Week 22, May 26 - June 1, 2019

New Testament
Romans 4

• According to Paul in Romans 4, how was Abraham justified (considered righteous)?
• In what sense is Abraham our father?

Romans 5

• Romans 5:5 says, "God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit."  How does having God's love poured into your heart change you?
• What is the significance of the fact that Jesus died for us while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:10)?
• Romans 5:19 says, "through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."  How has Christ's obedience made you righteous?

Romans 6

• What does it mean that we were "buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life"? (Romans 6:4)
• We are commanded in Romans 6:11 to "count yourselves dead to sin," and in verse 12, "do not let sin reign in your mortal body," and in verse 13, "do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness."  How do you obey these commands?
• Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  What is the difference between wages and a gift?

Romans 7

• Romans 7:6 says, "we have been released from the law."  What does this mean?
• Paul says in Romans 7:15, "For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."  Why would a person do what they hate?

Romans 8

• Paul writes, "The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace."  (Romans 8:6)  How can you make sure that your mind is governed by the Spirit?
• Romans 8:13 says, "if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."  How do you put to death the misdeeds of the body?
• Since "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children," (Romans 8:16) what should we be doing to hear that testimony?
• "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)  Does this mean that all things should be easy and pleasant for us?

Old Testament
2 Kings 1 - 13

• In 2 Kings 1, why did Elijah call down fire on the first two groups of men who came for him, but go willingly with the third group?
• What did Elisha tell Elijah he wanted from him before he was taken away by God in 2 Kings 2?
• Why did Elisha call for a harpist in 2 Kings 3:15?
• In 2 Kings 4:2 Elisha asked an impoverished widow, "Tell me, what do you have in your house?"  Why would he assume that a miracle for a woman who had so little would begin with something she already had?
• Why did Naaman go away angry when Elisha told him to wash seven times in the Jordan River in 2 Kings 5?
• How did Gehazi become leprous?
• When Elisha said in 2 Kings 6:16, "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them," he was recognizing unseen forces.  1 John 4:4 tells us, "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."  How does this truth impact the way you view the challenges of life?
• What action were the four men with leprosy in 2 Kings 7 willing to take because they assumed they would die if they did nothing?
• What prompted the king to give a woman back her land in 2 Kings 8:6?
• How did Jezebel die?
• 2 Kings 10:28 says that Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel, but allowed the worship of golden calves at Dan and Bethel to continue.  Why would he stop one form of idolatry and not the other?
• How old was Joash when he became king in 2 Kings 11?
• In 2 Kings 12 the priests were collecting money to repair the temple, but years went by without the repairs being done.  How is this possible?
• 2 Kings 13:4 says, "Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favor, and the Lord listened to him."  If Jehoahaz was a wicked king, why did God listen to him when he prayed?

Psalms
Psalms 64 - 66

• David wrote in Psalm 64:3, "They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows."  In verse 8 he says, "He will turn their own tongues against them."  What does this mean?
• Psalm 65:3 says, "When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions."  How has forgiveness from God changed your outlook on life?
• Psalm 66:18 says, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened."  Why would cherishing sin hinder our prayers?

Week 21, May 19 - 25, 2019

New Testament
Acts 27

• Who did the centurion listen to instead of Paul?
• What basis did Paul have in Acts 27:22 for telling the people on the ship that none of them would be lost?
• Why did the soldiers want to kill the prisoners in Acts 27:42?

Acts 28

• Why didn't Paul die from being bitten by a snake in Acts 28?
• What caused all the sick people on the island of Malta to come to Paul to be healed?
• What had the Jewish leaders in Rome heard about Paul?  What had they heard about Christianity?

Romans 1

• What does Paul mean in Romans 1:14 when he says he is, "obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish"?
• According to Romans 1:18-20, who knows that there is a God?

Romans 2

• Why does Paul warn us against passing judgement on others?
• What is the meaning of the statement in Romans 2:11, "For God does not show favoritism"?

Romans 3

• Romans 3:20 says, "no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law."  However Romans 2:13 said, "it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous."  How can both of these statements be true?
• Paul says in Romans 3:21, "apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known."  How does a person obtain this righteousness?
• According to Romans 3:25-26 what does the sacrifice of Jesus demonstrate?

