Words can't express how proud and excited I am about all God did through you Sunday. What an incredible day and weekend! Here are some highlights for me:
- In our Leadership Briefing Meeting on Saturday almost 100% of our teachers were in attendance. We had a total of 60 leaders present between Connect Groups and First Impressions.
- We had 738 in Connect Groups. That is up 84 over the previous year. When we provide space and new groups, people will come.
- We had 853 in worship.
- Our Sunday night Connect Group and worship was amazingly well attended, considering the threat of ice and snow. We had 131 in CG and 144 in Worship.
- Most important was the feeling of unity and the obvious presence of the Holy Spirit on Sunday. He was working and we were excited!
Thank you for your commitment and support.
As we move forward, here are a few things to take note of:
- Space issues: Several groups were at capacity in their rooms. We are working to resolve this. Please contact those in attendance to encourage them to come back. We should have some of the issues resolved by this Sunday or the first of next week. If you know of a leader who might want to start a new group we can resolve it immediately by adding a new group! :)
- FAITH Connections: Be sure to encourage someone from your group to be a part of FAITH Connections on Wednesday nights. This will help you become more intentional in reaching out to guests and absentees.
- Roll sheets and guest registration cards: Be sure to complete them each week and place them in the appropriate tray hanging on the right as you enter the Connect Group resource room.
BIBLE STUDY HELPS
What are some specific ways we can honor Jesus this week? Knowing what we know about Jesus, why would we not want to honor Him in all that we do? These are just a few of the questions this study focuses upon as we study about honoring Jesus. I have tweaked the headings to better reflect the TARGET: To help adults commit to honor Jesus throughout their lives.
The outline follows this progression:
- Jesus is Honored Because of who He is and what He did (John 17:1-5)
- We Honor Jesus through Obedience (John 17:6-8)
- We Honor Jesus through Unity (John 17:20-23)
- Jesus Honors You (John 17:24-26)
I have provided a couple of visuals you can choose to use for the LOOK UP portion of the study. Click to Download.
Here are some key thoughts that need to be pointed out as you teach:
- RECEIVED – means “to make one’s own” or “to comprehend mentally or spiritually.” The disciples had accepted both Jesus and His words. They had come to know for certain that he was from God. They had believed God sent Him on His redemptive mission.
- BELIEVED – carries the sense of commitment and obedience.
- UNITY: We live in an unprecedented age of diversity within the church, involving styles of worship, music, dress, architecture, and many other preferential styles. Jesus was not calling on believers to adopt “cookie-cutter” preferences to the exclusion of others. The church has demonstrated many different styles throughout church history and within different cultures. (ETB Leader Guide)
Jesus stated in John 17:4 (this weeks memory verse), I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. I pray this study will lead us to glorify the Son as He glorified the Father and that group members will seek to honor Him by completing the work He has given them to do!
Download January 12 Teaching Helps: Honor Jesus
Download Directions: Click the above link. When the file opens choose "Download" located in the upper right corner of the window. Let me know if you have any questions. Feel free to copy, paste, delete, or edit any of the content.
