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re: the art of starting over
(re:possess)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:
Crossing thresholds is a part of the Christian journey. It is not possible for us to move forward without crossing some thresholds into new places, new experiences, new opportunities, and new victories the Lord has waiting for us on the other side. While it takes faith and obedience to cross a threshold, it also takes faith and obedience to remain on the other side of the threshold and possess the promises of God.

Summary:
Many times, crossing the threshold is the easiest part of the journey. Dealing with what we see, think we see, or maybe don’t see on the other side can often be the most challenging part. When the Israelites finally crossed the threshold and stepped into the Promised Land, they were faced with the seemingly impossible task of taking the well-fortified city of Jericho. At this point, they could have given up and turned around. However, they chose to remain in the land and possess the promises of God. The Israelites chose faith and obedience over fear. We, too, must chose faith and obedience over fear so that we remain where God has called us and don’t retreat when we encounter strongholds of stiff resistance while pursuing the will of God.  Just because something is difficult doesn’t mean it is not God’s will. We cannot allow obstacles, fear, or doubt to deter us from possessing the land.

Faith is important because it is believing in what is true – God, His character, and His promises. While faith requires being convinced that what we believe in is true, just knowing the truth is only half of faith. God’s word must be hoped for, embraced, and seized. This is where faithfulness and obedience play an important role in our possession of the promises of God. We must put our faith into action and actually do what God has called us to do. Let’s always remember that with God all things are possible. But, faith and obedience apart from Him are worthless. As much as we pour our passion and efforts into something, ultimately God has to do it … and He will.

Discussion Questions: (read the scriptures & discuss)

Joshua 6:1-20
How did the Israelites display faith and obedience at Jericho? What was the result of the Israelites daily obedience? Discuss instances where you have crossed a threshold just to find strongholds of stiff resistance. Has God ever asked you to do something “unconventional”? How did it turn out? 

Matthew 14:25-33
How was Peter able to get out of the boat with the confidence that he would not sink? Why did Peter eventually sink? What areas in your life require complete faith?

Deuteronomy 11:22-27
How does this passage correlate obedience and God’s blessings? Discuss how you have experienced the blessings of God as a result of your obedience. 

Taking Action:  Are you facing a Jericho in your life – a stronghold of stiff resistance?   During this season of fasting and prayer, daily submit this “giant” to the Lord, trust Him, obey Him, do not turn back, and see His victory in your life.

Ministry Time

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re: the art of starting over
(re:direct)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” When we live for Christ instead of for ourselves, everything changes. We are presented with new opportunities, new ways of doing things, and a new beginning.

Summary:
You are probably familiar with the term “crossing the threshold”. A threshold is the step that forms the base of a doorway, so when you cross one, you pass from one side of a doorway to the other. This term has historically been used in the old marriage tradition of a man carrying his bride “across the threshold”. The idea was significant, not so much relating to the literal door, but symbolizing the passing from one stage of life to another - a passage which has permanent and irreversible consequences. Crossing the threshold is therefore widely used to speak of passing through significant change points in our lives. Throughout the Old Testament we see how God uses thresholds to define transitional moments that signify moving from one place to another – often closer to the heart of God and His promises. For instance, Israel crossed a threshold at the Jordan and moved from a state of wandering to their destiny in the Promised Land. Like the Israelites of old, each of us has significant thresholds in our life that we must cross in order to move from bondage to freedom, and then from freedom to the promises of God.

We must never allow fear, selfishness, or unbelief to keep us from redirecting our lives and crossing the threshold. When God calls us to cross a threshold, we can do it with confidence because Christ crossed the most significant threshold when He passed from death to life. This can be a threshold crossing for each one of us, because we can be united with Christ and raised to new life with Him. At this point, everything changes. Today, God is saying, “Behold, I stand at the door (threshold) and knock.” He is calling us to cross over the next threshold and gain entrance into new opportunities, new ways of doing things, and new beginnings in Him.

Discussion Questions: (read the scriptures & discuss)

Acts 11:1-18
God presented Peter with an opportunity to cross a threshold into the gentile world. What if he didn’t cross this threshold? What could have prevented Peter from crossing? What new opportunities have you found as you have crossed thresholds in your life with Christ?

Galatians 5:16-26
Christ changes what we do, the way we think, act, and live. What characteristics have changed in your life as a result of crossing the threshold from darkness into the light of living for Christ Jesus? 

2 Corinthians 5:17-20
What thresholds are you afraid to cross and why? How does our relationship with Christ change everything? Why can we cross the threshold with confidence? What new beginnings have you personally experienced because you surrendered to Christ?

Taking Action:  Have you crossed the threshold of surrendering all to Christ? If not, do it today. Are you standing at a threshold which God clearly wants you to cross? Determine that today is the day - take the leap and cross over.

