Wednesday October 8, 2014

Read 1 Timothy 1:12-20

Imagine someone like Manuel. He’s been attending No Hope Christian Church for a few decades. He has no plan for his life and has found life itself to be devoid of meaning and joy. Since he became a Christian life has been routine and somewhat boring. He often reflects back to the wild old days when as a non believer he would live it up and party all night. Deep down He wants to be used by God but nothing ever seems to happen and he never seems to get anywhere.

Manuel’s story is the direct opposite of the Apostle Paul’s. Paul was a violent and angry young man. He was a blasphemer and a persecutor of Christians.  He described himself as the worst of sinners. But when he was converted he Lord’s grace shone brightly and many were brought to repentance and faith though his ministry.

After reading of Paul’s change, Manuel sat with his pastor and through prayer and petition and much self examination and counsel he determined a mission statement for his life. Manuel wrote down his statement as ‘to serve God faithfully in life and in church, pastoring as many people as possible (ie his spiritual gift) and to grow the kingdom by 12 converts each year.

After discovering his spiritual gift and determining a God-centred plan for his life, Manuel’s life changed completely.  Work became a mission field and an opportunity to glorify God by the quality of his work. Several people took time to listen to the Gospel because they saw a radical change in Manuel’s life. Life outside of work also changed dramatically. It was no longer a search for fun and entertainment but an opportunity to disciple believers and to make disciples from non believers. Manuel started a small men’s group and ministers to them weekly. Church on Sonday is now a joy and a blessing. He pastors people in the church, especially immigrants who have few or no relatives in the country. Manuel’s prayer life has also blossomed. Instead of the routine and boring prayers that were uttered out in a monotone drone he now prays with passion and brings heart felt tears to the Lord about the people he’s ministering to and his workmates. He also reads his Bible expectantly, waiting anxiously for the Lord to speak to him and to show him how to minister to the many people he’s pastoring and working with.

What changed in Manuel’s life? He realised that God had a plan for his life and stepped into that plan. He sought God with his  entire heart, soul, mind and strength and committed himself to serving God, no matter what the cost.

Our Christian lives will always be boring and monotone if we choose to disengage from God and assign Him only a small Sonday morning portion of our week. But if we seek God with our entire heart, soul, mind and strength, then life becomes a joyous journey filled with God’s powerful work. When we seek God, everything changes.

Prayer:

Use today’s Bible reading and notes to pray along the following lines.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

¨ If you know any Manuel’s or if you are a Manuel pray that God would bring a complete change of heart and that He would reveal His will and plan for their/your lives.

¨ Pray that each and every person in your church would come alive to God’s plan for their life.

 Walk Moment:

Routine lives that compartmentalise God and assign Him to Sonday mornings rarely bring glory to God. Lives that place God at the head and that are lived for Him 24/7 bring Him glory and honour.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What things stop believers from seeking God with their entire heart, soul, mind and strength?

2. How can your cell/family grow a more God-focused life in each other?

3. What do you like\dislike about Manuel’s own mission statement.?

 Discipleship Moment For Girls

Intro: Love is more than a funny felling in our tummies. Love is more than thinking nice things about someone. Jesus shows us that love for Himself is shown by obedience.  We know what Jesus wants when we read the Word, the Bible. 

Discuss  What shows love in the following relationships - parent/child, husband/wife, friend/friend.

Read  John 14:15-17

What does Jesus say love results in?

What does Jesus promise to do for us?

Pray together that God’s Spirit would lead us in obedience each and every day.

 Discipleship Moment For Boys

Intro: The word ‘love’ doesn’t mean much to many boys. What does it mean to you? Jesus shows us that love for Himself is shown by obedience.  We know what Jesus wants when we read the Word, the Bible. 

Discuss  What shows love in the following relationships - parent/child, husband/wife, friend/friend.

Read  John 14:15-17

What does Jesus say love results in?

What does Jesus promise to do for us?

Pray together that God’s Spirit would lead us in obedience each and every day.

