Deepening your relationship with the Lord
Leader's introduction:
Studies: I. Learning to enjoy His presence
II. Experiencing His love
III. Becoming aware of His delight in you
IV. Knowing God as your Father
V. Knowing Jesus as your teacher
VI. Knowing the Holy Spirit as a person
Focus: These studies are designed to stimulate discussion and growth in the area of having a real, vibrant, personal relationship with the Lord.
Suggestions: Make a copy of each study for everyone in the group. Encourage them to write down their responses and keep them in a notebook for further meditation. If you invest in a 3-hole-punch you can hand them out notebook-ready. Take time before each meeting to go through the study yourself;considering especially your personal application.Have a different person read each passage. Today's New International Versionwas the one used in preparing these studies and the one used at church.Encourage people to look deeper than the "right answer," making itpersonal whenever possible. "What does this mean to you?"Suggest that you take up the challenge as a group to begin to have aregular time with the Lord. Encourage people to start very small. Allow time at the beginning of each meeting to share about how thisis going. Ask people both what has frustrated them and what theyhave found that helps.
Prayer ministry ideas:After the discussion, take time to all listen silently to the Lord for a few minutes,asking Him to add His thoughts to the discussion. Remind them that the Lord sometimes speaks us through a picture, thought, or words that pass through ourminds. Then share these and follow this with prayer for each other in the areaof personal relationship with the Lord.
Follow-up assignment:Challenge them to choose one of the verses to interact with the Lordabout in the week to come. Share the results the next week.
Deepening your relationship with the Lord
Part I: Enjoying spending time in His presence
Do you have a personal time with the Lord? What about it is frustrating or unsatisfying?
I. What kind of experience does the Lord want you to have? (Ps.63:1-8)
A. What is the picture in v.1-2?
B. What is the experience described in v.2-5?
C. What other kind of experience is described in v.6-8?
II. Practical suggestions to improve your personal time with the Lord
A. Key ingredients
1. A time: reasonable, consistent, private
2. A place: comfortable, quiet, conducive to conversation
3. A Bible, journal, and pen
4. A Bible reading plan: simple, flexible, doable
5. A plan for prayer: ongoing list
B. Example of a routine (use accompanying worksheet as an illustration)
1. Open up journal, write date and scripture reference on top of page.
2. Wait on Him: be quiet, engage your heart and imagination.
3. Slowly read through the scripture. Invite God to speak and read it again.
4. Address Him directly in your journal:
What He is telling you about Himself: praise Him.
What He is showing you about His goodness towards you: thank Him.
What He is telling you to confess: receive His forgiveness.
What He is showing you that you need: ask Him.
5. Wait with Him: rest in His loving arms.
6. Talk with Him about other people (use list)
7. Surrender yourself and your day to Him.
C. Dealing with frustration
Share areas of frustration in trying to have a devotional time.
1. Don’t be hard on yourself.
2. Adapt your plan, be creative
3. Talk to someone about it.
4. Don’t give up! Simply begin again.
III. The centrality of seeking the Lord
A. To whom shall we go? (Jn.6:68-69)
B. This is eternal life (Jn.17:3)
How do these verses motivate you to develop a prayer time with the Lord?
A Psalm is a good place to start. Try one of these: 23,24,27,46,63,73,8,91,139,145,146,147
Personal prayer time worksheet: Psalm 100
(Use the indicated paragraphs to respond to these questions.)
(IV)Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
(II)Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
(III)Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
(I)For the Lord is good and his love
endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all
generations.
I. What is your Father telling you about himself? Praise Him for this.
Father, praise you for being a God who is...
This is especially encouraging to me today because...
II. What is He telling you about His goodness towards you? Thank Him for this.
Father thank you for.....
For me, personally, this means that.....
III. What is He telling you to confess? Receive His forgiveness for this.
Father, you are showing me that I have not....
So I choose to turn from ______to ______.
IV. What is He showing you that you need from Him? Ask Him for this.
Father, I need you to help me see...
Fill me with your Spirit that I might ......
Deepening your relationship with the Lord
Part II: Experiencing His love
What words besides love come to mind when you think of a loving relationship?
I. The Promise of a loving relationship (Jn.14:15-24)
1. What does Jesus promise us in v.18?
2. How does He describe our relationship with Him in v.20?
3. What picture does He use to describe our relationship with Him in v.23?
II. Jesus and the Father: a picture of Jesus and us (Jn.15: 9-16)
1. How are we loved? (v.9, see Mk.1:11)
2. How do we remain in His love? (v.10)
3. What do we experience as a result? (v.11)
4. What are we now called? (v.15)
5. How did Jesus model love in action? (v.12-13)
III. Growing in your loving relationship with the Lord
A. How real is your experience of Jesus’ love in your every day life?
B. In which areas that we have talked about do you see a lack?
C. How can we help each other to pursue a deeper love relationship with Jesus?
Deepening your relationship with the Lord
Part III: Becoming aware of His delight in you
God loves us; does He like us? What does it mean for someone to like you?
I. You are His
A. (Ps.100:3) You are His:
B. (Ps.139:13-16) You are His:
C. (Eph.1:11) You are the His:
D. (I Jn.3:1) You are His:
What difference does it make to know in your heart that you belong to Him?