Old Testament
1 Kings 12 - 22

• 1 Kings 12:8 says, "Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him."  This led to trouble in his kingdom.  Whose advice are you most likely to listen to?
• What was Jeroboam's motive for placing golden calves in Bethel and Dan?
• The man of God in 1 Kings 13 was commanded by God to deliver his message at Bethel and return home without eating or drinking there (verses 8 and 9).  He obeyed when Jeroboam invited him to come home for a meal, but disobeyed when an old prophet invited him.  What do you learn from this unusual story?
• In 1 Kings 14 Jeroboam wanted to hear from God, but sent his wife in disguise to consult with the prophet Ahijah, who was blind (making the disguise pointless).  What should Jeroboam have done in this situation?
• What happened to Jeroboam's descendants in 1 Kings 15?
• How did Zimri die?
• What was the purpose of the drought in 1 Kings 17?
• What would you have done if you had been the widow Elijah spoke to in 1 Kings 17:13-14?
• 1 Kings 18:46 says that Elijah "ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel."  From Mt. Carmel to Jezreel is about a 20 mile run.  Ahab was in a chariot.  How was Elijah able to do this?
• Why did Elijah run for his life in 1 Kings 19:3, when by verse 4 he was ready to die anyway?
• What was wrong with Ahab making a treaty with Ben-Hadad in 1 Kings 20?
• Why did Ahab want Naboth's vineyard?  Why did Naboth want to keep it?
• Why did Ahab say he hated Micaiah in 1 Kings 22:8?

Psalms
Psalms 60 - 63

• What does David mean in Psalm 60:11 when he says "human help is worthless"?
• In Psalm 61:2 David wrote, "From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint."  How are you able to pray when God seems distant or you feel weak?
• David said,"Yes, my soul, find rest in God." (Psalm 62:5)  What do you need to do to find rest in God?
• Psalm 63:1 says, "I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water."  Was thirst for God something that was unique to David or does everyone thirst for God?

Week 20, May 12 - 18, 2019

New Testament
Acts 22

• According to Acts 22, how did Paul lose his eyesight?  How was it restored?
• What did Paul say that caused the crowd to start shouting and throwing dirt after they had been quietly listening?

Acts 23

• What did Paul say in Acts 23 that caused the Sanhedrin to be divided?
• God spoke to Paul in Acts 23:11 to encourage him.  What did He tell Paul that was going to happen to him?
• Why was Paul sent to Governor Felix in Caesarea?

Acts 24

• What did Tertullus accuse Paul of in Acts 24?
• Why did Felix stop Paul in Acts 24:25?

Acts 25

• Why did the Jews want Festus to have Paul tried in Jerusalem?  Why didn't that happen?
• Why did Festus have Paul brought before Agrippa?

Acts 26

• What sect of Judaism did Paul say he had belonged to?
• In Acts 26:9 Paul says, "I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth."  How can someone be convinced that doing wrong is right?
• God said to Paul in Acts 26:14, "It is hard for you to kick against the goads."  A goad is a sharp stick used to guide animals.  This means that even though Paul thought he was doing right, there were things making it clear he was wrong.  When have you been guilty of kicking against the goads?
• Why did Festus start shouting at Paul?

Old Testament
1 Kings 1 - 11

• Why did David have Solomon proclaimed as king in 1 Kings 1 while David was still alive?
• Was Solomon justified in killing Adonijah in 1 Kings 2 or was he just looking for an excuse to kill him?
• If God spoke to you as He did to Solomon in 1 Kings 3, saying, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you,"  what would you ask for?
• How does 1 Kings 4 describe the peace and prosperity during the reign of Solomon?
• What did Hiram provide Solomon?  What did Solomon provide in return?
• 1 Kings 6:1 says that construction of the temple began 480 years after the Israelites left Egypt.  Why did it take so long?
• Once construction of the temple started, how long did it take to finish it?
• How long did Solomon take building his palace?
• Solomon said in 1 Kings 8:27, "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!"  If God is too big to dwell in the temple, what was the purpose of the temple?
• Some of God's promises are conditional, where he says IF you do this, I'll do that.  What conditional promise did God make to Solomon in 1 Kings 9:4-5?
• What was the queen of Sheba's impression of Solomon?
• According to 1 Kings 11, what led Solomon astray?  What were the consequences of his disobedience?
• What conditional promise did God make to Jeroboam in 1 Kings 11:38?