Tuesday October 7, 2014

Read Acts 20:17-24

Most companies nowadays have a mission statement, often proudly displayed for the public to see and admire. Most sports men and women and high achievers have a goal or plan that drives them and motivates them. Do you have a calling or a plan from God? Do you know why God put your on this earth? Do you know the reason for your existence?

At the most basic level it wasn’t to be God’s gift to the opposite sex or to live in luscious comfort and to be blessed by all that the world has to offer. Biblically speaking we can argue that you were put on this earth to be a Kingdom servant, to bless many, to edify the saints and to grow the kingdom. 

Dr Luke, who wrote The Acts of the Apostles spelt out Paul’s goal for us. As Paul discoursed with the Ephesian elders he told them God’s calling and plan for his own life. Thankfully, Luke recorded what was spoken. Paul’s life mission or goal is stated in Acts 20:24

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the Gospel of God’s grace.

Interestingly, Paul invested his entire life in this God given mission. His life would be worthless or pointless if he did not engage in the task given to him by the Lord. If you consider your life from the vantage point of judgment day, when we are called to account for our lives, you can see the value and pointedness of Paul’s statement here. Nothing matters eternally except the task given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s heart is to finish the race and to complete the task given to him by Christ Jesus. For Paul that task was preaching the Gospel of grace to the Gentiles. As you read through the Book of Acts you see how Paul laboured and toiled and worked towards that goal. 

It’s encouraging to realise that when God calls us for a particular life or mission He equips us and leads us in that mission. God doesn’t throw us in the deep end but actually works with us and in us to bring that mission to fruition.  We can march confidently forward striving to complete the Lord’s task given to us.

But sadly, many believers simply have no idea what God wants them to be doing. Many believers have no idea of God’s plan or goal for their lives. Many believers would simply baulk at having such a mission statement or goal for their own lives.

Let me encourage you to pray that God would reveal His plan for your life. Pray that He would show you the good works that He has prepared in advance for you to be doing. Pray that He would work in you and through you to bring those plans to completion.

Prayer:

Use today’s Bible reading and notes to pray along the following lines.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

¨ Pray that each person in your congregation would know God’s plan for their lives. Pray that each person would be seeking God and seeking to be obedient to God.

¨ Pray that the leadership of your church would know the plans that God has for your church and that they would be wise in leading the congregation in obedience and trust.

 Word Moment:

As you read the Word, keep praying that God would speak to you directly through the Word.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. How can a person find out what God’s plan for their life really is?

2. What advantages are there in being able to spell out your Kingdom life plan as Paul did in Acts 20:24?

3. A particular person in your church says that he’s happy NOT to have a plan but wants to roll with the punches and allow God to call him to any number of works. He thinks that a plan would smother God’s work. How do you respond?

 Discipleship Moment For Girls

Intro: As children we can have grand dreams of what we want to do when we get older. Share some of your dreams. God wants us to have grand dreams of what we can do for His kingdom as well. God wants this and gives us His Spirit to achieve this.

Discuss your dreams and goals for God’s kingdom. Share what desires you have regarding God’s kingdom.

Read  Galatians 3:1-5

Why does God give His Spirit to us?

How do we receive God’s Spirit?

Pray together that God would allow you to walk in step with the Spirit and to be led by Him and taught by Him.

 Discipleship Moment For Boys

 Intro: As children we can have grand dreams of what we want to do when we get older. Share some of your dreams. God wants us to have grand dreams of what we can do for His kingdom as well. God wants this and gives us His Spirit to achieve this.

Discuss your dreams and goals for God’s kingdom. Share what desires you have regarding God’s kingdom.

Read  Galatians 3:1-5

Why does God give His Spirit to us?

How do we receive God’s Spirit?

Pray together that God would allow you to walk in step with the Spirit and to be led by Him and taught by Him.

Monday October 6, 2014

Coming Up: Sonday October 12, 2014

Romans 15:23-33. God’s Game Plan for Life.

