Small Group Discussion Guide

"Supernatural Debt Cancellation" — Dr. John Avanzini

1. SERMON RECAP

Pastor Mirek shared that God is a debt-canceling God and that the church is entering a season where supernatural debt cancellation will become a visible reality in the lives of its members. He walked through multiple Bible stories — from the widow with the pot of oil to Peter finding a coin in the fish's mouth — to demonstrate that God has always been in the business of erasing debt in miraculous and unexpected ways. He challenged the congregation to hook into the spiritual momentum of paying off the church's land by applying Ephesians 6:8, trusting that the good things they sow toward that goal will return to them in the form of their own personal debt cancellations.

2. KEY SCRIPTURE

Ephesians 6:8 (KJV) "Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free."

3. ICE BREAKER

What is the best financial advice you ever received, and who gave it to you?

4. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Pastor Mirek pointed to the story of Abraham praying for Abimelech's household (Genesis 20:17) and Sarah conceiving in Genesis 21:1 as a picture of Ephesians 6:8 in action — that what you cause to happen for someone else, God causes to happen for you. Where have you personally seen this principle at work, whether financially or in another area of life?

This question invites members to look back at their own experience before moving into the teaching's financial application. Encourage the group to think broadly — this principle shows up in relationships, health, career, and community, not only in money.

2. In the story of the widow in 2 Kings 4, Elisha told her to borrow vessels and then said, "Do not borrow a few." Pastor Mirek suggested that the widow got to decide how big the miracle would be by how many vessels she gathered. What do you think limits people — including yourself — when it comes to believing God for a large financial miracle rather than just enough to cover one bill?

There are no wrong answers here. The conversation might explore fear, past disappointment, a sense of unworthiness, or simply never having been taught that God cares about financial wholeness. Let the group sit with the question honestly.

3. Pastor Mirek made the observation that the widow was told to shut the door before the miracle happened, and he applied that to personal debt cancellation — warning that family and friends can sometimes talk people out of believing for a financial breakthrough. How do you balance being honest with the people close to you while also protecting the faith you are building around a specific believing goal?

This is a practical and sometimes emotionally loaded question. Some members may have experienced well-meaning family members discouraging their giving or their faith. Guide the group toward a conversation about discernment rather than secrecy or isolation.

4. He described debt using the phrase "emptying your future to fill up the present," and he connected the word mortgage to its Latin roots meaning "death grip." How does that framing change the way you think about the debt you currently carry, and does it shift your sense of urgency about addressing it?

Encourage honesty. Some members may feel shame about their debt situation. The goal of this question is not to produce guilt but to help people see debt clearly so they can respond with faith rather than passivity.

5. Pastor Mirek pointed to Cornelius in Acts 10 and noted that his prayers and his giving merged into what the angel called "a memorial before God." He applied this to the land campaign by suggesting that members can build their own memorial — linking their giving to a specific personal request for debt cancellation. What would it look like practically for you to build that kind of memorial in the coming weeks?

This question bridges the theological and the practical. Help members think concretely — what would they give, what would they pray, and what specific debt would they bring before God in connection with that giving?

6. Pastor Mirek was candid that not everyone can begin tithing at the full ten percent immediately, especially those carrying heavy debt loads, and he suggested a gradual approach — starting where you can and increasing the percentage as debts are paid off. How do you respond to that approach? Does it make obedience in this area feel more accessible to you, or does it raise questions for you about what faithfulness looks like?

This question is intentionally open. Some group members may feel that a graduated approach is wise and grace-filled. Others may feel it softens a clear biblical command. Both perspectives deserve space, and the leader does not need to resolve the tension definitively.

5. APPLICATION CHALLENGE

Before the group meets again, each member is asked to do one concrete thing: write down every debt they currently carry — the name of the debt, the amount owed, and the monthly payment — and then spend fifteen minutes in prayer, presenting that list to God and asking Him specifically which debt He wants them to believe Him for first. Members are also encouraged to write Ephesians 6:8 at the top of that list as a reminder that what they cause to happen for others, God can cause to happen for them.

6. PRAYER POINTS

• Pray that God would open the eyes of every family in the church to see that financial freedom is part of His will for their lives, and that they would begin to believe Him for specific breakthroughs rather than settling for managing debt indefinitely.

• Pray over the church's land campaign specifically — that God would send supernatural provision, that the goal would be reached ahead of schedule, and that the spiritual momentum of that victory would spill over into the personal finances of every member who sows into it.

• Pray for any members of the group who are carrying debt-related shame, fear, or hopelessness — that the stories of the widow, Cornelius, and Nehemiah would become living promises to them rather than distant history, and that they would enter this season with genuine expectation.

7. MEMORY VERSE

Malachi 3:10 (KJV) "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."