Scripture Passage: Matthew 14:22-33

Retell the story or act out the story with different family members taking a role, i.e. Peter, Disciples, Jesus, someone responsible for sound effects

• What was the problem that the disciples had?

• Where was Jesus when they had the problem?

• What did Jesus do?

• What did Peter do?

• What happened when Peter took his eyes off Jesus?

• Why did he take his eyes off Jesus?

• What did Jesus do?

• What did the disciples realize when Jesus brought Peter into the boat?

Practical Application

• When have you been afraid?

• What or who helped you not be afraid?

• What can we learn from “storms?”

• What can we learn about God in “storms?”

A Current Event

• Talk about our present storm (COVID-19)

• What do we know about it?

• How does it make you feel?

• What can we do?

• From our Bible story and past experiences, how can we apply what we have learned to our present challenge?

• Where is Jesus in our present circumstances?

Scripture Passage: Matthew 5:7 and 18: 21-35

Forgiveness isn’t a suggestion God gives us. It’s an obligation for believers. So how do we forgive and why?

In the Parable of the Unfaithful Servant, we see forgiveness practiced. The servant that owed much was forgiven but then didn’t forgive someone else of a much smaller debt. How do we practice extraordinary forgiveness?

1. My Opportunity to Receive Mercy | The man forgiven of the immense debt is an example of the sin debt we can’t possibly pay on our own. God forgives us when there is no way for us to pay.

2. My Opportunity to Offer Mercy | If we don’t forgive others much smaller debts, our salvation isn’t at risk, but we are putting ourselves in a prison of bitterness and pain.

God tells us to forgive others, but how do we do it?

Identify | We must identify in what way we perceive we were wronged and what we feel we are owed. Write it down and be honest with yourself.

Love | We must look past the fault and see the other person’s need. We are undeserving of God’s forgiveness, but He sees our need and loves us anyway.

Surrender | We must release the debt we deserve.

Forgive | Forgiveness is passing along the owed payment to God.

There are no shortcuts to quality. Forgiveness is hard work, but God asks it of us and He will give us the strength to succeed.

Discussion Questions: 

• How have you been wronged and whom do you need to forgive? What steps can you take today? 

• Who has forgiven you when you didn’t deserve it? 

• How can you seek to forgive someone that hasn’t asked for forgiveness? 

• Discuss times you may have unintentionally hurt someone. Have you asked for forgiveness? 

The Bible is the story of God’s kingdom unfolding in our midst. It is the treasure map to finding where God is and what he is up to. If you seek Him, He promises you will find Him. And when you find Him, joy will overwhelm you.

Discuss: “What is the Bible?”

• Look at the table of contents of your Bible: How many books are in the Bible?
• How many are in the Old Testament? New Testament?
• What is the difference?

Old Testament

• The Old Testament is summarized in one word, Israel.

4 basic sections of the Old Testament

• Torah: Genesis – Deuteronomy
• History: Joshua – Esther
• Writings: Job – Song of Songs
• Prophets: Major (Isaiah – Daniel) and Minor (Hosea – Malachi)

New Testament

• The New Testament is summarized in one word, Jesus.

4 basic sections of the New Testament

• Gospels: Matthew – John
• History: Acts
• Letters: Paul (Roman – Philemon) and GHeneral
• Revelation

Why study the Bible?

• To know God’s voice. Read John 10:27 and Hebrews 1:1-2. What do these verses teach us?

• To know God’s will. Read James 2:19 and 1:22-26. What do these verses teach us about knowing God’s will?

• To know God’s blessing. Read Psalm 1:1-3. What are some of the benefits (blessings)?

Check out the Kingsland App for some tools to help you get started.

Discuss with one another your favorite Bible stories: tell them in your own words, what you like about them, what they tell you about God, and what they say about you.

Scripture Passage: Numbers 6: 24-26

Aaron’s blessing in Numbers 6 shows us how we can experience God’s blessing in 2020. This blessing was said at the end of every tabernacle service to send the people out into the world and into their families with a new beginning. As we are “sent out” into a new year, this blessing connects us to God and helps us to bless others as well.

1. We receive blessing through God delighting in us.
God made you and decided, from the beginning, that it was good. He wants to have a relationship with you that is intimate and genuine.

2. We receive blessing through God’s provision.
God not only delights in and wants the best for you, but He is committed with all of His power to achieving what’s best for you. He is willing to the pay the price, even if that’s the death of His own Son, to bring about what is best for you.

3. We receive blessing through the family.
When we enter into relationship with God, He makes us part of His family. Maintaining that relationship with the Father is the most important way to receive the blessing of His family.

