Lakeside Church

What happens when we stop romanticizing the people in the Bible and start paying attention to power, harm, repentance, and redemption? In this message from Robyn Elliott, we take a second look at David and Bathsheba, asking what the story reveals when we stop blaming Bathsheba, confront David’s abuse of power, and consider why David can still be called “a man after God’s own heart.” How we read these stories matters, because how we understand power, failure, repentance, and redemption shapes how we live. Discussion Questions: 1. What is the first word or image that comes to mind when you hear the name David? Where do you think that image came from - Scripture, church teaching, art, popular culture, or somewhere else? 2. We are often shaped by stereotypes about biblical characters before we ever look closely at the text. What assumptions about David or Bathsheba did you bring into this story, and did anything in the passage challenge those assumptions? 3. What changes when we pay attention to the fact that David is the one who stays home, sends for Bathsheba, and “takes” her? How does the story feel different when we read it primarily through the lens of power rather than sexual temptation? 4. Why do you think people are often more comfortable describing David’s actions as a “momentary lapse of judgment” than naming the abuse of power in the story? What might that reveal about the way we think about powerful or admired people? 5. Robyn suggests that one way to read Scripture more carefully is to ask, “Who has the power here?” and “Who gets named?” How do those questions change the way we interpret other biblical stories, or even the stories we encounter in our own culture? 6. David’s repentance appears to be part of what makes him a “man after God’s own heart.” What is the difference between genuine repentance and simply feeling bad, apologizing, or accepting consequences? What would genuine repentance have to look like when someone has harmed another person? 7. How should we hold together two truths: that David was deeply loved and used by God, and that David did something profoundly evil? What happens when we emphasize only one of those truths? 8. Robyn said, “in their failures we see our own failures, and in their redemption we see our own redemption.” What does that mean for you personally? Where might you need the humility to name something honestly rather than protecting an image of yourself or someone you admire?

John Kowtecky shares a deeply honest story of alcoholism, recovery, spiritual awakening, and the long journey from fear and control toward freedom and trust in Jesus. His story reminds us that God never gives up, is able to meet us in the darkest places, and that faith can make room for both conviction and honest questions as we continue to become who God is calling us to be. Discussion Questions: 1. As you listened to John‘s story, where did you see yourself? What parts of his experience felt familiar to you, and why? 2. John defines EGO as “easing God out.” What do you think it means to ease God out of our lives, especially when things are going well? And what areas might we be afraid to let God back in? 3. Is there an area of your life that you want to change and feel powerless over? What might it look like to invite Jesus into that? Can you begin to pray, asking Jesus to show you the next step? 4. John describes himself as someone who looked like he had his life together while privately living with fear, insecurity, and addiction. Where do you think the pressure to maintain a positive public image comes from, and what does that cost us? 5. John accepted a challenge to change the way he thought every day for six months. What might that look like for you? Are there areas you feel God prompting you to change the way you think? 6. When you reflect on your own story, what experiences, struggles, turning points, or moments of grace have shaped who you are today? Looking back, where do you see God’s fingerprints? Do you see any “God-incidences” - people or events that God brought into your life?

What if the thing exhausting you isn’t everything you’re doing, but the fact that you’ve forgotten why you’re doing it? In this message from Robyn Elliott, we revisit the story of Mary and Martha and discover that Jesus isn’t simply choosing one sister over the other; he’s inviting both women - and us - into freedom, presence, and a healthier way of serving. We sit with Jesus so we can go with Jesus, receiving from him so that we can give from the overflow. Discussion Questions: 1. When you hear the story of Mary and Martha, which sister do you instinctively identify with and why? What might that instinct reveal about your current season of life? 2. Martha tells Jesus, essentially, “Don’t you care?” What do you think is underneath that accusation? Have you ever experienced a point where exhaustion, disappointment, or resentment began to distort how you understood God’s presence? 3. Jesus says Martha is worried and troubled by many things. What’s the difference between being genuinely responsible and being inwardly controlled by responsibility? How can we tell when healthy service has become unhealthy striving? 4. Jesus may not be establishing a rule - be more like Mary - but inviting us to pay attention and discern. Why is discernment harder than simply following a rule? What are some areas of life where you wish Jesus would just tell you exactly what to do? 5. If serving in this passage has a broader meaning than simply household chores, how does that change the way we understand Martha? What assumptions about gender, ministry, leadership, or spiritual maturity could we be bringing to this story without realizing it? 6. “Being with Jesus comes before serving Jesus.” What do you think that means practically? Can you think of ways that doing things for God can actually become a way of avoiding what God might be doing in us? 7. Robyn said, “We sit with Jesus so that we can go with Jesus.” If receiving and serving belong together, what happens when we emphasize only one side? What does spiritual formation look like if we deliberately practice both? 8. Martha later appears serving again, and Mary later pours out her perfume in an extravagant act of love. What does this suggest about the goal of discipleship? What if becoming more like Jesus isn't about becoming more like Mary or Martha, but becoming more fully the person God has made you to be? What might that look like for you? 9. Are you currently serving at Lakeside, and if so, does that serving feel life-giving, or are you finding yourself stretched and depleted? If you’re not currently serving, where might you see yourself contributing in a way that fits your gifts and brings you joy? What might Jesus be inviting you to receive, give, or reconsider in this season?

Rather than allowing us to dismiss Judas as simply a scoundrel, Robyn Elliott invites us to look more closely at Judas and how he may hold up a mirror to our own hearts. Can we be close to Jesus and yet still resist him? How easily can our motives become mixed, our hearts divided, and our desires pull us away? Ultimately, Judas's story is not just about the danger of betrayal; it's about the danger of being close to Jesus without allowing Jesus to transform us. QUESTIONS 1. What insights have you gleaned on Judas and his possible reasons for betraying Jesus? 2. If the story of Judas challenges us in any way, it asks us to wonder in what ways am I further from the heart of Jesus than I imagined? Does my following live up to my believing? 3. Are there areas of Judas’ story that you can relate to or identify with? 4. If Jesus knew Judas would betray him and still welcome him to the table, what does that tell me about the kind of grace Jesus offers me? 5. What am I willing to trade Jesus for? Not thirty pieces of silver—but comfort, success, approval, security, ambition, control? 6. Am I becoming more like Jesus or simply becoming more familiar with Jesus?

“Hurt people hurt people.” We’ve all known them: good-hearted, generous, loving people who, somehow, still wound others. It can feel incongruous, even bewildering. Pastor Robyn Elliott takes us into the story of Esther, a disadvantaged heroine whose story has a darker side -- a side we rarely hear. What happens when someone who has known deep hurt is handed power? And what might Esther’s story reveal about what happens when wounds and power collide? Discussion Questions: 1. Is there a story, novel, movie that has been impactful for you? Briefly describe the power and impact that story has had on you and why. 2. Does it matter to you whether the story of Esther happened exactly as described? Why—or why not? 3. Why do you suppose God is not directly mentioned or credited in this story? Why do you suppose it was included as part of the Bible? 4. Do you believe Esther was justified in asking for this edict? Why or why not? How do we wrestle with the tension between self-defence, defending others, and Jesus’ call to turn from violence? And ultimately, how far can self-defence go before it becomes something else? 5. Do you think Esther’s edicts were justified? How does knowing her history—her loss, pain, and sexual trauma—shape the way you understand her actions? Can we have compassion for what Esther endured while still wrestling honestly with what she chose to do with her power? This is Us (July 16, 2023): https://youtu.be/6lxCiY1yL8Y

What does faith look like when life falls apart? When loss, uncertainty, and disappointment become your daily reality, the story of Ruth reminds us that faith isn't always loud or dramatic - sometimes it's simply choosing to take one more courageous step. In this message from Johanna Kelly, we discover that beneath the romance lies something even more compelling: a story of extraordinary faith, costly courage, radical generosity, and hope in the middle of heartbreak. Ruth reminds us that even when life doesn't go as planned, God is still writing a story of redemption. Discussion Questions: 1. What's one moment in Ruth's story that surprised, challenged, or stood out to you most? Why do you think it caught your attention? 2. Ruth chooses uncertainty over security by staying with Naomi. Have you ever made a costly decision because you believed it was the right one? What happened? 3. Ruth was an outsider - a Moabite entering a community that viewed her with suspicion. How should this shape the way Christians think about immigrants, refugees, outsiders, or people whose stories are very different from our own? 4. The story celebrates Ruth's risky faith, but it also highlights Boaz's generosity and Naomi's perseverance. Which character do you identify with most right now, and what might God be inviting you to learn from them? 5. The encounter at the threshing floor (Ruth 3) has intentionally ambiguous language and cultural complexity. Why do you think scripture preserves stories that resist easy interpretation? What does that teach us about reading the Bible faithfully? 6. This message suggested that faith often looks less like dramatic miracles and more like ordinary acts of courage, loyalty, generosity, and persistence. Where have you seen "ordinary faithfulness" make an extraordinary difference?

