Hello This is a Test

Group Guide

This Week's City 7:

6. Is the Bible God’s word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)

Ice-Breaker:

Are you married to or dating someone that is the complete opposite of you? Are you a believer in opposites attract? 

Discussion Questions:

  • On Sunday, Clayton first discussed the NATURE of partnership. Genesis 2 talks about God creating woman to be a helper that was suitable for him. The original Hebrew of this text doesn't refer to their status. Rather, they are BOTH helpers. A good, made-up word for this would be "counterpartnerment". Man and woman are counterparts, partners and they compliment each other. In a marriage relationship this means you NEED each other. Not independent or dependent, but INTERDEPENDENT. Do you ever tend to only focus on those differences between you and your spouse that annoy you? How often do you appreciate those differences and acknowledge your need for them? Talk about some of those differences and how, though they might be annoying, you actually need them to balance you.

  • Next, we explored the DEPTH of partnership. Genesis 2:24 talks about a man leaving his father and mother and being JOINED to his wife... then the two are UNITED into one. Marriage is a COVENANT, not a CONTRACT. A contract is, "You do your part, I'll do mine." It's conditional. A covenant is unconditional. It says, "I'm all in, regardless of the other's performance." What has your mentality been about marriage? Do your words and actions in your relationship say that you are all in regardless of the other's performance? Are you truly committed for a lifetime? How do you know?

  • Ephesians 5:22 and 25 speak to the ROLES of partnership. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Wives are to submit to their husbands. Because of the fall of man and sin entering the world, men tend to gravitate towards either passivity, aggression or passive aggression. Adam's original sin was one of passivity. Again, because of sin, women are tempted to rebel against the headship of their husbands and to try to dominate or control the relationship. Husbands, your job is to make sure your wife is growing and flourishing and to be a servant leader. Wives, your husbands need you to have a loving, kind, gentle and encouraging spirit. Talk about how YOU can improve when it comes to these responsibilities, and then take time to encourage YOUR SPOUSE, citing ways they are doing well on their part.

  • The vow of partnership is this: "I promise our marriage will be about "WE" and not "ME". Regardless of where you have been, we can choose to make this vow today and move forward. What are a few things you can take away from this message and start to implement into your daily lives and relationships?

  • The Gospel calls us to PARTNERSHIP and PURSUIT in spite of PERFORMANCE. The Gospel is our example. Loving your wife in spite of her performance is an act of worship. It shows the Gospel has taken root in your heart. It preaches the gospel to your spouse, your kids and the world around you. Honoring and respecting your husband in spite of their performance says the same things. There are times in your relationship where you won't feel like doing this. But a covenant has little to do with feelings. Take some time and pray for each other, that we will all learn to love sacrificially and honor God and the Gospel by our words and actions towards each other.

Prayer Topics:

  • That we will realize our need for the differences between us and our spouse.
  • That we will be committed for a lifetime, regardless of their performance.
  • That we would strive to be what our spouse needs.

1 Comment


Marcus Johnson - September 12th, 2022 at 7:29pm

Amen! Praise you Jesus!