Written in Heaven

A few years ago, I developed a pretty bad lying habit. It wasn’t intentional, but I found myself continually lying about something that is probably one of the worst things you can lie about: prayer. My lying conversations always had good intentions, but they would go like this:

“Hey Matt, I’m going through some hard stuff right now.”

Me: “Thanks for sharing that; I’ll be praying for you.”

The problem was, I seldom did. It wasn’t because I was trying to be a jerk or anything like that. I just forgot. God has helped to show me that this just wasn’t an issue of being forgetful, but having my priorities in the wrong order.

I was reminded of this idea this week as I was reading in 1 Samuel. In chapter 12, Samuel is leaving his people as Saul transitions into kingship. As he leaves he says, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.” (verse 23)

Samuel never even said, “I’ll be praying for you.” Yet, he believed so strongly in the power of prayer and his call to spiritual leadership that he considered it a sin not to pray for those he was leaving.

God’s been growing me in this same way. He’s been showing me what an awesome privilege it is to pray for those who I’ve been called to lead. Today, you may not consider yourself a leader, but indeed you are. You are at least the leader of yourself, so never underestimate the power of prayer not only in your own life, but as you pray for others as well.

LIFEGROUP Questions

2/28/10

***Remember that we always start LIFEGROUPS reminding the group that the purpose of LIFEGROUPS is to ‘belong and become.’ To find a group of people we can connect to and build friendships, and become more like Jesus each day.

***Also reinforce the ‘Vegas Rule’ – what happens in LIFEGROUP, stays in LIFEGROUP.

Til Death Week 4: Protect

1. If you could be an Olympian in any of the winter Olympic events, which one would it be and why?

2. We talked about protecting marriages this week, but we are told to protect our relationship to God in the same way. When you think of protecting your relationship with God, what does that mean?

3. The Bible talks about Adam and Eve both being ‘naked, and they felt no shame.’ While this was a physical nakedness, it also was representative of being completely transparent with one another. Is it ever a struggle to be completely transparent with God? Why or why not?

4. When you meet someone new, how long does it take you before you completely trust them? What does it take for you to trust them? Do you completely trust God in that same way? If not, what will it take for you to completely trust Him?

5. Over this series, there has been a lot of advice given about our relationship with others and with God. What has been the biggest takeaway from this series for you?

6. How can we pray for one another as we close this time together?

***Always close your group with a time of prayer. As a leader, you can lead this or you can all share in the requests praying for one another. You need to know where your group is at to determine what would be most comfortable in that setting. i.e. don’t ask people to pray in the group if you’re not sure they’re ready to.

LIFEGROUP Questions

2/28/10

***Remember that we always start LIFEGROUPS reminding the group that the purpose of LIFEGROUPS is to ‘belong and become.’ To find a group of people we can connect to and build friendships, and become more like Jesus each day.

***Also reinforce the ‘Vegas Rule’ – what happens in LIFEGROUP, stays in LIFEGROUP.

Til Death Week 4: Protect

1. Describe the first ‘date’ that you and your spouse had. When did you know that they were ‘the one?’

2. When you think of protecting your marriage, what comes to mind?

3. The Bible talks about Adam and Eve both being ‘naked, and they felt no shame.’ Why do you think some people fear being completely 100% honest and transparent with their spouse?

4. The Bible talks about wives respecting their husbands and husbands loving their wives. (Ephesians 5:33) Why do you think the Bible makes this distinction? How have you seen the concepts of love and respect play out in your marriage? How do they go hand in hand?

5. Over this series, there has been a lot of advice given to married folks. What has been your biggest takeaway as an individual during these four weeks? What has been your biggest takeaway as a couple during these four weeks?

6. How can we pray for one another as we close this time together?

***Always close your group with a time of prayer. As a leader, you can lead this or you can all share in the requests praying for one another. You need to know where your group is at to determine what would be most comfortable in that setting. i.e. don’t ask people to pray in the group if you’re not sure they’re ready to.

I’ve said this before, but it never ceases to amaze me at how God prepares us through His word for things that we’re going to face. This week has been exhausting. It’s primarily been good, but as I sit in my office on Friday afternoon and reflect on the week that was there’s a lot to be thankful for.

One thing in particular that I’m thankful for was my journey through the book of Joshua over the last couple days. Joshua is a leader who has been groomed by Moses to take over as leader of the Israelites. Moses has died, and now Joshua is in charge. Not only is he leading hundreds of thousands of people, he has to lead them into war to claim a land that God had promised them. This would be a tough task for a leader with experience, but this cat’s a rookie. Tough break buddy, get to it!