Prince of Egypt. Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat. Veggie Tales. You may know rags to riches Joseph who was sold into slavery by his ruthless brothers, unfairly imprisoned for 13 years then rises to be second in command to Pharaoh. This is the guy with the great leadership skills and forgiving heart. But there’s more to Joseph. In this message by Joash Thomas, we come to see Joseph as a man seduced by empire with deadly consequences. And how his legacy lives on, perhaps a little, in all of us. Questions: 1. What surprised you most about what the message today? Does any part of Joseph's story makes you uncomfortable? 2. Have you ever justified something because "it works," even though it didn't sit right with you spiritually? 3. Have you ever found yourself becoming the very thing that once hurt you? 4. Is there an area where success has tempted you to value achievement over compassion of others? 5. Where might I be confusing success with faithfulness? 6. Who is negatively impacted by the systems that benefit me? 7. What parts of my life are more shaped by empire than by the Kingdom of God?

Have you ever realized how quickly you judge someone's worst moment without ever asking what brought them there? Some of the most uncomfortable stories in Scripture reveal a God who isn't afraid of messy people, complicated situations, or moral grey areas - and they invite us to see others the way God does. In this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore the story of Tamar and Judah, discovering that while people often fixate on scandal, God is relentlessly focused on justice, redemption, and restoring those who have been overlooked, discarded, and silenced. Discussion Questions: 1. We often reduce biblical characters - and people in our lives - to either heroes or villains. Why do you think we're so drawn to simple labels instead of complex stories? 2. When you hear the story of Tamar in its context, how does it change how you might read other stories in scripture? How does it change how you see others and particularly their life choices? How does it change how you see yourself? 3. Judah saw Tamar primarily as a means to an end rather than as a person with dignity. Where do we still tend to treat people as problems to solve, obstacles to remove, or categories to fit into instead of people to know? 4. Think about someone you find difficult to understand or easy to judge. What might change if, instead of asking "What's wrong with them?" you asked, "What happened to them?" 5. The Bible was written largely by and for oppressed people. How might reading scripture from the perspective of the vulnerable rather than the powerful change the way we interpret familiar stories? 6. This week, when you encounter someone holding a cardboard sign, someone who lashes out in anger, someone caught in addiction, or someone who has hurt you personally, what would it practically look like to move from judgment to curiosity and compassion without abandoning wisdom or discernment? 7. Judah had sex with Tamar at a place called Enaim, which means “opening of the eyes.” Judah didn’t recognize Tamar - his eyes were closed - but out of that encounter his eyes would be opened and he would see clearly. Have you had an encounter or situation where your eyes were opened to a truth about God or yourself that surprised you?

Have you ever felt like your doubts, failures, or unfinished story disqualifies you from God? The truth is that the "father of our faith" wasn't a flawless spiritual giant - he was a deeply ordinary man who stumbled, questioned, waited, and failed, yet God remained faithful every step of the way. In this message from Mike Carmody, we discover how Abraham's life points us away from performance and toward the grace of a God who keeps His promises, even when our faith wavers. Discussion Questions: 1. Before this message, what words would you have used to describe Abraham? Did anything surprise you about his story? 2. Which part of Abraham's life do you relate to most right now: being called into the unknown, failing out of fear, waiting on God, doubting His promises, or learning to trust Him? 3. Why do you think we tend to turn biblical figures into "marble statues" instead of seeing them as real people? 4. Mike said, “Because if God can build the entire family of faith on a man who was that much of a mess, then maybe, just maybe, there is room in the story for me. And there is room in it for you.” What emotions do those words bring out? 5. Abraham repeatedly struggled with the same fear and made the same mistake. What does his story teach us about recurring sins or weaknesses in the life of a believer? 6. Why do you think God often chooses unlikely or unqualified people to accomplish His purposes? What does that reveal about God's character? 7. The waiting between God's promise and Isaac's birth lasted 25 years. How does prolonged waiting shape - or challenge - our trust in God? 8. Genesis says Abraham's faith was "counted as righteousness." Why is that distinction between something being counted versus earned so central to the gospel? 9. In Genesis 22, Abraham demonstrates a level of trust that seems very different from earlier in his life. What do you think changed in him over those years? 10. Where is God inviting you to trust Him today instead of trying to control the outcome yourself, and what would taking one step of faith look like this week?

What if one of the Bible's most misunderstood people isn't who you've always been told she was? For centuries, Eve has been portrayed as the woman who ruined everything, but what if we've been reading more into the story than Scripture actually says? In this message from Robyn Elliott, we begin our Saints & Scoundrels series by taking a fresh look at Eve, uncovering how cultural assumptions have shaped our understanding of her story, and discovering what Genesis really reveals about equality, shame, blame, and the God who still calls us out of hiding. Discussion Questions: 1. Before this message, what words or ideas immediately came to mind when you thought of Eve? Where do you think those impressions came from? 2. Why do you think people naturally gravitate toward heroes and villains? How has that shaped the way we read Scripture? 3. What challenged you most about looking at Genesis with "fresh eyes" instead of relying on assumptions or traditions? 4. If Adam and Eve were given the same calling to rule together, what implications does that have for how we understand relationships, leadership, and the image of God? 5. Have you ever discovered that something you always believed the Bible taught wasn't actually in the text? How did that affect your faith? 6. We spend so much time asking why Eve listened to the serpent that we rarely stop to ask why Adam stayed silent. What was happening in him? Was it fear? Passivity? Curiosity? Had he already made up his mind? Genesis doesn't answer every question, but it certainly refuses to let Adam off the hook. 7. Shame caused Adam and Eve to hide, but God still came looking for them. How have you experienced shame causing you to hide from God or others? 8. Where do you see blame replacing responsibility in today's culture? How do Adam and Eve each respond differently when confronted by God? 9. Are there labels or stories that other people have placed on you that you've begun to believe? What does God's voice say that's different?

Have you ever wondered whether everything you've been taught about heaven is actually what the Bible says? What if the greatest hope of Christianity isn't escaping this world, but seeing God make all things new? In this message from Robyn Elliott, we unpack Revelation's breathtaking conclusion, challenge some of our biggest assumptions about heaven and the rapture, and discover why our future hope changes how we live right here, right now. Discussion Questions: 1. When you hear the word "heaven," what images or assumptions immediately come to mind? Where do you think those ideas came from? 2. What stood out to you most from this message? Why do you think it resonated, or challenged you, or even confused you? 3. Revelation ends with heaven coming to earth rather than people escaping earth. How does that reshape the way you understand God's ultimate plan? 4. Why do you think "escape theology" has become so compelling throughout church history? What needs or fears does it speak to? 5. Jesus spent far more time caring for people's present suffering than describing the afterlife. What might that teach us about what following Jesus looks like? And how does that shape the way we love people? 6. How does understanding books like Matthew and Revelation within a first-century Jewish and Roman context affect the way we read difficult biblical passages? What resources do you use or find helpful when studying the Bible and understanding context and theology? 7. This message suggests that theology has practical consequences. Can you think of ways certain beliefs about the future influence how Christians engage (or disengage) with justice, compassion, and the world around them? 8. Which gives you more hope: the idea of going somewhere else after death, or the promise that God is making all things new? Why? 9. Romans 8 says nothing can separate us from the love of God - not even death. How might believing that change the way you face uncertainty, grief, or fear? 10. If our future is ultimately life with God in a renewed creation, what is one practical way you can participate in God's renewing work this week? Resources: BOOKS: Bauckham, Richard, The Theology of the Book of Revelation Duncan, Jeremy, Upside Down Apocalypse Gorman, Michael, Reading Revelation Responsibly McKnight, Scot, Revelation for the Rest of Us Peterson, Eugene, Reversed Thunder Sprinkle, Preston, Exiles Whitaker, Robyn, Revelation for Normal People Wood, Shane, Thinning the Veil Zahnd, Brian, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God Zahnd, Brian, The Wood Between the Worlds PODCASTS & LECTURES Boyd, Greg, Woodland Hills Church sermon series beginning 2023 09 17 Whitaker, Robyn, Bible for Normal People podcast, Ep 259 Witherington, Ben III, Seven Minute Seminary series, Youtube Wood, Shane, Ozark Christian College Lectures https://www.shanejwood.com/the-book-of-revelation/ Wright, N. T., Youtube Lectures

