SESSION 08 - AUTHORITY GIVEN TO ALL BELIEVERS - THE HOLY SPIRIT
ARRIVAL
Arrival, sharing life, munching snacks.
SESSION 8 - GROUP VIDEO
Watch 10-20 minutes of a GROUP video teaching, that correlates with the full Workshop semester topics.
GROUP CONVERSATION GUIDE
STORY: Man With Stomach Problems
- Did that really happen?
- Was the outcome a coincidence, or was it causal to the activated authority?
- Did God want Pastor to be a mere puppet for God's predetermined plans, or was God requiring a partnership to accomplish His plans?
REVIEW QUESTION AGAIN:
Does God use human agency to fulfill His purposes?
OR
Does God arbitrarily dictate outcomes via His sovereign determination?
DOES EVERY CHRISTIAN POSSESS
THE RIGHT AND PRIVILEGE
OF SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY?
WHAT IS SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY?
- The responsibility to rightfully govern and enforce justice.
WHAT DO WE HAVE AUTHORITY OVER?
Ask the question, “What did Jesus demonstrate authority over?”
- Demons
- Inanimate objects (Fig tree)
- Sickness
- Weather (Jesus spoke to the wind)
- Protection (I have power to lay my life down and take it up again)
- Material resources (fish with coins, upper rooms, donkeys, fish and loaves, wine)
DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY THROUGH REDEMPTION:
- THE GREAT COMMISSION
- THE KINGDOM
- THE GRACE OF GOD
- RAISED TO SIT WITH JESUS
- THE NAME OF JESUS
- THE WORD OF GOD
- THE HOLY SPIRIT
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND POWER
ACTS 1:8 NKJV (Jesus said) But you shall receive POWER when the HOLY SPIRIT has come UPON YOU; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
THERE IS A DEFINITE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN AUTHORITY AND POWER.
POWER WITHOUT AUTHORITY PRODUCES CHAOS.
JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT POWER
LUKE 4:16-21 NKJV So He (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah (ISAIAH 61:1-3). And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 "The SPIRIT OF THE LORD [is] UPON ME, Because He has ANOINTED ME To PREACH the gospel to [the] poor; He has sent Me to HEAL the brokenhearted, To PROCLAIM LIBERTY to [the] captives And RECOVERY of sight to [the] blind, To SET AT LIBERTY those who are oppressed; 19 To PROCLAIM THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." 20 Then He closed the book, and gave [it] back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
ACTS 10:38 NKJV (Peter preached) …how God ANOINTED Jesus of Nazareth with the HOLY SPIRIT and with POWER, who went about DOING GOOD and HEALING all who were OPPRESSED by the devil, for GOD WAS WITH HIM.
WE ARE ANOINTED
2 CORINTHIANS 1:21 NKJV Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has ANOINTED US [is] God…
1 JOHN 2:20 NKJV But YOU have an ANOINTING from the Holy One, and you know all things.
GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Take a few moments to discuss your answers to these questions with the Group.
ICE BREAKER
What’s on your bucket list?
MY MEMOIR STORIES
IMPORTANT: If the Group would like to continue telling one Memoir Story per week until they are completed, that might allow for a more congruent transition. Please be sensitive to the Science of Freedom content and discussion. It is important that our people are exposed to the possibilities in their potential that this content will provide. Please take no more than 20-25 minutes for the Memoir to leave time for the rest of the content below.
MEMOIR: PREPARING TO TELL MY STORY (Scope Timeline) worksheet to help you think through your story. You can download the SCOPE TIMELINE WORKSHEET at the link. There is a longer version of the worksheet, that gives an extra step to dig deeper into your story, which can be downloaded at LONG VERSION WORKSHEET (RECOMMENDED). You can also watch the WRAP UP video from last week that explains how to use the worksheet. Each person's Memoir should be 10-15 minutes long.
QUESTIONS
- After watching this session’s video, what is your biggest takeaway, “ah ha” moment, or challenging thought? Why?
- Pastor Patrick opens the session with a story of ministering healing to a man who had ulcers. Have you ever been prompted by the Holy Spirit to use spiritual authority? If so, what was it like?
- What feelings or thoughts do you have when you consider that the anointing of the Holy Spirit is in and on you to execute spiritual authority? Describe what it means to you?
SESSION 8 - WRAP UP
This is a 5-10 minute section for MOVING FORWARD, GOING DEEPER, use of worksheets and periodic church-wide announcements.
MOVE FORWARD
Receive the challenge to “move forward” by applying what was learned this week.
SUGGESTIONS:
- IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, PREPARE TO TELL YOUR STORY, your MEMOIR, to the rest of us over the next few weeks. Use the MY MEMOIR: PREPARING TO TELL MY STORY (Scope Timeline) worksheet to help you think through your story. You can download the SCOPE TIMELINE WORKSHEET. There is a longer version of the worksheet, that gives an extra step to dig deeper into your story, which can be downloaded at LONG VERSION WORKSHEET (RECOMMENDED).
- PRAY FOR GROUP MEMBER - Pray for at least one person in the Group. Try to identify someone who hasn't been prayed for, or given an encouraging Scripture. Don't worry about feeling inadequate as a prayer. No one feels like they are professional prayers, at least not when they look into eyes of the Almighty God. Praying the Scriptures over people is the best way to learn how to pray effectively. Simply find a Scripture, put the person's name in the text, and pray those words out loud. Then ask the Lord to help you think of things to say to Him about them that would help their lives.
- ASK FOR A SCRIPTURE WORD - Ask God to give you a Scripture to give them to encourage, comfort and edify them. You can Google search "God's Promises" and find a plethora of appropriate texts. Look for one that seems to give you a spark of energy as you think about the person you have been praying for.
- DELIVER THE WORD TO THEM - Then send them an email, text or phone call to encourage them. This is how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. As you practice these movements you will expand your own capacity with God, all while giving people much needed hope and strength.
GOING DEEPER
Encouragement to engage the FULL WORKSHOP SEMESTER experience. While this is not required, nor is the Group discussions connected to the full workshop, it is an option for everyone.
PRAYER / DISMISS GROUP
Prayer time with the Group.