God gives Joshua some helpful advice: “Be strong and courageous.” He says this to Joshua 3 different times within the first 9 verses of the book, and again 9 verses later. At first glance it seems as though God is saying, “Don’t be a sissy. Get in there and get the job done!” While that might have been it on some level, I think it was intended more like this: “Joshua, I’m God. I’ve got your back. Everything you need to succeed you have in me. So therefore, be strong and courageous, because I AM GOD!”

What’s even cooler about this is that this phrase of “be strong” is one of the last sentiments that Joshua gives to the people before he dies (Joshua 23:6). Joshua lived his life as God instructed, so when it was all said and done, he knew there was no better advice he could give his followers than the advice that God had given Him: “be strong.”

I don’t know about you, but I needed that this week. It such a comfort to know that whatever situation you find yourself in, God has given you everything you need in His son Jesus to get through it. So (as if I need to say it), “BE STRONG!”

LIFEGROUP Questions

2/21/10

***Remember that we always start LIFEGROUPS reminding the group that the purpose of LIFEGROUPS is to ‘belong and become.’ To find a group of people we can connect to and build friendships, and become more like Jesus each day.

***Also reinforce the ‘Vegas Rule’ – what happens in LIFEGROUP, stays in LIFEGROUP.

Til Death Week 3: Partnership

1. Who is one of your best friends? What makes them such a great friend?

2. When you think about friendships or dating relationships, what personality traits do you look for in those people?

3. Jesus describes His relationship to us as a marriage. Have you ever thought about your relationship with Jesus that way? What would be different about it if you lived as though you and Jesus had that close of a relationship?

4. In Ephesians, Paul describes Jesus and the church in a marriage and that in that marriage we submit to Jesus. What does submission to Jesus mean? What does it look like as it plays out in our lives?

5. How can you spiritually ready yourself for a future romantic relationship? How does being submitted to Jesus fit into that relationship?

6. This week’s assignments were to deal with past relationships as a couple, and to develop 4-7 values you are going to have in your marriage. Does anyone have their values developed that they would like to share with the group? Let’s pray that God would continue to help us develop these values and focus on developing these partnerships.

***Always close your group with a time of prayer. As a leader, you can lead this or you can all share in the requests praying for one another. You need to know where your group is at to determine what would be most comfortable in that setting. i.e. don’t ask people to pray in the group if you’re not sure they’re ready to.

LIFEGROUP Questions

2/21/10

***Remember that we always start LIFEGROUPS reminding the group that the purpose of LIFEGROUPS is to ‘belong and become.’ To find a group of people we can connect to and build friendships, and become more like Jesus each day.

***Also reinforce the ‘Vegas Rule’ – what happens in LIFEGROUP, stays in LIFEGROUP.

Til Death Week 3: Partnership

1. What’s the attribute (not physical) of your spouse that you love and admire the most that you don’t have?

2. This week we talked about marriage in terms of partnership (being about ‘we’ and not ‘me’). What are areas that you as a couple are really successful at ‘partnering’ in (i.e. household chores, parenting, working, social life, spiritual capacity, etc.)? What are areas that you and your spouse struggle to ‘partner’ in?

3. Part of partnership is mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21). What does that mean? What does that look like in your marriage?

4. In Ephesians 5, Jesus compares himself as a groom, and the church as His bride. He instructs us to treat one another the same way as He treats us. How would we treat our spouse differently if we operated like Jesus does towards His church all the time?

5. Being a partner means more than simply partnership, but that you and your spouse are completely welded together. What areas of your marriage do you not see eye to eye in that you can work on to become even more closely welded together?

6. This week’s assignments were to deal with past relationships as a couple, and to develop 4-7 values you are going to have in your marriage. Does anyone have their values developed that they would like to share with the group? Let’s pray that God would continue to help us develop these values and focus on developing these partnerships.

***Always close your group with a time of prayer. As a leader, you can lead this or you can all share in the requests praying for one another. You need to know where your group is at to determine what would be most comfortable in that setting. i.e. don’t ask people to pray in the group if you’re not sure they’re ready to.

As a leader I have some propensities to always be looking forward in planning and even looking forward to what God is going to do. While this isn’t a bad thing, God is showing me to appreciate the moments I’m in more than I have been, rather than looking forward all the time.

