Getting Started

Main Idea:
God is Calling us to BE the River of Provision to our world THROUGH the Holy Spirit in us.

Discussion Starter:
Share a time when you were able to provide something that a person needed and how that made both you and him/her feel.

Introduction:
This weekend, Pastor Zac shared how Faith Promise Church is equipping our fpStudents to help real people with real problems find the real love of God. He explained these students are not the Next generation but the Now generation. When we as a church, both young and old alike, live out our values we will be a massive Movement-all 8000 of us! Recall our Biblically-based values from the previous weeks: We put God first; We tell them of Him; We grow together; We give generously; We serve others; We elevate those around us. Sometimes as Christ-followers, we think we need to wait on God to do the supernatural, but God has elevated us to be the River of Provision to this hurting and dying world. He has given us His Spirit to empower us to do His work! The only way to be a Movement is to start moving; you can’t sit still and see revival. The Kingdom will come when we GO!

Encounter God

Primary Scripture: Primary Scripture John 7:37-39

Discussion Questions:
1. Jesus boldly declares that whoever is thirsty only needs to come to Him to drink. What makes people thirsty today? How do people try to quench their thirst?

2. To place Jesus’ invitation to thirsty sinners in context, He shouted this on the last day of the Festival of Tabernacles, which commemorated the end of wandering in the desert as the Israelites entered the Promised Land. On the first seven days, the priest poured out water from a golden pitcher, and the people said, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3), and according to rabbinic tradition, these words pointed to the Messiah. In contrast, on the 8th day of the festival, no water was drawn symbolizing that the Israelites were no longer in a desert but drank from the rivers of Canaan. The Israelites were reenacting a tradition that could never satisfy the heart, but Jesus offered them living water and eternal satisfaction! Can you describe how your life was like a spiritual desert before you came to the Lord? In what way has your life changed since you drank from the “wells of salvation”?

3. Jesus offers Himself as the living water. Temple symbolism pointed to this, and He compared His body to the temple itself (John 2:19-22). He also spoke of himself as the rock, that when struck (Exodus 17:1-7) gives not merely water but the living water of eternal life (John 4:13-14). This drinking water is symbolic of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Just as water satisfies thirst and produces fruitfulness, the Holy Spirit satisfies us and enables us to bear spiritual fruit (Gal 5:22). In what ways are you bearing fruit for God? What is holding you back from fully realizing God’s purpose for your life? How will you pray to fully trust the power of the Spirit that lives in you?

4. These verses describe the streams of living water as “flowing”. The promise is not only that we will be satisfied, but that we will be satisfying. When we drink the living water of Jesus, we not only fill our cup, but we become a river that overflows. How does the use of the word “flow” affect the way you see the power of the Holy Spirit? How will you allow God the Spirit to work through you as a River of Provision for this hurting and dying world?

Discovery Bible Method:
For deeper study, as an alternative to the questions above, read John 7:37-39 and use the Discovery Bible Method to explore the passage.