1. What comes to your mind when you her the term “the Kingdom of Heaven” or “the Kingdom of God”?

2. Why do you think Jesus chose the term, “kingdom” to describe God’s new reign?

3. When talking about the Kingdom of Heaven, we speak about the “present / coming kingdom” or the “now / not yet kingdom.”

What do those terms mean to you?

4. Every time Jesus used the term “Kingdom of Heaven” He was drawing a comparison to the kingdoms of this world—specifically the Roman Empire.

How would you compare the Kingdom of Heaven with the kingdoms of this world?

5. If the Kingdom of Heaven has already come (even though it is yet to come in its fullness), how are we supposed to live now in the Kingdom of Heaven while we are still residents of the kingdoms of this world?

6. In speaking about the “present / coming” kingdom or the “now / not yet” kingdom, we often refer to ourselves as “resident aliens.”

What do you think is meant by the term, “resident alien”?

7. What do you think Jesus meant when He taught us to pray…

“…your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9)?

 What does that prayer mean for the present Kingdom of Heaven (the now Kingdom of Heaven)?

 What does that prayer mean for the coming Kingdom of Heaven (the not yet Kingdom of Heaven)?

8. In what ways are we called to be the answer to the prayer—“your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9)?

Be as specific as possible.

1. How would you define “worship”?

(Perhaps you can take the various definitions and wordsmith them into one.)

2. How would you describe (rather than define) worship?

3. What is the purpose of worship?

4. Jesus began the model prayer he gave us with worship. He said…

“This is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…’” (Matthew 6:9)

 Do you think there is a particular reason Jesus began the prayer with worship rather than putting it somewhere in the middle or ending with it?

5. What perspective does worship bring to us?

6. Paul said…

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)

 How does this tie in with our definitions and descriptions of worship?

 What does it mean to you?

7. When attending church, how do you think most Christians evaluate the worship service?

How do you think we should evaluate our worship?

8. What attitudes should we bring to a worship service—how should we prepare ourselves for worship?

9. How would you define “idolatry” in today’s culture?

How does genuine worship impact idolatry?