Just recently I had a meeting scheduled with a couple from BridgeWay. It was a pretty light meeting to touch base on some stuff; nothing urgent. A couple hours beforehand, we talked on the phone debating whether or not to meet, and ultimately, decided to. They arrived and we talked business for about 15 minutes and were really ready to wrap up. Then out of nowhere, we started talking about life and they began to share about things that God was doing in them and what He had been teaching them. It was incredible! We shared laughs, tears, smiles, and prayers. It was a wonderful night! I left the meeting thinking, “Wow, I’m so glad we didn’t cancel that meeting!”

I’m learning that every encounter with folks can move in that way if we take the time to listen for it. When it comes to leading LIFEGROUPS especially, sometimes we can get so wrapped up in group size or who’s here or who’s not, that we lose focus of the people that God has brought together for that evening for His purposes. Never, EVER take for granted who is present at your meetings and why they might be there. SAVOR THE MOMENT! Let God do what He needs to do. The trick is, that YOU as a leader have to be spiritually prepared for what HE wants to do.

Be prepared, be excited, and be expecting!

LIFEGROUP Questions

2/14/10

***Remember that we always start LIFEGROUPS reminding the group that the purpose of LIFEGROUPS is to ‘belong and become.’ To find a group of people we can connect to and build friendships, and become more like Jesus each day.

***Also reinforce the ‘Vegas Rule’ – what happens in LIFEGROUP, stays in LIFEGROUP.

Til Death Week 2: Pursuit

1. Ladies, what’s the best romantic/pursuit moment you remember from when you and your husband were dating? Guys, what was the most romantic moment you pulled off while you were dating your wife?

2. Since you’ve been married, have you had the same level of ‘pursuit’ for one another that you had when you were dating? Why or why not?

3. 2 Samuel 14:14 says that “God does not take away life; instead He devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from Him.” When you look at your life, how have you seen God ‘devising ways’ to get your attention and bring you closer to Him?

4. Ephesians 5:25-29 gives us a good picture of what it means to pursue our spouses: sacrifice, serving, and supplying their needs. When it comes to your spouse, what sacrifices might you need to make personally to show your commitment to pursue your spouse?

5. How can we serve our spouses to show our pursuit of them? What needs of our spouse have we been neglecting that we need to focus on more?

6. Each person in here commit to one of the ways we can pursue our spouse this week. Next week, the spouse will bring back a report of how you did at your duty. Let’s pray that God will help us all pursue our spouses like He pursues us.

***Always close your group with a time of prayer. As a leader, you can lead this or you can all share in the requests praying for one another. You need to know where your group is at to determine what would be most comfortable in that setting. i.e. don’t ask people to pray in the group if you’re not sure they’re ready to.

LIFEGROUP Questions

2/14/10

***Remember that we always start LIFEGROUPS reminding the group that the purpose of LIFEGROUPS is to ‘belong and become.’ To find a group of people we can connect to and build friendships, and become more like Jesus each day.

***Also reinforce the ‘Vegas Rule’ – what happens in LIFEGROUP, stays in LIFEGROUP.

Til Death Week 2: Pursuit

1. What’s something that you pursued more than anything else, and finally got it? Why did you want it so much? What did it mean to you when you got it? After awhile, did it have the same excitement as it did before?

2. Has anyone ever pursued a relationship with you before (dating, parenting, brother/sister, grandparent, aunt/uncle, etc.)? What did they do to get your attention? Were their efforts effective?

3. 2 Samuel 14:14 says that “God does not take away life; instead He devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from Him.” When you look at your life, how have you seen God ‘devising ways’ to get your attention and bring you closer to Him?

4. Ephesians 5:25-29 gives us a good picture of what it means to pursue God: sacrifice, serving, and supplying their needs. When it comes to God, what sacrifices might you need to make personally to show your commitment to pursue Him?

5. How can we serve God to show our pursuit of Him? How does our relationship with God now as single folks impact our futures with our spouses?

6. Each person in here commit to one of the ways we can pursue God this week. Let’s check in with each other next week to see how we’ve been doing and how God has impacted us through our pursuit of Him. Let’s pray for each other now that we would be faithful to this challenge.

***Always close your group with a time of prayer. As a leader, you can lead this or you can all share in the requests praying for one another. You need to know where your group is at to determine what would be most comfortable in that setting. i.e. don’t ask people to pray in the group if you’re not sure they’re ready to.