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, August 10th by Pastor Ted.
Prepare Ahead
- Read Cell Vision Statement
- Meditate on Revelation 2:1-7
- 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: Icebreaker: What is your love language (i.e., how do you like to show love to others)?
Worship
Bible Reading Sharing:
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
Revelation 2:1-7 NIV
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
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
- Love is not just emotions; we are meant to be faithful to and return God’s love for us, which is selfless and sacrificial (agape, the highest form of love)
- How do we return to our first love?
- Remember: to consider your conversion
- When and how were you saved? Contrast your Christian life then and now
- “If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
- Repent: to turn your trajectory
- Are you distracted by money, misguided ministry, etc.?
- “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10)
- Return: to first fundamentals
- Personally: simplicity, frugality, chastity, secret sacrifice & giving, confession, submission
- Corporately: worship, celebration, service, fellowship
- Which first fundamental do you need to return to?
- Remember: to consider your conversion
Sermon Review
- Core theme: Returning to our first love for God
- Main Takeaway: Renew your first love for God by:
- Remembering and reflecting on your spiritual life and passion when you first came to know God
- Repent by turning away from worldly and misguided desires and towards loving God
- Return to the things you did at first, when you first came to the faith and love of God
- Review questions:
- Share about how you first came to know God: what changed in your life back then?
- Compared to then, what is your relationship with God like now?
- What is the current trajectory/innermost desire of your life oriented towards? Is it love for God, or is it money, career, family, ministry, etc.?
- How is God calling you to repent and turn towards Him?
- Which first fundamentals of faith and love do you need to return to?
- Share about how you first came to know God: what changed in your life back then?
Witness
- Grad transition:
- Today: Continue to connect with grads and work towards multiplying.
- 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: