Wonderful Counselor This week we’re learning about wisdom. We’re learning about how wisdom can be exhibited in the way we live our lives.
Share Your Story Begin by praying together. This should be a brief, simple prayer in which you invite God to give you insight as you study. You can pray for specific requests at the end of your time together or stop momentarily to pray if a particular situation comes up during your discussion. Then begin your time together by discussing the following questions.
Find Your Story in God’s Story
If you feel God is nudging you to go deeper, take some time between now and our next discussion to dig into His Word. Explore the Bible passages related to this session’s theme on your own, jotting your reflections in a journal or in this study guide. Want to go deeper? Select a few verses and try paraphrasing them: writing them in your own words. If you like, share them with the group the next time you meet.
Light has a Name Wonderful Counselor
How is wisdom from God exhibited in our lives, and how does it differ from what the world sees as wise?
Welcome Let’s worship God together!
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• Who is the wisest person you know? What makes him or her wise? • What is the difference between godly wisdom and worldly wisdom? • What do you do to gain wisdom?
READ MATTHEW 7:24-29 (NIV) • What’s the difference in this story between the wise man and the foolish man?
Connect & Grow
• What is the rock we can build on in our own lives? WATCH THE VIDEO
NorthlandChurch.net/Studies Afterward have someone read the discussion questions in the “Hear God’s Story” section and start the conversation.
Hear God’s Story and Create a New Story READ JAMES 3:13-18 (NIV) Read the passages together, and then discuss the following questions. • How can we see who is “wise and understanding” among us (v. 13)? • What are the differences between wisdom revealed through a “good life, by deeds done in ... humility” (v. 13) and wisdom revealed through knowledge or saying smart things? • What are the two types of wisdom described in this passage? What are the characteristics of earthly wisdom? What are the attributes of wisdom that comes from Heaven? • Where do you see the attributes of wisdom from Heaven in your life? According to 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, where do attributes such as those come from?
• Jesus says, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man” (v. 24). What are some of the wise things Jesus taught us to put into practice?
READ 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-31 (NIV) •W hat are some of the world’s “wise ideas”? What does Scripture teach us about some of those same ideas? •P aul writes in verse 21 about the “foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” What about the gospel – the message of the cross – may seem foolish to the world? How does this “foolishness” compare with the world’s ideas of how we can be saved? •P aul writes twice that Jesus is wisdom from/of God. In 1 Corinthians 3:21, Paul writes that Christians should stop looking to human leaders, naming himself as one of those leaders. Why do you think Paul was so adamant that we look to Christ as ultimate wisdom? Are there any leaders that you tend to look to for wisdom before looking to Christ?
• Who are people in your life who display wisdom through their actions and not just their words? • Can you think of people who speak wisdom that their lives don’t reveal? How do we view those people? How can we guard against becoming people living without God’s wisdom guiding our actions? • How can your community help shape you into a wiser person? Give each person an opportunity to share prayer requests.
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Looking for more questions and reflections so you can keep digging deeper? There’s even more to this week’s study available on Northland’s apps or at NorthlandChurch.net/Studies.
DECEMBER 2-4, 2017
DIGGING DEEPER
Isaiah 9:2-7 (NIV)
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