RE Series wk. 4 REstore

Icebreaker: What's one of your biggest fears? 

Today we're studying a passage about a very well-known fear. Bugs. In Joel 2, God sends a plague of locusts on His own people to decimate their livelihood in order to get their attention. Let's see what God might be saying to us through it. 

READ Joel 2:1-2

1- What are some warning signs you've seen pop up in your past when you were heading down a path God doesn't want you to stay on? 

• Leader Note; This may seem like a personal question but if some people can share from their past, it can be very helpful for people who may be seeing these signs in the present but are unable to recognize them.

2- When you hear the term "the day of the Lord" are your thoughts normally positive or negative? Why?

READ Luke 23:44-46. 

Here we see a parallel (darkness during the daytime) between the day of the Lord mentioned in Joel and the fulfillment of the day of the Lord when Jesus was crucified. The day of darkness and gloom ending up being the day where relationship between God and man was restored.

3- How does knowing that even the worst day in history was used for your good, encourage you today?

READ Joel 2:11-12

4-This verse tells us that God used this plague of locusts to get His people's attention. Has God ever used something bad in your life to draw you closer to Him? If so, share with the group.

5- Despite the hard season the Israelite people faced, God told them to return to Him. If his past season of life has been hard for you, how have you "returned" to God during this time? If the past few months have not been hard, what decisions can you make now that would help you in a difficult season in the future? 

READ Joel 2:13-15

6- The same phrase "Blow a trumpet in Zion" was used in verse 1 to warn of God's judgement. Now, in verse 15 it is used in response to His goodness. How do you think Joel and the people of Israel could were able to have the same reaction to both bad and good from God?

7- How do you react to these 2 characteristics of God? Do you react to them differently or the same? Why or why not? 

8- As season 2 of rGroups comes to a close, how can the group be praying for you? How do you want to see your faith grow in the coming weeks?