What if heaven isn’t about where you’re going and who gets in and who gets left out? In this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore Revelation 21-22 and uncover a stunning vision of a God who isn't destroying humanity, but rescuing it - defeating evil, throwing open the gates, and making all things new. This isn't a story about escaping earth; it's a story about heaven invading it. Discussion Questions: 1. When you hear the word "heaven," what images or assumptions immediately come to mind? Where do you think those ideas came from? 2. What do you think is at stake in the difference between a God who destroys creation and a God who redeems it? 3. Revelation describes the gates of the New Jerusalem as never being shut. What does that image communicate about God's character? 4. Robyn’s message argues that God's judgment is directed toward evil rather than people. What do you find compelling - or challenging - about that idea? 5. If heaven is "the realm and rule of God" invading earth, where do you already see signs of that happening today? 6. Why do you think fear-based interpretations of Revelation have remained so popular within parts of the church? 7. Revelation ends with a city whose resources flow outward rather than being hoarded inward. What might that vision teach us about economics, generosity, and community -  and what would it look like to embody that way of life now? 8. How does the image of God making "everything new" shape the way you think about people, society, and the future? 9. If the New Jerusalem is both a future hope and a present reality, where do you already see glimpses of it in our world today? 10. The Book of Revelation is less about predicting events and more about revealing what reality looks like when God finally defeats evil. How has that changed the way you’re reading the book as we’ve gone through this series? 11. What questions have surfaced as we’ve gone through this series?

Why are so many Christians fascinated by end-times destruction but uncomfortable with enemy-loving Jesus? Revelation may be asking a very different question than we've assumed. In this message from Robyn Elliott, we unpack one of Revelation's most violent-looking passages and discover surprising clues that point us back to the crucified Christ. What if the ultimate victory of God isn't achieved through killing enemies, but through transforming them? Discussion Questions: 1. Before this series, what words or images came to mind when you thought about Revelation? Have any of those changed today or have they changed over the past seven weeks? 2. If Revelation is an unveiling of Jesus rather than a prediction of the end of the world, how does that shift the way you read the book? 3. Why do you think violent interpretations of Revelation have often been so compelling to Christians throughout history? 4. The rider's robe is already covered in blood before any battle takes place. What significance do you see in that detail? 5. What do you make of the idea that the sword coming from Jesus' mouth symbolizes truth confronting deception rather than violence against people? 6. If God's judgment is directed toward evil, not people, what challenges or questions does that raise for you? 7. Robyn said, "We are victorious when we follow the way of the Lamb, not just the beliefs of the Lamb." What is the difference between those two things? 8. Where do you find yourself most tempted to trust power, control, force, or self-protection instead of the way of sacrificial love? 9. If Jesus truly reigned in your workplace, school, family, neighborhood, or city, what would look different? What is one practical step you could take this week to embody the way of the Lamb there? 10. Taken together, how do these clues transform Revelation 19 from a story about violence into a story about truth, redemption, and victory through love? Resources: BOOKS: Bauckham, Richard, The Theology of the Book of Revelation Duncan, Jeremy, Upside Down Apocalypse Gorman, Michael, Reading Revelation Responsibly McKnight, Scot, Revelation for the Rest of Us Peterson, Eugene, Reversed Thunder Sprinkle, Preston, Exiles Whitaker, Robyn, Revelation for Normal People Wood, Shane, Thinning the Veil Zahnd, Brian, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God Zahnd, Brian, The Wood Between the Worlds PODCASTS & LECTURES Boyd, Greg, Woodland Hills Church sermon series beginning 2023 09 17 Whitaker, Robyn, Bible for Normal People podcast, Ep 259 Witherington, Ben III, Seven Minute Seminary series, Youtube Wood, Shane, Ozark Christian College Lectures https://www.shanejwood.com/the-book-of-revelation/ Wright, N. T., Youtube Lectures

What if the greatest threat to your faith isn't something obvious, but something you've learned to admire? Revelation isn't a roadmap to the end of the world; it's an unveiling of the powers, systems, and allegiances that quietly shape our lives. In this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore the beasts, the infamous 666, and John's startling warning that evil often disguises itself as success, security, prosperity, and even religion itself. Discussion Questions: 1. When you hear "Revelation," what assumptions or images immediately come to mind? Where do you think those ideas came from? 2. Robyn suggested that reading Revelation primarily as a prediction of future events can become escapist. Do you agree or disagree? Why? 3. What does it mean to say that Revelation "comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable?" 4. Why do you think evil is often easier to recognize in individuals than in systems, institutions, or cultures? 5. The dragon, the beasts, and the prostitute all symbolize forces larger than any one person. What modern examples might fit those categories today? 6. How does John's portrayal of empire challenge the way we think about power, success, patriotism, economics, or influence? 7. Robyn's message describes evil as something that often masquerades as good. Can you think of examples where something beneficial or attractive can also become harmful or oppressive? 8. Revelation presents the slaughtered Lamb - not military strength - as God's answer to evil. Why is that vision so counterintuitive? What implications does it have for how Christians engage conflict today? 9. If the "mark of the beast" is less about a future technology and more about allegiance and participation in systems opposed to God's kingdom, how might that change the way we read the passage? 10. Looking honestly at your own life, where do you feel tension between the values of God's kingdom and the values of the surrounding culture? Resources: BOOKS: Bauckham, Richard, The Theology of the Book of Revelation Duncan, Jeremy, Upside Down Apocalypse Gorman, Michael, Reading Revelation Responsibly McKnight, Scot, Revelation for the Rest of Us Peterson, Eugene, Reversed Thunder Sprinkle, Preston, Exiles Whitaker, Robyn, Revelation for Normal People Wood, Shane, Thinning the Veil Zahnd, Brian, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God Zahnd, Brian, The Wood Between the Worlds PODCASTS & LECTURES Boyd, Greg, Woodland Hills Church sermon series beginning 2023 09 17 Whitaker, Robyn, Bible for Normal People podcast, Ep 259 Witherington, Ben III, Seven Minute Seminary series, Youtube Wood, Shane, Ozark Christian College Lectures https://www.shanejwood.com/the-book-of-revelation/ Wright, N. T., Youtube Lectures

What if the Christmas story isn’t as peaceful as we’ve made it, but actually a cosmic battle between good and evil? In this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore Revelation 12 and uncover a second perspective of Christmas. While a baby is born on earth, a cosmic battle unfolds in the heavens. This message challenges how we see God, suffering, and the deeper reality behind our world, and reminds us of the hope that holds it all together: God wins. Discussion Questions: 1. When you think of the Christmas story, what images or emotions come to mind, and how does Revelation 12 challenge or expand that? 2. Why do you think we prefer the peaceful version of Christmas over a more cosmic, conflict-filled one? 3. The message suggests there’s more happening “behind the scenes” in our world—how do you respond to that idea? 4. What are some modern-day masks of evil that might appear good or noble at first glance? 5. How can we learn to discern the “signature of evil” versus the character of God revealed in Jesus? 6. If Jesus shows us what God is like, how does the image of the “slaughtered lamb” reshape our understanding of power? 7. Why is it important that God wins not through force, but through sacrifice and the cross? 8. How have you personally wrestled with the reality of evil or suffering in your life or the world? 9. What does it practically look like to “conquer evil by being the body of Christ” in everyday life? 10. John’s message is essentially “hold on; God wins.” How do you hold onto hope when evil feels like it’s everywhere? What helps you hold onto hope when life feels overwhelming? What does hope actually look like in those moments? Resources: BOOKS: Bauckham, Richard, The Theology of the Book of Revelation Duncan, Jeremy, Upside Down Apocalypse Gorman, Michael, Reading Revelation Responsibly McKnight, Scot, Revelation for the Rest of Us Peterson, Eugene, Reversed Thunder Sprinkle, Preston, Exiles Whitaker, Robyn, Revelation for Normal People Wood, Shane, Thinning the Veil Zahnd, Brian, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God Zahnd, Brian, The Wood Between the Worlds PODCASTS & LECTURES Boyd, Greg, Woodland Hills Church sermon series beginning 2023 09 17 Whitaker, Robyn, Bible for Normal People podcast, Ep 259 Witherington, Ben III, Seven Minute Seminary series, Youtube Wood, Shane, Ozark Christian College Lectures https://www.shanejwood.com/the-book-of-revelation/ Wright, N. T., Youtube Lectures

