GROWTH QUESTION #1
Who would like to share a highlight, praise report, or testimony from this week?
YOU ARE CALLED
MEETING AGENDA
- OPENING PRAYER – Ask one person to open the meeting in prayer.
- GROWTH QUESTIONS – Ask everyone the Growth Questions.
- ATTENDANCE – Take attendance through the DG Attendance System.
- TODAY’S LESSON – Go over this week’s DG lesson.
- GIVING – Encourage everyone to give on the App.
- CLOSING PRAYER – Ask for prayer requests and pray.
GROWTH QUESTION #2
What did you learn from this week’s sermon?
GROWTH QUESTION #3
What was your most important accomplishment this week?u
TODAY’S PASSAGE:
Matthew 10:1-8 NLT 1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. 2 Here are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (also called Peter), then Andrew (Peter’s brother), James (son of Zebedee), John (James’s brother), 3 Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax collector), James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, 4 Simon (the zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him). 5 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, 6 but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
INTERACTIVE QUESTIONS
What did you learn from what we just read?
TRUTH #1
Jesus is calling us by name to be his disciples and operate in his authority! (v. 1)
- Jesus called his 12 disciples together to give them authority and send them out.
- DEFINITION - Call (kaleo): to invite or summon a person to come
- DEFINITION - Authority (exousia): power, jurisdiction, liberty, right, strength. privilege, force, freedom, delegated influence.
- When we accept the call to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, we gain access to His power and authority.
- Your authority comes only when you submit to his call, his instructions, and his leadership.
- No submission = no authority.
- You have authority over every power of the enemy!
Luke 10:19 NLT - Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.
INTERACTIVE QUESTIONS
According to Matthew 10:1, what did Jesus call us to do with the authority He has given us?
TRUTH #2
Jesus gives us specific instructions to carry out (v. 5-7)
- Jesus made sure that His disciples knew exactly what He wanted them to do. He defined the vision clearly so that they would know how to succeed.
- Jesus sent His disciples out to announce or preach the gospel to God’s lost sheep.
Matthew 9:36 NLT When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
- When we obey Christ’s instruction to go and preach, we set the atmosphere for signs and wonders to follow. As we follow His instructions and operate in His authority, we can expect the sick to be healed, the dead to be raised, and demons to be cast out!
INTERACTIVE QUESTIONS
How important is it for us to follow Christ’s instructions to preach to the lost? Can you identify someone in your life that needs to hear the gospel?
TRUTH #3
Jesus is calling us to give what we have received. (v. 8)
- DEFINITION - Excuse: attempt to lessen blame or responsibility; a reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense.
- The man who asked Jesus to allow him to go bury his father was actually asking for permission to wait until his father passed away. This could have taken years.
- Jesus would not allow this man to excuse himself from following after Him.
- DEFINITION - Dead (nekros): lifeless ,spiritually dead, destitute of a life that recognizes and is devoted to God because it is given up to sin
- Jesus’s stern rebuke of this man’s excuse made the stakes clear. Jesus did not allow him to pretend that he just needed more time. He made it clear that he was on the road to a spiritual dead-end.
- Jesus’ call hasn’t changed for us today. He asks us to leave behind anything and everyone that would keep us from surrendering our dead lives of sin and finding real life in Him.
Luke 14:26 (ERV) - “If you come to me but will not leave your family, you cannot be my follower. You must love me more than your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters—even more than your own life!”
- How sad to think that someone might use their family as an excuse to continue in sin and ultimately lose out on eternal life as a result.
- We need to be especially wary of the “good excuses,” the ones that sound good to everyone else, but that we know inside of ourselves are just excusing us from the call of God.
INTERACTIVE QUESTIONS
Are there any “good excuses” you’ve said to others and yourself that stopped you from obeying Jesus?
CLOSING QUESTION
What is one thing you have learned from today’s lesson?
GIVING
God provides the seed for planting and ensures an abundant harvest. In the same way, we can count on Him to multiply our resources for the purpose of sharing generously with others.
2 Corinthians 9:11 (NLT)
Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.
Encourage everyone to give their tithes and offerings.
CLICK HERE TO GIVE
PRAY
QUESTION #1
Who are you praying for to be saved?
QUESTION #2
Who can you invite to the next meeting?
QUESTION #3
What are your prayer requests?