Group Notes | June 25

This is Your Life
June 25, 2017
Charles Billingsley

Open:

If you could use one word that describes the present condition of your life, what would that be (happy, overwhelmed, etc.)? Explain if you would like.

Today, as a congregation, we say goodbye to our worship leader, Charles Billingsley. We do so with sadness because he is moving so far away, but with joy that he has placed doing God’s will above his own desires. As we know, being in the center of God’s will is the only foundation on which to build a great life.

Focal Passage: Acts 16:6-34

Discuss:

The Great Life Begins with Surrender

  1. To surrender ourselves to Jesus, what must we know about Him?
  2. What is the difference between the “ways” of God, and the “will” of God?
  3. Read verses 6-8. What was happening to Paul? Being hindered in heading toward two areas he felt he should visit, did he sit and wait for instructions or continue daily being faithful in what he had been doing? How is that a lesson for us?

The Great Life is Energized by Purpose

  1. In verses 11-15, what purpose did God have for sending them to Philippi? Did Paul consider any of his own desires as he carried out the mission God had given him? How can you support your answer with the verses so far?
  2. Read verses 20-24. Paul drove a demon from a girl who practiced divination. What was the result? Were they carrying out God’s plan and purpose when this imprisonment happened? How does that reinforce the memory verse (end of page 2)?

The Great Life is Sustained by Worship

  1. Read verse 25. Imagine yourself in the same circumstances; can you comprehend having a hymn-fest? What did the hymns indicate of the heart attitude of Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke?
  2. Read verse 26. Their worship had power: what did God do for them? What do you assume they expected from their worship?

The Great Life is Motivated by Love

  1. Read verses 27-28. If this were a movie, there would be no such result from an earthquake! Paul never wavered from the path God had set him on. What was his first thought in these verses?
  2. In verses 29-34 we see the result of Paul’s love for God and for others. Can you compare that to the love you show as you carry out your daily activities?

Close:

Questions for you to consider: Am I totally surrendered to God? Am I energized by His plan and His purpose for my life? Am I sustaining my walk with him with a lifestyle of worship? Am I motivated by a genuine love for Him and a love for others?

The questions should allow you to fully know your own heart. It is so easy for us to hold back in some areas, because we feel we can control circumstances and not have to wait for Him to act. Do you spend enough time in His word that you are aware of His plan for your life? As Charles illustrated with the heavy fog, we only need enough faith to take the next step! It is not mandatory that we know the whole path. The faith comes in taking the one step we know He desires. Are you worshiping Him daily, spending time in His word, and perhaps having hymns and praise music on quietly in the background? A busy life limits our time to read, but knowing one or two verses well is better than reading a whole chapter while your mind is jumping from one subject to another. Meditate on a verse during the day when you have a few moments to yourself. If other thoughts interfere, take a second to jot them in a small notebook, so you can relieve your mind of forgetting about the matter. And, finally, what is your love “gauge” like?  Do you envision yourself always putting the other person’s needs before your own? Do you sincerely have a love for Jesus that exceeds your love for all others? If you lack in any of these areas, pray that God will help you as you surrender to Him daily, in every way.

Memory Verse: Luke 9:23: “Then Jesus said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’”

 

 

 

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