In this message from Robyn Elliott, we unpack the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and ask whether they actually represent the judgment of God, or the destructive consequences of human empire, violence, greed, and conquest. Revelation’s disturbing imagery doesn’t reveal a bloodthirsty God, but exposes the systems that destroy humanity while pointing us back to Jesus, the slaughtered lamb who rules through self-giving love. Discussion Questions: 1. The Book of Revelation is ultimately about the revelation of Jesus. How does that shift the way you approach the difficult or violent imagery you see throughout the book? 2. Before this message, what did you think the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse represented, and how has that understanding been challenged or expanded? 3. The white horse symbolizes conquest and the endless pursuit of power, the black horse symbolizes economic injustice and systems that crush the vulnerable, and the pale horse symbolizes the death and destruction that follow human violence. Where do you see these realities showing up in our world -  or even in everyday life - and why do you think humanity keeps repeating these patterns? 4. The second horseman exposes the lie that violence can create peace. Do you agree? Why or why not? 5. Revelation repeatedly contrasts appearances with reality -  what John hears versus what he sees. Where do you see that same tension in your own life or culture today? 6. Robyn said, “The cross is the way God rules and the way God wins.” What does that statement challenge about the way humans normally think about power? 7. If someone’s image of God is primarily angry, punitive, or violent, how might that affect the way they read Scripture, treat people, or understand themselves? 8. This message suggests the judgments in Revelation are less about God inflicting pain and more about humanity experiencing the consequences of its own systems and violence. What do you think about that interpretation? 9. After hearing this message, what part of your understanding of God, power, or judgment feels most challenged or rethought?

Communion is more than a ritual - it’s an invitation into participation with Jesus and with one another. In this message from Johanna Kelly, we explore Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10 and discover how the table reshapes our loves, reorients our priorities, and reminds us that we are one body sustained by one source. Discussion Questions: 1. Think of a meal or table moment you remember deeply. What made it memorable and meaningful? Was it the people, the atmosphere, the conversations, the feeling of being together? 2. Paul says we are one body sharing one loaf. Why is unity such an important part of communion? 3. The Table becomes the place where our love is reordered, our priorities are reshaped, our hearts are formed, and our lives are re-centred on Jesus. Why does this matter so much when we talk about communion being a shared experience? 4. In what ways can communion become routine instead of transformational? 5. Are God’s priorities becoming your priorities? Where do you see growth in that? Where is it challenging? 6. Where might God be inviting you to pour yourself out in love for someone else right now?

Revelation doesn’t give us the God we expect - it confronts and reshapes our understanding of power, victory, and what it truly means for Jesus to reign. In this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore the shocking moment when John hears about a conquering lion but turns and sees a slaughtered lamb, revealing that God’s power looks nothing like the empires and systems we trust in. The cross isn’t just how Jesus saves; it’s how Jesus rules. Discussion Questions: 1. Have you ever expected one thing and gotten something completely different - like thinking you were drinking Coke but it turned out to be Root Beer? How does that experience help frame the message of Revelation? 2. Why do you think Revelation uses strange, symbolic, and apocalyptic imagery instead of straightforward language? 3. What stood out to you most about the image of the lion turning out to be a slaughtered lamb? 4. Robyn suggested that power isn’t just found in governments or empires, but also in churches, families, workplaces, and relationships. Where do you see distorted power operating most clearly today? 5. What does it mean that Jesus has lion-like power but not lion-like character? 6. How does viewing Jesus’ crucifixion as his coronation challenge common ideas about success, strength, leadership, or victory? 7. Robyn said, “The cross is not just an atonement theory; it’s the way God rules.” What do you think that means practically for Jesus followers today? 8. Are there areas of your life where you’ve kept Jesus in the “salvation box” but not allowed him into other areas like politics, control, grudges, ambition, or relationships? 9. Revelation presents a kingdom built through vulnerability, sacrifice, and faithfulness rather than domination. Why is that vision both compelling and difficult? 10. If the Lamb is the clearest picture of who God is, how should that reshape the way we engage with enemies, conflict, politics, and power?

Revelation isn't a crystal ball - it's political resistance literature written to expose the lies behind power and call the church to faithful allegiance. In this message, Robyn Elliott unpacks the world John was writing into, why empire is always in conflict with the kingdom of God, and what it means for us to hold on when the current is strong. Discussion Questions: 1. When you hear the word "Revelation," what's the first thing that comes to mind? Where did that impression come from? 2. Have you ever felt like you're on a hamster wheel,  like nothing changes, the powerful stay powerful, and your life doesn't count for much? What does that feel like? 3. What would it look like for your faith to actually matter in your day-to-day life this week? 4. John wrote to encourage suffering Christians who had been cut off from their social networks and communities. Where do you draw courage when following Jesus costs you something? 5. Revelation is apocalyptic literature - a genre designed for political resistance and imagination, not prediction. How does knowing the genre change the way you read it? Does it change anything about how you've understood it in the past? 6. Rome was religiously tolerant, but Christians were persecuted specifically because they refused to pledge allegiance to the empire. In what ways do modern institutions - governments, corporations, cultural movements - demand a similar kind of allegiance? Where do you feel that tension? 7. The message suggests that the pursuit of power is, by its very nature, in conflict with the kingdom of God. Do you agree? Are there ways power can be exercised that don't conflict with God's kingdom, or is the tension unavoidable? 8. What does it mean that the “victory of God” begins with messages to local churches rather than global events? Resources: BOOKS: Bauckham, Richard, The Theology of the Book of Revelation Duncan, Jeremy, Upside Down Apocalypse Gorman, Michael, Reading Revelation Responsibly McKnight, Scot, Revelation for the Rest of Us Peterson, Eugene, Reversed Thunder Sprinkle, Preston, Exiles Whitaker, Robyn, Revelation for Normal People Wood, Shane, Thinning the Veil Zahnd, Brian, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God Zahnd, Brian, The Wood Between the Worlds PODCASTS & LECTURES Boyd, Greg, Woodland Hills Church sermon series beginning 2023 09 17 Whitaker, Robyn, Bible for Normal People podcast, Ep 259 Witherington, Ben III, Seven Minute Seminary series, Youtube Wood, Shane, Ozark Christian College Lectures https://www.shanejwood.com/the-book-of-revelation/ Wright, N. T., Youtube Lectures

Unveiling The Apocalypse: Slaughtered Yet Standing by Lakeside Church

Baptism is more than a ritual - it’s a powerful symbol of death, rescue, and new life. From the chaos of ancient waters to the story of Jesus, this moment tells a bigger story of identity, freedom, and belonging. Following this message from Robyn Elliott, we witness two people step into that story and into a new life. Discussion Questions: 1. What has been your experience with baptism, either personally or what you’ve seen in others? (If you haven’t been baptized yet, what is stopping you?) 2. What part of your “old self” do you find hardest to let go of, and why do you think you hold onto it? 3. Have you ever experienced a moment that felt like a personal before and after? What changed in you? 4. What lies about yourself do you tend to believe when you fail or fall short? And if you really believed your identity was secure and unshakeable, how would your life look different this week? 5. What parts of your life feel like chaos right now, and what would it mean for something new to come out of that? 6. The message describes faith as becoming part of a messy, diverse family. What has your experience of “spiritual community” been like? 7. Why do you think shared rituals (like baptism) matter for building a sense of belonging? 8. Water is described as both chaos and salvation in Scripture. What do you think that tension reveals about how God works? 9. Paul talks about identity being rooted in Christ rather than performance. How does that challenge modern ideas of self-definition? 10. If baptism is a “dress rehearsal” for resurrection, how should that shape how we live now? 11. If your life had a “reset button,” would you press it? Why or why not?

