Series Resources
sermon-based study guide
This guide is designed to guide a group discussion around the weekend sermon. You can also use this as an individual, but we highly recommend finding a friend and inviting them to discuss with you. Menlo Church has Life Groups meeting in-person and online using these guides. We’d love to help you find a group.
What you will find in this guide: A discussion guide for groups and individuals. If you are using this as an individual be sure to engage with each question in a journal or simply in your mind as you prayerfully consider what you heard in the sermon and seek to discover what God is inviting you to know and do.
Study Guide: Cleansing The Temple - A Call for Holiness
Connect
- Have you taken on a new spiritual practice for lent? (fasting, reading a Lenten devotional, etc.)
Engage
Read Matthew 21:12-17
- What stood out to you the most in the scripture passage?
- Why did Jesus overturn the tables, and what message was Jesus trying to convey?
- How does this passage show Jesus’ concern for justice?
Apply
- In what ways can we, as individuals and as a community, advocate for justice and compassion in our context?
- How do unsustainable expectations in faith affect our journey of following Jesus?
- “The tragedy of modern faith is not its inability to produce disciplined followers, but its failure to cultivate deep, life-changing relationships with the Divine. Too often, we mistake the rigor of religious practice for the reality of spiritual intimacy, confusing the form of godliness with its power.” – Richard Foster
- How can we ensure that our spiritual practices lead to genuine, life-changing relationships with God?
Prayer
Take a moment to pray together, asking God for guidance in finding wonder, surrendering worry, and trusting in God’s majesty.
Going Deeper
Lent: The Path of Surrender Devotional:
Embark on a profound spiritual journey with this immersive guide crafted to navigate the sacred season of Lent. Each day, you will experience surrender to God as a way towards self- discovery, freedom, renewal, and deeper intimacy with Jesus as you reflect upon his life, death, and resurrection. Download the YouVersion Bible App to find our devotional.
Menlo Midweek Podcast:
Tune in every Wednesday for a conversation with the previous week’s speaker. It’s a deeper dive into the message and an engaging time to learn, reflect, grow—and have fun.