GROWTH QUESTION #1
Who would like to share a highlight, praise report, or testimony from this week?
“You Are God’s Temple”
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?
TODAY’S PASSAGE:
1 Corinthians 3:16-23 (NLT) 16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. 18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.” 20 And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.” 21 So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you— 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
INTERACTIVE QUESTIONS
What did you learn from what we just read?
TRUTH #1
As a church, we are the temple of God and the Spirit of God lives in us.
- Live (oikeō): to occupy, reside, inhabit, remain, cohabit
- Temple (naos): a sanctuary, the place of God’s dwelling
- We, the collective church, are God’s temple, made Holy by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
- Also, individually, as believers, we are the temple of God and His Spirit dwells in us.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
- Paul warns that anyone who destroys God's temple will face consequences from God. (Verse 17) This warning emphasizes the importance of maintaining purity and unity within the Church and the body of Christ..
INTERACTIVE QUESTIONS
What does it mean to be the "temple of God"? How should this understanding impact our lives and behavior as Christians? What are the consequences of "destroying God's temple" and how can this warning be applied to our actions within the Church and in our personal lives?
TRUTH #2
Do not be deceived. The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God!
- Paul contrasts the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of God. He advises believers not to be deceived by the wisdom of the world and not to boast in human wisdom.
- The world's wisdom may seem impressive, but it is foolishness in God's sight.
Job 5:13 (NLV) 13 God gets them into a trap when they use their own wisdom. And the plans of the wise are brought to a quick end.
- God's wisdom is eternal and unchanging. It is not subject to the passing trends, philosophies, or knowledge of the world. While human wisdom is limited, God's wisdom remains constant and unlimited.
- God's wisdom is perfect and infallible. It encompasses complete knowledge and understanding of all things.
- If you are not willing to be considered a ‘fool ’by those who value only human wisdom, you will never be able to become truly wise in God’s wisdom.
- Understanding and living in the wisdom of God comes through a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit.
- We can experience God’s wisdom through practicing God’s word, prayer, meditating on Scripture, and a submitting to the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives.
INTERACTIVE QUESTIONS
Why is the wisdom of the world considered "foolishness" in the sight of God? What are some practical examples of worldly wisdom that can lead us away from God's wisdom? Is there an area of your life that you need Godly wisdom in? If so, would you like to share?
TRUTH #3
Stay unified and focused on Christ.
- Do not boast in men. In this portion of scripture, the Corinthians were divided over their favorite leaders, some aligning with Paul, others with Apollos, and still others with Cephas (Peter). This division was causing strife and undermining the unity of the church.
- There should be no rivalry or division within the body of Christ! When Paul says that "all things are yours" this includes everything: leaders (Paul, Apollos, Cephas), the world, life, death, the present, and the future.
- The emphasis of this verse is to remain unified as believers in the body of Christ. There is no room for competition or division!
- You belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. This shows us that there's a divine order of authority and ownership. It's a reminder that as Christians, our loyalty should be to Christ, not human leaders, and our unity and identity should be centered on Him alone.
INTERACTIVE QUESTIONS
In the context of the Church, what does it mean to "boast in men"? How can we avoid this and instead give glory to God for all things? How does the idea that "you are Christ's, and Christ is God's" (1 Corinthians 3:23) influence our understanding of our identity as believers and our purpose within the Church?
CLOSING QUESTION
What is one thing you have learned from today’s lesson?
GIVING
When believers give to support the work of the Gospel, it has eternal value and comes with an eternal reward.
Philippians 4:15-17 (NLT)
15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17 I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.
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?