Encounter with God in the Desert

 

Study Guide for Week of February 13, 2021 

This Week's Scripture:  Exodus 3:1-15 and exodus 4:1-17

Crossroads Community Group Guide

A. Welcome: Welcome everyone, especially new people, and read aloud 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: Won't Stop Now  (or pick your own YouTube video that shows the lyrics.)

D. Video Message                                                                   

       

E. Upcoming Events: Crossroads Website        

F. 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?

G. Opening Question (an icebreaker - a simple question to introduce the main theme):

• What kinds of excuses do people give to not follow God or serve God?

H. Background Information for this study: 

This study looks at the call of Moses.  

1. Like all of us Moses had a back story (Exodus chapter 2 and 3) – born Jewish – his people were slaves in Egypt – mom put him in a little homemade boat floated him down Nile so someone find him give him better life. Princess of Egypt finds him hires his mom to nurse him – raised in palace - best living conditions – ivy league schools – every benefit imaginable.  40 years old he is walking outside palace and saw an Egyptian beating a Jewish man – he wanted to bring just to his people who were oppressed – be the deliverer of his people – killed Egyptian and buried him sand – it became known and had to flee far away – ended up in desert far from the palace - gave up his dream of being a deliverer – dreams shattered – position gone money gone everything familiar gone  

1. Moses gets married – becomes a shepherd works for father-in-law Jethro who priest of a false God  

Subject: God's Call
Theme: How God calls people  
Proposition: No excuses - answer the call

We look at 3 missing understandings about how God works in our lives  

1. Understanding One: God is always at Work even in the difficulties of life – verse 1  

2. Understanding Two: An Encounter with God resets our relationship with God - verse 2- 6

3. Understanding Three: Seeing Ourselves – God calls us to be the answer to the brokenness around us verse 7-15 and 4:1-17

I. Verse Outline: Key Points to Discuss

1. Understanding One: God is always at work even in the difficulties of life - verse 1 

• Key Concept: Character is formed in us when we go through the most difficult moments of life.  
• Key Verse: John 5:17 “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 
• Community Group Application: Community group members remind each other that God is always at work even when we do not understand

 

2. Understanding Two: An Encounter with God resets our perspective, our purpose and our relationship with God - verse 2- 6 

• Key Concept: Everything changes when we have an encounter with God. 
• Key Verse: Job 42:5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 
• Community Group Application: We all need regular encounters with God to reset our lives

3. Understanding Three: God calls us to be the answer to the brokenness around us verse 7-10 

• Key Concept: Encounter God is never for ourselves it is for others – so we can be the answer to the brokenness around us 
• Key Verse: 2 Timothy 2:21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.  
• Community Group Application: Followers of Jesus are on a mission together to save and restore lost and broken people

J. Word: Read the scriptures above. Read it in smaller portions aloud together several times. (The goal is for everyone to 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 jumps out at you and catches your attention?

5. What details can you add to what others in the group have said?

K. Discuss the following general questions together. (The goal is to use these general questions to guide a discussion. The leader should not speak for 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?

 
L. Commitment - Obedience - Application

(This is the key - have everyone answer this question.) 

1. What specifically will you commit to apply in your life from this study? 

M. Prayer Time:  Break up into smaller groups of 3-4 - groups of the same sex           

1. Pray for your group to multiply.
2. Ask each other how you are doing spiritually.
3. Pray for the needs of the members of the group.

N. For Next time: Ask each person the name of someone they will invite to the group for next week.