II. You are the one He takes care of
A. (Ps.121:5-8) You are the one He:
B. (Ps.17:6) You are the one He:
C. (II Cor.1:3-4) You are the one He:
Are you able to feel the Lord's care for you? What do you think gets in the way?
III. You are His delight
A. (Jn.15:5) You are His:
B. (Deut.32:10) You are the:
C. (Isa.62:5) You are the one He:
D. (Ps.18:19) You are His:
How do you think that you would be different if you truly believed that you are His delight?
IV. You are His dearly loved child(Eph.5:1)
What characterizes a child who knows that he is dearly loved?
Take turns sharing which of the truths above is hardest for you to believe and why.
Now come before the Lord together, asking Him to put these truths in your hearts.
Deepening your relationship with the Lord
Part IV: Knowing God as your Father
What was your earthly father like? In what ways does this help or hinder your experience of God as your heavenly Father?
I. How do we know that we are supposed to relate to God as Father?
A. Jesus’ teaching (Mt.6:6-9)
B. Jesus’ example (Lk.10:21-22)
C. Paul’s testimony (II Cor.1:1-7)
D. Our hearts (Rom.8:14-17)
Are you aware of your heart crying, "Abba, Father"? What has happened in your life
that has numbed you to this longing?
II. What are some biblical pictures of God, our Father?
Write down the words that stand out in these passages.
A. Hos.11:1-4
What about this picture touches your heart?
B. Jas.1:17
What difference would it make in your life if you truly believed this?
C. Heb.12:4-11
What do you think of when you think of discipline? How is God's discipline
different? Have you experienced it in your life?
III. How can we come to more fully know God as our Father? (Jn.16:25)
How does knowing Jesus help us to get to know the Father better?
What we know in our heads is often not in our hearts. What do you need to
have the Holy Spirit move from your head to your heart about the Father?
Deepening your relationship with the Lord
Part V: Knowing Jesus as your teacher
Did you ever have a great teacher? A terrible one? What was the difference?
I. Background
A. Rabbi
Hebrew (rab) means great; term of respect for officer, chiefRabbi; Jewish rabbis had disciples who learned from them. Jesus was referred to as "rabbi" (Greek didaskalos, teacher) (Jn.1:38, 20:16) Jesus said that He was the One rabbi (Mt.23:8)Aramaic (rabboni): more familiar (see Mary in Jn.20:16)
B. Differences between Jesus and His disciples and Jewish rabbis and their disciples
Jesus chose His disciples instead of them choosing Him.He welcomed women as His disciples as well as men. (Lk.10:41-42)He called them to leave everything and follow Him (even to death). He taught them in open fields and secluded places, not a classroom.He gave His own interpretation of scripture.His word superseded all else before.
II. Getting to know Jesus as your teacher (Ps.25:8-15)
A. What character qualities does He have? (v.8,10)
B. Who does He teach? (v.8,9,12,14)
C. What does He teach them? (v.8,9,12,14)
D. What verbs are used to describe what Jesus does as a teacher? (v.8,9,,12,14)
E. What does He do for His disciples? (v.11,15)
III. Asking Him to teach you (Ps.25:4-7)
A. What verbs does David use in this prayer? (3 verbs)
B. What does he ask the Lord to teach him? (3 things)
C. What does he reaffirm about his relationship with the Lord? (v.5)
D. What does he reaffirm about God's character? (v.6-7)
E. What does he ask Jesus to forget; what does he ask Him to remember? (v.6-7)
IV. Contrasting pictures: which one are you? (Psalm 32:8-9)
A. What are the contrasting pictures of guidance here?
B. How can we work on having the first be a picture of us rather than the second?
Deepening our relationship with the Lord
Part VI: Knowing the Holy Spirit as a person
Do you have a hard time thinking of the Holy Spirit as a person? Why do you think this is?
I. What two names does Jesus use for the Holy Spirit? (Jn.14:17, 26)
Parakletos: adjective designating one summoned to the side of anotherto befriend him, advise him, and, if necessary, plead his cause(This is the Greek word translated comforter; better translated strengthener or advocate).
A.
B.
What do these two names tell you about what kind of person He is?
II. What does Jesus tell us about the Holy Spirit?
A. What was the Holy Spirit sent to do for us? Jn.14:16
B. Where is the Holy Spirit? Jn.14:17
What does this verse tell us about the relationship of Jesus and the Holy Spirit?
C. What are some of the jobs of the Holy Spirit?
1. Jn.14:25-26
In what way do Jesus and the Holy Spirit have the same job?
2. Jn.15:26
How is that connected with one of our jobs as disciples of Jesus?
3. Jn.16:7-11
How is it better for us to have the Holy Spirit than Jesus' physical presence?
D. What is the overall job of the Holy Spirit? (Jn.16:12-15)
1. How does His name as the Spirit of Truth include all of his jobs?
2. What is the Holy Spirit's source of truth?
3. How is truth passed along to us?
4. What is the Holy Spirit's goal?
III. The Holy Spirit's ministry in our lives
How is the Holy Spirit an example to us? What parts of His ministry to do you
need today and why? Does He seem more like a person to you now?