created you to fill as a man or a woman?

Moral Margin Resources

One of my prayers for LifeGroup leaders this week has been that they would see an openness like never before in their groups as they discuss the topic of Moral Margin. I have also prayed that this openness would lead to healing.  As Pastor Craig indicated in his sermon this past weekend, sexual sins tend to plague more people than any other type of sin and tend to have a long-lasting effect. Chances are there is at least one person in your group struggling with sexual sin if not more.

For those of you who helping people in your group work through these issues, I wanted to briefly elaborate on the Next Steps that were outlined in this week’s Talk It Over. If you have someone in your group that is dealing with some traumatic pain resulting from sexual sins or are dealing with issues like marital affairs, I want to encourage you to assist them in finding help. Most leaders are not trained counselors, but you can play a tremendous role in finding them the help they need. Feel free to talk to one of the pastors at your campus if you have someone in your group that is need of serious help. They can be of great assistance in these situations.

Also, one of the most common forms of sexual sins is addiction to pornography. In the Talk It Over, there was information posted about XXX Church. I highly recommend this website if you have someone in your group struggling with pornography. I have worked with this ministry in the past and they easily offer the best resources available in terms of fighting addiction to pornography. XXX Church offers fantastic accountability software that you can download for your personal computer or even your iPhone. They also have information useful for those trying to recover from an addiction to pornography. You can learn more by visiting XXX Church at http://www.xxxchurch.com.

Leader Resources

It is our desire to equip LifeGroups with helpful resources. Among those resources are free video and print curriculum along with tips and tricks. Click on the appropriate resource link to find what you need.

• Free Print Curriculum
• Free Video Curriculum
• Tips and Tricks