Is it okay to pray for more material blessings? Is it worldly to do that? What about spiritual blessings? My teenage son died several years ago around this time. I don’t know for sure about his salvation, and I worry every day about him, because I didn’t let him take communion and he was never baptized. What can I do now to find peace?

Who is the Holy Spirit to us? What role does He play in our lives? How do we share the gospel? Do we have to seal the deal? I hear a nagging voice that says you’re not doing enough. Is that God?

Does Jesus promise to save anyone who calls on Him? Three times, I’ve heard our pastor use foul language during the church service. What should I think? Do we repent from our sins to be saved? Or is that a works-based salvation without the faith component? Are you saying God doesn’t punish us for our sins? We never have to pay for them? What about consequences?

What are the defilements of flesh and spirit that Paul talks about? Can we be tarnished spiritually as believers? How can I stand up for the truth in my small group without creating division? Can a Christian be possessed by a demon? What is the ultimate solution to spiritual warfare?

How are we “present with the Lord” when we die yet “the dead in Christ will rise first”? How can we be seated at God‘s right hand if we are even closer than that by being united with Christ? Somebody told me we should be thankful for everything, including the Nazi regime. That can’t be right, right? Two of my children’s lives were taken at a young age. Now, I wonder if God hates me or has taken His hand off of me. Can you help me?

1. Read Matthew 7:18. What does Jesus’ teaching about good and bad trees reveal about the source of our fruit? Our nature? Our goodness?
2. Read Romans 7:4. How does the “death and remarriage” analogy help us understand our new relationship with Christ? What was our old husband like? Our new one?
3. Read Romans 7:6. What does it mean to serve “in newness of the Spirit” instead of “in oldness of the letter”? What does that really look like? How is it different from the stereotype of Christian living that can stifle the genuine article?
4. Read Galatians 5:1. In what ways do believers sometimes drift back toward a “yoke of slavery”? How can we remain firm in our freedom? Any practical helps?
5. Read Galatians 5:22–24. Why do you think Paul says, “against such things there is no law”?
6. Read Colossians 2:19. How does being “connected to the head” (Christ) change the way we think about growing in grace and fruit-bearing?
7. React to this statement: “Fruit only grows in an atmosphere of freedom.” Do you agree? Why or why not?

How do we hear from God? Does He speak in an audible voice? If not, how are we led by Him? What is the best way to point out theological errors to my peers without offending them or shocking them? My son says he only prayed the salvation prayer for our sakes, his parents. He believes the gospel today, but we wonder if he needs to pray to be saved again?

Should we hunger for more of God? Am I allowed to defend myself in court as a Christian? How can I break free from the sin of self improvement? Should I leave my church because they have a female co-pastor?