Getting Started

Main Idea:
Get in on God’s grace and greater purpose through His new rivers and roads.

Discussion Starter:
Have you ever had a time in your life when you felt like you were giving your best efforts and life kept giving you the short end of the stick? A time when no matter what you did, you were short money, time, food, friends, etc.? Briefly share with the group.

Introduction:
What do you have your heart set on? What in your life do you prioritize? A workout, a vacation, your nails, your children, your wife, your career? The items in our life that we consider most important, whether intentionally or not, tend to be things we idolize. Often when we think of idols, we think of little gold statues. Modern day idols look very different than the stereotypical idol.

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Encounter God

Primary Scripture: Haggai 1-2

Discussion Questions:
1. Read chapter one of Haggai and listen to what the Holy Spirit might be saying to you. Would verses 4-6 sound much different if they were talking about our church or our communities?

2. Do you think that people who put earthly things above God are ever truly happy?

3. Can you think of a biblical character who had everything anyone might want and yet ended in destruction because he/she did not keep God first?

4. According to the Bible, what happens to our lives when we put God first?

5. What does it look like to the rest of the world when we are putting God first? How will this impact God’s mission?

6. Putting God first takes constant self-evaluation and intentional living. What does this mean to you?

7. What are some ways we can put God first?

Discovery Bible Method:
For deeper study, as an alternative to the questions above, read Haggai 1 and use the Discovery Bible Method to explore the passage.

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Embrace Others

Getting to know you:  After listening to the Holy Spirit while re-reading Haggai and just experiencing this week’s lesson, in what areas do you personally need to focus on putting God first? In your Marriage? In your parenting? Volunteering? Work?

Getting to know them:  Break into dyads or triads and discuss among yourselves areas you believe you need to strengthen.

Getting to know Him:  In your dyads and triads, come up with some ways to work on areas in which you feel you need to put God first; strategize with each other. Agree on a way to check in with each other and be each other’s prayer partners through the next week.

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Engage the World Around Us

Engaging at Faith Promise:  Have you met someone at your local Faith Promise campus who is modeling putting God and others first? Give them a hug or send them a thank you text this week.

Engaging in Community:  In Haggai 2, the Lord sends a message to the prophet asking if anyone remembers the former splendor of the Temple. Is there a school, building, park, or other place in your community that is in need of repair or attention? Can your group help? For local missions opportunities please visit https://faithpromise.org/love-local.

Engaging the World:  Like the exiles returning from Babylon and rebuilding the Lord’s temple, pray for places in the world where the glory of the Lord seems to be forgotten. Pray that God’s glory would be revealed through the love and service of believers.

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Expand God’s Kingdom

Super Bowl Sunday is February 4, and Faith Promise will again feature a battle of the Pastors. Whom can you invite to this service before the Super Bowl?

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Leader’s Notes

E-Groups
– Encounter Groups: the primary focus of Encounter Groups is the deeper study and application of God’s Word.

– Embrace Groups: the primary focus of Embrace Groups is making friends and being friends on a deeper level.

– Engage Groups: the primary focus of Engage Groups is serving the people of our area through our local partners and through God-directed opportunities.

– Expand Groups: the primary focus of Expand Groups is the development and multiplication of disciple-makers to lead more groups at Faith Promise.