Victoria Aquilina shares her journey from hidden trauma, abuse, and mental illness to discovering real hope, healing, and identity in Jesus. After years of masking pain and battling diagnoses, she found freedom not in perfection, but in grace, truth, and choosing hope every day. This is a powerful story of survival, faith, and transformation. Discussion Questions: 1. Have you ever felt like you had to wear a mask to hide what you were really going through? What did that look like? 2. How can trauma (physical, emotional, or spiritual) affect both the mind and body over time? 3. What are some misconceptions people have about mental health and faith? 4. Victoria talked about being taught fear instead of grace. How does that shape someone’s view of God? Has fear been part of your own spiritual journey? 5. What does “choosing hope” look like in everyday life, especially when nothing feels like it’s changing? 6. How can we better support people who are struggling with mental health challenges as individuals and also as the church? 7. What are “glimmers” in your life - small moments that bring light during dark seasons

This Easter message from Robyn Elliott explores the resurrection not just as an event to believe in, but as a reality to live in. Through Mary Magdalene’s encounter in the garden, we see that what looked like the end was actually the beginning of a new creation. The resurrection is God’s declaration that hope, healing, and renewal have already begun, and we’re invited to live that future now. Discussion Questions: 1. When you hear “resurrection,” do you tend to think of a past event, a future hope, or a present reality? Why? 2. Mary stayed at the tomb in her grief, looking for a dead Jesus. What does this teach us about how we handle loss and disappointment, and where might we be expecting death when God is actually bringing life? 3. The message suggests we sometimes see God more clearly through sorrow. Have you ever experienced God more clearly in pain or loss? Or do you tend to avoid those places? Why? 4. Why do you think the resurrection story begins in a garden with Jesus showing up as a lowly gardener? What might that symbolize about new creation and what does that say about how God works in the world? 5. Robyn describes the resurrection as a down payment on the future. What does that practically mean for how we live today? 6. If you believe in the resurrection, where in your life does it actually show up? Where doesn’t it? And if the resurrection really means a new creation has started, why do so many of us still feel stuck in the same old patterns? 7. If Jesus is alive right now - not just historically - what would need to change about the way you live this week?

What if the people who crucified Jesus aren’t that different from us? In this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore how Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate chose comfort, control, and self-preservation over truth - and how we often do the same. Lent is an invitation to stop making that trade and follow Jesus, even when it costs us. The question is simple but urgent: when faced with fear, pressure, or convenience, who will you be? Discussion Questions: 1. Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate both knew what was right but chose self-interest and fear instead. Where do you see yourself in that story? In compromise, under pressure, or somewhere else entirely? 2. Can you think of a time when you knew the right thing to do but chose what was easier or safer instead? What happened? 3. Why do you think fear is such a powerful motivator for control - both then and now? 4. How do comfort, status, or reputation subtly influence our faith decisions? 5. What does Jesus’ silence in this passage stir up in you? Confusion? Frustration? Awe? Why? 6. Is there a place in your life right now where you already know what faithfulness looks like, but you’re choosing what’s easier instead? 7. In what ways do we still trade truth for stability or personal benefit in our world today? 8. Is there a difference between the Jesus you believe in and the Jesus you follow? How would you describe that gap? 9. This week, pay attention. Where are you tempted to choose what’s safe and comfortable over what love might require of you? What would it look like to follow Jesus into a place of radical love, even if it costs you something?

In a world shaped by stories of violent revolt and divine rescue, Jesus offers a radically different way. In the garden, on the night of his crucifixion, when violence seems justified, he heals his enemy and refuses the sword, forcing us to confront which version of Jesus we truly follow. This Lenten message from Robyn Elliott challenges us to examine the competing narratives shaping our faith: the Jesus of the Cross or the Jesus of the Sword. Discussion Questions: 1. What background stories (family, culture, politics, church) have shaped how you imagine Jesus? 2. Why do you think the disciples expected Jesus to lead a revolt similar to Judah Maccabee? 3. Can you think of a time when you felt justified in responding with “the sword” (anger, control, retaliation) rather than Jesus? What happened? 4. Where do you find yourself justifying harshness because you believe your cause is right? 5. When you feel threatened, do you move toward control, withdrawal, or attack? And what would it cost you to respond with mercy in that situation? 6. Jesus’ final miracle was healing an enemy. What does that reveal about the heart of God? 7. Where do you see modern Christians trying to use Jesus to justify violence or division? 8. Why is it so hard to wait for Jesus’ response instead of acting on what we assume he wants? 9. What does it practically look like for you to follow the “Jesus of the Cross” in your daily life? 10. This Lent, what competing vision of Jesus do you need to let go of?

Judas is often reduced to a one-word label: betrayer. But what if his story reveals something uncomfortable about us? As the tension of Jesus’ final week builds, this message, from Robyn Elliott explores the dangerous blind spots of faith - how even those closest to Jesus can miss his heart, justify harmful means for a holy cause, and betray the way of Jesus without realizing it. Discussion Questions: 1. Judas walked with Jesus for three years and still betrayed him. What does that reveal about how easy it is to miss the heart of Jesus, even for sincere followers? 2. The message suggests Judas may have betrayed Jesus not for money but for a cause. Why can believing we’re “on God’s side” sometimes lead people to justify harmful actions? 3. The religious leaders thought eliminating Jesus was necessary to protect their system. Where do we still see systems - religious or otherwise - silencing voices that challenge the status quo? 4. Judas was disappointed that Jesus wasn’t the kind of leader he expected. How do unmet expectations of God shape our faith, either toward deeper trust or toward resentment? 5. Jesus was betrayed through sacred gestures - a shared bowl and a kiss. What are ways Christians today might use sacred language, rituals, or beliefs while still missing the heart of Jesus? 6. Author Brian Zahnd says, “The means are the end in the process of becoming.” How do the methods we choose shape who we become spiritually? 7. Mark’s Gospel consistently refers to Judas as “Judas, one of the Twelve,” and gives almost no explanation for his motives. Why might Mark intentionally leave Judas’ motivations ambiguous while emphasizing his identity as one of the Twelve? What might that suggest about Mark’s message to the early church - and to us - about where betrayal can come from? 8. Lent is described as a season of “sight, not shame.” What blind spots in your life or faith might God be inviting you to see more clearly?

Judas is often reduced to a one-word label: betrayer. But what if his story reveals something uncomfortable about us? As the tension of Jesus’ final week builds, this message, from Robyn Elliott explores the dangerous blind spots of faith - how even those closest to Jesus can miss his heart, justify harmful means for a holy cause, and betray the way of Jesus without realizing it. Discussion Questions: 1. Judas walked with Jesus for three years and still betrayed him. What does that reveal about how easy it is to miss the heart of Jesus, even for sincere followers? 2. The message suggests Judas may have betrayed Jesus not for money but for a cause. Why can believing we’re “on God’s side” sometimes lead people to justify harmful actions? 3. The religious leaders thought eliminating Jesus was necessary to protect their system. Where do we still see systems - religious or otherwise - silencing voices that challenge the status quo? 4. Judas was disappointed that Jesus wasn’t the kind of leader he expected. How do unmet expectations of God shape our faith, either toward deeper trust or toward resentment? 5. Jesus was betrayed through sacred gestures - a shared bowl and a kiss. What are ways Christians today might use sacred language, rituals, or beliefs while still missing the heart of Jesus? 6. Author Brian Zahnd says, “The means are the end in the process of becoming.” How do the methods we choose shape who we become spiritually? 7. Mark’s Gospel consistently refers to Judas as “Judas, one of the Twelve,” and gives almost no explanation for his motives. Why might Mark intentionally leave Judas’ motivations ambiguous while emphasizing his identity as one of the Twelve? What might that suggest about Mark’s message to the early church - and to us - about where betrayal can come from? 8. Lent is described as a season of “sight, not shame.” What blind spots in your life or faith might God be inviting you to see more clearly?

Two days before Jesus’ crucifixion, an unnamed woman crashes a dinner party, breaks open a jar worth a year’s wages, and anoints Jesus while the disciples call it waste. In this message from Robyn Elliott, we step into the story as witnesses and ask: Are we offering costly love, or hiding hard hearts behind responsible religion? Because love that costs you something is never wasted, and sometimes reckless devotion is the only thing in the room that looks like the cross. Discussion Questions: 1. When you hear Jesus say, “She has done what she could,” what emotions surface in you? Comfort? Conviction? Resistance? Why? 2. Where in your life have you traded costly devotion for comfortable routine? 3. The disciples called the woman’s act wasteful. Have you ever labeled someone’s devotion as impractical or irresponsible? What was underneath that reaction? 4. What is your “alabaster jar?” What feels too costly to break open? 5. In what ways is it possible to hide a hard heart behind a good cause? Where do you see that in your everyday life, in your church, your family, your place of work, or even in your government? 6. Where might Jesus be inviting you to move from speaking about justice to practicing solidarity? 7. If you were physically in that room, how do you honestly think you would have responded? Who would you identify with most? 8. What does “doing what you can with what you have” look like for you in this season?

