W O R S H I P M AT T E R S WEEK 1 - MARCH 12 & 15
-FACILITATOR GUIDE-
*Leader Info: • If you are not receiving new member notifications or any emails from Connect22 please contact Ed & Caitlin at
[email protected] • If you have not been assigned a Coach please contact Ed & Caitlin at
[email protected]. • Record weekly attendance of your group on Connect22 (see video http://youtu.be/5zT5lr323Xw) Follow up with new members!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
-Prepare your heart for Easter by walking through the CoE22 Lent Guide available at every service in the Welcome & Connect Centers and join us in fasting from sunup to sundown on Tuesdays. -Also on Tuesdays, from 12-1pm the Worship Center will be open for an hour of prayer. -For more info about CoE22’s personality, passion, and purpose sign up for Discover1122 at coe22.com/discover. -Continue in the 731 Prayer Challenge (Pray daily 7 times a week, Pray out loud with one person 3 times a week, Pray out loud with your family or disciple group 1 time a week.) -ADDED EASTER SERVICE ON SATURDAY, APRIL 4 at 5:30PM! (This will be a one time Easter service perfect for families and regular attenders. A kid friendly carnival will be starting at 4pm).
TEXTS: Exodus 26:30-37 John 1:14, Mark 12:33, Romans 12:1, Titus 3:4-6,
Galatians 3:28, John 6:35, John 8:12, Matthew 6:9, John 1:29
ACTION STEP FOLLOW UP (5 minutes) •Be generous because God is first and went first. (How do you need to be generous with your time, money, and resources?) •Tell the truth because Jesus is TRUTH. (What do you need to tell the truth about?) •We celebrate others because Jesus lifted us up. (Who do you need encourage and celebrate?)
ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTIONS 1. How were you generous, truthful, or celebratory this past week?
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THE RECAP (10 minutes)
In week one of the Worship Matters series Pastor Joby continues to walk through Exodus after the giving of the Ten Commandments. Starting in Exodus 25 God gives instructions to Moses and His people about building a Tabernacle. This Tabernacle would be the dwelling place of God’s Presence. The Holy God would dwell with His unholy people with a sacrificial system in place. This system along with every part of the Tabernacle would ultimately point to Christ and His fulfillment of God’s desire to dwell among His people.
QUESTION (FROM THE WEEKEND SERMON) 1. What stood out to you from the sermon?
TEACHING & DIALOGUE
Facilitator, direct participants to confine discussion to the passage being studied. You can redirect comments back by asking “where does it say that in the passage?”
BIG IDEA: The tabernacle reveals to us God’s Desire to dwell with His People.
the sum total fulfillment of that Tabernacle Desire of God for His people.
Jesus is
Think: Have someone read Exodus 26:30-37 1:12-21. 1. What stands out to you about the Tabernacle? 2. What was so important about the Tabernacle? (God was making a dwelling place for His presence among His people. He was showing them He wanted an intimate relationship with them.) 3. What does the Tabernacle show us about God’s character?
Review the elements of the Tabernacle: •Altar of Sacrifice - used for burnt offerings in the outer court •Basin for washing - used to become ceremonially clean •Outer court - for women and Inner court was for ceremonially clean Jewish men •Table for bread - representing 12 tribes; reminding them of Passover •Golden lampstand - never out; represented God’s light and reminded them of the Tree of Life •Altar of incense - prayer •Holy of Holies: God’s presence - Arc of the covenant - contains the Law/Covenant of God - Mercy seat= God’s throne on earth. Have members of the group read the Scriptures below out loud and answer the questions: Altar of Sacrifice: “And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings
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and sacrifices.” Mark 12:33 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1 4. What do you need to sacrifice in your life as an act of worship? Basin for washing: “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,” Titus 3:4-6 5. What does this Scripture tell us about our works? (Our most righteous works are nothing but rubbish compared to God’s holiness. It is only by God’s mercy that we are given the opportunity to respond to His grace in surrender and worship. Without the Holy Spirit living inside of us, we are dead men walking.) Inner/Outer Courts: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28) 6. How does this truth affect how you view your brothers and sisters in Christ? Table for the Bread of Presence: “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger.” John 6:35 7. Where in your life do you lack belief that Christ’s grace is sufficient for you? Golden Lampstand: “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12 8. How have you experienced Christ’s light? Where in your life do you need to walk in the light of Christ? Altar of Incense: “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”’ Matthew 6:9 9. What does this verse reveal to us about God’s desire for intimacy? (Prayer draws our hearts to God and changes our hearts to line up with His will.) The Arc of the Covenant: “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 The Holy of Holies was such a sacred place in the Tabernacle because it revealed God’s overwhelming glory and His intimate commitment to His people. Worship and intimacy are so closely related because God created us with hearts wired for worship. When we know Him intimately we are inwardly compelled to outwardly worship Him with our lives.
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Have someone read John 1:14 out loud. Pair up with someone in the group and take a few minutes to discuss the implications of this verse. MOMENT OF TRUTH: “As worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience. Holy obedience saves worship from becoming an opiate, an escape from the pressing needs of modern life.” Richard Foster (Author of Celebration of Discipline) RESPOND:
In the spiritual warfare tainted with Satan’s lies, it is important for us to visually remind ourselves of God’s character and our identity in Christ. God is… From the passages read, identify a truth about God’s character and write it down. (Ex. God is a God of intimacy.) I am… From the passages read, identify a truth about your identity in Christ that results from God’s character and write it down. (Ex. I am a living sacrifice.) Place these statements where you can see them this week. ACTION STEP: We respond in worship for who God is and what He has done. Discuss with your group different ways to express worship towards God outside the church walls. Commit to worshipping in one of the ways in addition to coming to a service this week. (Some expressions of worship include: serving others, worshipping God’s majesty out in nature, reading God’s Word, journaling and reflecting) Don’t forget to continue to engage in the 731 Prayer Challenge. (Pray daily 7 times a week, Pray out loud with one person 3 times a week, Pray out loud with your family or disciple group 1 time a week.)
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