Search
Recent Posts
November 4, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
You Shall Not Murder
Week 7 Devotional Scripture Exodus 20:13 (ESV) Matthew 5:21-26 (ESV) Lesson Summary God’s command, “You shall not murder,” rests on the value He gives human life. Every person is made in His image. Our dignity does not depend on appearance, wealth, popularity, health, or ability. Valuing life includes protecting people and showing practical care to those in need. Jesus shows that this commandment reaches into our hearts. Sinful anger, contempt, and cruel words matter to God even when no physical violence occurs. He calls us to take responsibility for our wrongdoing and seek reconciliation. Loving God should shape how we treat the people He made. We have all failed to love as we should. Jesus died for sinners and rose again so that those who trust Him can be forgiven and brought into relationship with God. His grace leads us to confess honestly, turn from bitterness, and grow in kindness. We honour the God who gives life as we value and care for others. Small Group Questions Understanding the Passage What do people at school use to decide who matters most? How does being made in God’s image challenge those standards? Who is easy for you to ignore or look down on? What could change if you remembered that God made them in His image? Where do jokes, gaming, or group chats make it easy to treat people cruelly? What could help you respond differently? Read Matthew 5:21–24. How can you recognise when anger is becoming contempt or a desire to hurt someone? When you have hurt someone, what makes apologising difficult? What would an apology without excuses sound like? How does Jesus’ forgiveness help us be honest about our sin instead of pretending we are better than others? What is one practical way you could protect, include, or care for someone this week? What will you do?
November 4, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Do You Love Me?
Week 7 Devotional Scripture John 21:1-19 (ESV) Lesson Summary After His resurrection, Jesus meets seven disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. They have fished all night without catching anything, but at His instruction they catch more fish than they can haul into the boat. When Peter realizes that Jesus is on shore, he immediately heads towards Him. The risen Lord welcomes His disciples and provides breakfast, showing His authority and personal care. Jesus then asks Peter three times whether he loves Him. The conversation is painful for the disciple who denied Him three times, but Jesus does more than confront Peter’s failure: He entrusts him with caring for His people. Peter’s calling rests on Jesus’ restoring grace, rather than his ability to prove that he will never fail again. Love for Jesus is to find expression in faithful service to those who belong to Him. Jesus also tells Peter that following Him will eventually cost his life, then commands him, “Follow Me.” Steve’s lesson challenges us to put Jesus first, depend on His strength, and serve for His glory rather than our own recognition. Failure should lead us to confess and return to Christ. By His grace, He continues shaping imperfect people to love Him, care for others, and share His Gospel. Small Group Questions Understanding & Application When you feel disappointed in yourself or uncertain about what comes next, what do you usually turn to for comfort or control? How could you bring that situation to Jesus? Peter was eager to get to Jesus. What competes for your attention or makes you put off spending time with Him? What practical change could help you give Him priority? Read John 21:15–17. How does Jesus’ response to Peter challenge the idea that past failure makes someone useless to Him? What might make His restoring grace difficult to receive? Jesus connects Peter’s love for Him with caring for His people. Who around you needs encouragement, friendship, or practical help? What could you do this week to care for them? Steve challenged us to examine why we serve. How can you recognize when you are more interested in being noticed than in honouring Jesus? What could help you serve faithfully when nobody notices? Jesus calls Peter to follow even when the path will be costly. Where might following Jesus cost you comfort, approval, or control right now? What would trusting Him look like there? What people, places, or habits help you grow as a follower of Jesus? Which one could you make better use of this week? Who in your life needs to hear the Gospel? What is one thoughtful step you could take towards talking with them about Jesus?
