Sunday servicesSundays from 8:30 in Boksburg and BenoniBoksburg Afrikaans 8:30 · 17:00Boksburg English 8:30 · 10:30 · 17:00Benoni 8:30
WATCH therefore, and PRAY always, that you may be counted WORTHY to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.
Choose ONE EVENING a week to host your connect group.
Ask each member of your connect group to bring their Bible.
If you wish, you can take communion together again.
Welcome each group member.
Choose one of the following topics and discuss it:
Have you ever felt like you were in a situation where you just wanted to give up, but then something or someone helped you to get back up and keep going? Share briefly.
If you think of yourself as a spiritual “boxer” in life, which challenges or worries feel like the hardest hits trying to knock you down?
Open with prayer. (Give everyone an opportunity)
Read: Core texts for today
Therefore, I sprint straight towards the finish line, purposeful with every step I take. I am like a boxer who lands every punch.
Even if a righteous person falls seven times, he will rise again every time… My enemies, do not gloat over me! I have fallen, but I will rise again. Even though I sit in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.
Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. …always praying in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication, and watching to this end with all perseverance…
And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, because we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Discuss the following in your Connect Group:
Falling and Rising Again in Prayer
Jesus teaches us that we must keep on praying without losing heart (Luke 18:1). Life sometimes deals hard blows, and as Paul says, we sometimes feel as if we are being struck with a fist in our flesh (2 Cor 12:7). When we find ourselves in situations where we feel weak and we might have fallen, God’s Word promises that a righteous person may fall seven times but will rise again every time (Prov 24:16). Our enemies may not gloat over us, for even though we sit in darkness, the Lord is a light for us (Micah 7:8). God invites us to put on our spiritual armor and to pray in the Spirit on all occasions (Eph 6:11, 18). When we still feel too weak and do not even know what to pray, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses and intercedes for us (Rom 8:26). Our strength does not lie in our own ability, but in God’s grace that is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9).
Read today’s texts again and discuss them:
In 2 Corinthians 12:9 God says: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” How does this promise change our perspective on our own shortcomings, pain, or situations where we feel powerless?
Proverbs 24:16 and Micah 7:8 remind us that we can rise again after we have fallen. How does regular and persistent prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17) together with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit help us to remain purposefully focused on the finish line (1 Cor 9:26) even when we experience setbacks?
Make time to worship God today. Use the playlist on our Woord en Lewe website under Connect or use the worship from Sunday’s service.
As a Connect Group, spend about 5 minutes in silence before you adjourn, and let each member answer the questions below for themselves. Create a peaceful atmosphere and allow the Lord to speak to each one individually.
Examine your heart: Have you ended up in a difficult situation along the way, or become discouraged in your prayer life? Have you stopped praying about a specific challenge?
Test your thoughts: Do you truly believe that He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4)? Do you accept God’s grace that is strong in your weakness, or are you trying to handle everything in your own strength?
Calibrate your focus: Choose today to rise again like a truly righteous person. Put on your spiritual armour anew and decide to keep on praying in the Spirit in all circumstances without ceasing.