To All Generations. God s Purpose... For All Generations Lesson 5. Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. (Psalm 90:1, NKJV)

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1 To All Generations Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. (Psalm 90:1, NKJV) Teacher s Guide God s Purpose... For All Generations Lesson 5 One Mission Point Canton, GA Phone Fax Prayer Line That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. (Philippians 2:15, NKJV) 2006, Mary Lee Griffith, First Baptist Canton

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3 Ask them to share with one another how they are serving, or how they believe God may be leading them to serve in the future. After a brief time of sharing (two to three minutes), ask for one person to volunteer to pray for their group asking God to show them how He wants them to serve in this place. Life Application How are we fulfilling God s design for us as God s church in this place and as individuals? How are we doing as a church in these four areas? How would you rate our church on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Never True and 10 means Always True? Worship Witness Walk Work How could we improve? How are you doing as an individual in these four areas? Rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Never True and 10 means Always True. Worship Witness Walk Work What steps do you believe God might be leading you to take so that growth would take place in the area you scored lowest? God s Purpose... For All Generations Lesson 5 Lesson Theme: God s purposes are unchanging His design for His people is clear from generation to generation. Key Scripture: Philippians 2:15 Supporting Scriptures: Genesis 3:8; 17:1; 24:40; Exodus 4:31; Leviticus 18:4; Deuteronomy 10:12; 1 Kings 2:3-4; 2 Kings 17:36; 23:3,25; 2 Chronicles 6:16; 7:3; Psalm 95:6; John 4:23; Acts 5:29-32b; Colossians 1:10; 2:6-7; 1 John 2:6; Revelation 11:16 Lesson Focus: That we may determine to fulfill God s purpose and design for our own generation. Lesson Aims: (1) That we may identify God s purpose and design for His people. (2) That we may assess how we are doing as a church in fulfilling God s purpose for us. (3) That we may commit to take at least one step in the coming weeks toward fulfilling one of the aspects of God s purpose for our lives. Close in prayer thanking God for how He is going to help our church fulfill God s purpose and impact the coming generations. 12 1

4 At this time of year, almost everyone is following the fate of some football team whether it be a high school, college, or professional team. The goal of every team is to WIN but for every game, the coach has a game plan. God has a goal for the church make disciples and a game plan. He is a God of purpose. He did not establish the church only to let man go his own way without any direction or instructions. He has provided the church with specific guidelines. If we follow His game plan, then we will make disciples. Let s look at the instructions God gave His people so that His purpose might be fulfilled... to all generations. God Designed Us to Worship Him God seeks worshipers. When Jesus met the woman at the well, one of the things He discussed with her was the kind of people God was seeking to worship Him. John 4:23, NKJV 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. Questions: How do true worshipers worship the Father? [In spirit and truth] What does the Father desire? [For true worshipers to worship Him] Discussion: What do you think would be true of a person who worships God in this way? When do you find it most meaningful to worship God in private or as part of a corporate worship experience? Why? What are some of the hindrances to 2 Bridge the Gap Prayer Ministry, and missions) Assistance Ministries... ministering to people through physical service and acts of kindness, often behind the scenes (such as greeters and ushers, parking lot attendants [and valet parking], shuttle drivers, office support, attendance counters, etc.) Age-group Ministries... reaching and serving people of a particular age group such as nursery and preschool, children, students, and adults (teaching, assisting, caring, keeping records, and much more) Affinity-based Ministries... touching people who are drawn together because of a common interest, life experience, or need (such as women s or men s ministry, singles, divorce or grief support, problems with addiction, First Travelers, etc.) Awareness Ministries... raising awareness of people in our community about knowing Christ and trying First Baptist Canton (such as block parties, Mission Canton, and special events) Additional Ministries... birthing new ministries that grow out of passion, burden, life experiences, and/or need The ministry possibilities at First Baptist Canton are many, and almost every area of the church could use more help. While it is true that some individuals may serve in too many roles and need a rest from time to time, some are not serving at all. If everyone in the body would serve in a way that is consistent with their gifts and passions, every need in our church would be met. Small Groups: Ask those in your class to get together in groups of three or four (men together and women together). 11

