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 Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:
One of Webster’s definitions of “pit” is: “a place or situation of futility, misery, or degradation.” Ever been there?  The above defines the first two pits Kevin Gerald talked about in the video, ones we slip into or are thrown into.  The third pit he described is the kind we intentionally jump into by faith, for the purpose of tackling a challenge for the glory and purpose of God.  In your group discussion, have someone read the following scriptures out loud and discuss the accompanying questions.

Discussion Points:
1. PITS WE SLIP INTO
As we journey toward lives of progress, one common pitfall we face is embracing errant ideas about people or circumstances in our lives, which can cause us to “slip” into a pit of misperception.  The futility of being in this pit is that the more we try to scratch and claw our way out the deeper the pit becomes.  The ladder out of this kind of pit is a “right perspective” that can only be gained through seeing life through the truth found in God’s Word. 
Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 and Ephesians 6:10-18.  Talk about how we escape the pit of misperception by seeing reality through the eyes of scripture.  Does anyone want to share an example of this powerful truth in your own life?

2. PITS WE ARE THROWN INTO
When they refused to worship the god’s of king Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into a “pit” of sorts by the king. 
Pause for a moment and have someone read part one of their story in Daniel 3:13-18. 
These three men were eventually thrown into the fire, but God delivered them unharmed.  Discuss the extraordinary faith and trust they had in God.  Talk about how important it is for us to stand firm in our faith when we are thrown, against our will, into a pit by someone else. 

3. PITS WE JUMP INTO
Read 2 Samuel 23:20-22 about Benaiah, one of David’s mighty men.  In addition to Benaiah, consider how king David ran to the fight with Goliath for the glory of God.  As Kevin Gerald suggested in the video, consider David and Benaiah’s courage and tenacity in relation to a dream or vision God has given you.  Is there something God has challenged you with that stretches you beyond your natural ability and into the realm of reliance upon His power for success?  In your group, take a few minutes of personal reflection and close your eyes, relax, and meditate on something God has been speaking to you about tackling in your own life.  It could be a personal discipline, an expansion of ministry focus, a family decision or a business dealing.  After taking a moment to “lock on” to something, ask if someone would like to share what he or she is feeling challenged to pursue.

CLOSING PRAYER:  Spend the next few minutes praying for the dreams and visions that are represented in the group, both those spoken and unspoken.  Ask for the power of the Spirit of the Living God to pour out His enablement upon each one desiring to receive it, in order to see God’s full potential rise up in the lives of each one of us.   

Taking Action: On the back of this paper, write down what “lion” God spoke to you about tonight in your own life.  Tuck this page of notes into your Bible and take some time this week to pray over an action plan to begin “taming the lion” that is “walking through the front yard” of your heart and mind.

Ministry Time

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Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith and Worship

Big Idea:

Working with difficult people in the workplace can be emotionally exhausting and, if mishandled, it can cause serious problems for us spiritually and practically.  This week we are exploring how we can experience the words of the Lord’s prayer I our workplace relationships, when Jesus said to pray like this:  “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” – Matt. 6:9-15

Overview:

The work environment can create some interesting relational dynamics (to say the least).  So much so that it has caused most major businesses to establish HR departments to protect themselves legally from the potential “clowns” that may be in their workforce.  Working with clowns can be emotionally exhausting and sometimes scary, or, it can be an adventure, like going on a foreign missionary trip. It all depends on our perspective.   In our group discussion this week, let’s look at this topic from two perspectives: 1) our attitude toward work, and 2) how it is that our view of work effects our relationships at work.

Discussion Points:

1. Read the following: Genesis 2:15….  “ The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”  Talk about how work was a part of paradise, and what that says about God’s view of the place work has in our lives today.

2. Read the quote below and discuss how our attitude about work can either position us to be miserable or grateful in our jobs.

“After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to life: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life.”  Ecclesiastes 5:18 –The Message

3. Read 2 Corinthians 5:20 and discuss how our attitude toward work can affect the greater mission to which we have been called, to be ambassadors of Christ, the people through which God is making his appeal to a lost and dying world.

4. Webster defines “ambassador” as an “authorized representative or messenger.”  In order to represent Christ in the workplace, we MUST possess the attitude of Jesus in our care and consideration of others.  In your groups, discuss how the following guidelines from the weekend message can be applied to represent the heart of Christ in workplace relationships.

