Learning to consistently submit to God’s desires will awaken and enrich us in ways beyond our wildest imagination. We are invited to dwell in this place we read about in the Bible where God has commanded the blessing of life forever more.
Psalm 133:1-3 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. ESV
When Jesus walked on the earth his body was covered by a seamless garment, this robe we read about in Psalm 133. From Aaron on down the lineage the high priest would wear a seamless garment. This garment could have no tear, no blemish and could not have a fabricated connection.
The Bible is filled with prophetic pictures of these spiritual realities. The body of Christ is supposed to experience a seamless covering as a result of people who love the Lord and love each other well.
Our relationships are more significant than we realize. Eph 4:16 explains how from Jesus the church is relationally connected in such a way that “each joint supplies” providing support as we build each other up in love.
If each joint supplies, then the joining of our lives is a connection that brings provision. This is the place where the Lord has commanded the blessing of life forevermore!
Tracy ordered a chair recently that was shipped to us in a box. Furniture in a box that needs to be joined together and connected is of little value and little use as long as it stays disconnected in the box. It isn’t until it is purposefully assembled and connected that it can serve the function for which it was created. When we gather as the church we gather in the box of a building. It is vital that we understand the value of the deep joining of our lives for the purposes of God or the church will have little value in serving the eternal purposes of God in our world.
We understand we aren’t supposed to forsake the assembling of ourselves together with believers. At the same time, we also understand “dwelling together in unity” takes on a deeper reality in a smaller setting. Scott Guthrie shared with me that he and Randy Lincoln were reading a book together. He described how this was a totally different experience when reading and discussing what he was reading with someone else. Life, in general, is a totally different experience when we explore and pursue what it means to live in this strong sense of connection together.
We must learn to make room for relationships. WE CANNOT GO DEEP IF WE DO NOT SLOW DOWN. It is so important that we choose not to neglect the place where God commands his blessing of life forever more. This speaks of the revelation of The Table that God has directed us to over these past few years. Coming together to share in the Table of the Lord in our friendships and relationships will awaken us and enrich us in ways that are beyond imagination. In light of this we want to point to Sunday, February 19th where we plan to mobilize the church to go out after worship that morning. The idea is to simply invade various restaurants in our community together as friends to purpose intentional time around tables together. Something powerful happens when we, the church, discover this place where God commands the blessing of life forever more.
Ephesians 3:16-21 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. NIV
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Take some time to pray about who you will go out to eat with after church February 19th.
Consistently Submitting
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Click here for a downloadable PDF file of this guide.
Every year we devote the first 40 days to focusing on foundational truths that speak to our identity, as a church family. We are OUTRAGEOUSLY LOVING people who PASSIONATELY PURSUE the Lord with IRRATIONALLY GIVING lifestyles as we CONSISTENTLY SUBMIT to God’s desires and EFFECTIVELY DISCIPLE others to do the same.
Peter endorses the idea of rehearsing foundational things with the intention of leaving them firmly planted in the heart of the next generation.
2 Peter 1:12-15 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in (them), I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live…and I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. NIV
Great encouragement comes from rehearsing God’s Word. It is God’s plan is for us to spend time drawing close to his heart and hearing his voice together as a family. This is why we start each meeting with this question first:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God?
Ask each person in your group to answer the discussion questions below after reading the verses. Realize there is great power in just reading the Bible together and allowing the Holy Spirit to awaken his conversational nature in the group.
Psalm 133:1-3 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. ESV
Ephesians 3:16-20 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. NIV
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2. Have each person give a 60 second summary of what these verses are saying, in their own words.
3. What do these verses teach us about God?
4. What do these verses teach us about people?
5. What should you do this week in response to what we are reading and what God is revealing?
6. Who comes to mind when considering a person you might share this with this week?
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Take some time to pray about who you will go out to eat with after church February 19th.