Glencairn Church

Going Deeper is designed for use with your small group, a friend or on you own. Its aim is to create time for you to spend with God and his word. Do as much or as little as you like. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact one of our pastoral staff.

1. Pray for the needs of your Life Group, for our church and our leaders, for personal and corporate renewal, and to allow God’s word to transform us. Share a recent entry from your Life Journal with the group.

2. As we begin a new series through the Gospel of Luke, we come to chapter 3 which is all about preparation. John the Baptist prepares Israel for the coming King, God the Father prepares His Son for his role as Messiah, and we the readers are learning to prepare to meet this King. What thoughts or questions did the message raise for you? Which ones encouraged you or posed a challenge to you?

3. Read Luke 3:1-23. Imagine yourself in the crowd to whom John the Baptist is preaching. The message of repentance was offensive to the Jew – after all, they are the chosen people of God, Abraham’s children. How do you think you would have responded to the message? Why do you think Luke mentions tax collectors and soldiers (the most hated segments of society) as those who responded?

4. According to John, repentance is the required preparation to meet the Messiah, the King. What similarities/differences are there between repentance and confession? Let’s do a word study. Read the following scriptures and note the characteristics of repentance: Luke 13:3-5; 15:7; 17:4; 24:47; Acts 11:18; 26:20; Rom 2:4; 2 Cor 7:9-10; 2 Tim 2:25

5. The message talked about living in an atmosphere of repentance, and that repentance is a lifestyle. How can you live that out? When is it the hardest for you to live that out?

6. In verse 8, we read this admonition: “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” Who is this directed to? John gives some examples of what those fruits are in verses 10-14. What fruits do you think are worthy of repentance to us today?

7. Why is it important to humbly confess your sins? When you pray, what does humility look like to you? Are there any disciplines (like kneeling down during prayer, lifting your eyes up to the heavens, lying prostrate on the floor, etc.) that will help you become more humble when talking to God in prayer? Try one today!

8. Are you prepared to meet the coming King? Take a moment of silence to consider how God is speaking to you through these verses. Is He asking you to make changes or to do something new? What concrete steps of response do you want to take? How can your group support you in these steps?