3 days ago
11
Date: January 12, 2025
The Focus of Our Worship
The Point: Only God deserves our worship.
Get Into the Study
Share the following after discussing the opening question.
Time magazine has named President-elect Donald Trump its 2024 Person of the Year—a designation the publication has given for nearly a century to the person with the greatest impact on the world over the previous twelve months. Trump’s year included dispatching Republican primary “rivals in near record time,” surviving an assassination attempt, and sweeping all seven swing states on Election Day for one of the most remarkable comebacks in American pollical history. As Time put it, “All of us—from his most fanatical supporters to his most fervent critics—are living in the Age of Trump.”
Among nine other finalists for Person of the Year were Vice President Kamala Harris; Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, who drew international attention for her battle with cancer; Elon Musk, who stepped into the world of politics after making billions through businesses like Tesla and the social media platform X; Yulia Navalnaya, whose husband Alexei Navalny died in a Russian prison camp after years of opposing Russian President Vladimir Putin; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell; podcaster Joe Rogan; Mexico’s first female president Claudia Sheinbaum; and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Yet for all their influence in 2024, none of these celebrities is worthy of our worship. Let’s dive into a study about the one true and Living God, who alone deserves our worship.
https://time.com/7201547/person-of-the-year-2024-donald-trump-choice
https://time.com/7200122/person-of-the-year-2024-shortlist/
Get Into the Study [Option from the Advanced Bible Study Teacher Guide, p. 40]
As you discuss the variety of leaves and what they tell us about the greatness of God, use this image of leaves to enhance your discussion.
Get Into the Study (Option from Adult Leader Guide)
In advance, play a video clip of a favorite celebrity. Then ask Question #1.
Study the Bible
As you discuss Question 2 (point 1 on p. 76 of the Daily Discipleship Guide), share the following.
Answered prayers on the international mission field are one way God’s power has been displayed. Recently, the International Mission Board (IMB) announced ways its missionaries’ prayer requests were answered over the previous year, underscoring God’s sovereign hand over all nations.
Believers in a Ugandan village were persecuted and pressured to return to witchcraft. IMB missionaries requested prayer that those believers would stand firm in their faith. Following the prayers, the Ugandan believers shared the gospel with a local witch doctor. She believed and now gathers weekly for worship with Christians.
In Eastern Europe, missionaries requested prayer for a medical outreach aimed at people impacted by the war in Ukraine. Among results was the salvation and baptism of an 80-year-old grandmother named Lola. Another answered prayer was completion of a New Testament translation for the Sparrow people in the Horn of Africa. Yet another came when a Buddhist woman in Myanmar was visited by Christians after seeking relief from an ailment for thirty years at the local Buddhist temple. She prayed to the Creator God, and He healed her. Later, she took down her idols and followed Jesus.
The God who made the world, sustains everything in it, and answers the prayers of His people for others across the world truly is all-powerful and the only one worthy of our worship.
https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/7-ways-god-answered-your-prayers-in-2024/
The week’s writer for Extra is David Roach. David is pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Saraland, Alabama. He and his wife Erin have three children.
Study the Bible (Option from Adult Leader Guide)
In advance, invite someone to lead the group in worshiping the Lord for who He is and what He has done.
Additional Questions
Icebreaker
- What’s a brand or product that has won your absolute loyalty?
- What’s something in life that’s currently requiring your focus?
- Who are some social media influencers (or just celebrities) you admire?
- Who is the most famous person you have met and how did you react?
- Who are some of the most followed famous people these days?
Isaiah 40:21-24 – We worship the One who is all-powerful.
- How does God’s omnipotence move you to worship Him?
- What makes someone or something powerful in our modern world?
- How would you describe God’s power using examples more reflective of our culture?
- What are some things that people tend to worship other than God?
- When have you seen God’s power on display?
Isaiah 40:25-28 – We worship the One who is the Creator and sustainer of the universe.
- What aspects of God’s creation inspire you to worship?
- When have you experienced God’s power and majesty?
- When have you experienced the magnitude of God’s greatness and power?
- How does God’s unsearchable understanding comfort you when you feel confused and overwhelmed?
- What can we learn about God’s character and nature from this passage?
Isaiah 40:29-31 – We worship the One who strengthens us.
- When has God strengthened you or supported you in a major way?
- What are some ways that we experience being “faint and weary”?
- What does waiting on the Lord look like?
- Where do you need God to give you strength?
- What are you currently waiting for The Lord to do?
- What does it look like to trust in the Lord when we need strength?
For Those in Your Group
Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:
Who Gets Your Attention First?
Podcast
Click here for a 20-minute podcast for both the group member and the leader.
Podcast (adultsleadertraining): Play in new window | Download
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