Foundation Church

We find the early church facing a major dispute, but with guidance from the apostles, they are back on track and rejoicing the many accomplishments they have achieved. They are spreading this good news out to the other churches. Then two brothers in Christ, Barnabas, and Paul face their own dispute that leads to them parting ways. But what seemed like a defeat for the church the Lord used to continue to accomplish his mission even though these disputes. Discipleship Questions: 1. Have you ever entered into a disagreement knowing you had a bias towards a particular answer? Have you entered into a disagreement without knowing you had a bias and the Lord showed you afterward that you did have a bias? 2. Have you ever disagreed with someone that ended on bad terms? Did the Lord teach you something in that situation? If so, What was the lesson? 3. Are you facing a trial or disagreement now that is challenging? Are you trusting in the Lord? 4. What does trusting in the Lord look like for you?

Today, in our Advent Series “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”, we will focus on the main verse which begins - “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. Who did Israel hope for in their exile? They hoped for a triumphant king or maybe a valiant warrior that would defeat their enemies. And yet, the long hoped for Emmanuel came as a lowly baby and was laid in a feeding trough. Why was this Emmanuel (“God With Us”) good news for them and good news for us this Christmas? Discipleship Questions: 1. What was the people of Israel’s biggest need being exiled in a foreign land? 2. Why did the average person in Jesus’ day not see Him as being the promised Emmanuel? 3. In what ways have you expected Jesus to have a certain character or act in a certain way that might be contrary to what the Bible teaches about Jesus? 4. Describe a time where you’ve experienced comfort knowing that Jesus has experienced humanity and sympathizes with you in your time of need. 5. When have you experienced the deepest and sweetest relationship with Jesus?

Today, in our Advent Series “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”, we will focus on the verse which begins - “O Come, Thou Key of David”. Isaiah spoke to a people in Judah and warned them about trusting their own hands to save them from the threats of Assyria. He reminded them that God alone can save them. Isaiah pointed them to a coming Savior with the title “Key of David”. Only Jesus would unlock the door to Salvation. Let’s rejoice in Emmanuel, Jesus who came to save His people and bring them safely into His forever Kingdom! Discipleship Questions: 1. Share something God’s been teaching you this Advent Season. 2. Do you find it difficult to Rejoice in Emmanuel? Why do you think that is? 3. Where do you trust the work of your own hands? Why does the Good News of Jesus coming as the “Key of David” bring us hope even as we look at our sin? 4. Do you find hope and rest knowing the sure promise that Jesus, the “Key of David” will lead us to our “Heavenly Home”? Explain. 5. How will you look to Jesus and rejoice in Em

As we continue looking at the song,’O Come Emmanuel’, we need to ask ourselves what is it we are looking forward towards. We can get an answer by going back to Israel and looking at what they look forward. We can then have our hearts turned to the same. It will require asking for God to provide sight that is beyond our circumstances. Discipleship Questions: 1. Is Advent a tradition that is familiar to you? 2. Do you feel more like a foreigner or a person who belongs here? How does that impact the way you relate to others? 3. When is the last time you ask, “Why God?” 4. Do the promises of God bring you comfort? 5. When you look to the future of Jesus’s return, do you ask for only relief from your situation or do you ask for his presence as well?

As we prepare for the Advent of Jesus, we look at the anticipated coming of Jesus through the context of the song, “O’ Come O’ Come Emmanuel”. Written through the lens of God’s chosen people of Israel, we’ll show how God’s grand story of redemption is carried along through the song and points us all to the one who is our greatest gift and only hope – Jesus Christ. Discipleship Questions: 1. Of the seven different antiphons, which one resonates with you and why? 2. Which story told through God’s redemptive plan encourages you the most? 3. How have you seen God’s faithfulness in your own life? Can you relate to the story of Israel? 4. During the holiday season, what reminds your heart that Jesus has come and is coming again? 5. What are you planning this holiday season to celebrate the coming of Jesus?

With our busy lives, we tend to forget to be thankful to God for the many things that he provides for us. We will take time to celebrate a secular holiday of Thanksgiving, but how often do we stop and celebrate a day of thanksgiving to the Lord? We're going to examine scripture that has the Lord calling his people to do just that. Discipleship Questions: 1. How will you celebrate this coming Thanksgiving holiday? Will you give thanks and honor to the Lord during that time? 2. What are you thankful to the Lord for? How do you give thanks to him? 3. We looked at the Feast's of the Lord and they take the Sabbath very seriously. Do you take time to rest? What does that look like for you? 4. Some of the Feasts of the Lord focus on God rescuing his people from slavery in Egypt. How has God rescued you? What has God rescued you from? 5. Do you celebrate and rejoice in the Lord? How do you do that? Do you do that with others?

