Study Series: Seeking God

Quiz #1: Bonus
Did you read all of the conversion scriptures in the book of Acts? 0 points or 100 points

Believers at Pentecost (Acts 2:41) Converts in Samaria (Acts 8:12) Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:13) The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:38) Saul of Tarsus, Paul (Acts 9:18) Gentiles at Cornelius’ house (Acts 10:48) Lydia of Thyatira (Acts 16:15) Philippian Jailer and Household (Acts 16:33) Believers in Corinth (Acts 18:8) Ephesian Disciples (Acts 19:5)

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I am with you always to the very end of the age.” - Jesus Christ

Principles for Effective Bible Study Pray for wisdom Get to know the Person Come prepared Pray together Don’t spoon feed Allow for silence Take Good Notes Give Scriptures for next study Pray

Power of Purposeful Questions Purposeful Questions are empowering to the Seeker because it causes him/her to think critically This empowerment translates into greater initiative to read and study God’s Word It breeds both excitement about and confidence in the usefulness of Scripture “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.” Proverb 20:5“The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.” Purposeful Questions draw this out.

Midweek Format The Purpose of the Study The Passage to Be Studied The Point of the Passage The Purposeful Question to Ask Memory Scripture

SEEKING GOD STUDY

The Purpose of the Seeking God Study Clarify what it takes to pursue a relationship with God. Clear up many misconceptions Inspire one to wholeheartedly seek our Lord and God. What is the Aim of this Study?

Seeking God Scriptures Matthew 7:7 & 7:13-14 Luke 13:22-30 Matthew 6:25-34 (vs.33-34) Matthew 13:44-46 Acts 8:26-40

Matthew 7:7 & 13-14 Ask, Seek, Knock 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. The Narrow and Wide Gates 13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Matthew 7:7 & 13-14 THE POINT OF THE PASSAGE † Promise: All who seek God will find him † Warning: Only a few will find

Matthew 7:7 & 13-14 The Purposeful Questions † How should the Father’s love motive people to seek after him? † What does a person’s life look like who is walking on the narrow road? Broad road? † Are there areas of your life that you need to change to be on the narrow road?

Matthew 6:33-34 Memory Scripture “ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Luke 13:22-30 The Narrow Door 22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

Luke 13:22-30 THE POINT OF THE PASSAGE † Those who simply ‘try’ will be caught off guard by their rejection from the kingdom of God. † Those who make every effort (agonize, struggle) will enter the Kingdom of God

Luke 13:22-30 The Purposeful Question † What does it look like to agonize to enter the kingdom of God vs. someone who is trying? † Do you feel that you are making every effort to enter into God’s Kingdom? † Are there areas of your life you need help changing so that you can make every effort?

Matthew 6:25-34 Do Not Worry 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-34 THE POINT OF THE PASSAGE † Don’t allow the things of this world distract you from a Father who is able to meet all your needs. † God’s kingdom must be the number one priority of your daily life in Christ

Matthew 6:25-34 The Purposeful Question † What good things could have distracted the people of Jesus’ day from following him? † What would it look like for someone to make God’s Kingdom the highest priority in their life? † What changes must you make in order to make God’s kingdom and righteousness your top priority?

Matthew 13:44-46 The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Matthew 13:44-46 THE POINT OF THE PASSAGE † Finding God is like finding a great treasure or valuable pearl † A relationship with God and being in his Kingdom is worth everything

Matthew 13:44-46 The Purposeful Question † What challenge may the disciples have had in giving up everything to follow Jesus? † Is it a joy for you to sacrifice everything in exchange for God’s grace? † Do you really understand and believe the trade off?

Acts 8:26-40 Philip and the Ethiopian 26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”[b] 34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37] [c]38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Acts 8:26-40 THE POINT OF THE PASSAGE † This is a man who truly sought to have a relationship with God. † Discuss the characteristics of the Ethiopian: willingness to travel, attitude, humility, obedience, etc.

Matthew 13:44-46 The Purposeful Question † What can we learn from the conversion of this Ethiopian? † What areas of the Ethiopian’s life do you most need to imitate?

End the Study Prayer Set Up Next Study Give scriptures for the next study The Word of God 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Hebrews 4:12-13 1 Timothy 4:16 John 8:31-32 John 12:47-49 Acts 17:10-12

Additional Scriptures BONUS POINTS Acts 17:10-11Jeremiah 29:10-13Deuteronomy 4:28-31Daniel 9:3Hebrews 11:61 Timothy 4:7-8Acts 17:22-272 Chronicles 15:1-4

Quiz Next Week There will be weekly quizzes each week that will include the following: (1) knowing the scriptures in each study, (2) the memory verse and (3) One points for each scripture. For Bible Talk Leaders or if you have done guard the gospel within the last 5 years. (4) Know 2 points from each scripture plus 2 purposeful questions

Study Series: Seeking God