Lent invites us into a wilderness that strips away illusion and exposes our raw desires. In this message from Robyn Elliott, we look at the temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4), and see that the enemy doesn’t offer evil outright - he offers shortcuts, comfort, and power without the cross. This season asks us a hard question: are we witnesses to the way of Jesus, or have we quietly become accomplices to a different kingdom? Discussion Questions: 1. Where in your life right now do you feel the ache of the wilderness? What might God be exposing there? 2. The enemy tempted Jesus with good things gained the wrong way. Where are you tempted to justify questionable means for a good outcome? 3. When have you traded faithfulness for influence, approval, comfort, or control? 4. What voices most shape your thinking - Jesus, your political tribe, your social circle, your fears, your wallet? 5. In what ways have you romanticized the cross rather than reckoned with its cost? 6. If the wilderness rescues us from ourselves, what might God be trying to rescue you from this Lent? 7. Where are you most vulnerable right now? How might that be a place of both temptation and transformation?

For 2,000 years followers of Jesus have gathered around a table, not to repeat a ritual, but to participate in a mystery. In this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore Jesus’ shocking words and discover that Communion is more than symbolism; it’s an invitation. At this table, heaven and earth meet, the ordinary becomes sacred, and we are transformed as we participate in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Discussion Questions: 1. When you think about Communion, what emotions or assumptions immediately come to mind? Where do those come from? Did they change after hearing this message? 2. What does it mean to you that Communion is participation, not just remembrance? 3. Jesus challenges the crowd for being fans rather than followers. Where might you be tempted to want something from Jesus more than wanting Jesus himself? 4. Why do you think Jesus used such shocking language (eat my flesh, drink my blood) to describe following him? 5. How does the idea of physically eating and drinking as a way of encountering Jesus reshape your understanding of what is real? 6. In what ways is gathering at the table socially disruptive, especially in a divided or screen-saturated world? 7. How does Communion speak to inclusion, belonging, and even loving our enemies? 8. What might it look like for you to “take in” the life of Jesus this week in a tangible, embodied way? 9. If this table is where heaven and earth meet, how should that shape the way we approach it? 10. John 6 shifts from the Greek word phagein (“to eat”) to trogein (“to chew/gnaw”) later in the passage. Do you think this intensification suggests a move toward literalism, or is John deliberately heightening the metaphor to force decision and offense? What might that tell us about how John understands participation in Christ?

Life can feel unbearably heavy, and Jesus never denied that reality. In this message from Mike Carmody, looking at a section from the Sermon on the Mount, he shows us that Jesus invites us onto the narrow road - not as a crushing moral test, but as a path of love, presence, and companionship. The narrow road isn’t walked alone; it’s lighter because Jesus walks it with us, offering rest, closeness, and life. Discussion Questions: 1. What feels most heavy in your life right now - personally, relationally, or emotionally? How do you usually respond to that weight? 2. When you hear “the narrow road,” what emotions come up for you - pressure, fear, hope, resistance? Why do you think that is? 3. Who are the voices (online, at school/work, in your friend group) that most shape how you see yourself, and how might choosing the narrow road mean listening to Jesus’ voice instead? 4. In what ways have you seen the “wide road” promise relief but fail to deliver in your own life? 5. How does seeing the narrow road as a relational invitation with Jesus (instead of a moral test) change how you understand faith? 6. Where might Jesus be inviting you to slow down, stay present, or stop instead of rushing past something difficult? 7. Jesus never shamed people for being weary. How does that challenge the way you talk to yourself when you’re exhausted or struggling? 8. What would it look like for you to walk closer to Jesus right now so that his pace becomes your pace? 9. Is there one burden, hurt, or habit you sense the Spirit nudging you to lay down as a next step on the narrow road?

Sermon on the Mount: Polished But Poisoned In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns that the greatest danger to faith isn’t hostility from the outside, but deception from within. False prophets don’t always look harmful - they quote Scripture, appear faithful, and feel safe - yet they pull us away from the way of Jesus. In this message from Robyn Elliott, we are called beyond surface-level belief and into a life where faith is measured by love, mercy, humility, and transformed living.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount reveals a radically different vision of the good life - one where serving comes before leading, generosity overcomes fear, and true treasure is measured by the heart, not possessions. In this message from Jack Ninaber, we’re invited to examine where we place our security and what truly owns us. In a world driven by scarcity and accumulation, Jesus calls us into an upside-down kingdom marked by trust, abundance, and freedom, and shows us that where we place our treasure ultimately shapes who we become. Discussion Questions: 1. Growing up, what did you treasure most? And when you think about your time, money, and energy today, what do they reveal about where your heart is right now? 2. Do you tend to live with more of a scarcity mindset or an abundance mindset? Where do you think that comes from? 3. How does Jesus’ definition of a “blessed” or good life in the Sermon on the Mount differ from how our culture defines success, and where do you feel that tension most in your own life? 4. If someone looked at how you spend your time and money, what picture of “the good life” would they assume you believe in? How does that compare with Jesus’ vision? 5. What fears (loss, security, control) most influence the way you handle money or possessions? 6. How do Jesus’ words about generosity and storing treasure in heaven challenge your current priorities? 7. What would it look like to practice generosity - intentionally and regularly - as a way of reshaping your heart? 8. How do our thoughts and longings - what we dwell on, desire, or envy - reveal where our treasure really is, even apart from money?

Jesus calls us to the most challenging command of all: love your enemies. In this message from Johanna Kelly, we look at Matthew 5 and the parable of the Good Samaritan, which invites us into a radically different way of living - one rooted in mercy, accountability, and self-reflection - where love breaks cycles of harm and builds a kingdom of reconciliation. Discussion Questions: 1. When you hear Jesus say, “Love your enemies,” what emotions or resistance surface in you, and why? 2. Who or what have you been tempted to label as “the enemy” in your own life (people, groups, systems, or ideas)? 3. How does the parable of the Good Samaritan challenge your understanding of who belongs inside God’s kingdom? 4. Have you ever had to set a boundary that felt unloving at the time but was actually an act of love? What did that look like? 5. How does accountability play a role in loving someone who causes harm, without excusing or enabling that harm? 6. Where might God be inviting you into deeper self-reflection to notice “the enemy within?” 7. What does it mean to you that love is an action, not just a feeling, especially when love feels costly or uncomfortable? 8. Can you think of a time when someone you least expected reflected God’s mercy or compassion to you? 9. As you reflect on the Lord’s Table, who might God be inviting you to see, include, or extend radical compassion toward?

The Christmas story doesn’t end with angels and manger scenes - it continues into fear, flight, and forced exile. When Joseph hears the words “escape to Egypt,” God overturns assumptions about safety, enemies, and where refuge can be found. This message from Robyn Elliott explores how Christmas is a story of reversal, vulnerability, and a God who meets us in the wilderness to make something new. Discussion Questions: 1. What words or phrases make your own “blood run cold,” and why do you think they carry so much power over you? 2. Where in your life have you experienced disorientation, when what you believed about God or yourself was shaken? 3. Egypt represented trauma and fear for Joseph. What “Egypts” exist in your story - places or situations you’d never expect to find God? 4. Have you ever found safety, healing, or wisdom in a place or from people you once feared or rejected? 5. How does the idea that Jesus was safer among outsiders challenge your understanding of faith, belonging, or community? 6. When you’re in a wilderness season, do you tend to assume you’ve done something wrong, or can you imagine it as a place of new beginning? 7. In what ways do comfort and familiarity shape where you expect God to work? 8. How does this part of the Christmas story reshape what “peace” really means to you? 9. What might it look like for you to follow Jesus into vulnerability rather than control or security? 10. As we put Christmas back into boxes, what if the real question is whether Christmas has been packed into us? Will we keep choosing love over hate, conversation over confrontation, and relationship over retaliation when the season no longer reminds us?

