18 & 19July 2015 CELL LEADER’S WEEKLY RESOURCE Compiled by Pr. Janan Goh

1.WORKS (30 minutes)

  1. Long Break Reflection

1)Hari Raya Weekend

How did we spend the long weekend?

Share some inspirational testimonies on how you spent your time well during that period.

  1. Looking Ahead

2)Prayer Advance – July 25 (Saturday), 7.00 – 9.30 a.m.

  • Missed the 3 Day Fast and Prayer?
  • Attended, but long for a greater work of God?

The Lord is doing great things in our midst. If we long to bask in His presence and pray according to His will, come and join this session. Come, longing for more of God and His revelation, at such a time in our nation!

2.WORD (60 minutes)

Studies in the Book of Genesis 17 (SBG)

Who doesn’t want blessings?(Genesis 49)

ByPastor Alex Tan

Prepare a sheet of paper with both sides empty for every cell member.

Part #1: Blessings We Want or Would Rather Not?

On one side of the paper, divide the paper into two columns as per below:

Blessings We Want (from Genesis 49) / Blessings We Rather Not (from Genesis 49)
  • Read the scripture passage.
  • Do a THREE-MINUTE SUMMARY of the sermon highlighting KEY POINTS. Do not preach the whole sermon again. Allocate more time for sharing in the cell through the application questions below.
  • Sermon Resource at:

Get your cell members to read the passage in Genesis 49 again and then fill in the columns accordingly by writing in the names of Jacob’s sons blessings that they either want or don’t want and why. Complete for all the names in Genesis 49.

It should look like something below:

Blessings We Want (from Genesis 49) / Blessings We Rather Not (from Genesis 49)
e.g.
Judah– Ruling scepter
...
…
… / e.g.
Reuben – no longer excel
Simeon & Levi – violence
…
…

Understanding Questions for Discussion:

  1. Who doesn’t want blessings, but we typically want ‘good’ blessings and not ‘bad’ blessings. Are all bad blessings necessary bad? Discuss.
  2. Why does God bestow good blessings and bad blessings? What were the reasons given by Jacob in Genesis 49 for the bad blessings?

Conclusion:

Bad things don’t always end up bad, just as good things may not necessarily spell out the way we hope. From the Bible, we know that though Levi’s descendants in the book of Exodus, were chosen later as priests, whereas one famous descendant of Judah, through the lineage of David, resulted in the infamous King Solomon who finished poorly in life, despite holding the royal sceptre.

Part #2: Blessings in Christ

Opening:

From the sermon, we know that all of God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Read Ephesians 1:3-4). Therefore, we are blessed, whether in good times or bad times, in moments of ‘Joy’ and ‘Pain’.

Turn around the sheet of paper and now draw these columns below. Get every cell member to reflect on their life and fill in their top 3-5 items for each column and why they call it ‘joyful’ or ‘painful’. If it is something they are experiencing now, ask them to indiciate it with an asterisk “*”

Significant Joyful Blessings / Painful Blessings
e.g.
  • Knowing Christ and being part of His family in DUMC*
  • Wife and Children*
  • Promotion in job
  • …
  • …
/ e.g.
  • Terminal illness – cancer*
  • Lost all my money in a bad investment
  • Death of a child
…

Break up into groups of 3-4 to share this part. If there are those who are facing challenges and trials right now, get the group to pray for the individual. If there are joyful blessings, encourage them to give thanks to God in prayer as well.

Conclusion:

Every person will have joyful and painful blessings in life. As God created each of us unique, we will each face our trials and delights in different measure and season. We will never fully understand God’s purpose on earth, but our assurance is in eternity as we will then gain an eternal perspective about our present life.

The bible encourages us to ‘Give thanks in all circumstances’ (cf: 1 Thessalonians 5:18). We can rejoice that in Christ we have every spiritual blessing that will help us through moments of joy or pain. Hallelujah for Christ is our all in all!

Application Question for Discussion:

  1. How can we use our blesssings, whether good or bad, to be a blessing to someone else?

Reflection Song:

Blessings by Laura Story:

Soft copy of the DUA is available at: 1