Soul Care questions for Resurrection Sunday!!

Read Luke 24:1– 12. 

What emotions are expressed in this passage?

Here are some helps
perplexed  (4)
frightened (5)
excited (12)

As a result of these emotions, what did people do?
bowed down before the angels
ran to tell the disciples
ran to see the tomb

Read Luke 24:13-35. 

What facts about Jesus are revealed in this passage?
Jesus was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.
Jesus died.
Angels said he was alive.

As a result of these facts, what did people do?

Hearts burned for Jesus 
People shared about Jesus

Additional Questions:

What emotions do you feel about the crucifixion and resurrection?
Emotions are not bad.  If you have trouble thinking about this question, go to 
http://ekidzministry.blogspot.com/search/label/Resurrection%20Sunday 
I have been sharing with families about the Emotions of Easter.

What facts do you know about the crucifixion and resurrection?  Historical facts and Spiritual realities.

Additional Notes:

This month's ministry is EKIDZ ministry.

This week's missionaries are the Arthurs (www.emmanuelbaptist.com/missions)

Soul Care note (3/23)

 I know some groups are not meeting this week because of spring break

BUT

Even if you are not meeting, I want to encourage you to check two most recent post at

http://soulcare-disciplemaking.blogspot.com/

• Passionate Soul Care Meetings?
• Using Side by Side in Your Soul Care

Passionate Soul Care meetings?

Here some ways to use this week's sermon and the book Side by Side in Soul Care.
The section of Side by Side on Thoughtful Conversation ties in well with the idea of fighting sin together.

How is your group passionately approaching the struggle against sin?

Are you REALLY fighting sin together?

Is your group REALLY willing to help others grow?

Are you using God's word to guard your thinking?

What has distracted your thoughts this week?

Side by Side (65-84) - We are needed! & How can you use this section this week in your group?

Sorry this was posted later than planned.

WE HAVE THE SPIRIT:

Here are two great discipleship/Soul Care leader reminder:

• "With the Spirit, we move toward other people and are amazed that God uses ordinary people to do his kingdom work."
• "We remain fully capable of saying stupid and hurtful things.  But it does mean that our ability to help will bear the marks of the Spirit, such as patience and kindness (Gal. 5:22).

The "Remember: We have the Spirit" section (67 - 71) is filled with encouragement for any saved, Spirit-filled believers who wants to help others.  

WE MOVE TOWARD: 

God moves toward us.  This is shown over and over again in the Bible.

God moves towards friends and even enemies; we move out beyond our circle of friends to those far beyond that circle.  

WE GREET ONE ANOTHER:

Have you ever thought about "prioritizing" who you greet?

The list on page 76 of people to greet is a good list to consider.

HAVE THOUGHTFUL CONVERSATIONS:

In thoughtful conversation, "we hope to learn what is important to the person we're talking to, which is another way of saying that we hope to hear what is on his or her heart."

Reading through the sample conversations is very helpful in thinking through your own conversations.   The revolutionary, second questions on page 83.

These revolutionary, second questions might be very helpful in your Soul Care group.

How have you done with guarding your thinking, feeding Holy affections, fighting sin & sharing in our familial victory? 

How have you REALLY done with guarding your thinking?  

How have you REALLY been feeding Holy affections? 

Have you REALLY been fighting sin? 

Are you REALLY connecting with others?

The Hope You Need for the Struggle You Have & Bible Teaching Hour

Side by Side post will be tomorrow.

How have you seen the struggles Paul writes about in your own life? 

Opportunity for people in your group to share requests with the reminder that SIN and especially OUR SIN is our biggest problem.

In the passage what is the connection between the law and sin?  Note contrasts.

verse 4  

died to the law through the body of Christ so that you may belong to another. 

verse 5 

our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit of death. 

verse 6 

We are released from the law. 

verse 7 

the law is NOT sin.the law helps us know what sin it. 

verses 8 through the end of the chapter. 

the law is holy, good and righteous 

Sin has twisted the law 

 Here is a real practical thought/idea from the sermon and related to the passage to talk about...
legalism is not going to make me right with God!


 What were the two important keys in defeating sin that Pastor Duke mentioned?  

How have you done these things?  What do you need to do?

Stoking  

Soaking

Praying the Bible:  Romans 7:24—25a

Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death? 

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Have several people read this section of scripture with emotion.

What a great, short prayer of thanksgiving.

Take time to read through and pray Psalm 42 (www.emmanuelbaptsit.com/psalm42). 
As you are praying remember the hope you need for the struggle you have.

If you haven't met with your group yet, remember to do this...

Remind them to SPRING FORWARD this weekend!!

 

Pressing on,

David Rodgers

Pastor of Children/Family Ministry & Soul Care

www.emmanuelbaptist.com

 

Helps for 03.06 questions

I would strongly urge you to use a Psalm for your prayer time.
Check out the prayer resources at www.emmanuelbaptist.com/blog/
I have shown some of these pray the Bible videos in my Soul Care group! 

Be sure to read Roman 6:19-23 out loud.

