Yielding to the Holy Spirit
Jan. 19, 2020
Part of Relationship with God—January 2020
January 19, 2020

At WMB Church, we consider three key relationships in our growth as disciples: relationship with God, relationship with the Church and relationship with the world. Together, the three of them fill out the rich picture of what it means to submit everything in life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to invite others to do the same. Over the next two months, as we work through a devotional on this topic in our day to day lives, we will also explore one characteristic each Sunday morning. Today we explore what it looks like to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit.


10 Year Disciple

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD


MESSAGE NOTES

Romans 8:9 - “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.”

2 Corinthians 12:13-14 - At the end of this letter, Paul refers to the three people of the Trinity: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

  1. What is fellowship with the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is a person you have relationship with.
  2. The relationship is developed in koinonia:
    • Intimacy
    • Joint Participation
    • Sharing

We see these aspects of fellowship throughout the book of Acts – where the Holy Spirit is featured prominently.

(Take your own notes in the blue boxes, then scroll to the bottom when you are ready to email the notes to yourself to save them)

Intimacy
Acts 8:26-29 – Philip distinguishes between the voice of the angel and the voice of the Spirit.

How well do you know God’s voice?

Joint Participation
Acts 13:2 – Barnabas and Saul are set apart for work as the Spirit guides them.

Acts 10:44 – The Spirit seals Peter’s ministry and leads the church.

Where is He calling you to partner with Him?

Sharing
Acts 4: 31-32 – Moved by the Spirit, the early church lives with profound generosity.

What aspect of your life can you open to Him and others?


HOME GROUP MATERIAL

Welcome to the Relationship with God Devotional!
Over the next two months, we will engage with this new devotional to help us move from knowing about God to knowing Him through experience.

At Home Group
• Begin with the Check In + Prepare. If some of the reflections overlap – that’s great! During these weeks the check in should focus on the applications and promptings from the previous week.


CHECK IN + PREPARE
Start your time with a spiritual check-in to set the tone for your gathering. In smaller groups, or as a whole, let each person reflect individually and then share brief answers. Feel free to use a phone timer and give everyone two minutes. That will keep your evening on track for other deep conversation and scripture study.

• What has God done that you are celebrating this week?
• What has been hard or what are you lamenting before God?
• What are you hoping for in this coming week?


• Spend time on the questions and insights using the devotional’s Weekly Discussion guide. The emphasis should be on what was learned and what the Spirit was highlighting.
• You can use the weekly reflection questions below to supplement your conversations.
• Give adequate space for application – what is one thing the Spirit is prompting in you? How can you be held accountable for this application?

As ever, finish with prayer.

Reflection Questions for this Week:

• How intimate are you with the Holy Spirit? In what ways do you listen to His voice? How do you discern His voice?
• What has it looked like to partner with the Spirit? Where is He calling you to yield more to Him?
• What part of your life have you kept closed from the Holy Spirit or others?

(Email yourself this note if you want to save it)

Need a copy of the devotional?

You can do this in one of three ways:
1. Pick up a physical copy of the devotional at the Info Desk or Welcome Centre. It has space to write your reflections and takeaways.
2. Download a PDF copy at wmbchurch.ca/discipleship
3. Engage the devotional online (or through the WMB Church app) at disciplemakerdevo.ca

Note: If you choose one of the electronic options, make sure to have a journal or note taking app, as you will need to record your reflections and takeaways.

How to use it
Each week dives into the one of the seven characteristics through five daily devotionals. Each day includes a place to make notes and the end of each week has a space for your larger questions. Decide which day you are going to begin and have people complete the first week before the next Home Group meeting.