5 God Designed Us To Work for Him If the Lord Jesus Christ worked for God ( I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. [John 9:4]), then we must certainly work for God as well. Colossians 1:10, NKJV 10 That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Questions: What does our working flow out of? [Walking worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him] To what extent are we to be fruitful? [In every good work] What else should be true of us? [We should be increasing in how well we know God] We can work for the Lord in any number of contexts our homes, our neighborhoods, the workplace, the ball park, school but one of the places where our work is most essential is the church. As the visible body of Christ, members of the local church must use their God-given gifts for the benefit of others in the body. What are some of the ministries in which we could work at First Baptist Canton? Assimilation Ministries... helping people connect, develop friendships, and minister to one another (such as Sunday School, outreach, and One Mission University) Adoration Ministries... encouraging people to worship God, use musical gifts, and seek to win and train new worshipers (such as worship and music ministry, technical support for music and worship ministry, 10 worshiping God in spirit and in truth? What encourages you to worship God in spirit and truth? In the first lesson in this series, we discussed ways we could praise God in our singing, praying, giving, and living. Engaging in genuine, heartfelt worship is one of the most important things we can do as Christians. What can we learn from Scripture about how we should worship God? Our worship should be characterized by humility. The attitude of humility is one that is often discerned by the posture of the worshipers in Scripture. Look at the following verses and notice what postures are mentioned. Exodus 4:31, NKJV 31 So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped. 2 Chronicles 7:3, NKJV 3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: For He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Psalm 95:6, NKJV 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. Revelation 11:16, NKJV 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, Question: How did those who worshiped show their reverence for God and their own humility as they approached Him? [Bowed their heads, bowed their faces to the ground, bowed down, knelt, fell on their faces] 3

6 Discussion: How can we demonstrate humility before God? Our worship should be characterized by sincerity. The concept of worship in Scripture is used in two primary contexts: (1) worship of God, or (2) worship of other gods. God desired that His people worship Him, not the false gods of the neighboring nations. And the worship He desired from His people was sincere, heartfelt worship. King Josiah was an example of the kind of sincere worship God desired. 2 Kings 23:3,25, NKJV 3 Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant. 25 Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him. Questions: What did King Josiah do? [He made a covenant before the Lord] What did He promise to do? [Keep God s commandments, testimonies, and statutes with all his heart and soul, and to perform the words of the covenant] Who else took a stand for the covenant? [The people] How did Josiah turn to the Lord? [With all his heart, all his soul, and all his might] Do you see how many times the word all was found in those two verses? When Josiah helped the people to follow the stipulations of the covenant, He was leading the people to restore worship of the Lord God that had been interrupted for many years because of the people s worship of other gods. The central purpose of the old covenant was that the people be committed to worship God with their whole hearts. All of their 4 God Designed Us To Witness for Him Witnessing to others about Christ is often one of the most challenging things for any believer to do. For some reason, we assume that people will reject our personal testimony or challenge us on every statement we make. The enemy has been successful in intimidating us and scaring us into being quiet about what Christ has done for us. Acts 5:29-32b, NKJV 29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. 31 Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit. Questions: What did Peter say he and the other apostles were witnesses to? [These things that Jesus was raised up from the dead, has been raised up and exalted to God s right hand, and gives repentance and forgiveness of sins] Who else is a witness to these things? [The Holy Spirit who has been given to every child of God] Last week you were encouraged to give your salvation testimony. Consider asking someone in the class to share his or her salvation testimony. Remind them that it should be kept short (two to three minutes). Since we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have help in sharing our testimony (or witness) to what Jesus did for us and how we came to trust Him as our Savior. In the space provided in the Participant Guide, ask your class members to write the names of individuals they believe need salvation and for whom they are willing to pray daily. 9