November 1, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Slave to God
Scripture Titus 1:1 (ESV) Additional Passages 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV) Galatians 2:20 (ESV) Luke 9:23 (ESV) Watch The Sermon If you haven’t yet, be sure to watch the sermon to join the discussion.Watch the service Message Summary Paul begins his letter to Titus by identifying himself as a servant of God. This description expresses more than a willingness to help: Paul belongs to God and lives under His authority. Meeting Jesus changed the direction of Paul’s life, and his purpose became serving the One who had saved him. This calling belongs to every Christian. Jesus calls His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. Our time, money, words, thoughts, bodies, and ambitions all come under His lordship. Following Jesus involves surrendering our right to direct life entirely around our own desires. The reason for this surrender is the grace of the gospel. Jesus lived the perfect life we could not live and bore our sin and judgment on the cross. He has redeemed us, freeing us from slavery to sin and making us His own. We respond to His love with gratitude, trusting Him and offering our lives in service. We will not all serve in the same way. Some are called to missionary or pastoral ministry; others serve Christ through family life, work, church, and everyday relationships. Each believer can offer what God has entrusted to them for the advancement of His kingdom. Remembering that we will meet Christ helps us live faithfully today. Small Group Questions Opening Question Think of someone who has served you generously. How did their kindness affect your desire to respond? Understanding the Passage What does Paul’s description of himself as a servant of God in Titus 1:1 tell us about his identity and priorities? Read 1 Corinthians 6:19–20. How does belonging to Christ change the way believers should use their bodies and live their lives? Read Galatians 2:20. How does this verse connect living for Christ with His love and sacrifice for us? Growth and Application Which area of your life is hardest to surrender to Jesus right now: your time, money, ambitions, relationships, habits, or something else? What is the difference between serving Christ out of gratitude and trying to earn His acceptance? Which motive do you notice most often in yourself? Read Luke 9:23. What would denying yourself and following Jesus look like in one ordinary decision this week? What good thing can become so important that it distracts you from obeying Christ? How could you put it back in its proper place? Hugo encouraged us to live the gospel as well as explain it. Where do your family, friends, or coworkers most need to see Christ’s patience, humility, or forgiveness in you? What gifts, opportunities, or relationships has God already given you that you could use to help someone know Jesus or grow as His disciple? How could remembering that you will meet Christ change the way you approach your responsibilities and priorities this week? Hugo described the importance of prayer in his ministry in Quebec. How could you participate more intentionally in making disciples through prayer, encouragement, giving, or personal involvement? What specific step of obedience will you take this week, and how can the group support you? Gospel Connection Jesus gave Himself for us to free us from sin and bring us into a new life that belongs to Him. Our surrender does not purchase salvation; it is our grateful response to the salvation He provides. We follow Him by faith, depending on His grace and the power of His Spirit. When obedience feels costly, how does remembering that Jesus loved you and gave Himself for you help you trust Him? Prayer Pray for: Thank Jesus for redeeming us and making us His own. Ask for willing hearts and the Spirit’s strength to obey Christ in every area of life. Pray that our homes, work, and relationships would reflect the gospel. Pray for Hugo, his family, and the work of evangelism and disciple-making in Quebec. Ask God to show each member one faithful next step in serving Him.
October 28, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Honour Your Father & Mother
Week 6 Devotional Scripture Exodus 20:12 (ESV) Lesson Summary God commands us to honour our father and mother: to treat them as significant through our words, attitudes, listening, obedience, and practical care. Families have different circumstances, and students may also be cared for by guardians. Honour continues throughout life, though the ways we express it change as we grow. Jesus challenged people who used religious commitments as an excuse to avoid caring for their parents. Our faith should shape ordinary life at home. Listening before reacting, helping without excuses, and showing gratitude are practical ways to honour God. Parents also have responsibilities: they must not provoke or discourage their children. Honour never requires obeying an instruction to sin or concealing harm. Jesus honoured His earthly parents and is the sinless Saviour who died and rose to rescue sinners. We cannot earn God’s acceptance by being perfect children. When we fail, we can confess, trust His forgiveness, and ask for grace to change. One act of kindness, a sincere apology, or a faithful response to a responsibility is a good place to begin. Small Group Questions Understanding the Passage What makes you feel that someone values you? How could that help you understand what it means to honour a parent? When a rule frustrates you, what usually happens to your listening and tone? What would a respectful response sound like? What is one unnoticed way someone at home cares for you? How could you show gratitude for it? Jesus challenged religious excuses for neglecting parents. What excuses might we use to avoid helping at home? Read Colossians 3:12–13. Which quality in these verses would make the biggest difference to your responses at home, and why? How is admitting a wrong and asking forgiveness different from just trying to look like a good child? How does Jesus help us begin again? Choose one ordinary act of listening, help, or kindness for this week. What might make it difficult, and how could you ask God for help?
