Opening
Icebreaker: What is something you are looking forward to this year?
Worship
How was your bible reading in the last 2 weeks, share something from your readings with the group!
Word
Revelation 13
The Beast out of the Sea
The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”
5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.
10 “If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword they will be killed.”
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.
The Beast out of the Earth
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.
Discussion
- Discussion Questions:
- Review Questions:
- Who are the two Beasts, and what do they represent?
- Introductory
- In what ways do you currently interact with the Word of God?
- Exploratory (4-6 people)
- Logos and Rhema: describe the ways in which you read the Word regularly (group study, personal devotions, app, etc.). How do you try to apply it to the way you live?
- Share the most recent time you felt the Spirit make Scripture directly relevant to a situation in your life.
- Deep Dive (2-3 people)
- Reflect on your spiritual life. Where do you feel you are experiencing spiritual attack? Pray for the Spirit to make the Word personally relevant to where you are in your life right now.
- Review Questions:
Witness
- Alpha
- Joining? http://gcgcny.link/joinalpha
- Want to serve? http://gcgcny.link/servealpha
- Help Needed for Adult Zone:
- Administration – Help organize zone wide information
- Cell Planners – help review sermons and create biweekly cell plans!
- 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.
- More details to come via Sunday announcements
- Prayer and Outreach
- New Outreach Chat to invite others along when you are looking to do something with friends
- Establish prayer partner rotations