Christmas doesn’t end on December 25 - it carries on as a reminder that Jesus is for the whole world, not just a select few. In this message from Joash Thomas, in the story of the Magi, we’re invited to move beyond certainty and fear toward humility, curiosity, and attentive listening. It’s an invitation to notice where God is already at work, often in places we wouldn’t expect. Discussion Questions: 1. Where do you see yourself in the Epiphany story right now - the Magi, the fearful crowd around Herod, or someone else entirely? Why? 2. What does it mean for you to believe that Jesus is not only a personal saviour, but the saviour of all creation? 3. Are there places in your faith where you’ve become attached to certainty rather than curiosity? What might it look like to loosen your grip? 4. How do you typically respond to people of other faiths or Christian traditions - with curiosity, fear, defensiveness, or something else? And what might Jesus want to show you about himself through neighbours or communities that are different from you? 5. The Magi listened, learned, and then “went home by another road.” How has encountering Jesus changed your direction or perspective? 6. What gives you hope when it feels like powerful systems or forces are winning? 7. What is one small way you could practice courage, curiosity, or peacemaking this week?

Be Still and Know: A New Year's Reflection by Lakeside Church

Bethlehem was not a peaceful postcard but a place of poverty, occupation, and conflict, and God chose that setting to enter the world. In this message from Robyn Elliott, Advent reminds us that God’s path to peace comes through humility, justice, and righteousness, not force or empire. To take Christmas seriously is not to save the world, but to live like Jesus - carrying God’s peace into forgotten and broken places.

Advent reveals a God who completely redefines power. Instead of arriving with force, status, or spectacle, Jesus comes in humility - born in obscurity, announced to the overlooked, and crowned through self-giving love. In this message from Mike Carmody, we’re invited to surrender the world’s version of strength and discover where God might be reversing power in us today. Discussion Questions: 1. When you think about “power,” what images or experiences come to mind from your own life? 2. Where do you most feel pressure to appear strong, impressive, or in control right now? And is there an area of your life where God might be inviting you to let go of control or status? 3. Mary responds to God with surrender rather than certainty. What would surrender look like for you this Advent? 4. Which part of the Christmas story most challenges your assumptions about success or greatness? 5. Who are the “overlooked” people in your everyday life, and what might it look like to notice or lift them up? 6. As a church community, where are we tempted to chase influence rather than faithfulness? 7. How might our relationships change if we truly believed that greatness in God’s kingdom looks like serving? 8. Why do you think God consistently chooses the least likely people throughout Scripture to carry out His purposes? 9. How does the cross reshape our understanding of victory, authority, and kingship in contrast to Roman - or modern - definitions of power?

In this message from Jack Ninaber, we explore the often-overlooked faith and obedience of Joseph - the quiet, steady figure in the Christmas story whose actions shaped the arrival of Jesus. Joseph models compassion, surrender, and courage in the face of misunderstanding, showing us what it means to step faithfully into God’s mission even when it places us in the background. His life invites us to embrace Advent as a season of trust, patience, and quiet obedience. Discussion Questions: 1. What does Joseph teach us about doing the right thing even when it may cost reputation, finances, or social standing? Have you ever faced a situation where doing the right thing made you look wrong to others? How did you process or endure that season? 2. Have you ever felt compelled to act out of duty or conviction even when your emotions didn’t align with the decision? What was that like for you? 3. In a culture where honour and shame played such a significant role, what risks did Joseph take in choosing the “quiet” option, and why might justice demand such restraint? 4. How does the angel’s message shift Joseph’s sense of obligation, from social and religious duty to participation in God’s redemptive plan? 5. Do you tend to follow God more out of conviction, love, habit, or a sense of duty? How does Joseph’s story challenge or affirm the way you live out your faith? 6. In what ways can following Jesus place us in positions where we appear foolish, misunderstood, or dishonoured, and how should we navigate that tension? 7. How do we discern when our sense of duty comes from God versus cultural, familial, or religious pressure? 8. What is an area in your life right now where doing the right thing feels difficult or misunderstood, and what might faithfulness look like for you in that situation? Resources: Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God by Mark Batterson Sacred Pathways: Nine Ways to Connect with God by Gary Thomas Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God by Dallas Willard

Advent is a season that asks us to face the tension between hope and fear - much like Bethlehem itself, the “House of Bread” and the “House of War,” where the Bread of Life was born into a world that was not yet as it should be. In this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore how God shows up in the shadows and in our waiting, turning the ashes of our lives into something sustaining and life-giving. Advent reminds us that Jesus comes not only to the beautiful parts of our story, but also to our deepest longings and pain, breaking through the darkness with quiet, resilient hope. Discussion Questions: 1. How do you typically respond to waiting, and what does that reveal about your spiritual posture during Advent? 2. Where in your life are you currently waiting for God to break in or bring clarity? And are there places where you may have unknowingly put up walls to God’s presence or movement? 3. When you think of “ashes” in your life - places of loss, shame, or disappointment - what might it look like for God to make “bread” from them? 4. In what ways does the hurried, commercial Christmas season make it difficult for you to embrace quiet, reflection, and longing? 5. How does the theme of waiting connect with the larger biblical narrative of hope and expectation? 6. Bethlehem is described as both the “House of Bread” and the “House of War.” How does this tension reflect the world Jesus entered and the world we live in today? 7. What does the incarnation (God arriving in obscurity, poverty, and vulnerability) teach us about God’s character and the way He works? 8. How does Advent reorient us to a different way of being than the secular rhythms of December? 9. Robyn launched our Christmas Giving Campaign for this year as part of her message. There are three ways you can get involved. Which option resonates with you?

Why do some prayers get answered while others seem to go unheard? Jesus promises that faith can move mountains, yet we still face trials, disappointment, and mystery. In this message from Robyn Elliott we wrestle honestly with unanswered prayer, exploring biblical tensions, real-world complexity, and the hope the resurrection still offers. Discussion Questions: 1. When have you experienced an unanswered prayer, and how did it shape your perception of God? 2. How do you reconcile Jesus’ promises in Matthew 21 and John 14 with the lived reality of suffering? 3. Which of the possible explanations discussed - contradiction, wounded world, free will, evil, sin - resonates most with you, and why? 4. To what extent is the modern Western expectation of happiness influencing how we interpret God’s role in our lives? 5. How does free will complicate the idea of God intervening in response to prayer? 6. In what ways does the biblical portrayal of spiritual evil (Ephesians 6) add nuance to the question of unanswered prayer? 7. What is the difference between having faith in God and having faith in the amount of your faith? 8. How does the Christian hope of resurrection reframe the way we interpret suffering, healing, and unanswered prayer?

In this sermon, Pastor Johanna Kelly explores wordless or contemplative prayer—a form of prayer beyond language, where we meet God in silence and presence rather than through words. It reflects on those moments in life, whether joyful, sorrowful, or ordinary, when words fail and we sense the divine near. Contemplative prayer is not about doing but about being fully present, allowing God’s love to meet us where we are. As we open our hearts, we move from knowing about God to truly knowing God. Questions: 1. Have you ever experienced a moment where words felt completely inadequate—either in sorrow or joy? What was that moment like for you? 2. Why do you think silence and stillness are often so uncomfortable for us? What tends to surface in you when you try to be quiet before God? 3. The sermon mentions that “progress in intimacy with God means progress towards silence.” What might this mean for your own prayer life? 4. What does it mean to you to bring your “whole self” to God in prayer—your past, present, hurts, and hopes? 5. How do your current images of God and of yourself shape the way you approach prayer? 6. The sermon says, “Maybe Jesus is inviting you to trust that God is love.” What might that invitation look like for you right now? 7. What practices (breath prayers, centering prayer, meditation, silence) help you become more present to God? Which ones feel most challenging? 8. If contemplative prayer is about “being fully present — in heart, mind, and body — to what is,” how might this posture transform your daily life, not just your prayer life? 9. The sermon highlights that God knocks and invites us to ‘sit and stay awhile.’ How might your community or relationships change if you embodied that same invitation for others? 10. How can contemplative or wordless prayer help bridge the divide between the seen (our human experience) and the unseen (the divine presence)?