 Read Romans 15:23-29

Do you have a plan or goal for your life? Most of us have, at least, unwritten goals and plans. We may seek to have a spouse by the time we reach a certain age. We might seek to have a certain job or position by the time we get to a certain point in life. We may want to have x number of children in so many years from now. We might aim at self employment or early retirement. Maybe we want to have the mortgage paid off as quickly as possible.

But I wonder how many of us have Kingdom plans. I wonder if we have goals, even unwritten ones, about our faith and walk with God. Paul certainly did. Paul’s plan for years has been to visit Rome and to spread the Gospel further afield into the region around and beyond Spain. In fact, Paul’s entire life has been a Kingdom life that seeks to glorify and honour God in everything. Paul’s ongoing desire is to see people saved and to be matured in their faith. In fact, most of his letters end with a request for prayer based around his Kingdom plans.

Now of course, the Lord isn’t calling all of us to be travelling evangelists and preachers. But that doesn’t mean that He doesn’t want us to have a plan for our lives. You can plan to serve God in your current jobs, living in your current neighbourhood, serving in your current church. Perhaps God may be calling you to grow in knowledge of His Word. Maybe He’s calling you to lead a cell group and to make disciples that way. Maybe He’s wanting you to start a group that reaches a particular group of unreached people. Maybe He’s planning to send you on a short term mission or to evangelise locally. Maybe He wants you to grow in a particular fruit of the Spirit.

When Paul wrote to the Roman Church he made his plans in the light of God’s overarching and sovereign plan. It would only work by and according to God’s will (Romans 1:10, 15:7). We don’t pluck our plans from thin air or just make them to suit our desires and fantasies. Our plans are produced through persistent prayer. We seek God and ask Him to reveal His plan for our lives. Ephesians 2:8-10 spells it out very clearly.  

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Forming a Kingdom focussed plan for our lives begins with and ends with prayerfulness.

Spend time today asking God to show you His plan for your life. Ask Him to reveal to you where He wants you to be putting your energy and how you are to be serving Him.

Prayer:

Use today’s Bible reading and notes to pray along the following lines.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

¨ Pray that each person in your congregation would know God’s plan for their lives. Pray that each person would be seeking God and seeking to be obedient to God.

¨ Pray that the leadership of your church would know the plans that God has for your church and that they would be wise in leading the congregation in obedience and trust.

 Worship Moment:

When we live Kingdom focused lives according to His plan, people start taking notice of the Gospel.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What advantages come from having a Kingdom plan or goal for your life?

2. How do you think having a Kingdom goal or plan for your life could change your life?

3. How does having a plan relate to spiritual gifts as discussed in passages such as 1 Corinthians 12?

 Discipleship Moment For Girls

Intro: Sometimes we don’t know where we want to go with our lives or what we are supposed to do. God wants our lives to be meaningful and directed, more like a sports star training for the Olympics than a life with no goals or plans.

Discuss the kingdom goals that you have for your life and how you came to those goals.

Read Romans 15:20

What was Paul’s ambition or goal?

If you could dream of doing anything for God, what would it be?

Pray together  that God would show you His plans and goals for your life. 

 Discipleship Moment For Boys

Intro: God wants our lives to be meaningful and directed, more like a sports star training for the Olympics than a life with no goals or plans. Instead of just idling in life God wants us to power forward and to work for His kingdom.

Discuss the kingdom goals that you have for your life and how you came to those goals.

Read Romans 15:20

What was Paul’s ambition or goal?

If you could dream of doing anything for God, what would it be?

Pray together  that God would show you His plans and goals for your life. 

Suggestions for Cell

Welcome and Catch-up time

Word:

             Read Romans 14:1-15:22

Worship

The leader can choose songs or have the group choose favourites.

Prayer Time.

Spend time praying for wisdom and holiness in your group and in your church.

Word & Walk.

Can you summarise the flow of Paul’s argument in this week’s verses?

What is the main point being made?

Read Monday September 29 notes and do discussion questions..

Witness

Spend time praying for non Christians you know and asking God to open doors to sharing the gospel with them and to prepare them to hear the gospel.