Gary Heim // Rockford Campus // June 16, 2024

 

The Art of Asking Good Questions

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

 

REMINDERS

Table Time: Registration for Table Time is now open in the events section of the website. This is an opportunity to get to know people from your campus better by meeting for dinner once a month with groups of 3 couples or 6 adults. Rockford and Ensley groups will meet once per month in July, August, and September. Northview groups will be formed for the fall.

Summer Events: Reminder to check out the Events page on the website for a list of summer events for men, women, families, and students. You can see a list of Sunday night programming, Guys Nights Out for men, women’s bonfires and playdates, and Kids and Teens Worship Arts Camp.

 

TOGETHER IN LIFE

Who is your favorite TV/movie dad and why? If you feel comfortable, share something this character has in common with your own father.

 

TOGETHER IN THE WORD

THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Proverbs 20:5

Note: We encourage you to read the entire text together as a group out loud.

 

God Asks Good Questions

Whether in the Garden of Eden or in the towns of Judaea, God often approached people with good questions—even though He already knew the answers. This is because questions are not just for gaining information, but for drawing people out and helping them wade into the deep waters of their souls. We should follow our heavenly Father’s example and seek to draw others out, to better encourage others to “think below the surface of their lives.”

QUESTIONS:

• How often do you receive good questions, the kind that draw you out?
• What’s an example of a good question that someone asked you recently? What did you appreciate about it?
• Look up some of the following examples of questions God asked in Scripture. Discuss why God used a question and what effect it had in the story. How might things have been different if God had used statements instead?
  • Genesis 3:1-13
  • Genesis 4:1-9
  • Exodus 4:1-4
  • 1 Kings 19:9-13
  • Matthew 20:29-34
  • Luke 9:18-20
  • John 5:1-9
  • John 20:11-18

 

The Gift of a Good Question

Most people want to be pursued and known, and there’s been a documented increase in loneliness in our culture over the past few decades. As Christ-followers, we have an opportunity to show the love of God to others by pursuing them with redemptive curiosity, offering the gift of a good question for a godly purpose.

QUESTIONS:

• Was there ever a time in your life where you felt isolated or alone? Were there people in your life who pursued you? How did you respond to them?
• What’s one question you wish someone had asked you during that time in your life?
• What’s one question you wish someone would ask you now? Why?

 

What is a Good Question?

While there is a time for closed, impersonal, or “out there” questions, the best questions are open-ended, personal, and open doors to further conversation. When we make a point to ask these kinds of questions in a context of safety and acceptance, we offer the best opportunity for others to share about the deep waters of their souls. By contrast, premature advice, correction, and the wrong tone of voice can shut down conversations.

QUESTIONS:

• When you think about asking a good question, which aspect is the most challenging to you: being open-ended, being personal, or offering safety and acceptance? Why?
• When you think about “door closers,” (premature advice, correction, tone), which of these do you find yourself committing?
  • Remember! There is a time and place for advice and correction. They can be good, life-giving things. But when trying to draw someone out and explore his/her heart, they are usually not effective.
• Offer your own definition of “redemptive curiosity.” What are some examples of questions that pursue someone with this curiosity?

 

TOGETHER IN ACTION

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue,…” – Proverbs 18:21a

Some people might come by this naturally and others may have already improved in this area through experience. Wherever you are, you can take the next step to improve the way you relate to those God has placed in your life. Write down the following:

• One thing you can do to ask better questions: _____________________________
• One person you can pursue with redemptive curiosity this week: ________________
• One fear or concern you have about this: ________________________________

 

TOGETHER IN PRAYER

Pray for one another, asking that God would give you opportunities to practice this week, a heart for others that seeks to draw them out, the wisdom to ask the right questions, the boldness not to be silent in difficult situations, and the sensitivity to focus on others when you are tempted to talk about yourself too much.

Praise God for the way He pursues us, meeting us where we are at when He knows all things. Our loving heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask Him (Matt. 6:31-32), and sent His Son to meet us in our weakness and endure our struggles. He pursued each one of us when we were still His enemies (Romans 5:6-8). Since God has shown us such great love in this way, let us honor Him by loving others according to His example.