INWARD PRAYER

QUESTIONS

1. MAIN QUESTION (if you’re only asking one): How often do you gather with other followers of Jesus and what is the quality of those gatherings according to how it influences you to follow Jesus?
2. Is there anything that a group or gathering does that leads you away from following Jesus? If so, what?
3. Reread Acts 2:42-47 and imagine what that community must have been like. How is our youth ministry community like that or not?
4. What change in your life do you think you should make today?

OUTWARD PRAYER 

FOLLOWOLOGY – GATHER TOGETHER 

WHAT’S THE POINT? 

We are followers of Jesus who gather together. 

WORD UP
Hebrews 10:25 – This a classic go–to verse about gathering together. It implies not only that we should do it, but a rhythm of gathering, that we shouldn’t “give it up.” This speaks somewhat to the WHY and WHAT of gathering.

Acts 2:42-47
This whole chapter is all about the new testament church starting up with the arrival of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The community quickly grew to 5000+ people. It says in verse 46 “Every day they continued to meet together…” Their meeting, or “gathering” together consisted of receiving teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer (verse 42), miracles (verse 43), giving (verse 45), worshipping, experiencing God, and evangelism (verse 47). These are the HOW of our gathering together. 

John 1:12 

This verse speaks to the WHO of gathering. We gather because we are brothers and sisters under God, we are His children when we are spiritually reborn into that new community, the Church. 

WAKE UP 

Use this clip from Big Hero 6 where Baymax tries to help bring comfort to Hiro: 

https://beulahallaincechurch-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/jbrigham_beulah_ca/EbXXbMANantCqj93YRkqL_MBCmxxHZgjVNjttqVMxhlepg?e=4fzkD9 

After the clip talk about how Baymax, a robot, figured out that what Hiro needed was people to help with his grief. Transition by commenting, that although the movie has a funny way of portraying this, we need each other. Even a robot can figure out we were built for relationship with one another. 

Share a story about how a community or group helped you follow Jesus. 

WHY DO I CARE? 

• I am created for community with others 
• It is a lie (from the devil) that I can or should do life alone (even though I often pursue independence as an ultimate goal) 
• What I do in gathering with other followers of Jesus is more significant than what I do alone, and more powerful (even though I am often told to think only about my  personal experience and “follow my heart) 

WHAT DO I DO? 

• Pause and examine: 

• • How regularly do I gather together with other followers of Jesus? 
  • The quality of those gathers… Do I: 
  • Talk about life and Jesus with others?
  • Worship with others? 
  • Pray with others? 
  • Do I experience God with others? 

• Ask God what I should change 
• Consider the frequency and quality of my gatherings 
• Ask God for help and make the change