The Dwelling Church

Scripture:

“Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.” - Matthew 9:14-15

“And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” - Matthew 17:14-21

“Suddenly, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man who is highly precious. Consider carefully the words that I am about to say to you. Stand up, for I have now been sent to you.”  And when he had said this to me, I stood up trembling. “Do not be afraid, Daniel,” he said, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision concerns those days.” - Daniel 10:10-14

Discussion:

1. What is the Father saying to you?

2. Why do we fast? What’s the goal?

3. What does fasting accomplish?

Take some time in your community today to pray together.

Scripture:

“The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant.” - Psalm 25:14

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” - John 15:15

After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” - John 13:21-27

Discussion:

1. What is the Father saying to you?

2. How does how you see yourself affect how you hear God? Does it?

3. If we have the Bible in written form, why should we desire to hear God’s voice?

4. Have you ever received a message from God from another person? How did it impact you? (negatively or positively) And what did you learn or gain from the experience?

Take some time in your community today to pray together and ask the Father for encouragement from His heart to others in the room.

Scripture:

“He says, ‘Be still and know that I am God…’” - Psalms 46:10

“But He [Jesus] would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” - Luke 5:16

Discussion:

1. What is the Father saying to you about solitude?

2. What is the difference between solitude and isolation?

3. What are your biggest struggles in practicing solitude and silence?

4. What practical steps are you taking to incorporate the discipline of solitude into your life?

Take some time in your community today to pray together.

“Thinking His thoughts is key as we move forward.” - Ray Goolsby

God has called us to live holy lives. Grace makes it possible.

Scripture:

“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time...”  - 2 Timothy 1:9

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” - Luke 7:36-50

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. - Hebrews 4:16 

Questions for Discussion:

1. “I am as clean as Jesus.” - What are your reservations, if any, about that statement? Is the truth of who you are dependent upon your behavior or what God says about you?

2. “God calls us to live holy lives. Grace makes it possible.” - Have you seen evidence of this in your own life? Explain.

Take some time in your community today to pray together.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. - Acts 2:1

After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. - Acts 4:31

“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

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. - Psalm 51:17

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” - Galatians 2:20

1. What does complete surrender to God look like?
2. Have you known anyone who modeled total surrender?
3. How would your life look if you were totally surrendered to God?
4. Ask the Lord to reveal to you the areas in which your mind needs renewal. What does He say?

Praying Together:

Thank Him. What can we thank Him for? 

Praise Him. What is one thing about who Jesus is that we can praise Him about?

Ask Him. What is a need we have or an area in which we would like to see God break through. 

Listen to Him: What is on God’s heart about your need. What is He saying to you?

Scripture:

Acts 2:42-47

Acts 4:32-35

2 Corinthians 8:13

1. How can we establish a culture of generosity and vulnerability? What will it require of you?
2. How would you answer the question, “How are you?” if you were 100% vulnerable?
3. Respond to each other’s needs with generosity.

Praying Together:

Thank Him. What can we thank Him for? 

Praise Him. What is one thing about who Jesus is that we can praise Him about?

Ask Him. What is a need we have or an area in which we would like to see God break through. 

Listen to Him: What is on God’s heart about your need. What is He saying to you?