Value others:  before “dealing” with a difficult person, first consider the “value” of the relationship.  Be guided by value instead of the feelings and circumstances of the moment.

Communication:  Communicate in an even and balanced tone.  Read Proverbs 15:1 and in our group, share experiences that illustrate the importance of this point.

Avoid accusing and excusing: Always avoid the word “never” and never use the word “always”.  As in, “You always” or “You never.”  Honor the person you are addressing by exercising the fruit of the Spirit in you interaction and “speak the truth in love” as instructed in Ephesians 4:15.  Read Galatians 5:22-23 and talk about how the fruit of the Spirit can be applied in the work place.

Facilitate solutions:  Read Matthew 5:9….   Discuss the difference between winning an argument and collaborating on solutions.

Taking Action:  Read Romans 12:14-18

Prayerfully consider the relationships in your workplace and ask God to show you one that you can specifically and prayerfully work toward improving.

Ministry Time

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 Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:
Cambridge dictionary definition…  Trapeze noun: “a short bar hanging high up in the air from two ropes, which acrobats use to perform special swinging movements.” 
As the metaphor of the trapeze artist suggests, relationships can be as uncertain as flying through the air hoping someone is willing and able to receive you at the other end.  Whether you are the one flying, or the one catching, connecting successfully in a relationship involves some basic fundamental principles.  Let’s look at a few of them in our discussion this week.

Discussion Points:
Know What Level You’re On: As we heard in the teaching, the Bible describes many “levels” of relationships, and we must approach each at the appropriate level in which it exists in our lives.  For the believer, the central relationship from which all healthy relationships are nurtured is our own personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  With Jesus as the source, we then have the capacity to engage all other levels of relationships through the life giving Spirit who indwells us.

Talk about how a parent must constantly adjust the “level” at which they relate to their child as they grow out of diapers, into adolescence and on into young adulthood.  Contrast natural parenting with the relationship between our heavenly Father and his desire to see his children grow into maturity.
Read Matt. 7:9-12 and talk about what our heavenly Father expects us to do with the gifts he gives us (notice the powerful “relationship” focus of verse 12).

Alignment:  Ponder this thought: “Would you let go of your trapeze if you knew the one who was supposed to catch you was swinging diagonally to your line of flight?”  Probably not!  We wouldn’t do that as a circus performer, but we can easily find ourselves doing that in the circus of life.  The Apostle Paul offers us wisdom in his letter to the Corinthian believers when he said:
 “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” –1 Corinthians 6:14
(Note: this passage is not negating our need to love unbelievers, our enemies, or an unbelieving spouse that we are already in covenant with).  Paul’s command is a warning to avoid entering into a “co-laboring” relationship with those who are not in agreement with the principles, values and truth found in God’s Word.  This applies to the choosing of a marriage partner, but it can also apply to business partners and all other “purpose driven” relationships in our lives.

Read Matt. 16:21-23 and Matt. 12:46-50 and discuss the lens through which Jesus viewed the relationships in his life.  Talk about the criteria by which Jesus brought “alignment” to his relationships.  Is there someone in your group who would be willing to share from their experience about how important it is to be aligned in our relationships?

1. Trust — 2. Being Strong for each other — 3. Timing
In the time remaining in your group, engage in an open discussion about these three other important principles for healthy relationships that Pastor Terry discussed in the message this weekend.

Closing Prayer:  Read Philippians 2:1-4 in your closing prayer.

Taking Action
Make time to get alone and prayerfully evaluate the relationships in your life.  Identify any that are out of “alignment” and seek God’s wisdom for “realigning” in conformity to God’s truth.

Ministry Time

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 BIG PICTURE:
With so many conflicting signals in this life about truth, we are confronted with a constant assault against our faith to trust God implicitly with our lives and our futures.  Countering this assault requires recognition of the problem, and a determination to chose to trust God at a much deeper place than what we observe through our circumstances. 

SUMMARY:
Noah recognized that the problem in his day was that people rejected the truth of who
God was.  As we see in Genesis 6:9,  “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.”  Wouldn’t you want that written about you in the Bible, or written about you anywhere?  The world was so corrupt that Genesis 6:6 says that “God’s heart was filled with pain,”  but fortunately for you and me, “Noah found favor with God.”  Before the flood waters came, Noah was living in a world deluged by a sea trustless rebellion. Every human on the planet disregarded God, except for Noah and his family.  Noah chose to reject the myths, misconceptions, and misunderstandings about God that were prevalent in his day, and he chose to not use misfortune as an excuse not to believe.  He counterattacked these “trust busters” by intentionally building up his trust in God and following through with action. At the end of the day, that action of obedience saved his life, saved his family, and saved the human race.

