Week 2 | Chapters 4-6 | Why I'm Still Surprised by the Power of the Holy Spirit

July 29, 2026

Introduction

About Table Communities

Table Communities are community gatherings for the purpose of:

Building meaningful relationships through intentional time together
Engaging in mutual discipleship through directing one another towards Christ with truth shared in love
Multiplying grace through love, prayer and gifts of the spirit

The notes will guide you through praying together, reading scripture and engaging in intentional relational time together. The time together is not about getting through all the note content, but rather about building meaningful relationships, engaging in mutual discipleship and experiencing God's multiplying grace. Let those values shape the direction and pace of your time together.

Remember: What we all have in common

Saint : Beloved, forgiven, being renewed, filled with the Holy Spirit.

Sufferer : Carrying real pain and struggle.

Sinner: Still in need of ongoing grace and transformation.

Kick off with prayer

Some one pray for your time together.

Example prayer, if needed. Ideally pray freely as you feel called:

‍Father we praise you for gathering us together. Despite whatever weighed on our hearts as we entered this house, we pray that your Spirit guides our time together and free us from anything that is not of you. We pray that by the strength of your might we may speak truth in love to one another. We pray that we are led by the gifts of your spirit, so that we may build up one another and your church as a whole. As we read your word, we pray that we may be filled with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner pleasing to you.

The Intellectual Battle: Chapters 4-6

VIDEO - SETTING THE SCENE

Please watch this video together.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Please talk through the discussion questions.

SCRIPTURE TO READ TOGETHER

1 Corinthians 1:18–25 — The wisdom of God set against the wisdom of the world, and the power of the cross.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–21 — A run of short commands ending in: do not quench the Spirit, test everything, hold on to what is good.

Read these verses together as a group.

What stands out to you? what do you notice?

Discussion

Discussion Questions

What stood out to you from chapter 5, 6, 7?

Before reading these chapters, what was your baseline assumption about why we tend not to see miracles today?

Chapter 6, p. 48

QUOTE FROM THE BOOK

“...they have not seen them.” p. 48

Deere's one-line answer for why many Bible-believing Christians reject the miraculous gifts today — not sound doctrine, but simply a lack of firsthand experience. He goes on to write (p. 50) that cessationists ultimately build their theology on that lack of experience, not on Scripture.

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Deere argues that often we dont see much miraculous because of a lack of experience rather than because of what scripture teaches . Have you ever altered your theology or interpretation of the Bible just to fit your personal experience?

Chapter 6, p. 50

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We Believe God still does miraculous things. We believe we can ask God to do them! What if this week you asked God for something that only he could do?

Habit of Grace

Going Deeper

PRAYER

Spend some time praying for each other.

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RECOMENDATION

For some practical and theological help on living with the belief that God can do anything even when we face difficult or unresolved circumstance, Listen to Anna's sermon on Pslam 91 from 19 July 2026.

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QUESTIONS

If you have questions of your own, you can of course discuss them with your group or someone you know. You're also welcome to reach out to one of the Elders with further questions.

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