Dirty Word Called Grief (eBook)

SESSION 2 - DELIGHTING IN GOD

Five Things Disciples Who Delight In God Consistently Do

Facilitator Introduction

Ice Breaker: Ask attendees to share three character traits about their spouse or best friend they really appreciate.

Personal Study Review

Ask: Does anyone have any questions about your Personal Study?

Say: I would like you to share your short testimony with the person sitting next to you. Then I want your partner to give you some feedback, ask a few questions about how and why you decided to follow Jesus. Then switch roles. (If your group is small, you may want each person to share their short testimony with the whole group.)

Ask: Who wants to share something interesting you learned about your partner?

Introduce Video

Say: The characteristics you shared about your spouse or friend are what drew you into a close relationship with them. God desires to have an intimate relationship with us — and that requires our participation. Today our video will explore how we can have a deeper and more intimate relationship with God.

Play Video for Session 2:

Encourage attendees to take notes in their participant guide on the Video Outline page.

VIDEO OUTLINE FOR FACILITATOR

• Delighting in God - something that all believers should be experiencing.
• Why don’t people Declare the Gospel? They don’t know how. They don’t delight in God.
• “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-44, 46-47
• What do disciples do that Delight in God? The Word, Prayer, Fellowship, Declare, Abide/ Remain
• Will you be someone that people know as a man or woman of the Word?
• The Word will guide and direct you.
• “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
• Delighting in God - The A.B.C.s of a quiet time
  • Ask God to instruct and teach you from His Word. “Open my eyes that I might see wonderful things in your law.” Psalm 119:18
  • Bible reading daily. Have a plan!
  • Communicate with God through Prayer.
  • The Bible will change your life.

Communicate through Prayer

• The basis of any relationship is two-way communication. I talk and you listen, and you talk and I listen. It’s the same in our relationship with God.
• “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
• God will guide your heart. He will confirm his love for you.
• The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:16
• P.R.A.Y. Acrostic
  • Praise: I will praise God for... (Focus on God’s character, who He is, what He has done.)
  • Repent: I confess and repent of the sin of . . . (Listing and confessing our specific sins is essential for Christian growth.)
  • Ask: I pray for . . .(Write out specific requests in your life and the life of others that require the work of God, especially those on your list.)
  • Yield: I yield my life to the Lord in the areas of application from my study. I want to seek your kingdom and righteousness. May your will be done.
• Are you Delighting in Christ? You can only be used by God for His glory if you are Delighting in Christ. This study will equip you to Declare the Gospel, but you must be Delighting in Christ to be an effective witness for the kingdom.

Pray by Name

• Abide (Remain) in Christ - Bearing fruit
• “I am the vine you are the branches, if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing….This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:5, 8.
• We show we are disciples when we make disciples.
• Before you talk to a friend about Jesus, talk to Jesus about your friend!
• Overview of Places and People
  • Those who pray for the lost by name are the people who share the gospel with the lost.
  • Those who don’t pray for the lost by name never share the gospel.
  • If I pray for someone, I trust that God will do something in his or her life he wouldn’t have done, if I had not prayed.
  • When I pray for someone, God changes my heart for that person. God gives me His heart for that person, and I love that person the way God does.
• Pray for your enemies; it changes you. God will give you His heart.
• Evangelism is Relational!
• Ask about family, friends, interests, church background.
• God’s standard of goodness differs from ours.
• Are you going to heaven or hell?
• Do you know what God did for you so you wouldn’t go to hell?
• Share your testimony.
• Think about who God has placed in your life.
• Where has God placed you, and who has God placed in your life that you can begin to pray for?

Facilitator Video Debrief

Ask: What stood out to you on the video? (Encourage discussion.)

Review: Pertinent points you feel are instructive from the above video outline.

Ask: What do disciples do that delight in God? (The Word, Prayer, Fellowship, Declare, Abiding/Remaining in Christ) You can evaluate yourself in these areas during your personal study this week.

Ask: Pastor Jim emphasized the importance of a daily quiet time in the video using the A.B.C.s. What did the A stand for? B? C? Let’s share some daily devotional plans! Who has a daily plan that works for you?

Say: There are several suggested daily plans in Appendix A in the back of your book. Let’s take a few minutes to review them. If you don’t have a daily plan, you may want to try one of those listed. (Review list.)

Praying for the Lost by Name Activity

Say: Jim mentioned how important it is to pray for the lost by name. Think about where God has placed you. Where do you regularly interact with people? It might be at the local coffee shop, a club you attend, your neighbors, your workplace, etc. Next, think about the people in those locations you often interact with. Do you know someone in each environment that needs to know about Jesus? Take a few minutes to write down five places that God has placed you, and a person in each place that needs to know about Jesus. Commit to pray for their salvation by name.

• Ask students to write down five places that God has placed them.
• Ask students to list at least one person in each place you believe does not have a relationship with Jesus.

• Ask students to discuss their list in triads or to the whole group if the group is small.

Say: During your personal study time this week, you will be asked to pray for the people on your list and journaling anything the Lord may reveal to you. In addition, you can complete a Personal Spiritual Evaluation on Day 1. This will help you to evaluate your walk with the Lord. Don’t worry! We won’t ask you to share your results.

Ask: How did you like Session 2? Did anyone have an AHA! moment you would like to share?

Ask for Prayer Requests: