Joseph - Study 5
Pray: Ask God to speak
Read Passage Aloud: Genesis 42
General Questions
What do you like about the passage?
What do you find interesting and or challenging about the passage?
Read Passage Aloud: Genesis 42
General Questions
What do you like about the passage?
What do you find interesting and or challenging about the passage?
Specific Questions
1. Ask someone from the group to retell the whole story of Joseph (up to this point) in their own words without looking it up or having to refer to the Bible. Then have someone retell the passage from Genesis 42 in their own words.
2. Share a time when you have asked the question can any good come?
3. Share how you would have felt and what you would have done if you had seen someone our some people who had caused your life to change direction (for the worse) a number of years before stood in front of you?
4. Would there be a physical response? Would you give them a piece of your mind? How would you react?
5. What do you think it was that caused Joseph to react the way he did - be as specific as possible?
6. How do you keep your heart soft in situations like the ones Joseph found himself?
7. Joseph accused his brothers as being spies and put a plan in place to see if they would be truthful and could be trusted. What sort of test would you put before those who had betrayed you in order to see if they could be trusted?
What are you doing this week for Life to Share weekend?
1. Ask someone from the group to retell the whole story of Joseph (up to this point) in their own words without looking it up or having to refer to the Bible. Then have someone retell the passage from Genesis 42 in their own words.
2. Share a time when you have asked the question can any good come?
3. Share how you would have felt and what you would have done if you had seen someone our some people who had caused your life to change direction (for the worse) a number of years before stood in front of you?
4. Would there be a physical response? Would you give them a piece of your mind? How would you react?
5. What do you think it was that caused Joseph to react the way he did - be as specific as possible?
6. How do you keep your heart soft in situations like the ones Joseph found himself?
7. Joseph accused his brothers as being spies and put a plan in place to see if they would be truthful and could be trusted. What sort of test would you put before those who had betrayed you in order to see if they could be trusted?
What are you doing this week for Life to Share weekend?
Joseph - Study 4
Pray: Ask God to speak
Read Passage Aloud: Genesis 41
General Questions
What do you like about the passage?
What do you find interesting and or challenging about the passage?
Read Passage Aloud: Genesis 41
General Questions
What do you like about the passage?
What do you find interesting and or challenging about the passage?
Specific Questions
1. Ask someone from the group to retell the whole story of Joseph (up to this point) in their own words without looking it up or having to refer to the Bible. Then have someone retell the passage from Genesis 41 in their own words.
2. Share a time when you had a dream and wished you knew what it meant? Has anyone in your group been able to interpret dreams?
3. Share an experience from your own life when you felt like you had been remembered by God?
4. When have you thought to yourself or maybe said to a friend "I think God is at work here?"
5. What do you do in hard times to remember God is at work and in control - what works for you?
6. Its sometimes easy to say God is good and faithful but what do you do to remind yourself of that?
7. Cindy ended with three things for us to do - a) Read Genesis 41. b) Consider your story and where God is meeting you? Where is that at the moment? What circumstance do you find yourself in where you are reassured or need reassuring that God is there with you? c) What engage are you signing up for - how do you share what God has done in you?
If you and/or your group can help with cooking for Alpha please let Andrew or Troy know.
Also please begin talking about what Engage project your group could organise or participate in.
1. Ask someone from the group to retell the whole story of Joseph (up to this point) in their own words without looking it up or having to refer to the Bible. Then have someone retell the passage from Genesis 41 in their own words.
2. Share a time when you had a dream and wished you knew what it meant? Has anyone in your group been able to interpret dreams?
3. Share an experience from your own life when you felt like you had been remembered by God?
4. When have you thought to yourself or maybe said to a friend "I think God is at work here?"
5. What do you do in hard times to remember God is at work and in control - what works for you?
6. Its sometimes easy to say God is good and faithful but what do you do to remind yourself of that?
7. Cindy ended with three things for us to do - a) Read Genesis 41. b) Consider your story and where God is meeting you? Where is that at the moment? What circumstance do you find yourself in where you are reassured or need reassuring that God is there with you? c) What engage are you signing up for - how do you share what God has done in you?
If you and/or your group can help with cooking for Alpha please let Andrew or Troy know.
Also please begin talking about what Engage project your group could organise or participate in.
Joseph - Study 2
Pray: Ask God to speak
Read Passage Aloud: Genesis 39 (perhaps ask two different people to read from two different translations)
Re-tell the passage in your own words.
General Questions
What do you like about the passage?
What do you find interesting and or challenging about the passage?
Read Passage Aloud: Genesis 39 (perhaps ask two different people to read from two different translations)
Re-tell the passage in your own words.
General Questions
What do you like about the passage?
What do you find interesting and or challenging about the passage?
Pray: Ask God to speak
Read Passage Aloud: Genesis 39 (perhaps ask two different people to read from two different translations)
Re-tell the passage in your own words.
