"A Fire's Place" Discussion Guide

Recap

  1. How do you try to fit your life into the Big Picture of God’s Mission?

Main Thought

The Holy Spirit’s presence, along with the spiritual gifts, can be a great blessing in the lives of Believers. But we might react to the Spirit and His gifts in one of two extreme ways. We quench the Spirit with our misunderstandings of the Bible, or through our own doubt and fear. These reactions can lead to being spiritually “dead” - devoid of God’s presence and without empowerment for His purpose. On the other hand, we become weird when we move outside the Bible’s guidelines for how the Holy Spirit operates. Being weird impedes our witness for Christ, which is one of the Holy Spirit’s primary objectives on earth. We must fully embrace the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to maximize the glory we bring to God and our own gifts.

Main Passages

26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
- John 15:26-27

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
- 1 Corinthians 14:39-40

“The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions. Also, if the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.”
- George Muller

Discussion Questions

  1. Which one of the Main Passages stand out to you the most? Do any of them convict or challenge you?

  2. Do you tend to drift toward being “dead” or being “weird” when it comes to the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts? Why?

Application

  1. Ask God to teach you to experience the Holy Spirit’s presence and use your spiritual gifts in a balanced, Biblical way over the next week.