Experience His Presence – Study #3
Connect Group Study
Week #3: January 20-26, 2018
PRESENCE DESIRED: The Choice to Walk With God
Sunday’s Teaching: This week, we took a surprising look at a man named Enoch, who changed courses mid-stream. Our teaching noted that many people—perhaps for most—simply go through the motions of living with little serious companionship from God. Others choose differently—deciding to walk closely with God. And there is coming a day when God will completely reverse the status quo. Scriptures like Genesis 5:1-29, Jude 1:14, Hebrews 11:5, 2 Peter 3:8-14 underscore this reality.
Week 2 and Week 3 of the EPH remind us that God invites us to make our way through life as His friends.
Let’s get STARTED
warm up by discussing the following questions:
“A friend is…” Launch your discussion by finishing this sentence. Ask someone to write down all the ways this sentence is finished. Then, have the “scribe” read them all aloud.
How many of these descriptions fit with your friendship with God, and His desired friendship with you?
Do you know many people who truly experience a “friendship” with God?
Is there a way you’d like your friendship with God to develop? How so?
Let’s Explore in the WORD
This week’s teaching suggested that Enoch had a relationship with God that was unique in his generation. How did that relationship start? What triggered it?
Read Genesis 5:21-23. While it didn’t appear to with others, do you think having his 1st son triggered Enoch’s interest in God? What about having a son can get us thinking more seriously about God?
Read Jude vss. 14-15. What do these verses indicate about Enoch’s “theology”? What were some of the key tenets of his convictions? Do you think Enoch “swam upstream” of his culture and contemporaries?
Does closeness with God sometimes mean you are not close with God’s enemies?
What other aspects of friendship with God do the following passages describe?
Psalm 25:14
James 2:20-23 and 4:3-5
John 15:12-14
Again, summarize your discoveries by having group members finish this sentence. “A friend of God is someone who…”
Let’s Prioritize APPLICATION
An important application of being God’s friend is to offer this tremendous opportunity to another, to someone who may presently believe that “friendship” and “God” are two words that don’t belong together.
As we prayerfully seek to connect others to a life-changing relationship in Christ, one way to put out the “welcome mat” toward Christ is to share the delight and joy of your friendship with God. So wrap this up by taking these applicational steps
#1 Is there someone you know for whom the idea of “friendship with God” would sound strange or even ridiculous?
#2 Is there any way you could simply share the “joy” of your friendship with God” with that person? How could you start? Is there a “friendship story” from your walk with God that this person might be interested in hearing?
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Finish your group time together by sharing the names of the people who might need to hear your “friendship story” with God, and praying specifically that God’s Spirit will create an opportunity for each to share with these. Let’s live the mission!
Pastor David (Staff)