Begin With God | Canyon Ridge | Drew Moore
What would it take for you to change your mind in Jesus' direction? When we can admit we are wrong and need help, we make the space for God to do the work in us to become disciple-makers! If we can accept it for ourselves, are we willing to offer it to others?
Key Verses
Jonah 1:1-2 NLT: The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai“Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”
Jonah 1:3-16 NLT: But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the LORD. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the LORD by sailing to Tarshish.But the LORD hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold.So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.”Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit.“Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the LORD. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned.And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?”“Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it.Then they cried out to the LORD, Jonah’s God. “O LORD,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O LORD, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once!The sailors were awestruck by the LORD’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.
Jonah 1:17 NLT: Now the LORD had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Jonah 2:1-9 NLT: Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from inside the fish.He said, “I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and LORD, you heard me!You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves.Then I said, ‘O LORD, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’“I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head.I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O LORD my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!As my life was slipping away, I remembered the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple.Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies.But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone.”
Jonah 2:10 NLT: Then the LORD ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.
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
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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?
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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
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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.
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Read the passage again (different version if possible)
What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan?
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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
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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
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Take prayer requests
Pray together
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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.