Ministry Time

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re: the art of starting over
(re:vision)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:
God has a plan and a purpose for each one of us. He has placed within us a dream that is inseparably linked to our intended future.

Summary:
God tends to follow a specific process in order to bring His dream to pass in our lives. That process is the birth of the dream, the death of a dream and the resurrection and fulfillment of the dream.  Here’s how it is typically played out in our lives:

First, God places a dream within us by envisioning us with His intended purpose for our lives. Once the dream is conceived, God requires us to make difficult decisions. Are we going to follow the dream or not? Will we lay-it-on-the-line and become willing to invest our time, our money, our reputation, and our energy in pursuit of the dream? Dream-chasing is characterized by advancement, but God usually allows a delay to test us. Virtually every dreamer in the Bible had to go through a time of waiting, preparation, and patience. It is during this period of waiting that God is not only preparing us for the place He has destined us to occupy, but He is also preparing the place for us. Additionally, God allows difficulties to occur in order to develop us. It is at this time that we choose to allow our circumstances to make us a victim or a victor; a statistic or a giant-killer. Often, God brings us to a dead end in the process. This doesn’t happen simply to frustrate us or because God isn’t able, but instead to ensure that our reliance is completely in Him so that He receives all of the glory. The final chapter in a dream that is God-breathed and submitted to Him, is deliverance and fulfillment. So, don’t be afraid of the dream, but be aware of the process and chase your God-given purpose with the confidence that God is able to bring it to pass for His glory.

Discussion Questions: (read the scriptures & discuss)

Ephesians 1:11 & Colossians 1:16 (read from the Message)
Who is the source of our hopes and dreams? Where must we go to discover our true purpose? Discuss how these truths have shaped your decisions and your very life. 

James 1:2-4 & 12
How does God use trials, difficulties, and delays to actually help us accomplish our purpose and reach our destiny? Share personal experiences of this truth at work in your life.

2 Corinthians 9:8
How does God help fulfill the dream? Discuss how this truth inspires you to chase your God-given dreams? Share real examples of how God has given you all you need to accomplish His calling in your life. As a group, pray this scripture over each other.

Taking Action: What is your dream? What have you set forth to accomplish above all else in life? If your purpose in life is to serve God, stop and think about the types of decisions you will make in life. Now think about this: Do my decisions demonstrate that my purpose in life is to serve God? Realign your plans to His plans and chase the dream.

Ministry Time

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re: the art of starting over
(re:sume)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:
God has called us to courageously impact our community for His kingdom. In order to accomplish this we must not live in the past, but accept the present and prepare for the future. 

Summary:
The Jewish nation was dramatically led by God out of Egyptian captivity to the edge of the Promised Land; however, in spite of the overwhelming evidence of God’s faithfulness and power, they failed to take their land. What prevented them from entering the place which God had prepared for them, and what prevents us from accomplishing the plans, purpose, and promises God has for our lives? The first mistake we must avoid is idolizing the past. When we are facing an uncertain tomorrow, the enemy has a way of distorting our perspective which forces our focus onto the past instead of on moving forward. We cannot let the successes or the failures of our past define our present or our future. The second mistake we must avoid is compromising the present. Compromise typically comes in the form of disobedience.  Disobedience disqualified the Israelites from God’s plan for their lives, and disobedience can also disqualify us while leading to spiritual stagnation. The third mistake we must avoid is discounting the future. Even though Israel saw the possibilities of the future, they just didn’t believe that the benefits outweighed the risks. Because of fear, they started surviving rather than thriving. They thought to themselves, “This is as good as it gets, lets just settle right here.”

Thankfully, God is a God of second chances and like the Israelites, God has again called us to be courageous and take the land. Without courage, we will never risk the walk of faith and possess the promises of God. Without courage, the Gospel lies inactive in our hearts and our community remains unaffected by our lives. This is not a call to the weak, the reluctant or the passive. This is a charge for the brave. It is a call to those filled with faith and courage. No matter our past, we can now resume and take the land because “the Lord our God is with us wherever we go.”

Discussion Questions: (read the scriptures & discuss)

Isaiah 43:16-19 and Philippians 3:12-14
Discuss how our past failures, wounds, or even successes can keep us from God’s promises and plans for our lives.  How did Paul handle his past failures and even his past accomplishments? Why must we move on from the past?

Hebrews 3:7-19
What is the correlation between faith, disobedience, and not entering into God’s promises? How have you experienced this correlation in your own life? How does this compromise God’s plans for our lives? 

Joshua 1:1-9
Why can we confidently chase after God and His plans for our lives (v.9)? Share the victories you have experienced as you have placed your faith in Christ and stepped into the future with courage.

Taking Action: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal specific things from your past and any present areas of disobedience that are keeping you from His promises. Surrender these things to the Lord, repent, and resume your God-given mission – take the land. 

Ministry Time