Relational Spirituality Study 7

Relational Spirituality

Week 7

LOOKING BACK (Care and Accountability)

· How was your week (highlights, difficulties, challenges, etc.)?

· In what way did you influence someone this week in their relationship with the King?

WEEKLY GROUP TIME

“As a communion of three persons, God is a relational being. He originates a personal relationship with us, and our high and holy calling is to respond to his loving initiatives. By loving God completely, we discover who we are and whose we are as we come to see ourselves as God sees us. In this way, we become secure enough to become others-centered rather than self-centered and enables us to become givers rather than grabbers.”

Part Three: Loving Others Compassionately

“The closer our walk with God, the more we are empowered to manifest our love for Him through acts of love for others”

This Week’s Focus: Christ’s resources have been given to us now that we are in Him.

Directions: There are assigned passage(s) for five days each week. Read them in light of the Relational Spirituality theme and the Week’s Focus found directly above.

A daily spiritual discipline is to learn to hear God’s voice from his Word. Please don’t look at this as a homework assignment.

Find a quiet place each day to read the passage(s) slowly a couple of times through. 


Summarize the passage(s) under the questions:


1. “What was said?” 
 Write down what the author was saying to his original audience.

2. “What was God saying?” 
Write down what God was/is saying.

3. “What is God saying to you?” 
 Apply the passage’s meaning to you today.

4. Be prepared to share how some of the Bible passages impacted you and how you can apply this in your life in your weekly group meeting?

_________________________________________________

DAY 1 PASSAGE: Ephesians 1:3-10

Ephesians 1:3–10 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

1. “What was said?” 
 Write down what the author was saying to his original audience. God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, to be blameless and holy. He has made known to us the mystery of His will, to unite all things in heaven and things on earth.

2. “What was God saying?” 
Write down what God was/is saying. This is done in the past, at latest upon our salvation, that God has empowered us with spiritual blessings to partner with Him to grow His kingdom. If He was willing to do this for us, He is most definitely willing to do this for others. He is rich in mercy, rich in grace, He will accomplish His plan.

3. “What is God saying to you?” 
 Apply the passage’s meaning to you today. I am empowered by the Holy Spirit, I have been chosen, redeemed, forgiven, and blessed not just for myself, but to be used in the lives of others, both believers and non-believers. I need to trust the Holy Spirit, I need to move, to go, to do

4. Be prepared to share how some of the Bible passages impacted you and how you can apply this in your life in your weekly group meeting?

DAY 2 PASSAGE: Romans 6:1-14

Romans 6:1–14 ESV

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

1. “What was said?” 
 Write down what the author was saying to his original audience. Pre Jesus, we had no other option but to be “enslaved” to sin, to obey it and practice it. But now, because of us being in Christ and Christ in us, we are “empowered” to resist sin because we have been freed from it. Sin and death have no power or mastery over us. We have a choice, to whom will we offer ourselves, the goal is to God as instruments of righteousness.

2. “What was God saying?” 
Write down what God was/is saying. He has freed us, extended grace, the “law” or principal of sin is no longer the dominant force in your life now. The Spirit is within us, to lead us and guide us, but also to empower us to choose rightly, to desire righteousness. Let us therefore now walk in this newness of life, new creations, dedicated to the Lord.

3. “What is God saying to you?” 
 Apply the passage’s meaning to you today. Choice, sin is a choice, not a dominating controlling force. Freedom has been won, the ability to choose righteousness is available and also extremely possible. I am not helpless, I am empowered by God to live for Him, so then do it.

4. Be prepared to share how some of the Bible passages impacted you and how you can apply this in your life in your weekly group meeting?

DAY 3 PASSAGE: John 15:1-8

John 15:1–8 ESV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

1. “What was said?” 
 Write down what the author was saying to his original audience. The vine is our life source and that vine is Jesus. We must stay connected, plugged into the vine and then expect God’s pruning, clipping away of all that is not profitable and most useful for us to become the best fruit producer we can be. We don’t need to struggle with forgiveness, cleanness, but we can wholly focus on Jesus and let Him live through us. The struggle is now abiding, if we choose to, God can do amazing things in us and through us. By this we will be proven to others and to ourselves that we are truly His disciples.

2. “What was God saying?” 
Write down what God was/is saying. Don’t focus on not sinning and if you’re forgiven, focus instead on your relationship with Me through Jesus. The life you desire and the life you need is only found in Him and through abiding in Him. It is by Him and with Him that we will all that matters and is beneficial for the kingdom.

3. “What is God saying to you?” 
 Apply the passage’s meaning to you today. Trust me to do my work, stay focused on me and your connection to me, that is what you can control, God can and will do amazing things if you let Him.

4. Be prepared to share how some of the Bible passages impacted you and how you can apply this in your life in your weekly group meeting?

DAY 4 PASSAGE: Only 3 passages to meditate on and apply this week

DAY 5 PASSAGE: Only 3 passages to meditate on and apply this week

LOOKING UP (Scripture and Discussion)

· What did you hear God saying in the readings this week?

· What did you hear God saying to you in the readings this week?

· What word, phrase or passage got your attention this week? And why?

· How has it changed the way you live or the way that you see the world?

LOOKING FORWARD (Prayer and Commissioning)

· Personal: Based on our time today, how can we pray for you and for one another?

Mission: How can you influence someone this week in their relationship with the King?