Introduction
Kick of the discussion with prayer followed by this week’s reading and discussion questions
You can use the kick off prayer below (or do your own), and give time for others to pray into the night together.
Example kick off prayer: Father we praise you for gathering us together. Despite whatever weighed on our hearts as we entered this house, we pray that your Spirit guides our time together and free us from anything that is not of you. We pray that by the strength of your might we may speak truth in love to one another. We pray that we are led by the gifts of your spirit, so that we may build up one another and your church as a whole. As we read your word, we pray that we may be filled with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner pleasing to you.
Passage: 16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. 20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 2:16–23.
Discussion
- Was anything highlighted to you during the prayer or bible reading? A picture, a word, a thought, a memory? Please share with the group?
- Do you often feel judged by others, particularly in a sense they are more righteous than you?
- When you feel judged what is the voice in your head tell you about you?
- Is it true?
- What are some ways you rely on human precepts and teachings to wage spiritual battles? Such as with temptation, unforgiveness, lack of self control, etc.
Share with one another and pray for one another. Pray for God to speak into your direct questions and circumstance. Ask the Holy Spirit for a gift, such as a word or image, that can be used to build up someone in your group.
Habit of Grace
Habit of Grace: Fasting
Have you ever tried fasting before?
What has led you stop fasting, continue fasting or never try?
Practice
Consider skipping one meal this week, and using that time to read scripture and pray. Sometimes your lunch hour is the least distracted, and a good option.
Discuss, pray and encourage one another.