DCBC Students Rome

What we learned this morning in Small Group:

In his book Spiritual Theology, theologian Simon Chan says, “Prayers are the life signs of faith.” While for some, prayer comes as naturally as breathing, others work their whole lives to increase in confidence and vulnerability to approach God as “Father.” Regardless of how easy or difficult prayer is for you, we all have equal and unfettered access to God through prayer.

Like J.D. said, Jesus’s disciples saw something different about the way Jesus prayed, and they wanted access to the power, joy, and peace that Jesus clearly experienced in prayer. As Jesus continues to march toward his eventual death in Jerusalem, an intimate and ongoing relationship with God the Father through prayer is vital—for him, for his disciples, and for us.

We had an amazing time at the girls conference today! GA Baptist Next Gen thank you for having us- we really saw God move today!!

What we learned last night:

Often in our lives, we allow our relationship with God to be neglected, and it’s not often for really bad things, but rather for legitimately good things that are not prioritized. Do you ever find yourself in this situation, holding on to good things but deep down inside you know they’re not God things?

In Matthew 19:16-22 we learn that there is nothing wrong with riches and what the ruler owned, but he threw away the opportunity to follow Jesus. He chose a good thing over a God thing. The consequence was connection and intimacy with Jesus. And the same is true for us. When we embrace the good things in life and refuse to grab a hold of the God things we sacrifice connection and intimacy with God. There is nothing wrong with good things when we have our priorities and perspective in the
right place. Replace good things with God things.

What good things are taking the place of God things in your life? Are there any things that you’re holding on to that God is calling you to let go of? Don’t justify the excuse by saying they’re good things so they must be God things. Ask God if there’s any good things you’ve been holding onto that have kept you from fully embracing the God things he has for you. Surrender your good things. Ask the Lord if there is anything you’re holding on to that is keeping you from knowing him better.

Questions to think on:
1.Have you ever had a good thing in your life that wasn’t a God thing?
2. Why is this more hard to let go of?
3. Are there any scriptures that help you when you find yourself struggling with
obedience?
4. What is one thing that you can do this week to protect yourself from clinging on to
the things that God is calling you to let go of?

Thank to everyone who volunteered and served at the Calhoun auction today!

What we learned last night:

Think about the how busy your life can be: extracurricular things, sports, good grades & hard classes, family life, even church involvement, etc. For so many of us, that can cause us some severe anxiety just trying to keep up with the amount of things expected of us! In the midst of that chaos, it is incredibly hard to stay focused on God. Have you ever gotten so caught up in business of life that you completely
forgot about God? Jesus has a great encouragement if that’s you.

In Luke 10:38-42 we like Martha we can be anxious about many things… but one thing is necessary. Martha was so caught up in the business of Jesus that she forgot to worship him. This is easy for us to do! Because the other parts of our lives are important and shouldn’t be neglected but at the same time these things should never carry precedence over Jesus. Worries crowd out worship.

Let’s start by talking about this… Which thing have you picked as necessary? Your relationship with others, with Jesus, with etc.? Whatever you prioritize will inevitable be your source of joy and satisfaction. What you’ll find is that leaning on anything other than Jesus will leave you empty.

Just like Mary, before you rush to do everything else that needed remember to do the one thing that’s necessary — seek God first (Matthew 6:33).

You might need to reprioritize Jesus in your life and release you worry. Reflect on Philippians 4:6-7 and surrender to God in prayer.

Questions to think on:
1. Have you ever gotten so caught up in business that you completely forget about
God? Explain a time when this was true.
2. How does Jesus call us to fight business and worry?
3. Which thing have you picked as the “one necessary” in your life?
4. What is one thing you can do this week to not worry about business and focus on
your time with God?