MAKE SURE TO EMAIL NOTES TO YOURSELF (only way to see them later)
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1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 ESV
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
Sermon Discussion Guide
Big Idea:
Pastor Josh’s prayers for Gateway: That we would be known as a faith family that shares the message of Jesus and it would echo forth from us and that our faith in him would spread and encourage others. Also, that we would be a people filled with the fullness of God, empowered with the inner strength of his Spirit and that Christ would make his home in our hearts as we trust in him. That we would allow our spiritual roots to grow deep down into God’s love, keeping us strong. May our congregation desire to understand how wide, long, high, and deep God’s love is for us and allow God to help us to know experience and trust in the love of Christ. In the end, may God’s glory be what is most important to us.
THOUGHTS FROM THE SERMON
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 and Ephesians 3:14-21. What stood out to you in the reading?
How were you impacted by the message this week? What stuck with you?
What three things did we learn that Pastor Josh prays for us on a regular basis? Why should we join him in these prayers?
What is the message we should be echoing? How can our faith be an encouragement to others?
- How has the Spirit empowered you and given you inner strength recently?
- What does it mean to allow Christ to make his home in our hearts?
- Why should God’s glory be the most important outcome and end goal in our lives?
NOTES
PERSONAL REFLECTION
Take some time to reflect on the three final prayers we looked at this week. Which one do you struggle with and why? Is there one that you can say is a constant prayer you pray with confidence daily?
Are you helping us to be the church that is an answer to the prayers for our congregation or are you hindering others from seeing the fulfillment of these prayers being answered? How can your Life Group members hold each other accountable?
What applications did you take from the sermon that you are planning on implementing in your life?
DEEPER
Pray: That our congregation would come together and echo the prayer of our pastor for our church. Commit to praying for each other throughout the upcoming week. At your next meeting, follow up with each other’s prayer requests.
Write: Write out the three prayers Pastor Josh shared in a journal and spend some time praying for our church this week. Visit The Gate to view the sermon manuscript which includes these prayers.
Sing: Visit Songs for the Weekend Gate article and listen to the worship songs from Sunday throughout the week. Look up the lyrics to each song and spend some time reading them as well.
Memorize: As a Life Group, pick a few verses from the sermon and memorize them this week. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-10; Ephesians 3:14-21)
Love: How can you echo the message of Christ’s love this week? How can this message of love encourage someone you know?
MAKE SURE TO EMAIL THESE NOTES TO YOURSELF (only way to go back to them later)