Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
Ice-Breaker:
When were you baptized? What was that experience like?
Discussion Questions:
- In Acts 8, God speaks to Philip and tells him to leave Samaria and go out to this desert road. If you recall, God has just done an incredible work in Samaria. Philip has an instrumental role in a thriving ministry there, and God asks him to leave right in the middle of it in order to reach one man; an Ethiopian eunuch. This is an interesting shift... God has gone from reaching multitudes of people at once to pursuing one individual person. This shows us the heart of God. There is tremendous value in His eyes for just one soul. In Luke 15, Jesus talks about how a good shepherd will leave 99 of his sheep in order to go after the one that is lost. God's heart is for the ONE. Over 100 billion people have walked this earth, and He knows every single one of them by name. And He knows you. He knows your name, He knows you better than you know yourself. And He's after you. He wants what is best for you. How humbling is it to know the God of the universe is so crazy about you and loves you so much? What should our response to this realization be?
- When the Holy Spirit told Philip to go over to the Ethiopian's chariot, Luke tells us that "Philip ran over." This is INSTANT obedience! And then, after the Ethiopian man surrenders his life to Jesus, he is instantly obedient too. He says, "Look! There's some water!" And he asks Philip to baptize him then and there. Jesus said that if we loved Him we would obey Him. Obey Him when? Any parent knows that true obedience is immediate. You might even say that delayed obedience is disobedience. When it comes to your relationship with God, do you tend to delay obedience while you worry or question things? Is there anything in your life right now that He is leading you to do and you have resisted being obedient?
- The first takeaway on Sunday was to LEARN to LISTEN. We need to learn to hear the voice of God in our lives just like Philip did. The same Spirit that spoke to Philip is in you! And He's speaking to you! He most likely won't speak to you through a burning bush, He probably won't write in the sky, may not speak in an audible voice. When the Holy Spirit speaks, it's typically an inner voice, a thought, an impression, a sense about what He might be saying. This is a skill that we need to be actively pursuing. We need to grow it, like a muscle. But how do you know it's God's voice and not your own? Usually through confirmation on the BACK end, especially at first. Then, over time and through experience, we can become more discerning of His voice. When was the last time God spoke to you clearly, you were obedient, and God gave you overwhelming confirmation after the fact? How do we grow in this area?
- Philip shared the Gospel with the man, but it was God that was working in his heart to prepare him. Jesus said that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws them. 2 Corinthians 4 talks about how those who don't believe are blinded by Satan. We are all born into darkness and that it's God that shines the light into that darkness. HE is the one that opens the eyes of the spiritually blind, but He gives us the honor and privilege of joining Him in that work. God PREPARES the SOIL, but you PLANT the SEED. It's up to HIM whether or not the soil is fertile. So the pressure is off! You can't save anyone, convince anyone, you can't be eloquent or persuasive enough. Our job is simply to PRAY and OBEY. We are to pray for open doors and then be obedient by stepping through them. When was the last time you, like Philip, "preached Jesus" to someone? How would your relationships with lost friends and family change if you saw yourself as someone who continually sows seeds?
- The challenge on Sunday was to go after the ONE, just like the Holy Spirit led Philip to do. You never know what God has been doing in someone's heart. Think about just one person in your life that needs Jesus. Spend some time praying for them, that God would prepare their hearts and open their eyes to truth. Then pray that He would give you open doors and opportunities to plant seeds. Make it your mission this week to PRAY and OBEY.
Prayer Topics:
- That we would learn to be instantly obedient.
- That we would be faithful to pray and obey.
- That we would be seed sowers.
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