Psalms
Psalms 56 - 59

• David wrote in Psalm 56:3, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you."  Are you able to turn from fear to trust?
• David wrote in Psalm 57:7, "My heart, O God, is steadfast."  What does it mean to have a steadfast heart?  How do you get one?
• David says, "The righteous will be glad when they are avenged." (Psalm 58:10)  Why would their be any gladness in vengeance?
• Psalm 59 was written when Saul was having men watch David's house to kill him.  David said his enemies, "return at evening, snarling like dogs." (Psalm 59:14).  But in verse 16 he says, "But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble."  Are you able to sing of God's strength and love in the midst of trouble?

Week 19, May 5 - 11, 2019

New Testament
Acts 17

• What started the riot in Thessalonica?
• How were the Berean Jews different from those in Thessalonica?
• What caused some people to sneer at Paul in Acts 17?

Acts 18

• Why were Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth?  Why were they later in Ephesus?  How did they help Apollos?
• God spoke to Paul in Acts 18:9-10 specifically to encourage him.  In what ways has God encouraged you?

Acts 19

• What happened at Ephesus when the Holy Spirit came on a group of disciples that Paul met?
• Acts 19:12 describes miracles being done as a result of handkerchiefs and aprons that Paul had touched being taken to the sick.  Could God work in this way now?
• The scrolls that were burned in Acts 19:19 had a value of about $4 million in today's dollars.  Why didn't they sell them at a yard sale and use the money for some good cause?
• Who started the riot in Ephesus?

Acts 20

• Why did Eutychus fall out of the window?
• Paul told the elders from Ephesus, "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers." (Acts 20:28)  What does is mean to keep watch over yourself?

Acts 21

• In Acts 21:4 and again in 21:12, believers were urging Paul not to go to Jerusalem.  Why did he continue to go there?
• Why was Paul arrested in Acts 21?

Old Testament
2 Samuel 13 - 24

• How could Amnon love Tamar in 2 Samuel 13:1 and hate her in 13:15?
• The wise woman from Tekoa said to David in 2 Samuel 14:14 that God "devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him."  What has God done for us so that we are not banished from God's presence?
• 2 Samuel 15:6 says that Absalom, "stole the hearts of the people of Israel."  How did he do this?
• Why did David put up with Shimei cursing and throwing stones and dirt in 2 Samuel 16?
• What caused Ahithophel to hang himself in 2 Samuel 17?
• Ahimaaz wanted to run to David with news in 2 Samuel 18, but only to tell him part of what he knew.  Was he expecting to be rewarded?
• Why did David and Joab have differing attitudes toward the death of Absalom?
• How did the wise woman of Abel Beth Maakah prevent her city from being attacked?
• In 2 Samuel 21 God held Israel accountable for breaking the treaty with the Gibeonites.  The treaty had been made hundreds of years earlier by Joshua (Joshua 9).  The treaty was only made because the Gibeonites lied about where they lived.  What does this show you about how seriously we should take our commitments?
• David wrote in 2 Samuel 22:28, "You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low."  In what ways had David been humble during his life?
• 2 Samuel 23:12 describes Shammah taking a stand against the Philistines when the troops of Israel were fleeing.  This led to a "great victory."  How can one person's courage have a great impact?
• What was wrong with David counting the fighting men in 2 Samuel 24?

Psalms
Psalms 53 - 55

• Psalm 53:3 says, "there is no one who does good, not even one."  How is God able to save us if none of us does good?
• David wrote in Psalm 54:4, "the Lord is the one who sustains me."  Do you recognize God's hand in sustaining you day by day?
• David says in Psalm 55:22, "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you."  How do you cast your cares on the Lord?  Are you doing it?