This plan is designed to have a Nurturer guide the study and any other cell member support the study (Noted as Support). All instructions are identified for Nurturers. A separate document (cell content) is meant to be shared.
This cell plan is based on the sermon given by pastor Fanco on Sunday, August 19th, 2024.
Prepare Ahead
- Read Cell Vision Statement
- Meditate on Philippians 3:12-21. For greater context read and reflect on Philippians 3 as a whole.
- Nurturer/Support of each group to discuss ahead to share different sections
- There are a list of optional questions included for deeper sharing. Feel free to include any or all if appropriate and time permits. The questions are for deeper transparency, therefore, should be asked in gender specific settings.
- Link to sharable version for members: Cell Content
Opening
Nurturer: If there are new members today joining for the first time. Ask everyone to share their name, hobby, goals for the year. Feel free to change up the question here to dive into different areas of people’s lives (work, family, hobbies, etc.)
Icebreaker question: How was your summer! What was a highlight that you want to share with the group?
Worship
Go into musical worship if someone is scheduled. Continue to ask if members of the cell are willing to in the future.
Support: Please pray for the group to begin the study.
Nurturer/Support: For those who would like to lot this portion of the night to something else feel free to use the prayer exercise: Here are some ideas:
- Prayer Exercise
- Lectio Divina
- Silent meditation
Word
Philippians 3:12-21
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Following Paul’s Example
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven.And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Context and Sermon
Nurturer: This context section sets the foundation of the discussion. Going through the main takeaways.
- You can begin this section by asking the cell what their immediate thoughts are (if you have done lecto divina) otherwise spend a few minutes meditating on the passage.
After a round of responses and conversation, read through the below and provide context of the passage and sermon ahead of the discussion.
Background/Sermon Highlights
- Spiritual Stewardship is about utilizing God given resources to achieve godly goals given by God
- Spiritual stewardship is not just about behaviour but an inward faith.
Sermon Outline
Main Idea: Spiritual stewardship is about focusing on Christ as compared to Earthly stewardship
Earthly Stewardship
- Goal: Satisfy fleshly desires.
- Action: Chasing earthly things that are not Godly
- following our appetite, responding to hunger
- What are you proud of?
- What do we hunger for?
- Result: Destruction
Spiritual Stewardship
- Goal: Win the prize
- General: Be his disciple
- Specific: What is your personal calling?
- Action: Press onto what Jesus already chose for you
- Do we trust Jesus’ calling for us?
- Change of value and direction to be pointed to Christ
- Not allowing past baggage to hinder our forward movement
- Identify calling through maturing
- Result: Citizenship in heaven, being transformed to have a glorious body like Christ.
- God has designed discipleship as a core aspect of the transformative process (Paul to others)
Discussion
Nurturer/Support: The discussion today focuses on spiritual stewardship. The hope of this conversation is to contrast earthly stewardship and spiritual stewardship and reflect on our current state and identify areas of growth through discipleship.
Nurturer/Support: Ask the following questions, the goal is to facilitate conversation, not a Q&A, this section doesn’t have to have everyone share their personal thoughts but try to get everyone in the conversation.
Note: Because the cells are still in their early stages the optional questions may likely not be appropriate to ask depending on group makeup, however, if you sense an opportunity to dive deeper then feel free to use the optional question.
Reflection & Response:
Note: Questions 1 and 2 are meant to contrast whether our busyness aligns with our goal. Some may have 1 and 2 aligned, and some may not, that’s where 3 comes in as a follow up question. As people share, try to connect people will similar goals and encouraging them to build on each others ideas.
- Everyone is busy nowadays, what are you busy with?
- What is your life goal and purpose? Is it earthly or Spiritual?
- How do I spend my resources? Does it align with my goal?
- Who should I take note of that could help me be more Christlike?
Optional Questions:
- Where are you along in the path of maturing and identifying God’s calling for you?
- How has participating in discipleship (either as a disciple or disciple maker) impacted your journey of maturing?
- Did anyone in your group have to work to gain citizenship in Canada/other countries or know the story of how their family became citizens? Reflect on this experience vs gaining citizenship in heaven.
- What are your spiritual gifts and how can you use them to achieve the goal God has chosen for you?
Witness
- Cell Request List: Remind the cell to share if they are interested in inviting anyone to cell.
- The list of people who are interested in cell are growing! If anyone is interested in becoming a nurturer to welcome more people into cell ministry! Let your nurturer know.
- Follow up: For people who missed last cell, did anyone reach out to them to check in? Continue this exercise by following up this week with anyone who couldn’t make it this cell
- Cell Dates: Confirm future cell dates and mark it down in the document as far into the future as possible to help the planners schedule properly!
- Christmas EV: On Dec 20, 2024, we will be having our annual Christmas EV dinner evening. This year, worship ministry is heading up the annual Christmas EV dinner with dinner, and then a Worship EV night, headed up by Xiao. We are starting to gather interest in people who would like to help out with this event, and we would like to start early (August) in planning and preparing and working together to bring the vision of the Christmas EV dinner together.
- We want to offer many opportunities to serve for this evening for anyone who is interested in the roles:
- 1. Event planning team (Will meet 3-4 times to keep the organizing of the event on track and check in with how everything is going)
- 2. Worship EV planning team (Will meet once/twice a month for Aug/Sept to discuss and plan out the worship portion of the evening. Doesn’t have to be part of the actual worship team)
- 3. Worship team (Will meet during November/December at least 4 times to practice through the worship set)
- 4. Hosting Team (Greeters – Generally just greet and meet people and get to know new people and friends who come. Help seat people etc)
- 5. Hosting Team (Waiting – We’d like to have something more special and formal for everyone, so we’d like to have some people who want help wait and serve tables)
- 6. Food Team (Prepare/coordinate/work on food for the evening)