Grow Group Questions • Citizen Exile • Daniel 6
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Conversation Starter/Questions (10-15 minutes)
(Use as Needed or Dive Right Into The Sermon Based Questions)
Option 1: When the king called out to Daniel as he had spent all night with the lions, the tension must have been thick in the air as everyone waited in suspense. What, in your opinion, is the greatest cliffhanger moment in movie history? (for example, some say that the greatest cliffhanger moment was when Darth Vader told Luke that he was his father and everyone had to wait until the next movie to know for sure)
Option 2: Read Rom 15:4. The Old Testament, among many other reasons, was written so as to be an instruction and encouragement to us in the New Testament. Other than Daniel, what Old Testament character has really been developmental in your faith or as an encouragement and why? How have you allowed that to impact your life positively?
Sermon Based Questions (15-20 minutes)
(Remember: you don’t have to use all of the questions, use as many as you need and allow the Spirit to lead your time together but please make sure you allow at least 15 mins at end for the prayer call in the last section.)
Please take time to read all of Daniel Chapter 6 as a group before getting into the discussion questions.
Pastor Thad talked about the symbolism of having a kneeler being the first piece of furniture in his house and about burning a candle as he has his quiet time with God. Do you have any symbolic practices? If so, what are they and how do they help you personally?
Read Daniel 6:10 and 1 Thess. 5:16-18. Daniel 6:10 shows that Daniel prayed 3 times a day and the New Testament (1 Thess. 5:16-18) communicates that we should pray without ceasing. Without being legalistic, what are these passages showing us about being continually in the presence of God?
What is your practice regarding the presence of God? How do you cultivate this?
Is this something that comes naturally to you or has it been more of a struggle to do? Why? How do any of your practices help you do this?
In the sermon, Pastor Thad also communicated that people of prayer are normally people of praise and full of joy. Read the quote below. Do you think this statement is true? Why or why not? How might this encourage you to seek the presence of God more?“In order to praise the beauty of the mountain, one must go to the mountain and experience its grandeur, likewise, one must go to God to experience Him and be inspired to praise. We can acknowledge beauty from a picture (postcard) or someone else’s experience, but we are not enthralled and made breathless, that comes from exposure to the magnificence of the real vista!”
Read John 16:33; Acts 16:25-34. Daniel and his friends, in the book of Daniel reveal the truth about the all-powerful God in many ways. Most notably, the greatest moments of revealing God came during great moments of challenge. With that in mind, what should the Christian’s character and composure be during seasons of challenge?
Have you ever impacted anyone positively by your attitude during a challenging time in your life? Were you able to give testimony to God because of it? If not, how did you fail, what would you do differently next time?
Digging Deeper (15-20 minutes)
Daniel’s life was very atypical biblically and even culturally in that he had no wife or children and yet the text said he prospered and we are still telling his story today. For married and single people: How does this challenge the way you might normally think of singleness? How does this impact how you see the role of singleness in the Kingdom of God?
For those that are single: How does this encourage you in this season of singleness that God has called you to; no matter how short or long it is?
Read John 11:38-44. In Daniel 6 this was shown by Daniel coming out of the lion’s den as the stone was rolled away. What stone or challenge or area in your life do you need to pray to God for Him to move so that you might come from the other side and glorify Him?
What keeps you from coming to God in prayer on this topic?
What do you think might help you seek God in prayer more?
Challenge and Prayer (15-20 minutes)
Challenge: Daniel prayed 3 times a day (at least). For the remainder of this week, you are challenged to stop and pray at least 3 times a day and journal the impact of this extra prayer time. You then must share your findings with one other member of your group.
CLOSING PRAYER TIME: What do you think might be your biggest obstacle to seeing the above challenge happen? Have each person that is willing to share that obstacle and then pray specifically for them to see God work in that area of their life this week to see prayer happen more.
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