DISCUSSION POINTS:
Read the following scriptures together and discuss the topics in your group.

MYTH vs TRUTH: What is the MYTH represented in Gen. 6:11 and Romans 1:18-25?  Contrast that with the attitude to pursue TRUTH represented Psalm 86:10-13

MISCONCEPTIONS OF GOD vs TRUSTWORTHINESS OF GOD
Consider that Noah built a massive boat in the desert, that was one and half football fields in length, and the people had such a misconception of God that they ignored what and why Noah was building the ark.  Read Matthew 24:37-39.  Talk about the contrast of how the Ark represents God’s trustworthiness on one hand, but it also represents the devastating consequences of rejecting God’s provision on the other.  Compare Noah’s day with October 2009 on planet earth.

MISFORTUNE vs GRATITUDE
Jonah had the “misfortune” to find himself in the belly of a great fish (which in reality saved his life).  Read Jonah 2: 5-10. read verse 9 and 10 again and talk about what the catalyst was for Jonah’s deliverance.  Read Philippians 4:4-7 and talk about the power in having a heart of thanksgiving. 

MISUNDERSTANDING vs TRUSTING GOD’S WORD and HIS SPIRIT TO GUIDE US.
Read Proverbs 3:5-6, and Philippians 4:11-13, and discuss the quote below. 
“Good circumstances are only an illusion of security. And bad circumstances are only an illusion of a lack of security. So, don’t put your trust in circumstances…good or bad. Put your trust in the Ring Master of heaven who is working all things out for your good.” —Pastor Terry

TAKING ACTION
This week, as part of your devotional time, go to a concordance, or biblegateway.com, and look up the word “trust.”  Of the 93 times the word trust appears, pick one that you find especially meaningful to you and memorize it and pray it over your life throughout the week.  Bring your passage back next week to share it with your group.
Ministry Time

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Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship
 
Big Idea:
Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple.        Psalm 65:4

What an extraordinary privilege we have to worship as one, and live in Christian community as we build the local church together.  As the Psalmist says, may God stir a satisfaction in our hearts with the goodness of God’s wonderful design of establishing the “house” of the Lord, His Church, as a dwelling place for His presence in the earth.

Summary:  In King David’s day, the tabernacle was where the Ark of the Covenant and the  presence of God resided. When David moved it from Moses’ location on Mount Gibeon to its new residence on Mount Zion, it was a powerful foreshadowing of the “law” giving way to the grace that was coming through the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  As Pastor Terry explained over the weekend, David not only moved it’s location, but opened up access for the “common” person to enter. It was no longer only for the “unflawed.” This was a wonderful illustration of what Jesus did for us through the cross. What a powerful view of God’s grace.

Discussion Points: Read and Discuss

1.) In order to be satisfied in the house, you have to understand the purpose of the house.
David was on a pursuit to understand the purpose of God’s house in his generation.  The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9:22 says:  “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.”  With the above in mind, talk about ways our church is seeking to present the gospel with relevance and why.

2)  In order to be satisfied in the house, you have to know that you’ve been placed in the house.  
Read Psalm 92:12-15 and discuss HOW you know God has “planted” you at City of Grace.

3) In order to be satisfied in the house, you have to see your purpose in the house.
Read Psalm 84:10 and discuss WHY God has planted you at City of Grace.

4) In order to be satisfied in the house, you have to be secure in the house.
Read Psalm 36:7-8 and talk about the security of God’s love and acceptance that is found in a grace based community of faith.  Consider these words from the weekend message: “Personal satisfaction always involves a recognition of God’s unconditional love for you. When you are insecure about where He has placed you, you will never be satisfied. When you are insecure with the way God has gifted you, you will never be satisfied.” —Pastor Terry

5) In order to be satisfied in the house, you have to be a builder of the house.
Read Psalm 127:1 and discuss why we need to be in alignment with God’s ways as we serve together to build the House.

Taking Action: take time this week to prayerfully meditate on the five points above and consider what God might be saying to you about your vital role as a part of this “house” at City of Grace.

Ministry Time