SDG - Resilient - Church of The Cross · deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:12) • Pray: Ask God to use your deeds to point others to Jesus. Friday • Read:

Discussion Guide

2

Resilient

Are you tired and overwhelmed? Has the uncertainty in this world worn you out? Do you need some strength to face your challenges? Jesus gives His Holy Spirit so that you can rise up and keep moving forward when everything else is pushing you backwards. Let Jesus make you resilient.

How to Use this Guide

Sermon Discussion Guides are designed to propel you into life transformation. Here’s how it works:

1. Worship at one of LCC’s 3 worship gatherings OR online at www.lccaltoona.org/watch.

2. Meet with your group (or with your family, spouse, or other friends) and discuss the questions for each week together. If you aren’t connected in Jesus-centered community, go to www.lccaltoona.org/adult to find great opportunities.

3. Do the Daily Prayer Messages. More info on the next page.

4. Experience God move in your life in awesome ways!

3

God wants to move powerfully in our lives, in our church, and in our wider-community. We get to be part of that through prayer.

Whether you are brand new to prayer, are feeling stagnant in prayer, or are a prayer warrior, you are invited to join together in daily prayer!

Here’s how it works:

1. Each day during this sermon series, read a short Bible passage (found on the following pages).

2. Then talk to God based on the simple prayer prompt that follows (found on the following pages).

You can also sign up for the Daily Prayer Message at www.lccaltoona.org/prayer to receive a daily email or text.

God can’t wait to connect with you! Take the challenge!

Daily Prayer Message

Sign up to receive daily texts or emails at

www.lccaltoona.org/prayer

4

Session 1

Resilient in Power Acts 1:1-11

1. How are you doing? Share “high’s” and “low’s” from the past week.

2. What is one thing that stuck out to you from worship this weekend?

3. What is one word to describe who God wants you to become through this time of adversity?

4. What is one habit you need to embrace to cooperate with that work of the Spirit in your life?

5. Share prayer requests and pray together.

5

Daily Prayer & Scripture Monday

• Read: For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)

• Pray: What characteristic do you need to most add to your faith? Ask the Spirit to give you that gift.

Tuesday

• Read: But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26)

• Pray: Ask the Spirit to remind you of the truth you need to remember today.

Wednesday

• Read: But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)

• Pray: Thank God today for His good plans for you and for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Thursday

• Read: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. (John 14:16)

• Pray: Bring your questions, problems, and struggles to the Spirit—your Counselor—in prayer today.

Friday

• Read: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)

• Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide your steps today and then listen for His guidance.

Saturday

• Read: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

• Pray: Which fruit of the Spirit have you seen God growing in you recently? Thank God for that work in your life.

6

Session 2

Resilient in Joy Acts 5:17-42



3. Do you have any physical scars? What stories do they tell? Do you have any “life” scars? What stories do they tell about God?

4. How does the apostle’s joyful attitude in Acts 5:17-42, reshape how you face suffering?


7


• Read: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

• Pray: What is the hope you have because of Jesus? Tell God in prayer and find joy in it.

Tuesday

• Read: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

• Pray: Surrender your fear and concerns to God in prayer, that you may be filled with all joy and peace.

Wednesday

• Read: In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. (2 Corinthians 8:2)

• Pray: Ask God how you can be generous today. Thursday

• Read: In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. (Philippians 1:4)

• Pray: Pray for three people today with joy. Friday

• Read: You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 1:6)

• Pray: Pray that you can be a good role model for others as you imitate the Lord.

Saturday

• Read: How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 1 Thessalonians 3:9)

• Pray: Don’t forget to thank God for the people in your life. Do that right now.

Sunday

• Read: You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. (Hebrews 10:34)

• Pray: Thank God for the “possession” of eternal life that cannot be taken.

8

Session 3

Resilient in Purpose Acts 8:1-8



3. What good came from the persecution that happened to the church in Acts 8:1-8?

4. What good has happened through a time of suffering in your life?


9


• Read: Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. (Philippians 1:12)

• Pray: Ask God to change your focus from your own adversity to the “advance of the gospel.”

Tuesday

• Read: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)

• Pray: Ask God to give you the confidence that whether you live or die, you are with Christ.

Wednesday

• Read: Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. (Philippians 1:27)

• Pray: Pray for the strength to represent Christ well, no matter what comes your way.

Thursday

• Read: Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:12)

• Pray: Ask God to use your deeds to point others to Jesus. Friday

• Read: But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)

• Pray: Ask God to make you ready to share about your faith. Saturday

• Read: God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. (Acts 2:32)

• Pray: Thank God for the ways He has revealed to you that Jesus is alive.

Sunday

• Read: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

• Pray: Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit to be His witness.

10

Session 4

Resilient in Prayer Acts 12:1-19



3. How do you stay resilient in prayer when you don’t always get what you ask for?

4. What is one thing that you need to pray about with resilience?


11


• Read: Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2)

• Pray: Ask God to make you devoted and resilient in prayer. Tuesday

• Read: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

• Pray: Resist fear and present your requests to God today. Wednesday

• Read: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Romans 8:26)

• Pray: Ask the Spirit to help you pray today. Thursday

• Read: I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. (Romans 15:30)

• Pray: Through the love of the Spirit, pray for someone who is struggling.

Friday

• Read: And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. (Colossians 4:3)

• Pray: Pray that God would open doors for you to proclaim Christ.

Saturday

• Read: And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:18)

• Pray: Make a list of people to pray for. Commit to praying for that list for at least one week.

Sunday

• Read: Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. (Colossians 4:12)

• Pray: Wrestle in prayer for someone today.

12

Session 5

Resilient in Faith

Acts 4:13-21



3. How could someone tell if you “had been with Jesus”?

4. What about your faith can you just not stop doing, no matter what happens?


13


• Read: When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. (Exodus 34:29)

• Pray: Ask God to make you radiant as you spend time with Him. Tuesday

• Read: For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29)

• Pray: Ask God to conform you into the image of Christ. Wednesday

• Read: But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. (Jeremiah 20:9)

• Pray: What is it about God that you cannot keep quiet about? Ask God to give you opportunity to let it out today.

Thursday

• Read: For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)

• Pray: Have you gotten complacent in an area of life and faith? Ask that God would grow you in increasing measure.

Friday

• Read: After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31)

• Pray: Ask God to make you bold today. Saturday

• Read: However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. (Acts 20:24)

• Pray: Ask that you would complete the tasks that God gives you today.

Sunday

• Read: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)

• Pray: Pray that you would keep the faith till the end.

14

Worship

To enhance your experience of Resilient, worship online at www.lccaltoona.org/watch. Services available on demand starting Saturdays at 5pm.

Prayer Need some prayer to encourage you on this journey? Would you like to pray for someone else? Stop by lccaltoona.org/prayer to ask for prayer or to pray for other requests.

Connect We believe life and faith is best done together. If you aren’t connected in Jesus-centered community, go to www.lccaltoona.org/adult to find great opportunities.

Give Want to help make Jesus-centered resources like this available? Go to lccaltoona.org/give to support this work and more!

Documents

SDG - Resilient - Church of The Cross · deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:12) • Pray: Ask God to use your deeds to point others to Jesus. Friday • Read: