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, July 13th by pastor Santos.
Prepare Ahead
- Read Cell Vision Statement
- Meditate on Hebrews 13:1-25
- 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: Share a time you experienced a breakthrough or achieved a goal you had set for yourself.
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 13:1-25 NIV
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”
6 So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so. 10 We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.
11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
18 Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. 19 I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.
20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
22 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly.
23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.
24 Greet all your leaders and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings.
25 Grace be with you all.
Discussion
Reminders and Recommendations for Nurturers:
- Spend some time in the sermon review to ensure the group has a grasp of the main point of the sermon
- Ask if there’s anyone who wasn’t able to join, if there is, spend a bit of time to go through the sermon summary being going in to the review questions
- If everyone was at the sermon, skip directly to the review questions
- Review the questions ahead of time and decide which questions to ask your group. Typically, a good discussion will only be able to accommodate 2-3 questions for a meeting.
- If being asked in a large group, 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.
- In order to allow for deeper discussion, consider breaking the group up into smaller groups to allow more space for sharing.
- Reminder to leave space and time for prayer and witness
Sermon Summary
- Breakthrough happens when:
- Jesus is your helper.
- Jesus as our helper is not assistive and subordinate.
- Jesus as our helper is authoritative and superordinate.
- The purpose and method God calls us to are hard; therefore, we turn to Jesus for help. Help to:
- Love others (Christians and non Christians).
- Welcome strangers.
- Remember and be present with the lonely.
- Seek sexual purity.
- Be content.
- The purpose and method God calls us to are hard; therefore, we turn to Jesus for help. Help to:
- You’re growing into leadership
- Leaders speak the word of God to others.
- Leaders need to know the Word enough to share it in relevant ways.
- Exemplify their lives of faith so that others can imitate (learn from) them.
- Leaders need to have a life of faith, not a perfect life that doesn’t require faith.
- We are commanded in two ways to relate to mature leaders.
- Have confidence in them.
- submit to their authority.
- In this way our leaders can serve us joyfully.
- Leaders speak the word of God to others.
- Jesus is your helper.
Sermon Review
- Core theme: The Hebrews’ plan for breakthrough is all about Jesus
- Main Takeaway: Breakthrough happens when…
- Jesus is your helper.
- You’re growing into leadership.
- Review questions:
- What might you be dependent/tied to in hopes for help?
- Is there something that hinders you from trusting in Jesus?
- How might you grow into a leader with a faith worth imitating?
- What is one or more things you can do to grow in the Word of God? How might your leaders or others help you?
Witness
- Grad transition:
- Today: Continue to connect with grads and work towards multiplying. Finalize August Event by July 30th.
- Help Needed for Adult Zone!
- We’re looking for help in the following specific areas:
- Administration – Help organize zone wide information
- Cell Planners – help review sermons and create biweekly cell plans!
- We’re looking for help in the following specific areas:
- 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.
- 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
- 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: