THROUGH HER EYES Gateway Church, USA

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1 THROUGH HER EYES Gateway Church, USA Join in on an unprecedented Gateway series with special guests Holly Wagner and Charlotte Gambill as well as Gateway s own Elaine Fisher and Blynda Lane. FIND MESSAGE LINKS HERE &field_speaker_target_id_entityreference_filter=All&field_date_start_end_required_value%5Bvalue%5D%5Byear%5D= Week One - Doorways, Hallways, and Gateways - Charlotte Gambill Week Two - The Posture of Compassion - Blynda Lane Week Three - Forever Changed - Elaine Fisher Week Four - Be Brave - Holly Wagner

2 WEEK ONE: Doorways, Hallways, and Gateways - Charlotte Gambill FOCUS God wants us to clear space in our lives so that we can hear His voice. He wants to resurrect our dead hopes, old dreams, and hidden desires. When we are open and willing to invite Him into our circumstances, He will move us into a season of receiving Ask your group: Have you ever enjoyed a fun activity designed for a different time of year? Like having an outdoor barbeque during winter, celebrating your half birthday, or decorating a Christmas tree in July? KEY SCRIPTURE: 2 Kings 4:8 37, 8:1 6 When we create room for God in our lives, He speaks to us about things we ve hoped for and then put away. We stand in a doorway with God to retrieve our dreams. God opens up the possibility for us to move into the promise. We then enter a hallway, which can be a time of confusion or a challenge. The woman in 2 Kings 4 picked up her dead son and brought him to the place where she had received understanding from Elisha. Similarly, we can pick up anything that blocks us from moving through the hallway and take it to God. The hallway is a transition time of moving toward God s answer. This is the time to trust God, stand strong, and hold on to your peace. The battles you face in the hallway will equip you to keep traveling with God into the gateway, the miracle in your future. The gateway will include a gift from God grown from seed you have sown and is a season of receiving God s goodness, gifts, and passion. 1. Why is dialogue with God important in the doorway? 2. Name several steps we can take to make room for God. Discuss Open Focus Fun Review 3. What are some hindrances that prolong our time in the hallway? 4. Read 2 Kings 4: What insight from this scripture can we use to keep moving through the hallway? 5. What might God say to you in the gateway? Why does God want you to enter a season of receiving? How will the journey to the gateway affect your future? TAKE HOME Don t stop before your gateway. God does not waste any season. He turns your difficult battles into good and rewards your faithfulness to Him. God uses the seed you ve sown in your sorrow to gift you in your tomorrow. Jesus, we trust You with our situations. We put our life journey in Your hands. Make us aware of places in ourselves that we can open up to You. It s Your voice we want to hear and Your Word we want to obey. We close the door to distractions and open our heart to Your goodness. Be welcome in our house! In Jesus name, Amen. *New Leader Tip* Get to know your members individually. This way, you will recognize when a member may be dealing with a difficult personal issue, or you can share in their celebrations and milestones. Compassion and honor earns trust.

3 WEEK TWO: The Posture of Compassion - Blynda Lane FOUCUS Jesus was moved by compassion many times before working a miracle. God showed us compassion while we were still sinners, and He wants us to do the same for the lost. When we demonstrate compassion to others, their hearts can be moved to receive God s miracle of salvation. His compassion saves, sustains, and delivers us from an enemy who wants to hurt and destroy us. Ask the people in your group to bring a photo of them involved in a summer activity that they enjoy to the next session and give them time to briefly share about it. KEY SCRIPTURE: 2 Peter 3:9; Ephesians 6:12 1. Know the character of God. Romans 2:4, 5:8; Jonah 4:4 11 The character of God was demonstrated when, while we were still sinners, He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place so we might be forgiven for our sins. He loves us because of who He is He is a God of second chances! Just as He showed compassion to us, we must have compassion for the lost. The true condition of our heart is revealed when we do what God is prompting us to do even though we may not want to. 2. Know the closeness of God. Psalm 73:28; James 4:8 Closeness to God brings stability and sustains us in an uncertain world. When we learn to accept His methods and timing, we come to know what He wants from us. Sometimes we misinterpret God s motives or intentions, but when we know Him, we realize we can trust Him in all circumstances. Our walk should be all about trusting God. 3. Know the charge of God. 1 John 3:16, 18 God charges us to go. We have never been in a greater position to show compassion and the love of Christ to those around us than we are right now. Compassion should lead the charge in our effort to reach the lost, so love boldly! We do not have to compromise truth or our convictions. As believers, we have the power to demolish strongholds, so we should not fear when we are sent to the enemy s camp. 1. Compassion is sympathetic pity, concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others, and the desire to alleviate that suffering. Understanding that compassion requires action, what are some of the steps we can take to demonstrate that we care for the physical and spiritual well-being of those around us? 2. Examine the verses in Jonah 3:1 4 and explain what Jonah did with his second chance. What was the result? Has God ever given you a second chance? If comfortable, share how that affected your life. 3. What is God s desire for us in 2 Peter 3:9? What response is required from us? How does this verse relate to those we encounter daily? 4. Read Ephesians 6:12. Identify the motivating force which is often behind the actions of broken or rebellious people and those who thoughtlessly hurt us or have turned their backs on God. 5. According to this week s message, there are three components comprising the posture of compassion: knowing the character of God; knowing the closeness of God; knowing the charge of God. Which one of these components do you feel you need to work on most? Which one do you feel you have been most successful in achieving?

4 TAKE HOME Just as God demonstrated His love and compassion to us while we were yet sinners, we are to show the same to others. Demonstrating compassion to others can soften their hearts, leading them to the miracle of salvation. We are the hands and feet of God here on earth. When God tells us to go, we are not to fear for He is with us. God s compassion can sustain us through any circumstance. Lord, we thank You and praise You for the times You showed compassion to us when we did not deserve it! Help us to walk in compassion with others, to see them through Your eyes, and to remember Your desire for none to perish. Touch our hearts and fill us with Your compassion so the hurting and lost will be drawn to You. In Jesus name. Amen *New Leader Tip* It s pretty easy to wander off topic in a discussion, particularly if a question generates a great deal of conversation. Feel free to give a gentle reminder that it s time to move on.

5 WEEK THREE: Forever Changed - Elaine Fisher FOCUS When we have an encounter with Jesus, our lives are changed forever. We must intentionally pursue Jesus and reach out to Him in faith. He will change our perspective, our relationship with Him, and our future as a son or daughter of the King. Print out a few cognitive illusions (search the Internet if needed) and pass them around as your group members arrive. These are pictures that can look like two different things, depending on your perspective. Once your group starts, discuss each of the pictures and their illusions. Take a poll of how many see one illusion or the other. If there is a common thread between ages or men and women, ask why each would have a different perspective. KEY SCRIPTURES: Luke 8:40 50; Mark 5:27; Leviticus 15:25 27 Our perspective is forever changed when we encounter Jesus. Each person in this passage had a different perspective of Jesus. The crowd saw Him as a spiritual figure they wanted to see for themselves. The disciples saw Jesus stop and take time with all kinds of people and witnessed His power to take care of all of their needs. The woman with an issue of blood had her perspective of Jesus changed from a healer to her Healer, and she was declared His daughter. When we purposely seek out the Savior, He will show us who He is and who we are as His children. Our perspective changes. Our relationship is forever changed when we encounter Jesus. God desires to have a relationship with us. He is fully aware of our needs and wants to have daily encounters with us. Instead of simply being near Jesus or around Him, He wants us to deliberately reach out to Him in faith. The woman s faith in Jesus was reason for her restoration. Our relationship with Jesus can change from that of a sinner to His accepted child that receives blessing and peace. Our future is forever changed when we encounter Jesus. The woman was ceremonially unclean and seen as an outcast but became His daughter. Because of our heavenly Father s authority and glory, we have a story to tell. We have people who will want to talk with us because of our heavenly Father. They will see the changes and peace we portray as a result of our encounters with Jesus. 1. Read Luke 8:46. In what ways can a person be deliberate in their pursuit of Jesus? Why might a person be hesitant to reach out to Him? 2. Jesus asked the woman to publically admit her actions. Why does the Lord ask us to confess publicly that we have accepted the Lord as Savior? 3. What does the title of son or daughter imply? What does it mean to you to be called His son or His daughter? 4. People will be attracted to our peace when we have encountered the Savior. Take time this week to write your story down in three or four sentences and ask the Lord to prepare you for future conversations about your encounters with Jesus. 5. Optional: Read Mark 5:26. If you are in the same situation as the woman in our message and are desperately seeking healing from Jesus for you or someone in your family, will you raise your hand? Would it be okay with you if the rest of the group prayed for you right now? Gather around that person and allow group members to pray for those who have need.

