Defeating Temptation – Cell Plan

Opening

Icebreaker question: What are you looking forward to in the fall?

Worship

Worship the Lord together!

Word

Imaginative Prayer Exercise

Steps for Imaginative Prayer (adapted from Larry Warner’s Journey with Jesus):

1. Get quiet in yourself and focus on openness to God. Find a place and a posture that will allow you to meditate. Relax your body. Slow your breathing. At the same time, be in prayer, asking God for guidance using the following prompts
   • as a participant in the story, an onlooker from afar as the events take place. Begin by noticing the details in the story. What do you see? Smell? Feel? Hear? Taste? Think? Watch the situation as it unfolds. Listen to what is said.
   • What do you notice about Jesus before Satan comes to tempt him, during the temptation and after the temptation?
   • When the temptations are over, go and speak to Jesus. Journal your interaction with Jesus. What do you say, and why? How does Jesus respond to you?

Passage: Matthew 4:1-11

Jesus is Tested in the Wilderness

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Discussion

Reflection & Response:

1. Do you have a Bible verse that you memorized and go back to often? Share the verse with the group and share how it has helped you over the years.
2. Share about your Bible-reading habits. Do you feel as if you are rooted in the Word in your life, or is regular Scripture study something you struggle with?
3. Reflect on Christ’s attitude of prayer, constantly dwelling in the Lord’s presence. When you think of Christ interceding and praying for you, what is he praying about for you right now?
4. What should I take note of that could help me be more Christlike?

Witness

• New Cell Roles:
  • Last Zone, we discussed the cell team and the new cell roles, share with the group whether you’re thinking about below is the recording
    • ⁠Recording: YouTube Link
    • Summary of new Cell Roles: Document Link
    • More Details and Sign up forms: https://gcgcny.link/adultzone
• Outreach review (To be facilitated if there’s an outreach coordinator)
  • Cell Outreach
    • Do you have a friend that you’re looking to outreach to?
    • Get into groups of 3
      • Pray for each other and their friends
      • Share plan with each other to go out and get to know the friends
    • If the above has been done (i.e. relationships built, then can share the cell vision with individuals and invite them into the cell)
  • Cell Request List: the cell request list is for people without direct connections to anyone in cell right now.
    • 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.
• 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)