While the church had been under physical attack from outsiders for years, an attack from within the church on the gospel became a threat to truth and fellowship. A council of church leaders, church members, and apostles were called together to settle these disagreements once and for all. Through much debate, the sharing of experience, and records of prophecy, it became clear that the means of salvation for all was through faith in Jesus alone. No adherence to the Mosaic laws should be added upon the Gentiles, yet the Gentiles were exhorted to be sensitive to the practices of their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ. As such, a solution was identified to bring these groups together for the sake of Christian fellowship and witness. Discipleship Questions: 1. Why did a party of the Pharisees insist that Gentiles participate in circumcision and keeping the law of Moses? 2. When is it okay to have no small dissension? 3. What were the primary objections raised by Peter and James against the argument for the

This passage overflows with the Heart of God towards the spiritual orphan. God graciously gives himself in pursuit of spiritual orphans to make them adopted sons and daughters. Discipleship Questions: 1. Why is God’s gracious pursuit of the sinner good news? 2. Why is the heart of God towards spiritual orphans important for us to understand? 3. Are you able to relate to God as a good Father? Explain. 4. Do you have experience with Adoption or Foster Care? If so, share your experience. 5. How is God prompting you with regard to caring for orphans in distress?

The Christian life is not an easy life. With the cost of following Jesus, comes a lot of difficulties, trials, and suffering. But, because God is faithful, he gives us the grace to endure anything that comes our way- be it difficulties, suffering, and even death. Discipleship Questions: 1. Have you had a time where following Jesus really cost you something? Be it a relationship, a career, wealth, health, etc. Share what you learned in that. 2. In the city of Lystra, Paul and Barnabas experienced the temptation to give in to the praise and worship of other people. How have you experienced this temptation in your own life? 3. Tim Keller has described the spiritual life as having two great tests: the test of success and the test of suffering. Both of these tests reveal our heart's idols. Which of these tests seems to draw you closer to Jesus? Which of these tests seems to draw you away from worshipping Jesus? 4. When Paul and Barnabas reconvene with the church in Antioch to share about what God has done wi

This passage is all about the proclaimed good news of Jesus Christ. This good news is referred to as “The Gospel”. As Christians, we often use the term, but we should be absolutely clear what it means. The Gospel is the good news that God is the primary actor in history. He is abounding in mercy, steadfast love, and forgiveness and yet He is also holy, just, and full of wrath towards sin. Humanity apart from God is dead in sin wholly engaged in all the desires of the flesh. The gap between sinful man and a Holy God is impossible, but Jesus came down, took on human flesh, and died on a cross in the place of sinful humanity. He thereby absorbed God’s wrath and justice and bridged the gap to God. For those that place their faith in Jesus’ work on the cross, grace is given, forgiveness is given, and a relationship with God is given! Discipleship Questions: 1. What first comes to mind when you hear the word “Gospel”? 2. Why is understanding God’s character important to understanding the Gospel? 3. What is th

We see that the beginning of Acts Chapter 13 is the first church sanctioned missionary trip with the sending of Saul and Barnabus to Cyprus. As with the example of Jesus starting his ministry; Saul's missionary trip is met with opposition from the enemy. Saul faces this opposition directly and God shows himself through his divine powers. Discipleship Questions: 1. How is your prayer life? How do you worship the Lord? 2. Have you been involved with a mission's trip? Where, when, and how did it impact your life? 3. Have you encountered someone that directly opposed your Christian belief? How did you handle it? 4. Give an example of a time when you were angry, but showed grace to that person? 5. Do you really believe that the teaching of the Lord is astonishing/amazing? Why? 6. Do you feel that you are too familiar with the story of the gospel? How do you overcome that?

The Godly life is really pretty simple! Discipleship Questions: 1. What is the biggest problem you are facing right now? How are you/can you bring God into this problem? Verse 9 “Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." 2. Pastor Tim said that “Fear Is a Choice!” (Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged). Talk about why you agree or disagree with this statement. 3. What is it that is so powerful about meditating on Scripture? Verse 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Discuss how you go about meditating on Scripture. How has it helped you? What questions or difficulties do you have about Scripture meditation? 4. How does God’s view of success differ from the world’s view of success? Verse 8 Then you will be prosperous and successful. 5. Why is it so important for us to tend even to the de

Acts 12 marks a transition point in Acts. For the first 11 chapters, Luke recounts the gospel spread from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the gentile regions beyond. Then in chapter 13, he will change the focus towards Paul’s ministry to the gentiles. But, Luke takes a moment in chapter 12 to check-in on the church in Jerusalem. It turns out, persecution was rampant, and they faced a new threat with the murder of James and imprisonment of Peter. How would the church respond? They responded with earnest prayer but struggled to believe God would act. Thankfully, God in His grace did act to rescue Peter and care for the church. More importantly, God ensured that His Word and the gospel spread would not be thwarted. Discipleship Questions: 1. What strikes you about the difficulty facing the Jerusalem Church in this story? 2. How did the church demonstrate earnest prayer? 3. Describe a time when you prayed earnestly, but struggled to believe God would act in that situation. 4. In this story, what are

