MOVE Year 2 Week 3

MOVE Week Three

 

 

 

Welcome to Week Three of MOVE! This will be a great week to close out this study and grease the skids for the next one. Instead of doing the usual icebreakers, ask your team about any memorable or “aha” moments that they made have had over the last three weeks. I want to encourage you to be prepared to do this with your group whenever we come to the close of a series. It’s a special time!

 

1)    What was the most memorable thing for you that Josh shared on Sunday during MOVE over the last three weeks?

2)    Ask each person to share what they heard from someone else in the group that touch their hearts.

 

***For Leaders – Asking each person to share how someone else touched them is a special moment! People will be able to hear what they are contributing to the group from someone else. Don’t rush and give people time to reflect. It can be a good strategy to talk to a couple of your more vocal people prior to Group time and tell them what you will be doing. Ask them to volunteer to go first to share how someone impacted them with what they shared during group time.

 

Focus Questions: Going deeper together.  

 

Review the conditions of Israel in 1 Samuel 13:1-7, 10, 22 before Jonathan’s fight with the Philistines.

 

3)    Israel had literally reached a point in their lives, that despite great victories of their king and his son, they had literally stopped MOVING altogether. Have you ever felt stalled out in a good season? In your opinion, why does this happen?”

 

***For Leaders – Once we experience a great victory, we often have the expectation that things are now different and will be better or easier. Instead, they can often get more difficult. Unexpected difficulties can immobilize us to the point that we forget how we accomplished the previous victories in our lives. These can be the most challenging moments to MOVE from fear to faith.

 

4)    Israel felt too crippled to MOVE into another fight with the Philistines because they had no blacksmiths. Who are some of the “modern-day blacksmiths” that the church needs to MOVE forward? See how large a list you can make as a group!

 

***For Leaders – Blacksmiths were critical people who served behind the scenes forging anything metal on their anvils for the community. There are countless difficult and sometimes thankless jobs within the church community which must be done. An example would be Group Leaders! Or those who host! Other examples are people who clean, mow, paint, visit (widows, sick, elderly, prisoners, etc.), care for children, and work with tech (media, marketing, etc). Some people are available counselors for people’s relationships or their finances. Have fun making a list!

 

Pastor Josh said that we often see God having men and women of the Bible doing something that no one else was doing. Read 1 Samuel 14:12-14 & 1 Samuel 17:40-41.

 

5)    Notice the difference of the positions of armor-bearers going into battle for Jonathan and for Goliath. In your opinion, why is this significant?

 

***For Leaders – Normally an armor-bearer would go into battle carrying a shield in front of the soldier that they were assigned to protect. Goliath faced a youth named David in this manner. Jonathan did what no one else would ever do because he had God on his side. He faced a garrison of soldiers with his armor bearer BEHIND him who finished killing people as they fell. God was Jonathan’s only protection going into battle!

 

6)    Review the language that Jonathan (1 Samuel 14:6-10) and David (1 Samuel 17:33-37) used before they faced their enemy. What do we learn from Jonathon and David on what it takes to MOVE forward?

 

***For Leaders – 1) Both Jonathan & David referred to their enemies as uncircumcised so they felt God’s favor. Pastor Josh said referring to someone as uncircumcised was not just making a medical observation, but he’s making a statement that they are not God’s people and they do not have God’s favor. 2) Jonathan said, “It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” God would be the one to win the battle because he is fighting for them! In summary, people will MOVE in to face difficulties if they feel have God’s favor and he is fighting for them.

 

 

CLOSING MOMENTS

 

Finish the study with prayer that God will provide more people from the list you made to the churches in our community. Invite your team to prepare their hearts for Jesus Over Everything study that will run for eight weeks starting on 10/2!