General Questions
What do you like about the passage?
What do you find interesting and or challenging about the passage?
Read Passage Aloud: Genesis 39 (perhaps ask two different people to read from two different translations)
Re-tell the passage in your own words.
General Questions
What do you like about the passage?
What do you find interesting and or challenging about the passage?
Specific Questions
1. Ask the group to do a quick recap of the Joseph story up to this point. What do people see God doing with Joseph and what do they think is the point of the story so far?
2. When you think of the phrase Yvonne put on the screen WWSPD (What Would Stephen Prescott Do) if you put your initials in that space what would be the things that define how you live a life of integrity?
3. What things have you put into your life that have helped you live an integrity filled life? (You could also ask how have you developed the moral compass you have?)
4. When have you had to own something that went wrong?
5. It's interesting that we read that Joseph not only chose not to go to bed with Potifar's wife but also chose to keep a distance from her and not be around her. Share a time in your life when you decided to put a boundary in place in order to protect yourself from a person, an issue or a situation? Is there an exit strategy you need to out in place at this point in time to protect yourself agains someone or something thats going on in your life?
6. Yvonne asked what is your plan to enable you to continue to live a life of integrity - who are you accountable to? What do you yet need to put in place?
7. Yvonne mentioned four things (Doesn't disqualify, Mind your integrity, Stay on my heels, Be vulnerable) that have helped her in her journey which of these do you need to install in your life at this point in time?
If you and/or your group can help with cooking for Alpha please let Andrew or Troy know.
Also please begin talking about what Engage project your group could organise or participate in.
1. Ask the group to do a quick recap of the Joseph story up to this point. What do people see God doing with Joseph and what do they think is the point of the story so far?
2. When you think of the phrase Yvonne put on the screen WWSPD (What Would Stephen Prescott Do) if you put your initials in that space what would be the things that define how you live a life of integrity?
3. What things have you put into your life that have helped you live an integrity filled life? (You could also ask how have you developed the moral compass you have?)
4. When have you had to own something that went wrong?
5. It's interesting that we read that Joseph not only chose not to go to bed with Potifar's wife but also chose to keep a distance from her and not be around her. Share a time in your life when you decided to put a boundary in place in order to protect yourself from a person, an issue or a situation? Is there an exit strategy you need to out in place at this point in time to protect yourself agains someone or something thats going on in your life?
6. Yvonne asked what is your plan to enable you to continue to live a life of integrity - who are you accountable to? What do you yet need to put in place?
7. Yvonne mentioned four things (Doesn't disqualify, Mind your integrity, Stay on my heels, Be vulnerable) that have helped her in her journey which of these do you need to install in your life at this point in time?
If you and/or your group can help with cooking for Alpha please let Andrew or Troy know.
Also please begin talking about what Engage project your group could organise or participate in.
Joseph - Study 1
Pray: Ask God to speak
Read Passage Aloud: Genesis 37 (perhaps ask two different people to read from two different translations)
Re-tell the passage in your own words.
General Questions
What do you like about the passage?
What do you find interesting and or challenging about the passage?
Read Passage Aloud: Genesis 37 (perhaps ask two different people to read from two different translations)
Re-tell the passage in your own words.
General Questions
What do you like about the passage?
What do you find interesting and or challenging about the passage?
Specific Questions
1. Troy talked about a moment of change is often preceded by a moment of truth - when has this been true for you?
2. What parallels do you see between the story of Joseph as told here and the story of Jesus father, Joseph, as told in the New Testament (Matthew 1:18-25).
What other parallels do you see in this story and what you know of the Jesus story in the Gospels?
3. When have you felt like you've been in a pit and there wasn't any hope for a way forward? What caused this situation for you? What was the way out?
4. How would you have felt if you were Josephs brothers and you heard his dream? Have you ever had someone share with you something they probably should have kept to themselves? Do you think Joseph's life might have been different if he had have kept that dream to himself?
5. Share a time in your life when you thought or said to yourself can any good come from this?
6. God works all things together for good to those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. What does this say to you as you think about the saying, Can any good come?
1. Troy talked about a moment of change is often preceded by a moment of truth - when has this been true for you?
2. What parallels do you see between the story of Joseph as told here and the story of Jesus father, Joseph, as told in the New Testament (Matthew 1:18-25).
What other parallels do you see in this story and what you know of the Jesus story in the Gospels?
3. When have you felt like you've been in a pit and there wasn't any hope for a way forward? What caused this situation for you? What was the way out?
4. How would you have felt if you were Josephs brothers and you heard his dream? Have you ever had someone share with you something they probably should have kept to themselves? Do you think Joseph's life might have been different if he had have kept that dream to himself?
5. Share a time in your life when you thought or said to yourself can any good come from this?
6. God works all things together for good to those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. What does this say to you as you think about the saying, Can any good come?