Small Group Notes

Small Group notes for 26th January

Gifted | Gifts of Hard Work

Read Exodus 35:4 - 36:7.

So far in our in our Gifted series we seen:

1.That there is joy in our giving in responding to God’s love.

2.That however little we think we have to give; God can multiply it and bless us and others.

3. That as we share our gifts and participate together God builds his Kingdom and His Church.

- Were we to have to list gifts in order of importance, what might we want to highlight?

In today’s passage we have the first gifts of the Spirit listed and they are not what we typically think of as spiritual things. In God’s economy all things are his and are to be holy (See Zechariah 14:20-21).

- What difference does it make to think of cooking, washing-up and all the experiences of our lives (driving, shopping, etc.) to be made holy?

- How can we practice this holiness and celebrate the engagement of God with every area of our lives – nothing is wasted in God’s economy.

In today’s age it can feel like everyone wants a piece of us. God doesn’t want a piece of us, he wants all of us! Read, Philippians 1:21, Galatians 2:20 and Matthew 16:24-26. We are all full-time workers in the Kingdom of God – as children of the King, we are always on duty and called to holiness as exhibited in our living in love, joy, peace, etc.

- How much does our group model our church’s take on the Kingdom values of, grace, joy, hope and generosity?

- How can we encourage each other in growing in Christ in these things?

All that we are and have is God’s. In our reading the people brought generously what they had, they had for the most part only just gained wealth, but rather than hold onto it, they wanted to respond to God’s grace and give it back to him for the building of the tabernacle, their church.

- How do we feel about the needs of our church? (Mentioned on Sunday will be roles [especially PCC and warden] and finance).

- How can we respond in prayer and by encouraging others, and even ourselves?

- How do we learn to give what we can, not what we cannot, without feeling guilty about what we can’t?

We are in the disciple making business (Matthew 28:16-20) not building a tent but a glorious Kingdom with room for every tribe and people and we are hugely privileged to see so much is being achieved locally.

- What excites you about the/our church today?

- Pray for more of God’s grace that we may see increasingly more of his Kingdom at work among us.