Hey everyone!
As I mentioned in my last entry, I will be posting a recap of what we read and discussed at small group each week so that those of you elsewhere can also follow along in Forgotten God if you’d like. The next four weeks, I’ll give you a run-down of what we talked about and you are free to comment yourself as well. This week we are reading the introduction, as well as Chapters 1 and 2!
Most of what we did last night was simply caught up with one another, spent some time hanging out, and introduced what we’ll be doing the next four weeks. We watched a video in which Francis Chan showed us his heart behind the book, talked about our hopes for our time together, and were able to discuss some of our initial thoughts concerning how we might discuss the Spirit. Here are some key points:
*We want to learn how to think more soundly about the Holy Spirit, growing in knowledge of God.
*We will try to approach how we view the Spirit in a way informed by Scripture, rather than our own preconceptions. We must have humility and be willing to admit we could be mistaken in how we approach the Spirit’s role and activity in the Church, as well as our own lives. Yet our purpose is not to be critical, but to be sanctified and grow in our understanding of God.
*Ultimately, however, the point is not just to learn. The point is to worship, to experience the Spirit more, to respond faithfully to his call. We want to know what He’s doing, not just what He’s done.
*While there are some people who talk too much about the Holy Spirit, you can never have too much of Him! Balance is not what we are looking for! We need Him, and his involvement in our lives is shown by the fruit of the Spirit, not just how much we talk about Him.
*We are not seeking to “get away” with God. We want to better walk with the Spirit in the midst of our community, in daily life and around people, not just by ourselves.
*There is a certain refreshment that comes with having the opportunity to talk primarily about the Holy Spirit these next four weeks, and we as a group seem to be really excited about it! That said, this is an intimate topic and we all come from different small groups during the year, so we’re hoping to become familiar with each other fast that we may be able to get the most out of our short time together.
*You can pray for us that the Spirit would not only be the topic of our discussions, but truly be our Helper and Guide as we meet together. We want Him to lead us where He wants us to go, and we want to respond faithfully to whatever changes He asks of us.
Thanks! Hope ya have a great start to the month of JUNE!!
tim
