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A Kingdom of Priests / Small Group Discussion Guide
The Kingdom
Week 3

Starting Scriptures

Revelation 1:5-6 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,the firstborn from the dead,and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves usand has freed us from our sins by his blood,and has made us to be a kingdom and prieststo serve his God and Father–to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.”
1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are a chosen people,a royal priesthood,a holy nation,God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
Reflection
The Word of God reveals to us that we have been called to be a kingdom of priests. In Christ, every believer has been set apart to be God’s special possession, participating in a “royal priesthood”. As royalty, God has given us the authority of the King to execute His will on the earth. We were not called to a passive existence but to forcefully advance His Kingdom. His Kingdom’s power and advancement is directly related to the practice of our praise to the King.
Biblically speaking, priests are people who love Jesus and worship Jesus. Our duty as priestsis to continually enthrone God through our praise. The role of a priest is also to be a bridge between heaven and earth. When the bridge is down, chaos ensues. Through purity, His Kingdom’s power flowsover us –in us, through us – to the praise of our King. It’s not about doing everything perfect. Rather, it’s about making a choice to step into His presence and refusing to step out as we continually say, “The Lord is good and His love endures forever!”Through His blood we have gained power, access, and unfailing reason to enter His presence as priests; not through the works that we have done, but to the praise and glory of His grace, and for the advancement of His Kingdom through our praise!
Discussion Questions
  • ICEBREAKER: What is your favorite style or genre of music to listen to (i.e. country, rock, perhaps a band’s name, etc.)? What is it about that style or genre of music that makes you like it the most (i.e. the memories that come to mind, the peace you feel, the energy it gives you, how relatable it is, etc.)?
  • Have you ever been captivated, inspired, or made curious by someone else’s expressionof worship [i.e. - singing to God, clapping, raising hands, standing quietly, kneeling, etc.)? Please describe what you saw and how you felt about it.
  • Read Acts 16:1-34. What are some of the ways God uses our worship and praise to change us, the room, and impact people and/or situations around us? (Leader: prepare and invite others to share some other biblical examples of God using someone’s worship and praise to do similar things for others.)
  • What are some things that could keep or hinder us from entering His presence with praise? (i.e. – mismanaged time, our personal feelings and personalities, our preference of worship music, our circumstances, issues of purity or worth, etc. Leaders: Purity–as it pertains to a confidence within His presence and Kingdom’s authority– is not only impacted byour sinful actions. It is also determined by ability to turn and confess those sins, trusting in His blood to cover those sins. Grace gives us all a reason to praise God, while leaving us all without an excuse to lift up the only One who is worthy of it all. See Hebrews 10:19)
  • The hardest part of building God a throne of praise and bridging heaven to earth is to simply get started. When things are tough and you don’t feel like it, what are some things you can do to simply get the praise started and bring heaven to earth in your home? While driving in your car? In your circumstances? In your day to day situations?
BONUS QUESTION: Describe a time when you were inspired to stir up your praise in a place you maybe never thought you would. Perhaps it was somewhere other than a church. What did that look like? What events followed (did you see God move)?
Going Deeper
Praise and worship is more than music and singing. However, music can be a great medium or tool to help you unpack your praise and build a throne for the King. And thanks to modern technology, you can turn it on and play worship music almost anywhere these days (i.e. – in the shower, in the car, while cutting grass, and more!)
While praise and worship releases God’s Kingdom and authority into the world around us, music also has some incredible benefits in and of itself. When we mingle music with our priestly duties of praise, we can experience something truly extraordinary – in this world and out of this world!
Here are a few interesting facts about how music affects your brain and how worship music can renew your spirit:
  • There are few activities in life that utilize the entire brain, and music is one of them. WithFunctional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI),a research team recorded a group of individuals who were listening to music. Theyfound that listening to musicrecruits the auditory areas andemploys large-scale neural networks in the brain. In fact, they believemusic canactivate emotional, motor, and creative areas of the brain. As you worship the Lord in song this week, expect His Kingdom to come in the form of holy ideas. It may be an idea about a situation you have been working through, or perhaps a fresh revelation of His glory.(2 Kings 3:15-16)
  • Playing musicregularly willphysicallyalteryour brain structure. Brain plasticity refers to the brain’s ability tochange throughout life. In other words, engaging in times of praise and worship with music REALLY changes things…like your brain! It also appears to affect your ability to learn and change, becoming more like Christ. As we behold Him during times of worship, we become more like Him and our mind is renewed. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
  • Dissociation is a diversionary technique which lowered the perceptions of effort. It can divert the mind from feelings of fatigue, and heighten positive mood states like vigor.By using music during low to moderate exerciseintensities, you will find yourself with an overall more pleasurable experience while working out. And when it comes to worship music, it can help you exercise yourself to godliness taking you further than you ever thought you could go on your own! (1 Timothy 4:7)

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