The Blood of Christ – GCGCNY Cell Plans

This plan is designed to have a Nurturer guide the study, feel free to have other cell members support any of the sections as part of nurturing. All instructions are identified for Nurturer. A separate document (cell content) is meant to be shared.

This cell plan is based on the sermon shared on Sunday, May 4th, 2025 from Pastor Santos Chan.

Prepare Ahead

Read Cell Vision Statement
Meditate on Hebrews 9:11-28
Pray and discern next steps for your cell for outreach / prayer partners / grad transition
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 something about themselves.

Note: Has it been a while since your cell has reviewed the cell vision statement? Review it together at: Cell Based Ministry

Icebreaker: How do you prefer to get to know someone when you are first becoming friends?

Worship

In addition to the regular musical/prayer/reading worship section, we will be incorporating a bible reading section

Ask: How was your bible reading in the last 2 weeks, share something from your readings with the group!

Note: If sharing is scarce and always the same people, can start a rotation schedule

Go into musical worship if someone is scheduled. Continue to ask if members of the cell are willing to lead this portion in the future.

Please pray for the group to begin the study.

Nurture: For those who would like to allot this portion of the night to something else feel free to use the prayer exercise:

Prayer Exercise
Lectio divina

Word

Hebrews 9:11-28 NIV

¹¹But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. ¹²He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. ¹³The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. ¹⁴How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

¹⁵For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

¹⁶In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, ¹⁷because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. ¹⁸This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. ¹⁹When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. ²⁰He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” ²¹In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. ²²In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

²³It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. ²⁵Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. ²⁶Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Discussion

Nurturer:

Review the sermon with the group and ask if there’s anything that stood out, then go through the discussion questions.
Review and decide which questions to ask for your cell, the goal is to facilitate conversation, not a Q&A
General guide to good facilitation is to speak less than cell members
- Invite others to join in and response if they have shared similar experiences or thoughts
Try to avoid from going around in a circle, as the nurturer, ask follow-up questions and avoid giving advice.
This section doesn’t have to have everyone share their personal thoughts but try to get everyone in the conversation.
In order to allow for deeper discussion, consider breaking the group up into smaller groups to allow more space for sharing.

Sermon/Teaching Summary

The blood of Christ means:
- You are saved for service
- You are invited to inherit salvation
  - ”calling” = kaleo: to call, invite, or someone.
  - “the authority of the speaker dictates the nature of the calling (friends invite; kings summon).”
Salvation = Justification + Sanctification + Glorification
Will you accept Christ’s invitation to be saved for service?

Main Reflection & Response:

Reflect on verse 14: “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
- What do you see in your life as “acts that lead to death”?
- What do you think it looks like to serve the living God with clean consciences?
How do you think God is inviting you to open your heart to serve?
- Is there anything that you need Christ to cleanse from your conscience?
Pray for each other and the new grads, asking God to reveal opportunities to serve one another.

Witness

Grad transition:
- Every year, some of our post-secondary students will graduate and be ready to transition into adult zone. As part of the transition, the intention is to have each cell pray and invite grads into their cells (as individuals, not as a group)
- Timeline:
  - June – Confirmed list of graduates
  - June – August: Adult Zone outreach period, pray over and invite graduates to cell and out of cell activities
  - September: Official transition
- When June comes, the graduate coordinator will have more details to help each cell support the graduates.
- Today: Start praying for our cells, are we ready to welcome grads into the cell? What do we need to do to prepare for the transition.
- Update: The cell schedule has been updated to include more outreach weeks in the summer to accommodate for this transition and summer schedules.
Bible Reading:
- This year, we will be going through a 2 year bible reading plan together. Access to plan at gcgcny.link/readbible. Use this to share regularly in your cell about what you’re hearing from God.
Easter – the Greatest Gift of Salvation
- The Good Friday event this year will be held on April 18th 3-5pm.
  - More details to come via Sunday announcements
Prayer and Outreach
- As discussed in our last meeting, we will be shifting outreach to be a zone wide initiative to encourage similar life stage members to partner together to witness to their friends, with cell being a place for them to join once they are ready to be a part of the community, as part of this shift:
  - New Outreach Chat to invite others along when you are looking to do something with friends
  - Establish prayer partners
    - Suggestion: Monthly same gender rotations to encourage biweekly checkins to strengthen relationships.
    - Note that the above is a suggestion and may not be the best approach based on the make up of your cell, pray and discern how best to approach this for the benefit of your cell