Becoming a Present People | Can We Talk? | Erin Johnston

In a world marked by distraction, how do we become a present people? Just as Jesus shows us, presence requires proximity. We can arrive well, show up ready, and stay all the way through, even while we acknowledge our human limitations. What’s one step you can take toward presence with people and also toward presence with God? 

Key Verses

• Romans 12:15-16 NLT: Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

• Philippians 2:3-4 NLT: Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

• James 1:19 NLT: Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

• Luke 19:1-10 NLT: Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town.There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich.He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd.So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham.For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

• John 11:17-36 NLT: When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalemand many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss.When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”“Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”“Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.”So Mary immediately went to him.Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him.When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there.When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.“Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.”Then Jesus wept.The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”

• Psalms 139:1-10 NLT: O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceanseven there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.

• Luke 5:15-16 NLT: But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases.But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

• Matthew 6:5-6 NLT: “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

• Psalm 16:11 ESV: You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

• Psalms 91:1 NLT: Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

• Isaiah 26:3 NLT: You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

• Matthew 11:28 NLT: Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

  
  One of the best ways to hear what God is saying right now is to look at what He has said in the Bible with a few friends. Discovery Bible Study is an easy-to-use way to hear from God, make good changes in our lives, and share with others what God is up to. Grab some friends, pick a verse or story from above, and dive deeper into this week’s message.

Recap

• Reconnect

  To begin the study, each person answers these questions:

  • What are you thankful for?

  • What is causing stress for our neighbors and people around us?

  • What can we as individuals or as a group do to help?

• Recap

  • Have someone retell the story from your previous meeting.

  • Did you live out your response from last week?

  • Did you tell anyone else about the story from last week?

DISCOVERING WHAT GOD IS SAYING

• Read and Retell the Bible Story

  • One person reads the story out loud to the group.

  • Someone else in the group retells the story in their own words as they remember it, and others fill in what’s missing.

• Read and Look

  • Read the passage again (different version if possible)

  • What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan?

• Read and Look Again

  • Have 1-2 more people retell the story as if they were telling a neighbor outside their home.

  • What does this passage say about people in general?

DISCOVER WHAT GOD IS SAYING

• Consider

  • What in me needs to change to better DO what God is showing me today?

  • How will you respond to/obey this passage in a tangible, perhaps even costly ways in the next 47 hours?

  • Have someone record these for prayer time, and for the beginning of the next meeting.

SHARING WHAT GOD IS SAYING

• Praying Together

  • Take prayer requests

  • Pray together

• Share

  • Who in your life needs to hear this story?

  • Who could you invite to study the Bible like this?

Practice Generosity Here

Every time you give in Jesus’ name, you make a difference in others AND you make a difference in your own life! Partnering together in generosity helps accomplish things together that could never be accomplished alone! You can partner together in giving today with a single gift, or schedule recurring giving using your checking account, debit, or credit card.