Faith Forward

It is the book that Moses gave to his journey-weary people as they moved into the Promised Land after forty years of wilderness living.
It is the book that shaped the words of the prophets, psalmists, and scribes throughout the Old Testament.

It is the book that was rediscovered and triggered major revival in Israel during the reign of King Josiah.

It is the book that Jesus quoted more than any other.

This spring, we invite you to journey through the book of Deuteronomy together. These sacred words teach us how to be a community of people who love God and love one another with concrete practicality in the midst of a complicated, anti-God culture.

It is the book that can lead us into God’s way of Promised Land Living.

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SEE IT // BE IT

(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)

Date: April 3, 2016 // Title: Faith Forward

Scripture: Deuteronomy 1

SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes

ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes
Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.

SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
Deuteronomy is a guide for us to know how to live in this land; it shows us how to move from the desert to abundance. In this opening chapter, we see Moses reminding the people of God’s faithfulness, and we see the people respond with fearfulness, faithlessness, and foolhardiness. God did not see “Amen” in them! They had lost the ability to recognize the goodness of God.

THE MAIN THOUGHT Keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
Success hinges entirely on our relationship with God.

SEE IT Questions :: 10-15 minutes

Picture: When we see lists of names in the Old Testament, what can we remember? Why did God include them in the scriptures? Why does Moses retell their story to the children of Israel? Where do we see Jesus saying “Amen” to God’s plan?

Mirror: Jon showed an image of a list of names that are significant in his and Amy’s relationship. What are some names that are significant in your story? As you look out toward the Promised Land, what do you look forward to? How can you show that you’re saying “Amen” to God- showing faith in what He as done and is going to do?

Window: As you look around you, do you see giants in the land? Does that stir up anxiety in you? Or do you see God’s faithfulness and choose to say “Amen” to that?

BE IT – Practice

Change UP // Look Back 10 minutes
Let’s spend some time identifying acts of grace in our lives and give thanks to God. Put on a worship song and speak out evidences of God’s grace as the music plays.

Change IN // Look Present 15 minutes
Deuteronomy means, “These are the words.” What word from the Lord does He want you to believe? Give everyone a blank card or sheet of paper. Set a timer for three minutes. During this time, have each person write down an area of their life where they sense God asking for an “Amen” from them—something He is calling them into. Have them write that thing on the card.

Change OUT // Look Forward 5 minutes
Designate a line on the floor to symbolize the border of the Promised Land. At the end of the three minutes, have each person take turns reading their card and saying, “Amen” to God as a proclamation of submission to God’s plan and promise. As a symbol of stepping into that “Amen,” have each person place his or her card in a bowl or on the floor, over the Promised Land line.

CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.