Families are so important whether they be your physical or spiritual family, which is why Kingsland is passionate about the family. We received His blessing, now we can be a blessing within our families, within our communities, and to those who may not know God.

Discussion:

• Where do you feel like you struggle when it comes to receiving God’s blessing and becoming a blessing to others?

• Are you prepared to GO where God leads you, out of your comfort zone, to share the love of God to others?

• Are you prepared to GATHER in biblical community on a consistent basis – and to commit to others at Kingsland as you invest your life in theirs?

• Are you prepared to BLESS those in your household – to be committed to being a physical representative of the blessing of God to your own family?

• Are you prepared to REST in Jesus – to invest time every day to a personal relationship with the God who loves you?

Scripture Passage: Acts 1:1-11

The ascension of Jesus is inseparably linked to His redemptive plan. In fact, Jesus’ commission to the disciples to go as witnesses into the world coincided with this incredible, miraculous event.

The Ascension Reminds Us That We Have a Valid Mission | Acts 1:1-5

Do you see? The same God who kept every promise in His word will keep every promise He has made for the future. That means every word in the Scriptures is true. You never ever have to doubt if you’ve chosen the right side when you’re on God’s side. The Ascension reminds us that we have a valid mission.

The Ascension Reminds Us That We Have an Empowered Mission | Acts 1:6-9

Jesus gave His disciples a mission that was bigger than themselves! Think about this: these 11 disciples were on the hillside 2000 years ago and answered the call. We worship and proclaim the good news because of the faithfulness of those disciples. There are millions of others today who are waiting on us to answer that same call.

The Ascension Reminds Us That We Have a Victorious Mission | Acts 1:9-11

Jesus Christ is our forerunner. He has gone ahead of us to heaven. Jesus is going to return as conquering King. We have been commissioned to proclaim his coming!

Think About It & Talk About It

• What does the word “ascension” mean? 

• In what ways are we on the same mission the disciples were sent on? 

• What is the mission God has called you to? 

• The Gospel is the power for salvation and the purpose of our everyday life. How will you live on mission this week?

Scripture Passage: Philippians 1:12-13

All of us have experienced detours in life—unforeseen challenges or struggles that cause us to deviate from the path we expected. In today’s passage, Paul references some detours he experienced in his own life, but he turns the situation upside down by showing that God was able to accomplish good in the midst of the challenges. Every believer should make the most of “detours” because of the way God uses setbacks in Paul’s life.

Three ways God shapes lives for the cause of Christ:

1. The Answered Prayers of Detours

Sometimes, God answers our prayers in ways that we don’t anticipate. Paul prayed to be able to minister in Rome, he had not planned for his journey to Rome to be due to imprisonment. Through it all, God used these unplanned circumstances to further the Gospel.

2. The Unexpected People of Detours

When we end up in the midst of detours, we often find ourselves surrounded by people we would have otherwise never had access to. Many times our trials become like backstage passes that give us access to amazing people who would otherwise not be interested in connecting with you. And when you have that access, you have the opportunity to share the hope of Jesus with them.

3. The Altered Priorities of Detours

Every person is going to have to determine at some point what really matters. When we face major setbacks in our lives, a lot of the things that used to matter don’t matter anymore. And some of the things that should have mattered now matter a lot more.

Discussion Questions:

• Think back to a time in your life when things did not go according to plan. Can you now see a way that God was at work during that time?
• Who is someone that God has placed in your path to have an impact on their life? How could God use you to impact their life?
• Have you had a circumstance in your life that recalibrated your priorities? Which priorities changed and why?

Scripture Passage: Nehemiah 3

This morning at church we were in Nehemiah Chapter 3 and we looked at what it means to be a follower. Through the Scripture we saw that there were three types of followers. The first is the bystander. These are people who are not involved, they just observe, and they often try to bring things down. The second was the participant. These are people who check the box of helping and following, but they are not bought into what they are doing. The third is the champion. The champion is the person who gives above and beyond when they serve and follow.

The type of follower that we want to be as Christ followers is a champion. Below are a few characteristics of the champions.

1. Champions are both leaders and followers.
   • In order to be a good leader you must learn how to follow.
2. Champions take ownership.
   • Champions seek to learn how God has wired them and to use their spiritual gifts to serve others.
3. Champions don’t care about receiving the credit.
   • They serve and follow to help move the vision forward and to be a part of the greater picture.

The people in Nehemiah 3 were all people who followed Nehemiah and helped accomplished the task of rebuilding the wall. Many of their names are mentioned here, but they may not mean much to us at first reading. However, they were all used to accomplish a greater goal for God. We are no different. The things we do today and the way we follow today may not ever be known by the multitude, but they matter in terms of eternity. They are part of a bigger picture, and they bring God much glory.

