God intends His Word to change you. See how He works in you to do that. Read John 6:1-15 and work through these questions:
- Share a time when you felt God asked you to experience something that seemed unfair (An experience to endure, a command to obey, etc). How did the experience affect your faith or doubt in God?
- What does John intend his original audience to like and dislike about 1) Philip and Andrew, 2) the disciples, 3) the little boy, and 4) the crowd?
- How does the reading this story through a “we” and not “me” perspective change the meaning of the passage for the people of God in Tulsa? Are there any parallels between the first-century and our day as it involves gnostic or secular religions using Christian language?
- What gifts do you have to offer God like the young boy? What conditions have you placed on Jesus to use your gifts for the good of the community?
- Consider the crowd. Was their response godly? How should they have responded? Why did he withdraw from them?
- Take some time to listen to God. Spend time in prayer together, asking God to make your community group a “sort of people that mirrors the grace of God” rather than a collection of individuals worried about their own personal needs.