COMMUNITY GROUP/FAMILY AND DAILY STUDIES BASED UPON OUR VISION SERIES AT COMMUNITY CHURCH PUTNEY
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GROUP STUDY 4 – UP (PART 2)
THOSE BUILT ON CHRIST ARE GROWING IN
WORSHIP
Peter
says that we are to ‘grow up’, and ‘As you come to Him, the living
Stone’ (2:4) something happens: we ‘are being built into a spiritual house’ (2:5). God is building us
into worshippers. We don’t come to faith with all knowledge, attitudes,
skills and habits fully formed. We must let God grow us into His pattern, and
He will do so as we build ourselves on Christ.
Peter shows us that knowing truth will
develop our worship:
- What inspiring truths does he tell us about ourselves? (2:9)
- Our salvation is at whose instigation? (2:9)
- Peter tells us of our dignity by the use of what term? (2:9)
- What kind of ‘nation’ have we become? (2:9)
- What ‘people’ have we become and what have we now ‘received’ (2:10)
- What is the natural result of knowing these things? (2:9b)
Like a fire, without fuel lacks heat. If we fail to give
ourselves to God’s word our praying and worship will be cold. Worship comes from the heart
but it’s a skill that we can develop or in which we can lose ground.
SPIRITUAL
GIFTS IN OUR WORSHIP
As ‘a
spiritual house’, the Spirit is in us for our good and the good of others.
Read 1 Peter 4:10-11 and consider:
- ‘Each of you’ speaks of everyone having grace from the Spirit to serve.
- ‘Whatever gift’ is an encouragement to embrace and use what God has given you and avoid jealousy or self-pity. Let’s never despise God’s gifts!
- Service should be done in ‘God’s strength’ how should this combat fear?
- What are the gifts of God to be used for?
- Who receives glory as we use our gifts?
APPLICATION
‘GOING UP TOGETHER’ REQUIRES LEARNING TO
WORSHIP
- Worship is God’s will – Do you know it’s God will to grow you (and us) in our worship? (2:2; 2:5)
- Make it a habit – Will you spend at least 20 minutes every day with God?
- Giving is worship – Are we learning to give as worship?
HELPSHEET: GROWING IN WORSHIP USING
SCRIPTURE
Using God’s
word is a vital tool in prayer and worship. Peter says,
‘Crave pure spiritual milk, so that
by it you may grow up in your salvation’.
This means
that God’s word is the main tool that matures us. So let me encourage you to
worship and pray with an open bible. Use His word to gain a vision of God and
promises to believe that will fuel your worship.
For example
you could use 1 Peter 24–25
‘“He himself bore our sins” in his
body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for
righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you
were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the
Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.’
- Gospel Centred – What does this say about your salvation for which you can be thankful?
- UP – What does this tell you about God that you could praise or affirm?
- IN – What could you pray for the church to know or do from this?
- OUT – What could you pray for your friends, locality, nation the world?
God wants to
grow us in our worship. Don’t be content with playing the same ‘record’ every
day. Use God’s word to develop vocabulary, understanding and vision.
Only those
who ‘crave pure spiritual milk’ will
grow as God intends. A baby will feed whenever they are hungry and they are
hungry a lot! Let’s make it a habit to allow our hunger and thirst to drive us
to God and His word in worship and prayer.
SOME
OTHER SCRIPTURES YOU COULD USE
Here are some
scriptures that I have found helpful. Try using them to grow in worship. In
each case use the Gospel Centred, Up, In, Out pattern. This is just a
method to help you grow in the skill of using scripture in worship and prayer.
John 10:27–30,
Romans 5:1–4, Romans 8:1, Ephesians 1:3–10, Ps. 103:1–5, Ps. 139:1–18
PERSONAL BIBLE STUDIES WEEK 3 – 1 PETER 2:7-2:15
MONDAY:
LET’S STAND ON JESUS
1 Peter 2:7-8 Now to you who believe, this
stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the
builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone
that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They
stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were
destined for.
1.
GC – Jesus was rejected and He continues to be rejected by
many – they ‘stumble’ and ‘fall’ over Jesus. But are we standing on Him as our
foundation and ‘precious’ cornerstone? Let’s stand on the gospel with
confidence.
