Living Your Destiny

 

Study Guide for Week of June 27th 

This Week Reading: Acts 9:1-19

Crossroads Community Group Guide:
A. Welcome: Welcome everyone especially new persons and read out loud the purpose of your group
B. Purpose: Our purpose is to spread the Kingdom of God. We do this by multiplying groups of people who care for each as God's family. We begin by inviting new people to our group and building them to be followers of Jesus. Each person here has the potential to be empowered to start and be the leader of a new group and spread God's kingdom.

C. Worship Time: Spend a few minutes singing a worship song. Here is one you may want to use One Thing remains  (or pick your own on YouTube make sure it has the lyrics on the screen)

D. Announcements

1. Weekly Resources on Crossroads Facebook Page    

        Monday: Listening Room Resources for the week

        Children's resource each week  

2. Daily Devotional Video: The Encouraging Word with Pastor Willie

3. Announcements and Events:  Crossroads Web Site

4. Watch the Sunday service here Sunday 11:45am

E. Review   

1. How did you do with what you wanted to apply from last week?
2. Who did you invite to the group for this week?

F. Opening Question (a simple question to introduce the main theme - called an icebreaker): What gifts has God given to you?

G. Read Background Information: 

The book of Acts is a true story of how the good news of Jesus spread all over the world. A central part of that history is how God calls people to live out their God given purpose. The Apostle Paul - known here as Saul had his life turned around by an encounter with God. From studying this incident with Paul we can see how God calls us and how God works in people. God's purpose is always and will ever be to reach lost people with the good news of Jesus. His method is always the same to call people like Paul - like you - like me to use us as His instruments to reach others in our circle. 

Verse Outline:

       I.        I. Stage One: Awareness that You Have a Destiny from God – verses 1-6

Key Concept: Every man, woman and child is born with a God-given destiny (purpose)

Key Verse: Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

Community Group Application: Community Group members let God use them in lives of other people who are not walking in their destiny 

         II. Stage Two: Realizing that Someone Else’s Destiny is Not Your Destiny – verse 15 

Key Concept: Your circumstances, your past your abilities, your personality, your connections are uniquely you 

Key Verse: Psalm 139: 13-16 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

Community Group Application: Community group members work as a team together using their unique situation to reach lost people. 

I. IIII. Stage Three: Understanding that Your Destiny is a Journey not a Destination – verses 6-9 and verse 16

 

Key Concept: Jesus only shows us one step at a time. Our part is to take the step.

Key Verse: Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Community Group Application: Community group members help each other stay focused on reaching lost people as God’s plan unfolds

     II.     H. Word: - read Acts 9:1-19 break it down into smaller portions to read. Read it in portions aloud together several times. (Goal is that everyone understand the Bible story or verses by retelling them in their own words - keep at it until everyone knows the story or verses)

1. What key (important) words do you see in these verses?
2. Tell in your own words what happens in these verses.
3. What are the details?
4. What details can you add to what others in the group have said?

I. Discuss the following general questions together (Goal is to use these general questions to guide a discussion - the leader should not speak more than 30% of the time - let the group discover what God is saying to them).
1. What catches your attention in these verses?

2. What new thing did you discover in the story or verses that you did not know before?
3. What did you learn about God (Father, Jesus or Holy Spirit) from the story?
4. What do you learn about people from the story?

5. What important lessons for us do you see in this story?

 
J. Commitment - Obedience - Application  (This is the key - have everyone answer this question): 
1. What in specific will you commit to apply in your life from this study? 

K. Prayer Time:                
1. Pray for an empty chair representing new people who you want to join your group. Name names of people specifically. 

2. Pray for your group to multiply.               
3. Pray for the needs of the members of the group. It is best to divide into 2 groups one of male and the other female.

L. For Next time:                
1. Ask each person the name of a person they will invite to the group                                         for next week.