7.45pm-9.30pm
WELCOME (15mins): Warmly
welcome everyone, introducing newcomers.
Divide
the cell into two groups and ask each group to
Act out the Parable of Jesus about the wise and
foolish men
Building
their house on the sand or the rock. One group will be
The wise
man and his building materials etc.. and the other group
Will be
the foolish man and his building
materials etc..
WORSHIP (30 mins): Ask
the worship leader to choose songs on Jesus the Foundation.
Eg. Jesus,
You’re my firm Foundation, Lord Prepare Me to be a
Sanctuary etc..
WORD (45 mins) :
Read through the material
together - the facilitator can ask
different
individuals to read different sections and relevant
verses.
Follow any given instructions.
After each
point allow a discussion time asking individuals
to share
their own experiences, problems etc.
This
should lead to a time of praying for individuals as the Lord
Leads.
WORKS (15mins): The last 15 mins are the most importance ones! Take time
Praying
for non-believers and people with problems. Pray for any
Church
events that are forthcoming (evangelistic or otherwise).
Member’s Copy.
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Read 1 Peter 2:4-8
Read together – “Christ is our only foundation. What
is the foundation upon which your life is built? Is it false philosophies? Is
it materialism? Is it pleasure by all means? Is it the idea that all religions
are of equal value? If your life is founded upon the sand of falsehood, in due
course it will fall with a great crash. It is time to investigate seriously the
structural texture of your life. We must examine our foundations. Why? Only a
life built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ will stand forever. Soon the
storms of life will come against us. The rain will come down, the streams will
rise, and the winds will blow against the structures of our lives. First Peter
2:4-8 tells us what the true foundation is upon which our lives can be built
for permanence, lasting peace, and joy.”
Name some more false foundations (each person name one).
Coming to Him
1 Peter 2:4, says, "as you come to him." In the Greek it is a present participle, "coming to him."
And we must understand that Peter is not speaking about coming to Peter or the pope or the temple or the church or Jerusalem or Rome. What does it say? Coming to him.
Verse 3 tells us who this "him" is: Who ?
How Do We Come?
Praise God for this glorious access we have to God! Coming to him, proserchomai , is a technical religious word Peter used which speaks about drawing near to God. In Psalm 24 David asked, "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?" and we know that Jesus Christ, the great High Priest, did ascend. He offered himself to God as the perfect, final, acceptable sacrifice, and now he is bringing many people with him who are now able to ascend to the hill of the Lord through him. So when Peter says "coming to him," he uses this word to mean a religious exercise of drawing near to God to hear his word, to worship him, to offer spiritual sacrifices to him.
Read John 6:44 and 65 – how does anyone come to Jesus ? Discuss.
Who Comes to Christ?
Read Matthew 11:27-28 – who comes to Christ ?
Coming to Be Built Together
Read together – “When you come, you are coming to the
living Stone, Jesus Christ. He is the foundation, the cornerstone, the
capstone, in relation to whom you are built up into a spiritual house. Some
people like solo Christianity. They will say, "I am a Christian because I
love Jesus Christ, but I don't know much. I don't have any one church; I just
come and go. I may choose to go to one place, but if I decide I don't like this
place, I will go to another place." That is not what church means. We come
individually, but immediately we are built up into a spiritual house in
relation to the church corporate. As you come to him, you are built in relation
to Christ the foundation and to every other person in the church. That is what
a biblical church is.”
- Comment and discuss on the above paragraph.
Christ Is the Living Stone – rejected by many.
But notice in 1 Peter 2:4 Peter says this Stone is rejected by men. Peter uses a perfect passive participle meaning that people have rejected this Stone in the past and it is still being rejected.
What is Peter referring to? Read Acts 3:13-15 and discuss.
Precious and Chosen by God
Look again at 1 Peter 2:4. Man may reject Jesus but how does God see Jesus ?
Have you thought about Jesus Christ in this way?
Read also 1 Peter 2:6. He is the foundation stone, the precious stone, the cornerstone, the head
stone, the capstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be ashamed.
Take time together to extol the beauty of Jesus and pray for each other to have Him as the only foundation.
Copyright
2001 Gibson Productions
E-mail Tim (Web Master)