Questions:

• Who do I follow?
• Why am I following them?
• How does my following of these people effect how I lead others? (We all have influence.)
• As I follow what are ways that you can serve other people and be a part of what God is doing?

Prayer: Pray that you as a family would seek to follow well and follow those that will lead you to honor and glorify Jesus. Pray that your family would serve as you follow.

Scripture Passage: 2 Samuel 13:1-14

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men have experienced some sort of contact sexual violence in their lifetime. Sexual abuse is the most under-reported crime in the United States according to the FBI.

Consider the following four destructive spiritual effects of sexual abuse.

The Abuse of Trust — Read 2 Samuel 13:1-12
The passage in 2 Samuel is about abuse within the family. Satan is shrewd and will feed our distrust of God by orchestrating betrayal and abuse from those who ought to be trustworthy. Satan can use this to lead you to believe the lie that you cannot trust God or anybody.


An Abuse of Power — Read 2 Samuel 13:14
Amnon overpowered Tamar in spite of her appeals to stop. Satan attempts to destroy hope by making us feel powerless. Satan can use this to lead you to believe the lie that there is no help or hope for a victim like you.

An Abuse of Guilt — Read 2 Samuel 13:13
Guilt is the legal term for those who are to blame. Shame is what a victim feels. Shame often drives victims into isolation and silence. Satan can use this to lead you to believe that you are not worthy of God’s attention or the blessing of others.

An Abuse of Love — Read 2 Samuel 13:14-20
After abusing Tamar, Amnon hated her with intense hatred, even though he was the perpetrator. Satan can use what others have done to you to make you believe that you are unlovable and should resist love.

Consider the following steps if you have suffered abuse.

• Tell Someone You Trust

• Work Through the Loss with a Gospel-centered counselor. Understand that recovery from trauma takes time.

• Loved ones must communicate safety and care. For those who love victims, please listen to them, believe them, offer compassion, get them help, and encourage them.

• If you are guilty of abuse, then you must repent, report yourself, seek forgiveness, and work toward restoration and hope.

Please visit Kingsland’s Resources for those who have suffered Sexual Abuse.

Scripture Passage: Proverbs 4

What is wisdom? Wisdom is the ability to take knowledge and apply it in the right way. Foolishness is someone who is always surprised. When it comes to applying wisdom and making decisions, we can ask four questions as we wrestle with key decisions in our lives. Using the truths from proverbs, these four questions can help us make good decisions.

Four Questions for any Decision.

1. What advice have I been given?
2. What’s my real motive?
3. What about others?
4. What about the future?

ACTIVITY: Practice these questions with your kids.

• Have your kid(s) think of a decision that needs to be made.
  Example: Should I watch that one show on Netflix. Should you go to a party? Should I take candy from the store without paying? Should you date that girl?
• Apply these four questions
• Discuss the answers

When you really gain an understanding of how much God loves you and that he has a purpose for your life, your choices will take on more importance! Our goal is not efficiency. Our goal is not even morality. Our goal is to bring honor and glory and praise to our God through our lives and our decisions!

Scripture: Mark 10:35-45

We continued our series today in the book of Mark about Defining Moments in our lives. In Mark 10, James and John (and their mom) ask Jesus for places of greatness beside Him. Jesus tells them they aren’t able to drink the cup He’s about to drink, but they will suffer to bring glory to the Lord. Mark gives us some reminders about greatness.

1. True Greatness Comes Through Sacrifice

You need to know how to take orders before you can give them.

2. Lasting Influence Comes Through Suffering

In Mark 10:38, Jesus mentions “the cup” He will drink. “The cup” in scripture refers to the wrath of God. Jesus reminds us that His greatest moment of glory would also be his greatest moment of suffering.

Our guest speaker, Any Pettitte, Major League Baseball pitcher, spoke about using his career to bring glory to God. He told about the 2007 Mitchell Report that could have greatly impacted his witness for the Gospel.

3. Our Freedom Comes Through the Cross

Mark 10:45 says Jesus gave His life as a ransom. Ransom means buying the freedom of a slave. If you have accepted Christ, your greatness is your freedom from sin, because that freedom has already been paid for.

Discussion Suggestions:

• In Andy’s testimony, he said he grew up in church, but didn’t accept Christ until he was at a revival at age 11, when he first heard about salvation. Can someone attend church regularly and NOT be saved? What does salvation require?
• Think about some “great” people and talk about what makes them great.
• Andy was the only rookie on his team in 1995, and he was bold enough to be the Chapel Leader. How can we prepare the next generation to be that strong in their faith as young adults?