Series: IN THE BEGINNING, GOD Discussion Guide #1 – Dan Williams
Lesson: “In The Beginning, God”
Texts: Genesis 1:1, Acts 17:16-31
Aim: to introduce the series, and to reflect on the nature of the one true God.
ICEBREAKER QUESTION #1: Welcome to our group! And thanks to __________ for being our hosts. Each week we will begin our conversation by going around the circle and telling our name, and as we introduce ourselves we will also answer an “Ice-Breaker Question.” Today we have two “Ice Breaker Questions.” Here is the first one: Suppose you win an all-expense-paid vacation trip to either New York City or Washington, D.C. They are both prominent cities and popular destinations, but you can only pick one. Which one would you choose, and why? I’ll begin: my name is _________, and the city I would choose is …..…
ICEBREAKER QUESTION #2: On September 11, 2001, you would not have wanted to be in either of those cities! Do you remember where you were on that day, and what you were doing when you first heard the news that New York and Washington were under attack? I’ll begin: my name is ___________, and on September 11 of 2001 I was…….…
Each week the “Ice-Breaker Question” is the only question we will ALL be asked to answer. The rest of our questions are for the whole group, so feel free to speak up whenever you have something to share!
DISCUSSION QUESTION: What would you say are some of the ways our nation has changed as a result of those awful attacks back in 2001?
DISCUSSION QUESTION: When over 1000 Americans were surveyed ten years later about the impact of 9/11 on their life, 78% said the attacks caused them to appreciate their friends and family more. In addition, more than two out of every five said the attacks increased their faith. Why do you suppose that is? How might that terrible catastrophe actually cause some people to have more faith? [Source: AARP Bulletin, September 2011, page 4]
DISCUSSION QUESTION: One of the things we have learned from that event is that a person’s concept of God makes a huge difference. After all, the terrorists who attacked our nation on 9-11 were acting in the name of their god. In your opinion, in what ways is the terrorists’ concept of Allah different from the nature of the God you discover in your Bible?
Our concepts of God are crucial because they have a major influence in shaping how we think and live. The Bible exists to accurately reveal Him to us. In this series we will review the first three chapters of Genesis to learn about God and to answer some of life’s most fundamental questions.
TURN TO the book of Genesis, to the first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible.
READ Verse 1. DISCUSSION QUESTION: The opening sentence of the Bible is breathtaking in its simplicity, majesty, and scope! By itself, however, this first verse raises more questions than it answers: it introduces God, but it doesn’t describe or explain Him. When you try to comprehend the nature of our Almighty God, is there anything that puzzles you? What are some of the questions YOU have about God?
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TURN to the book of Acts (fifth book in the New Testament), Chapter 17. The apostle Paul once visited Athens, one of the most prominent cities of the first century, where he found himself in the position of explaining the one true God to people who didn’t know anything about Him.
READ Verses 16-18 DISCUSSION QUESTION: Why do you suppose Paul was so distressed when he saw that the city of Athens was filled with idols? What might have upset him the most about that sight?
READ Verses 19-23 LEADER’S INSIGHT: The Aeropagus (pronounced ehr ih AHP uh gus), or “Mars Hill,” was the central meeting place for the leaders of Athens. The city of Athens had a reputation for being filled with shrines and temples dedicated to the pagan gods, many of them covered with gold and precious stones. In his speech that follows Paul will explain six characteristics of the one true God.
READ Verse 24 The very first characteristic of the God described in the Bible is that He created the universe. DISCUSSION QUESTION: When you reflect on the nature of creation, and the universe that God made, what is the one thing that amazes you the most?
READ Verses 24-25 The second characteristic of the true God is that He is SPIRITUAL in nature, and not PHYSICAL (Note the repeated references to “not……hands”). DISCUSSION QUESTION: Jesus said in John 4:24 that “God is spirit.” We will return to this concept later on, but what does it mean to YOU to say that God is SPIRITUAL in nature?
READ Verse 25 The third characteristic of the true God is that He sustains the universe. DISCUSSION QUESTION: God didn’t just start the earth spinning and then walk away: He continues to keep it going. Suppose you were teaching a group of first- and second-graders, and you wanted them to understand that God still sustains the world He made. What are some of the things in nature you would use in order to demonstrate that God is still active?
READ Verses 26-27 The fourth characteristic of the God of the Bible is that He is the Ruler of ALL nations. DISCUSSION QUESTION: Verse 27 contains a crucial insight into our relationship with God: one reason He placed every nation and race of people on this earth is so that they would “seek Him.” Why do you feel God wanted us to “reach out for Him”? Why might it be important to God that WE seek and find HIM?
READ Verses 28-29 The fifth characteristic of God is that He is the Father of all human beings. LEADER’S INSIGHT: Paul’s argument goes like this: If we are God’s children and are made in His image, then it is ridiculous to imagine that WE can create an image of HIM!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. Why do you suppose peoples of all cultures and throughout all ages have tried to create material images of God? 2. Idolatry is consistently condemned in the Bible, but why? Why is it so wrong to make a physical representation of God?
READ Verses 30-31 The final characteristic of the true God is that He will one day be the Judge of all the earth. DISCUSSION QUESTION: In what ways could the knowledge that we will all be judged by God at the end of time make a difference in the way people think and live in the here and now?
SUMMARY STATEMENT: Our conceptions of God have a huge impact on the way we think and the way we live. Throughout this series from the first three chapters of Genesis we will learn more about God’s nature and at the same time address some of the most fundamental questions of life.