6 TAKE HOME As we conclude, remember the following: The Lord wants us to be deliberate and intentional in our pursuit of Jesus with faith that He can heal. It is our faith, and not our efforts, that will bring about healing. When we have an encounter with Jesus, He becomes personal to us and gives us a new identity. Our future is one as a son or daughter of the Most High King blessed with His peace. Lord, thank You for your healing touch. Give us courage and the faith to reach out to You as your sons and daughters. We thank You for Your blessing and peace. You are a loving Father, and we give You honor, glory, and praise. In Jesus name, Amen. *New Leader Tip* Groups are one of the key places for connection within the church. Don t assume that people in your group are engaged and connected if they are outgoing and friendly. Make it a habit to reach out with a text or to touch base when anyone is gone. If a new person attends, reach out to them as well to give them a personal welcome within a week after their visit.

7 WEEK FOUR: Be Brave Holly Wagner FOCUS Life can feel overwhelming, but God strengthens us to be brave. Bravery is a conviction. It might look like forgiveness, standing up for injustice, or sticking something out to the end, but whatever form bravery takes, we take kingdom ground through it. What are some of your all-time favorite movie endings? Least favorite? KEY SCRIPTURES: Joshua 1:9; Romans 8:28; Ephesians 2:10 We can be brave because We know who we are. We are sons and daughters of the Most High God. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV). Heaven is our home. Earth is our assignment. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior (Philippians 3:20, NLT). God causes everything to work for good. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them (Romans 8:28, NLT). Not everything is good, but God graciously works everything together for good. He is interlacing the moments of our lives into a beautiful tapestry so that we begin to look more and more like Jesus. That is reason to be brave! For we are God s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago (Ephesians 2:10, NLT). We often fixate on the back of the tapestry and our flaws and weaknesses, but God sees eternally. Take heart, God is good (Psalm 34:8), and He is weaving you into Himself perfectly. The Lord who is the Spirit makes us more like Him as we are changed into His glorious Open Focus Fun Review image (2 Corinthians 3:18). Because of this, we can bravely walk out our assignment on earth. 1. Who does God say you are according to Jeremiah 29:11, Philippians 3:20, and Ephesians2:10? Do you believe it? Holly mentioned Joseph as an example of God turning difficulty into triumph. In what ways to do you think Joseph s struggles (his brothers contempt, rejection, slavery, betrayal by Pharaoh s wife, imprisonment, etc.) shaped him so that God s will would be done in Israel? In what ways have you seen God weave something dark and messy into a beautiful picture of His grace? Discouragement comes when we fixate on the back of the tapestry. Second Corinthians 3:18 promises that we will be transformed into God s image as we behold Him. What are some practical things you can do this week to fixate on Him when you feel inadequate? TAKE HOME Practice gratefulness this week as you remember these truths gratefulness cultivates joy, and joy is strength. When things look messy and tangled, we can trust God to weave every thread of our lives together for His glory. We can be brave because we know we are loved, we are citizens of heaven, and all things work together for good. Lord, You promise that when we turn to You, You transform us into Your image (2 Corinthians 3:18). We look to You now, expectant and believing. Remind us who we are. Show us a heavenly perspective. Make us brave, Lord. We trust You. In Jesus name, Amen.