Small Groups: Church Shift Week #1: The People are the Power

Church Shift – 10.17&18

Week 1:  The People are the Power

Purpose: To help students recognize that the Kingdom of God lives within them and they are to bring the Kingdom of God to the earth.

Series Scripture: “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance” – Psalm 2:8

Scripture:

  • Luke 17:21, Psalm 2:8

Main Ideas:

  • To complete to Great Commission, we must have impact upon nations, not just people in churches.
  • The Most Important lesson to influence a nation is this: You’ll never accomplish it if you remain within the four walls of the church
  • The Church fulfills its mandate when it changes society.
  • God will hold us responsible for nations.
  • If there is a nation that is suffering under a godless culture, it’s because Christians have not subdued it with kingdom principles.
  • Your work as a choir member, nursery volunteer, or usher is what we all must do to keep the church functioning, but it’s not necessarily fulfilling the Great Commission. The great Commission takes place outside of church.
  • The church is the primary vehicle God uses to train people so they know how to find their Promised Land and rule in their nations. Church is the head quarters, but battles are not fought at headquarters, they are fought on the field.
  • The church is to be the training ground for people who will impact the society around them.
  • Until the children of God act like His representatives on the earth, nothing will change in our countries.
  • God will not supernaturally spread the kingdom, because that would rob man of his purpose.
  • If the church doesn’t start fighting corruption and immorality, society will keep sliding more and more toward lawlessness.
  • A church that is not focused on discipline nations, exchanges big ambitions for small ones without even realizing it.
  • “If you want to use your faith to get a new car or more church members, fine. But I’m using my faith to subdue and change a nation.
  • The reward for seeking God is influence over a sphere of society so that people can be rescued.
  • It’s time to see ourselves as instruments in the hand of God.

Challenge:

  • Pray for 1 student for 1 minute at 1 p.m. every day. (Pick up a 141@1 card!)

Things to Remember:

  • All Worship Night – Wednesday, October 21st!

Church Shift – Week #1 – The People are the Power

  1. What do you think the purpose of the church is?
  1. Is the church doing its job?
  1. Do you think it is possible to impact your family, your friends, your school, your county, your state, your country, and your world?
  1. The church is a place to get equipped to reach your world; do you feel like you’re being prepared for something?
  1. Have you dreamed small for your personal life without knowing it? Thinking that you can’t make a difference, and if you can it will be so small it’s insignificant?
  1. Do you believe that the world can be a different place because of you? That you can change the world?

  1. How do you use your influence outside of church to impact people?
  1. What’s the most fulfilling thing you’ve ever done? Did it have to do with helping someone? Has someone’s life ever been changed because of you? How did that make you feel? How can you do something like that everyday?
  1. 9. What are 3 things you can do right now to have an impact on your family? On your friends? On your school?

  1. 10. What can you do to become more Kingdom minded? To get more focused on reaching people?

Church Shift

Chapter 1 – The Power is the People

  • We were doing the work of God without posing a threat to anyone
  • We started a soup kitchen that fed two thousand people daily, we raised up business men in the church through business training programs, we help marriage preparation courses, counseling for unwed mothers, and men’s conferences that helped to create strong families and a more stable society.
  • The People are the Power – Use the Power you have
  • To complete to Great Commission, we must have impact upon nations, not just people in churches.
  • Transforming nations requires bold steps…
  • We could no longer be concerned with just preserving what we had or adding numbers to our congregation; we were being called to move strongly into every sphere of society.
  • The Most Important lesson to influence a nation is this: You’ll never accomplish it if you remain within the four walls of the church
  • God is not terribly concerned with church size and church ministries – they are all sidelights to His main goal, which is for all nations to walk after Him.
  • The Church fulfills its mandate when it changes society.
  • Too many churches and Christian leaders spend their energy and creativity, and precious time promoting churches, instead of the Kingdom. They work for the success of their church, their group, or their ministry. They believe by  building churches and ministry that they are building the kingdom. They think church and kingdom are synonymous. The church is not the Kingdom…
  • Luke 17:21 – People won’t say here is the kingdom, or there it is, because the Kingdom of God is within you.
  • The great commission is to disciple nations – the focus is not in here (church), but out there!
  • Jesus didn’t leave the kingdom of God in Heaven when He came to earth, He brought it with Him!
  • Psalm 2:8 – Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance.
  • God will hold us responsible for nations.
  • If there is a nation that is suffering under a godless culture, it’s because Christians have not subdued it with kingdom principles.
  • Your work as a choir member, nursery volunteer, or usher is what we all must do to keep the church functioning, but it’s not necessarily fulfilling the Great Commission. The great Commission takes place outside of church.
  • The church is the primary vehicle God uses to train people so they know how to find their Promised Land and rule in their nations. Church is the head quarters, but battles are not fought at headquarters, they are fought on the field.
  • The church is to be the training ground for people who will impact the society around them.
  • The People are the Power – Little did we know that this act of obedience would go a long way to shaping the history of our nation.

Chapter 2  – The Kingdom Minded Church

  • God’s redemptive work on the cross is for nations as well as individuals.
  • Until the children of God act like His representatives on the earth, nothing will change in our countries.
  • God will not supernaturally spread the kingdom, because that would rob man of his purpose.
  • If the church doesn’t start fighting corruption and immorality, society will keep sliding more and more toward lawlessness.
  • A church that is not focused on discipline nations, exchanges big ambitions for small ones without even realizing it.
  • “If you want to use your faith to get a new car or more church members, fine. But I’m using my faith to subdue and change a nation.
  • Some Christians become satisfied with stuff and tools, but the real reward is NATIONS!
  • God wants to make many of us greater than we ever thought we’d be.
  • Life your faith from small satisfactions… God will do more than pay your bills… God doesn’t even call that a reward. Those things come automatically with salvation.
  • The reward for seeking God is influence over a sphere of society so that people can be rescued.
  • It’s time to see ourselves as instruments in the hand of God.
  • Every gift and talent we have it to be exercised in the service of the Kingdom!

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