I am going to offer some responses below to the three questions:

1. What does this section tell me about God and/or Jesus?

2. What does this section tell me about myself?

3. What must I remember/pray from this small section of scripture?

BUT remember the important part of your group time is the discussion and reaching Biblical answers together.

2nd section of SIde by Side - Some great prayer helps in this section.

Once again I have included various quotes from this section along some different ways to use these in your own life and in your Soul Care group.

The opening statement in this chapter is a great truth to remember.

"Suffering feels like our biggest problem and avoiding it like our greatest need— but we know that there is something more. Sin is actually our biggest problem, and rescue from it is our greatest need."  (p.43)  When talking with others and thinking about your own situation, don't get caught up in thinking merely about getting out of your circumstances.

One of the things that we want to do during Soul Care is to help us see our selfishness and sinfulness and look to God!

I really want to encourage you to read the section "Seeing the weight of our sin" on page 44 & 45 and helping people FIGHT SIN!

Page 50 has a section titled Pray the Prayer of Scriptures that goes very well with what our Bible Teaching Hours are doing this week.

Pray for Help in Trouble (Psalm 130:1, 2)

There are mysteries in deliverance but since God has identified himself as our savior or rescuer, we are confident that we will see deliverance, even if it looks different from what we first expected. (52)

 Prayer of Confession  (Psalm 130:3, 4)

When in doubt, confess something. Confess that you are struggling to pray, if needed. Confession is always a good place to start when we feel lost. (53)

Prayer to Know the Lord Better

All suffering raises a relational question: Doe God love me? So we pray to know him accurately and better (Eph. 1: 17; 3: 17– 19). As we do, we aim for rest, because resting in him is a way to honor him.  (54)

Also, see Psalm 62:1, 2

Practice Praying.  Here are some quotes from pages 55 to 57 to help us pray scripture.

What we are trying to do is have Scripture shape the way we pray. 

To this end, we can highlight the prayers in Scripture and make them our own, but there is no reason to limit ourselves to the prayers of Scripture. Instead, we can make everything in Scripture a prayer. 

For example, every command in Scripture becomes an occasion for confession—“ Lord, I fall far short, please forgive me”— and a request for power—“ Lord, give me power to follow you fully.”

The phrase in Psalm 62 about finding rest in God can be prayed as our aspiration: “Father, this is what I want— to rest in you alone. Please teach me that you alone, not my ability to figure things out, are my rock and rescue.” Scripture takes us from circumstances to matters of the heart. Poor health, fears about those we love, financial stability in an unpredictable economy— Scripture takes these seriously and deepens them. 

Prayer for our sick aunt will include her circumstances (physical health) and her soul. We will pray for healing, and we will pray that her inner person is renewed, especially through knowing God’s presence, while her body will never be fully renewed in this life. 

Prayer about our selfish boss will include petition that the boss will act justly and (1) that we will be able to work knowing that Jesus himself is our boss (Eph. 6: 5– 6), or (2) that we will find opportunities to trade kindness for the boss’s selfishness (Eph. 4: 32). Prayer for an out-of-control schedule can include (1) confession of wanting to please people (people pleasers are always saying yes); (2) confession of an obsession with video games; (3) faith to take a weekly Sabbath; or (4) grace to focus on what is in front of us as we trust God for the things yet to do. 

Every cry of our hearts can be further shaped by Scripture. We cry out, God reveals more of his heart to us, we learn of him and speak more, he reveals himself more, we respond in thanks, and on and on. We need this communication, and we look forward to praying this way with others.

The last section in this reading entitled "Say 'Help' to Others"

Here is a great challenge for everyone...

How often?  We want to ask more than we do now. 

How to ask? We want to ask prayer for things seen and unseen.

 There are two great exercises you can do with your group:

1. in your Soul Care group might be to read one of the prayers from page 61 to your group each week.  Read it before sharing prayer requests.   
2. Acknowledge His work when it comes (62-64)

Truth that Transforms... (02.28)

What in this passage is good news to share with someone who is not a follower of Jesus?  Think about how to explain it to someone who hasn’t been studying Romans at EBC.

Remember we don't listen to sermon for more information. 

We listen so that God can change us and so that we can be used by God to change others. 

Now your first reaction might be "don't use any big Christian words" but that is not necessarily the case.  A better way to think of it is "Make sure the words you use are clearly understood by the person you are talking to." Big words are not bad.  Biblical, "Christian" words are not bad.  Communicating with words that people don't understand or know is bad.  

"You belong to the power you choose to obey.” 

What does this mean? 

One way to discuss this is to think of other ways to state the same principle

• What consumes your thoughts will control you. 

Another way to discuss this would be thinking through other statements in the sermon and make connections

• Love God and do what you want.   

Share examples from the Bible of people who clearly demonstrated this principle. (Good & bad) 

• Joseph (good) - did not allow his brothers' actions and his circumstances.  He focused on God, which is evidenced in the words he spoke and the actions he took.
• King Saul (bad) - circumstances and selfishness guided him.  An example is 1 Samuel 15.

Share examples from your life when this principle was clearly demonstrated. (Good and bad)

A good opportunity to share life together.