2. UP – Take some time express how ‘precious’
Jesus is to you.
3. IN – When you meet in your Community Group, do
you adore Jesus together?
4.
OUT – As we speak, many will reject the message. But let’s
rest in God’s sovereignty; even Jesus’ rejection is under His plan.
TUESDAY:
CHOSEN BY GRACE
1 Peter 2:9a But you are a chosen
people,
1. GC – Christians are ‘chosen’ by God. Predestination
or election is the term for this. The
gospel means that God saves us by His mercy alone and we contribute nothing. He
chose to save you, not for anything in you but because of His great mercy – a
mystery but is a great inspiration to confidence and praise. (Ephesians
1:11-12)
2. UP – Use Ephesians 1:1-8 as an inspiration to
the God of grace.
3.
IN – The church is a ‘chosen people’. We are chosen
individually but we are chosen to belong to a people. Let’s love those whom God
has chosen.
4. OUT – Let’s remember that there are many people
around us that God has chosen and He uses you and me to speak the gospel to
them. (Act 18:9-11)
WEDNESDAY:
MADE RICH IN CHRIST
1 Peter 2:9b 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.
1. GC – Israel’s priests were from a chosen tribe;
Israel as a nation was God’s chosen nation, they were God’s special possession.
But now, in Christ, we are all of these things by grace.
2.
UP – Read Ephesians 2:11-13 as inspiration to worship.
3.
IN – We are God’s ‘priests’, ‘nation’ and ‘special possession’;
let’s endeavour to value the local church community
4.
OUT – Let’s keep a biblical view of the world – it’s in
‘darkness’. God wants to work through you and the local church to ‘call out of
darkness into His wonderful light’.
THURSDAY:
ONCE YOU WERE NOT… NOW YOU ARE…
1 Peter 2:10 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.
1. GC – The gospel story in your life has two
aspects BC – your life and status before Christ; AD – What God has done and
will complete having received Christ. Let’s regularly remember and express what
God has saved us from and what He has saved us to. (1 Timothy 1:15-17)
2. UP – Meditate upon this text and nourish your
joy.
3. IN – ‘Once you were not a people but now you
are the people of God’. Let’s make this text practical by devoting ourselves to
God’s people.
4. OUT – God is merciful. He is still in the
business of exchanging ‘were not’s’ for ‘now you are’s’!
FRIDAY:
THE WAR
1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge
you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage
war against your soul.
1. GC – The gospel transfers us and makes us
citizens of God’s Kingdom. Exile means, ‘one who lives in a place that is not
his true home’. This transfer also involves an internal
change, a new heart, we are ‘at war’ against sin as we now long to please our
new King.
2. UP – God, by the Spirit, works in our
conscience, in order to keep us from sin and even the ‘desire’ for sin should
be refused. Let’s not ‘war’ against the Spirit; let’s live a life of worship
and joy.
3. IN – ‘Dear friends’ – Let’s pray and work to
have many in the church who could say of us that we are such friends. These
verses also show us that true friendship involves encouraging people in their
obedience to Jesus. (Philippians 2:20-21)
4. OUT – Why don’t we witness? There is often a ‘war’
between desire to speak of Jesus and fear or pride. Let this verse encourage
us, in the realm of evangelism, to ‘abstain from sinful desires’ that hold us
back from sharing our faith.
SATURDAY:
OUR LIFESTYLE CAN HELP OTHERS COME TO FAITH
1 Peter 2:12-15 Live such good lives among
the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good
deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Submit yourselves
for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as
the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish
those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s
will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish
people.
1. GC – Knowing God’s love enables us to live in
good relationship with those in authority. We know that that many authorities
were hostile toward them – ‘accusing you of doing wrong’. Only those who know
God’s unshakable love and rule can trust Him rather than take things into their
own hands.
2. UP – Paul distinguishes the people of God from
the ‘Pagans’. As a separate ‘people’ let our lives bring glory to our King so
that they have the opportunity of coming to Know God and join the people of
God.
3. IN – As we are ‘accused of doing wrong’ or have
to endure ‘ignorant talk of foolish people’ let’s be devoted to praying for and
encouraging one another.
4. OUT – The way we live is to be a light that
shines on Jesus and; in some cases, people will turn to Him and ‘glorify God’
with us.
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