7 (1) Walk in the fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31) (2) Walk properly (Rom. 13:13) (3) Walk in love (Eph. 5:2) (4) Walk worthy of the Lord, in good works (Eph. 2:10; 4:1; Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:12; 4:1) (5) Walk by faith (Rom. 4:12; 2 Cor. 5:7) (6) Walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4) (7) Walk in the Spirit (Rom. 8:1,4; Gal. 5:16,25) (8) Walk in wisdom (Eph. 5:15; Col. 4:5) (9) Walk in the light (Eph. 5:8; 1 John 1:7) (10) Walk in truth (2 John 1:4; 3 John 1:3-4) Discussion: Which of these ways of walking seems most important to you? Why? What does it mean to walk by faith? What kind of faith does it take to make a three-year commitment to Generations? How do you anticipate such a faith commitment might be tested? Walking with Christ is God s expectation for His children. Colossians 2:6-7, NKJV 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 1 John 2:6, NKJV 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. Challenge: How are you doing in your walk with Christ? Are you rooted and built up in Him? Are you established in the faith? Are you abounding in the faith with thanksgiving? Are you abiding in Christ and walking just as He walked? Ask your class members to take a moment to pray silently, asking God to show them how they might walk with Him in faith. offerings and feasts were designed to demonstrate their love for God and devotion to Him. Discussion: What can distract us from worshiping God with sincere hearts? How can we prevent that from happening? Our worship should be characterized by sacrifice. From earliest times, worship of God has involved sacrifice. And true sacrifice flows out of obedience. When Abel brought the firstborn of His flock, God had respect for his offering (see Gen. 4:4), and the author of Hebrews states that by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain (see Heb. 11:4). Later God asked Abraham to offer his only son Isaac as a burnt offering (see Gen. 22). God honored Abraham s obedience and prevented Abraham from killing his son and provided a ram for that offering. When the whole system of offerings and feasts were established, the people were commanded to bring the first and the best. The people s worship of God was always to be characterized first by obedience, then sacrifice. 2 Kings 17:36, NKJV 36 But the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. Some of the sacrifices were financial as they involved giving goods, animals, or monetary offerings. Some of the sacrifices were personal as they involved the giving of a child to the Lord s service (such as Hannah and her son Samuel). Some of the sacrifices were in terms of obedience (such as Mary when she submitted herself to God s plan for her to give birth to the Messiah). 8 5

8 In the New Testament, we are called upon to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God (see Rom. 12:1), as well as offering God sacrifices of praise, doing good, and sharing (see Heb. 13:15-16). In addition, Paul praised certain churches for giving sacrificial gifts to those who were desperately in need of financial help. Neighbor Nudge: Pair up with someone sitting close to you and share your answers to one or more of these questions: (1) What sacrifice(s) has God led you to make at some point in the past? (2) How difficult was it to make that sacrifice? (3) What sacrifice do you believe God may be calling you to make for Generations? (4) What will it take for you to actually make that sacrifice? After several minutes of sharing with one another, lead your class in prayer, asking God to help each one be willing to pray about how we might obey God and sacrifice in order to offer a special gift to Generations. God Designed Us to Walk with Him Christians sometimes believe that the Old Testament is all about law, regulations, and justice, while the New Testament is about love, heart, and relationship. The truth is that God s intent from earliest times was to be in relationship with us. In Genesis 3 we discover that Adam and Eve heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden (Gen. 3:8). God talked with them and spent time with them, and when they sinned He came looking for them. 6 Later we see Abraham walking with God. In Genesis 17:1, God commanded Abraham to walk before Him, while in Genesis 24:40, Abraham testified that He walked before God. Then the people of Israel were commanded to walk in God s ways (Lev. 18:4; Deut. 10:12). David later gave strict instructions to His son, Solomon. 1 Kings 2:3-4, NKJV 3 And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 4 that the LORD may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, He said, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel. Questions: What did it mean to walk in God s ways (verse 3)? [To keep His statues, commandments, judgments, and testimonies] What was to characterize their walk (verse 4)? [To walk before God in truth and with all their heart and soul] Walking with God should be the goal and practice of every believer in Christ. He walks with us and desires that we walk with Him in an intimate, loving relationship. 2 Corinthians 6:16, NKJV 16 For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. In this verse, Paul quotes and/or alludes to several Old Testament passages: Exodus 29:35-36; Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 31:1; and Ezekiel 37:27. If God seeks to walk among us, we should be committed to walk with Him. What should be true of our walk with God? God provides some specific insights into walking with Him in the New Testament. 7