October 28, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
I Will Never Deny You
Week 6 Devotional Scripture Mark 14:26-72 (ESV) Lesson Summary Peter insisted that he would never deny Jesus, even if everyone else fell away. Yet in Gethsemane he slept instead of watching and praying, and later he denied knowing Jesus three times. His strong intentions could not protect him from fear and temptation. We too need humble dependence on Christ rather than confidence that we could never fail. Before Peter’s failure, Jesus told him that He had prayed for his faith and spoke of his return. Peter would sin seriously, but his failure would not be the end of his faith. When Peter recognized his denial, he wept. After the resurrection, the message to the disciples specifically included Peter: Jesus had not forgotten him. Our hope rests in the crucified and risen Saviour and His sustaining grace. We neither earn salvation nor keep it through flawless obedience. Grace leads us to take sin seriously, confess honestly, and turn back to Jesus. Watching, praying, making wise choices, and seeking Christian support express dependence on Him and help us follow Him as Lord. Small Group Questions Understanding & Application Why can feeling certain that we will never fail make us less alert to temptation? Where do you recognize that danger in yourself? What warning signs tell you that you need to stop, pray, or seek help before a familiar temptation grows stronger? Read Luke 22:31–32. How does Jesus’ prayer change where Peter’s confidence should rest? What does that mean for your own confidence? What pressures make it tempting to hide that you follow Jesus? What might a truthful and respectful response look like? When you fail, are you more likely to make excuses, withdraw, or confess? What would help you turn towards Jesus honestly? Why might Peter have needed to hear that the resurrection message specifically included him? How does this challenge the idea that failure means we should stay away from Christ? How does salvation by grace encourage serious obedience? What practical step of prayer, wise action, or Christian support will you take this week?
October 25, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Peeling Sticks Instead of Trusting God
Scripture Genesis 30:25-43 (ESV) Genesis 31:1-16 (ESV) Additional Passages Hebrews 13:5 (ESV) Matthew 6:24-27 (ESV) Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV) Watch The Sermon If you haven’t yet, be sure to watch the sermon to join the discussion.Watch the service Message Summary After years of working for Laban, Jacob wanted to provide for his household and return home. But Laban continued to manipulate their arrangement, making Jacob’s future feel uncertain. Jacob responded with his own schemes, including placing peeled branches in front of the breeding animals in an attempt to produce the kinds of offspring he would receive as wages. Although Jacob’s flocks increased, God later revealed that He had seen Laban’s unfair treatment and had provided for Jacob. The peeled sticks were not the source of Jacob’s prosperity. God was faithfully caring for His covenant family. The message challenges us to recognize our own “peeled sticks”—the strategies, habits, or formulas we depend on as though our future rests entirely on us. Trusting God does not mean refusing to work or plan. It means working faithfully without making money our master, manipulating others, or believing that everything depends on our ability to control the outcome. God’s grace and providence sustain us. Because He promises His presence, we can bring our concerns to Him with thanksgiving and take the next step of obedience. Small Group Questions Opening Question When something important feels uncertain, what is your first instinct: make a plan, work harder, seek reassurance, pray, or something else? Understanding the Passage How did Laban’s treatment of Jacob create pressure for him to take matters into his own hands? How does Genesis 31:9–13 explain what was happening behind Jacob’s growing flocks? What response to God’s direction do Rachel and Leah express in Genesis 31:14–16? Growth and Application What might “peeling sticks” look like in your life—something you rely on to secure an outcome instead of trusting God? When you face unfair treatment, what temptations become strongest? What would an honest, faithful response look like? How can you distinguish between responsible planning and trying to control everything? What warning signs help you recognize the difference? Read Hebrews 13:5. How does God’s promise of His presence address our struggle with money and contentment? Jay described two dangers: laziness and anxious overwork. Which are you more vulnerable to, and what needs to change? Have you ever treated prayer, giving, church attendance, or another good practice as a formula for getting something from God? How does understanding grace change that approach? Looking back, where can you recognize God’s provision in something you once credited mainly to your own efforts? Read Philippians 4:4–7. What specific concern could you bring to God with thanksgiving this week, even before you know the outcome? Is there a clear step of obedience you have delayed because you want more certainty first? How could the group support you in taking it? Gospel Connection God remained faithful to Jacob despite Jacob’s flawed efforts to secure his own future. His care flowed from His covenant faithfulness, rather than Jacob’s ability to earn it. The gospel gives us an even greater assurance of God’s grace. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we receive forgiveness and acceptance that we could never manufacture through our own performance. Our security rests in Christ. How does knowing that you are accepted through Jesus help you work faithfully without making success, possessions, or other people’s approval your source of security? Prayer Pray for: Honesty to recognize where you rely on control or manipulation. Contentment grounded in God’s presence. Wisdom to work diligently while trusting God with the results. Gratitude for His provision and grace through Jesus. Courage to obey Him when the future remains uncertain.
