Where Are Your Two Copper Coins? – Cell Plan

This cell plan is based on the sermon shared on Sunday, January 19th, 2025.

Opening

Icebreaker: When is a time you really wanted to buy or do something but couldn’t afford it?

Worship

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

Word + Imaginative Prayer

Mark 12:41-44

The Widow’s Offering

⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

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
   • Imagine yourself 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 as he watches the offerings being made in the temple? What about when he speaks to his disciples?
   • What do you notice about the disciples, the other temple-goers, the widow?
   • How do you imagine the widow feels as she goes up to offer her two copper coins?

Discussion

Sermon/Teaching Summary

1. How does Jesus look at giving?
   • Heart: love for God, not the amount of money
   • Faith: that a loving God will provide–do you truly believe that tomorrow, God will provide?
2. The intertwining of heart and faith
   • Matthew 6:21: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
   • Philippians 4:19: And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
   • Matthew 6:31-33: So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
3. God loves a cheerful giver
   • 2 Corinthians 9:6-8: Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
   • Malachi 3:10: Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Main Reflection & Response:

1. What blessings and gifts has God given to you? Of these, which are you intentionally giving back to the Lord?
2. Where are you hesitant to test God’s provision for you?
3. How can you seek opportunities to change your heart and grow your trust in God?

Follow up questions:

• What are you tightly holding closely to you that you don’t want to give? (money, ambitions, fears, hatred, lusts, etc)
• What two coins do we need to/want to give to Him?
• How can you give time to God this week intentionally?

Witness

• Grad Transition
  • Start praying for our graduates. Is there a particular graduate that you already have a connection with that you want to invite to your cell in the upcoming summer?
• 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.
• Cell Teams
  • Thinking about joining the cell team? Talk to your nurturer!
    • Summary of new Cell Roles: Document Link
    • More Details and Sign up forms: https://gcgcny.link/adultzone
• Cell Outreach Process
  • Gather a group cell members to go and get to know people/person that we are hoping to bring into the cell.
    • Existing Relationships
      • Share the details with the cell group and pray for the outreaching process
    • Cell Request List
      • The cell request list is for people without direct connections to anyone in cell right now, pray regularly for the list to see if God is moving you to reach out of any of them
  • As relationships establish with others in the cell (outside of the cell setting), share with them the purpose of cell groups (leverage vision statement) and invite them in.