When God created Adam & Eve, Scripture tells us He blessed them with a command to have children. We'll look at the implications of this for the Church today and compare it to the views of the culture. Are marriage, children, and family still blessings and commands for Christians today? What about singleness? We'll talk about all of it.

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

How has personal experience and the influence of the culture shaped your views of marriage and children?

Do you feel your views align with Scripture or conflict with Scripture?

How can we reconcile the idea of marriage and children as blessings with the very real challenges and hardships that often come with them in our fallen world?

How can single Christians balance pursuing obedience to God’s command to marry with not rushing into a relationship foolishly?

Have you ever pursued a life goal at the expense of obeying, or delaying obedience to, God?

What are some good reasons for delaying marriage?

What are some bad reasons for delaying marriage?

Invite the married couples in your group to share an unexpected blessing they found in marriage.

How can the Church meaningfully affirm and celebrate biblical singleness?

How should Christians respond to pressing cultural issues around gender, like preferred pronouns, bathrooms, and gay or trans weddings? We'll apply the truth of the Scriptures practically and also look at how churches should respond to seekers who wrestle with issues like same-sex attraction and/or gender dysphoria.

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

What are your thoughts on preferred pronouns? What sort of situations have you encountered around this issue? How did you handle them?

Jeff shared that attending a wedding is generally viewed as an endorsement of the celebration. Do you agree? Why or why not? How would you respond to being invited to a same-sex wedding?

How does the idea that 'God is love' (Cf. 1 John 4:8) differ from the cultural notion that 'love is God'?

Agape love means doing what is best for someone regardless of personal cost. What are some ways God has called you, personally, to show His Agape love to others in your life?

Reflect on the statement: "Their being actually loved is more important than their feeling loved." How does this challenge our typical understanding of love?

How does the promise of resurrected, perfected bodies in eternity impact how we view and deal with physical and mental struggles in this life?

What is gender dysphoria, and what causes it? Why are we seeing so much more of it? We'll talk about these timely questions and how Christians can think biblically about gender identity issues.

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

Do you believe in besetting sins (I.E., sins that a Christian will probably wrestle with their whole lives)?

Do you believe every Christian can be fully healed from any struggle with sin?

If not, what IS possible for every Christian in their struggles with sin?

In what ways might Christians be tempted to make exceptions for obedience to God's Word based on emotions or mental health struggles?

If a Christian struggled with gender dysphoria, how would you show them the love of Christ while maintaining biblical standards?

What are the potential consequences of finding your identity in something other than Christ?

What things in your life are you most tempted to find your identity in other than Christ?