THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS
Support individuals in our community by purchasing items for local organizations with our Giving Tables. Drop items off at your campus by November 20. See lists of needed items at adabible.org/givingtables.
GROUP VALUES
This month we’re focusing on the value of Group Growth. As people visit Ada Bible through the holiday season or return to church for the first time in a long time, it allows us to consider who might need what our group has. Have a conversation with your group about whether there are people you know who could use an invite to your group.
GROW AS A LEADER
Huddles are coming up in November! Huddles are small group leader gatherings designed to help you discuss group leadership with other small group leaders. Please make it a priority to attend one of the upcoming opportunities. If you have questions, reach out to your staff contact.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to the fifth week of our series, DANIEL: HONOR IN EXILE. This week we discuss Belshazzar’s disregard for God’s honor and how we are all responsible for living in a way that honors God.
Who is someone you have a lot of respect for from your childhood, and why?
Have a couple of people take turns reading the story in Daniel 5. What surprises you or stands out to you from this story?
WHO HE IS
King Belshazzar throws a massive party and, in doing so, drags God’s honor through the mud. What do you think Belshazzar thought and felt when he called for the goblets from the temple?
Pastor Aaron Buer said we fail to honor God when we don’t take who he actually is seriously. We may pick and choose what we like about him and skip what we don’t like. What are some of God’s attributes that our culture is more likely to accept?
What are some of the characteristics of God that are harder for us to accept or understand?
Where might you be picking and choosing the parts of God that you like and not recognizing the parts you don’t like?
WHERE YOU ARE
Throughout his life, Daniel rarely found himself where he wanted to be. He did not choose his work, position or place of residence. What do Daniel’s actions and responses in this story (and others) reveal about his attitude toward God and his situation?
Have someone read Jeremiah 29:5-7. God gave these instructions to the people living in exile in Babylon. What surprises you about what he tells them to do?
When have you seen someone honor God and serve faithfully in an unwanted, difficult situation? What did that person’s life look like as a result?
Pastor Aaron said we can honor God wherever we are by surrendering our frustrations, feelings and ambitions to God. In what challenging or unwanted situations do you find it hard to honor God by surrendering to him?
What is one thing God is calling you to do in those hard places this week?
WHAT YOU KNOW
The writing on the wall reveals that Belshazzar has been weighed on the scale and found wanting. His days and kingdom are nearing the end. What things did Belshazzar ignore according to Daniel 5:18-23?
What are the ways we dishonor God by behaving like his warnings don’t apply to us?
Pastor Aaron reminded us that we’ve all been found wanting, but the good news is that God sent Jesus to rescue us. How does knowing what Jesus has done help you live in a way that honors God?
WRAP UP
Today we talked about honoring God by taking who he really is seriously, serving faithfully wherever we are and living according to what we know about him. Which of these three is the most challenging for you, and how will you let it shape your life this week?