LifeGroups

At the Table // Week 6

1. When you hear the word “restoration,” what comes to mind? How is biblical restoration (reconciliation) different from simply “fixing” something? Have you ever seen God take something broken in your life and use it for something better?
2. Jesus met Peter in the place of his failure—how does that speak to the way Jesus meets us in our own brokenness?
3. Read John 21:9. What’s the significance of Jesus using “coals”—just like in Peter’s denial scene? Why might God bring us back to painful places? How does Jesus demonstrate both truth and grace in his conversation with Peter?
4. Peter denied Jesus three times, and Jesus gives him three chances to affirm his love. What does this teach us about God’s heart toward us when we fail? What’s the difference between remorse and repentance in your own experience? Why is this distinction important?
5. In what ways might Jesus be calling you to “feed His sheep”? (John 21:15–17) What does that look like in your life right now?
6. Have you ever felt disqualified because of past failure? How does Peter’s restoration encourage or challenge you? Jesus comes down to Peter’s level (Agape → Phileo). What does this say about how God relates to us when our love is imperfect?

At the Table // Week 5

1. In what ways can asking thoughtful questions help us truly meet people where they are in life and faith?
2. Why is suffering so hard and yet also a time of growth? How do you leave space for suffering in your life and interaction with others? How does knowing Jesus suffered impact your journey with Him?
3. How have you seen God show up in the everyday moments of life? How might you start looking for him differently in ordinary moments?
4. Are you excited to tell others about how you have and are experiencing Jesus? Who have you shared Jesus with lately or who might God be asking you to tell? If you aren’t doing this, what might need to change in your life so that you experience Jesus personally?

At the Table // Week 4

1. In what ways did the religious leaders of Jesus’s day twist the truth to suit their own agenda? How can we avoid doing the same thing in our own lives?
2. Why do you think the Pharisees were so threatened by Jesus’s teachings? What were they afraid of losing? The Pharisees liked to set traps for Jesus. In our story for this week, how did Jesus turn the tables? (See Luke 14:2-6.)
3. How does Jesus’s warning against hypocrisy apply to us today? The maneuvering for places of honor in Luke 14:7-11 was normal behavior. What are we to make of Jesus’s advice to take a lower position so you would get moved up? How does this make us look like Jesus?
4. How can we avoid being swayed by popular opinion when it comes to our faith? What does it mean to stand firm in our convictions? Pharisees liked to practice “reciprocity” with their banquet attendees. Why does Jesus speak against this? What is the difference between reciprocity and grace?
5. What stops us from being hospitable when the Bible clearly expects it of God’s people? Comment on the following statement: The focus of entertaining is impressing others; the focus of true hospitality is serving others. Maybe this is the time to invite a new couple to your LifeGroup for a meal. Think about some you might invite!

At the Table // Week 3

1. Luke seems to pick stories of Jesus involving tax collectors and prostitutes. They exemplify notorious sinners. It’s almost as if Luke is testing us. Have we grasped God’s grace? How do we react when a promiscuous woman kisses the feet of Jesus? Do we celebrate grace, or are we scandalized? Jesus is socially disruptive, is He not? And we don’t like church to be disrupted. How do you react to those whom the world might see as marginalized? Jesus is a friend of sinners… Who would Jesus be proud of you for befriending?
2. What is the difference between the Pharisee and the woman who crashed the party? Why do you think that the woman would even think of attempting to get to Jesus in a place she knew she would not be welcome? (Luke 7:22-23; Luke 6:37; Luke 6:20-22; Luke 5:29-32) How did Jesus see the woman?
3. Read Luke 7:40-43. The principle is simple. If someone forgives you, you’ll love them. If someone forgives you a lot, you’ll love them a lot. So, what is Jesus saying about the sin of Simon? What does Jesus reveal about the Pharisees’ definition of righteousness? The Pharisee believes that Jesus cannot be a prophet because of who He is associating with. His attitude toward this woman reveals His true heart. Difficult people tend to expose our true hearts. The difference then between the Pharisee and the woman is not how they view Jesus, but how they view themselves. Explain what it means to be blind to your own blindness.
4. There has been a 33% drop in families eating together over the last 3 decades. And more than half of those families are watching television as they eat together. Over the same period of time, there’s been a 45% decline in entertaining friends. In a typical American household, the average number of dinners eaten together is three per week, with the average length of dinner being 20 minutes. Starbucks tells us that the secret of Starbuck’s success is not in its coffee, but the pull of the coffeehouse as a place. Starbucks is selling us hospitality. How should the church adopt this philosophy? (Meals force you to be people-oriented instead of task-oriented.) Discuss hospitality in our church. How can we improve?
5. “The church is a community of broken people finding family around a meal under the tree of Calvary.” How might you use this quote to invite neighbors or colleagues into your home or Community group to share a meal and begin a conversation, at the table?

At the Table // Week 2

1. How do you typically experience community around your table (home, work, church, etc.)?
2. How easy or difficult is it for you to extend grace to someone who has hurt or disappointed you? Can you think of a time when you received unexpected grace from someone? How did that impact you?
3. Jesus looked at the rich young ruler with love before speaking truth. Why do you think this is emphasized? In your relationships, do people feel both loved and challenged? Which one comes more naturally to you? How can we better reflect Jesus by speaking truth in love at our own tables?
4. Jesus consistently pointed people to what truly matters. When others sit at your table, would they know what matters most to you? Why or why not?
5. Jesus says, “I came not for the healthy, but for the sick.” Why is it important for us to remember this when we consider who we invite to our tables? How can your table be more open—like Matthew’s courtyard—so others can experience mercy and belonging?
6. How can you intentionally reflect grace, truth, and what matters in your home or relationships this week?
7. What does your physical and spiritual table look like? Who’s there—and who might be missing? Close by reading Matthew 9:12–13 again. How does this passage challenge or comfort you personally?

At the Table // Week 1

1. When you think about meals in your own life, what do they represent—routine, connection, celebration, or something else? Can you recall a meal that had a spiritual or relational impact on you? What made it meaningful?
2. Read Acts 10:9–19. Why do you think Peter struggled with the vision God gave him? How would you have responded in his place? Why do you think it was such a big deal for Peter to eat with Gentiles? What does that tell us about the social or religious boundaries of that time?
3. Read Isaiah 25:6–8. God promises a feast for all nations. How does this prophecy connect to what happens in Acts 10?
4. The sermon said that “meals are more than food—they’re about welcome, friendship, and community.” How have you seen that to be true in your life or church?
5. Peter’s willingness to sit at a Gentile’s table was a radical act of obedience. What does it look like today to “cross the table” in obedience to God?
6. Are there “tables” in your life where you feel God might be calling you to extend welcome to someone different from you?
7. Who is someone you can invite to your “table” this week—literally or metaphorically—who might need to experience the grace of Jesus?