1. How have you acted like the younger son toward his father? How have you wanted everything God offers without a relationship with God?
2. When was your pig sty moment? When has the light bulb come on, shining light on the reality that your ideas fall way short of God’s?
3. What restitution plans have you offered God to gain back God’s favor?
4. How have you experienced God’s prodigal grace?
5. How have you been like the older brother – keeping the rules doing the right things, but not caring much about knowing the father? How have you struggled with younger brother types being welcomed fully into the father’s arms? How have you dealt with the celebration of your younger brother at (ultimately) your expense?
6. Have you ever found yourself critical of others who have not been as faithful as you in living ethically?
7. Which kind of “lost” do you lean toward more? Which brother do you more closely resemble today?
8. What is the difference between seeing God as Savior versus seeing God as guide, leader, friend, or boss? Is the difference meaningful?
9. Keller said that not only do we need to repent (turn away from) the obvious things we’ve done wrong, but we also need to repent from the reason behind everything we did right. What do you think he meant by that?
10. What does it mean for you to come home?
11. Like the father did in the story by going out to meet each son, how have you experienced God initiating relationship with you?
12. How has God’s loved melted and moved you lately?
13. Over the course of your life, when and how have you been like a good elder brother? How did it make you feel? What did it cost?
I pray that God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (it’s in the Bible – see if you can find it).
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