In this passage, Luke catches his breath and hits rewind on the story to take us back to the death of Stephen and the results it had on the church scattering away from Jerusalem and Judea. Luke gives us four scenes with four people(s) that capture a stunning picture of the Gospel in action and the Church serving as a witness to the end of the earth. Discipleship Questions: 1. The first characters we are introduced to in our story are the “unnamed” men who preach the Gospel to Gentiles. Have you ever shared the gospel with someone you didn’t have much in common with? What were some of the challenges and how did you find common ground? (think about the common realities of all humans: brokenness, sin, struggle, etc) 2. The second character is Barnabas who the text describes as a “good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” who saw the grace of God in the belief and salvation of the Gentiles. Have you ever been “upset” because Jesus saved someone; maybe someone who hurt you, treated you poorly, etc? Has yo

In these verses we see the new Christian community in Jerusalem struggling with the Gentiles new-found reconciliation to God apart from adhering to Jewish ritual purity laws. Peter recounts how he came to a fuller understanding of the new means by which a sinful people are now able to stand in God's presence - by grace, through faith. Discipleship Questions: 1. Describe a time when you felt particularly close to God and the circumstances surrounding it. 2. In verse 3, the primary criticism of Peter is that he "...went to uncircumcised men and ate with them." Why would that be a point of contention in this community? 3. In verse 18, Peter's critics appear to have resolved the tension–in their own minds–between the Gentiles reconciliation to God apart from adhering to Jewish ritual purity laws. What new insight enabled this change in their understanding? 4. How might a deeper understanding of the closeness you have with God through Christ change how you respond to difficult circumstances? to favorable ci

The amazing story of Cornelius reveals God’s great rescue plan for all people and all nations. First to the Jew and then to the Gentile. What the early Apostles didn't realize was just how God would go about making disciples of all nations, and how they would be strategically used for God’s plan of bringing his Gospel to everyone. Salvation is on God’s timing and through His hands. God is strategic in his ways, and we see through the Story of Cornelius and still today, the Gospel continues to go forward through his people. Discipleship Questions: 1. What encourages you in the way God prepared Cornelius and Peter for their meeting together? 2. Has there been a time when you were confused by what God was trying to teach or show you? How did that work out? 3. Where has it been difficult for you, to wait on God’s timing and plans? 4. How has God uniquely made you or positioned you to show others his goodness and his Gospel message?

From the beginning of the church in Acts and all throughout history to today, God has been inviting his church to participate in his mission: to share the good news of Jesus with the world. But we don't do this on our own terms or through our own efforts. Rather, we are to connect with God and follow his lead. How do we do that? That is what we will look at in Acts 10:1-23

God's will is not some ethereal aspect of the universe that cannot be understood. God's will have some easy to understand elements. Once we look at those elements and incorporate them into our lives, we can be more aligned with God. We can give Him glory and be blessed by it. 1. Is God's Will hard to comprehend? 2. How is God a foundation for your life? 3. Does God's sovereignty allow free choice? 4. Does your understanding of God's will allow for minor action? 5. How do you feel you reflect God's light to the work?

Saul had a radical plan against the early Church, but Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and saved him. Saul tried to spread the gospel in Damascus and Jerusalem, but the Lord changed his plan on each occasion finally sending him to the Gentiles. The Lord may change our plans and we have to decide if we're going to be ok with that or feel defeated. Community Group Questions: 1) Have you had an important plan for your life that was changed? How did you feel when things changed? Were you frustrated with God? 2) If your plans changed how did it turn out? 3) Saul felt that fleeing the city in the middle of the night was defeat. Have you ever felt defeated before? 4) How did you over come the situation or your feeling of defeat? 5) Do you struggle with the notion that the revelation comes from Jesus Christ or are you comfortable with that? 6) What does walking in the Fear of Lord look like to you?

Acts 9:1-19 places on full display two fundamental aspects of the Christian life: (1) How the Lord Jesus works in the heart of those whom he saves; those who once found themselves standing in opposition to him. Every sinner apart from Christ stands in opposition to the risen Lord, but when that same Lord desires through the Holy Spirit, to make alive the soul that was once dead, nothing, not even the militant heart, can stand in the way. (2) How even the difficult challenges and surprises that come as a result of following Christ in obedience, reveal to each of us very important truths about our fears and our faith. But regardless of the challenges and surprises, we can have confidence that the Lord Jesus is with us and is in charge of it all. Discipleship Questions: 1. When the Lord saved you (if you can remember), what were some of the circumstances that surrounded your life? 2. If there was one person (family, friends, or famous/infamous personality) that you would be shocked to find out, given their