Skip to main content

Finding God: Hosea


What is the biggest disappointment you've had to deal with this week? this month?

Read Hosea 1:1-3 and 3:1-5.

How would you feel if God commanded you to marry someone you knew was going to be unfaithful to you? Would you obey? Why or why not?

What are some situations you (or others) face today in which obedience to God is difficult? What can motivate you to obey God even when it is difficult?

According to chapter three, it appears that Hosea's wife, Gomer, actually left him and became a prostitute.

Even though Hosea knew Gomer was going to be unfaithful, how do you think he felt when it actually happened?

How did Gomer's unfaithfulness provide an illustration of Israel's unfaithfulness to God?

As a group, make a short list of the many things God did for Israel through the centuries. Then make a short list of the ways Israel was unfaithful to God.

In what ways are people unfaithful to God today?

Read Hosea 14:1,2,9.

If someone has been unfaithful to God, what do they need to do in order to "return" to Him?

What do you think it means to walk in the ways of the LORD? How can you walk in the ways of the LORD this week?

How can this group pray for you today?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

10 Summer Activities To Keep Your Small Group Connected

I just sent an email to all our small group leaders (I do this 3-4 times each month). This week's focus was STAYING CONNECTED THROUGH THE SUMMER. Below is a list of 10 summer activities a small group can use to stay connected. These are specifically created for groups at The Gathering, but you can pretty easily modify the list to fit your church or your community. Go to a Dragon's Game together. You can buy tickets as a group from the church for the game on July 11. Design a Progressive Dinner. Have appetizers at one house, salad at another, the main course somewhere else and dessert at a final destination. Have a monthly barbecue party. Serve together. Pick a place (Good Neighbor House, St. Vincents, Victory Project, Pirate Packs, Caring Partners International, One Bistro) and sign up to serve as a group one afternoon or evening. Meet up at the Family Movie Night on June 15. Spend a day at King's Island. Work at the church for an afternoon. We have many proj...

20 Questions to Build Group Connections

Here is a great exercise for a new group. The instructions are pretty simple. Go around the group giving each person the opportunity to choose one question and answer it honestly. Anyone can follow-up with an opinion or clarifying question (no critiquing each other's answers, though). Once a question has been answered, no one else may answer that question. If your group is larger, you may want to alter the rule and allow each question to be answered 2 or 3 times. Ideally, each person should end up answering 3-5 questions. As the leader, pay attention to the conversation. Let the discussion run its course as this is how people in the group build their relationships with one another. You can use these questions, modify them or create your own.

5 Conversations Every Small Group Should Have

Small group gatherings are not business meetings. They need not have rigid agendas or strict time constraints. Although effective groups often follow set curriculum, there are times when they can take a break from their plans and have conversations about their group’s health. These five questions can be used together or one at a time. They are designed to help groups’ determine their identity, diagnoses their health and develop a plan for the future. How can we meet one another’s needs? Acts is full of stories about Christians finding creative means by which they can meet each other’s needs. Some even sold their properties and possessions. The small group is the ideal lab in which we can work out what it truly means to love one another as Jesus loved us. If the greatest love of all is laying down our lives for each other (and it is), then meeting the needs of others in our group should be one of our first and highest priorities. How can we encourage one another? 1...