Today’s focus is on prayer as a cry — not a polished, polite prayer, but an outcry or complaint to God. When life hurts and sorrow overwhelms, tidy prayers fall flat. Outcry or Lament is not faithless; it’s a form of protest. Lament says, “This isn’t right,” and appeals to God to act, to heal, to make things whole. But what happens when we cry out and get no explanation? Today Robyn Elliott will dig into the life of Job, a man who’s whole life came crashing down along with his theology and he saw God in a whole new way. Questions: 1. How do you usually imagine God when you pray — and how might that image shape how or even if you pray? Is God distant? Disappointed? Gentle? Attentive? How does that affect your openness in prayer? 2. When life gets painful or confusing, what’s your natural reaction — to withdraw from God, to plead with Him, or to protest? What does that say about what you believe prayer is for? 3. If lament is a form of protest — what do you think it means to “protest in faith”? How can honest complaint actually be an expression of trust rather than rebellion? 4. Can you think of a time when you brought your raw emotions to God — grief, anger, confusion — and felt met rather than rejected? What did that moment teach you about God’s character? 5. What would it look like for you to practice more honest prayer this week? (Maybe a prayer of lament, a written complaint, a conversation with God without filters.) 6. The people of Job’s time believed in the Retribution Principle — “good things happen to good people.” Where do you still see that mindset showing up today — maybe even in subtle ways in your own thinking? 7. When you’ve faced pain or loss, have you ever felt pressure to keep your faith “tidy”? What might it look like to follow Job’s example and bring your unfiltered emotions to God instead? 8. Job never gets the answers he’s looking for — but he does get an encounter with God. What do you think that tells us about the kind of relationship God desires with us, especially in suffering? 9. When have you heard or seen modern “Job’s friends” — people offering religious explanations or blame when someone suffers? How does that kind of thinking distort our understanding of God’s justice and compassion? 10. At the end of Job, God corrects everyone’s assumptions — but gives no explanation for Job’s suffering. How might that reshape the way we respond to our own unanswered “whys”? 11. Hope in lament isn’t denial — it’s defiant trust. Where in your life do you need that kind of tenacious, ferocious hope — hope that believes God is love even when nothing makes sense?

In this message from Robyn Elliott, we rediscover prayer not as something to master but as a rhythm to live - a way of turning aside to notice the divine in the everyday. From the burning bush to the coffee line, God meets us on ordinary ground and turns it into holy ground. Prayer isn’t about performance, it’s about presence, learning to see that every moment can become sacred when we pause to notice God there. Questions: 1. Do you see prayer as something you understand or something you still feel like a beginner at? Why? What fears or barriers might hold you back from praying freely and honestly? 2. Robyn said, “How we imagine God determines how we pray.” What theological or psychological insights can we draw from that statement? How might our image of God  - whether as distant judge, intimate friend, or creative force - shape both the content and the confidence of our prayers? 3. Think of a time when something ordinary suddenly felt sacred. What happened? 4. Moses encountered God in a burning bush. What might be the “ordinary bush” in your life right now where God is trying to get your attention? And how does it change your perspective to think that every ground is holy ground because God is there? 5. If prayer is “a rhythm to keep” rather than a “skill to master,” how does that reshape our understanding of spiritual formation? In what ways might prayer be less about achieving results and more about being formed into a certain kind of person? 6. What would it look like for you to “turn aside” and notice God in your daily routines - your commute, your kitchen, your conversations? 7. What small step could you take this week to make prayer a rhythm rather than a task? 8. Robyn suggested a few exercises to try over the course of this series. Which one will you start with? 9. Download the Lectio 365 app 10. Spend some time in the prayer room 11. Attend Pilgrimage of Prayer on Nov. 23 12. Pray the Lord’s Prayer

In a world shaped by symbols, Jesus gave us a table - not a throne, not a sword, not even a cross - to remember him. And in this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore how the communion table is a radical, countercultural symbol of inclusion, equity, and service, and why Paul was so fired up about it in 1 Corinthians. What does it mean to eat and drink "unworthily?" You might be surprised. Discussion Questions: 1. What are the most meaningful symbols in your life, and what symbols have shaped your faith journey - a cross, a family tradition, a church building, a song? What do those symbols say about what you truly believe about God and yourself? 2. The cross wasn’t the original symbol of Christianity. How does this historical shift in Christian symbolism shape the way we view faith today? 3. Paul's anger in 1 Corinthians 11 targets not personal piety but communal inequality. What does this say about God's priorities for the church? 4. When have you felt excluded or welcomed at a ‘table’ - whether literal or metaphorical? How does that shape how you invite others in? 5. Are there people you struggle to make space for at your table - emotionally, socially, spiritually? Why do you think that is? What might be under that resistance? 6. How does the communion table subvert empire values like hierarchy, power, and privilege? How might that challenge the modern Western church? 7. Paul says to examine ourselves before communion - not to nitpick our morality, but to ask: Are we honouring the body (the church)? What does that look like in practice? 8. If someone observed your church’s communion practice, what might they learn about your theology of inclusion and service? 9. How do we unknowingly mirror the world’s values of status and success in our Christian communities today? 10. The early church’s meals were participatory and embodied. What have we lost (or gained) by ritualizing or formalizing communion? 11. In what ways might your life reflect the empire's way more than Jesus’ way - and how could the symbol of the table realign you?

What if the most powerful part of your story isn’t the ending - but the mess in the middle? In this message, Kathleen Elliott shares her honest, unfinished journey of faith, parenting, and showing up when life feels messy. If you've ever wondered where God is in the middle of your doubts, struggles, or everyday chaos, this story is for you. Discussion Questions: 1. Where in your life do you feel like you're in “the messy middle” right now? 2. What are the parts of your story you’d rather keep hidden, and where might God be gently nudging you to be more vulnerable? 3. Have you ever mistaken “comfort” for “God’s plan”? How has discomfort shaped your faith? 4. Where have you seen God show up, not to fix things, but simply to be present with you? 5. What false beliefs about God or yourself are you currently unlearning? 6. Are there prayers, people, or moments from your past that you now recognize as God planting seeds? 7. What’s a step you can take - even a baby step - to keep showing up in faith today? 8. Who have you allowed to write parts of your story for you, and how can you invite God into that narrative instead? 9. What does it mean for you to be “held by God,” even if you don’t feel finished or figured out? 10. If you were to tell your story honestly today, what title would you give this chapter of your life?

In a world craving home, we believe the Church is called to be just that: a family of all kinds of people, gathered under one roof and around one table for the sake of the world. This message from Robyn Elliott is a call to reimagine church as a lived experience of love, belonging, and unity. This is about belief, bodies, and buildings - and how God is doing a new thing right here. Discussion Questions: 1. Which “room” in your spiritual house do you feel most at home in, and which ones challenge you? 2. How does it feel to imagine church as a family rather than a collection of families? 3. Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong in a church? What made you feel that way? And how have you become the church in a way that helps others? 4. What does “a seat at the table” mean to you personally? Who isn’t at your table that should be? 5. In what ways have your beliefs changed or “renovated” over time? What stayed the same? 6. When have you felt most seen or safe in a church setting - and what made that moment possible? 7. How can we move from being Sunday attenders to everyday followers of Jesus? 8. What does it mean to honour every BODY, not just in theory, but in practice? 9. If your life was a home, who feels safe and welcome inside? Who still feels like a stranger? 10. What new thing might God be doing in you - something you can’t yet see clearly?

The book of Acts ends with loose ends - a story unfinished. But maybe that’s the point. As we close this rollercoaster of a journey through Acts with Pastor Robyn Elliott, we ask: what kind of church are we becoming, and are we still living the way of Jesus, not with control and power, but with humility, love, and Spirit-empowered purpose? Discussion Questions: 1. In what ways has the church today become more like an empire than a movement shaped by Jesus? 2. Have you ever experienced the church as a place of healing - or as a place of harm? What shaped that experience? 3. Where have you seen the Spirit still at work today - in individuals or communities - despite the church’s brokenness? 4. How can we tell if we’re studying the Bible but still missing Jesus? What are the warning signs? 5. What would it look like to retrace our steps, not just as individuals but as a community of faith? 6. Robyn said, “Our hearts can grow hard, even in holy places.” Where in your life do you need to be softened - spiritually, relationally, or emotionally? 7. Are there areas where you've been clinging to control, fame, or platform, rather than humility and vulnerability? 8. If Acts doesn’t have a clear ending, what does that say about your role in God’s story today? 9. What does it mean to you that the table of Jesus is open to “all who are weary?”

Acts (The Way Forward): When Kindness Comes from Strangers by Lakeside Church