07 Jul “The Golden Buzzer” | Woonsocket -Jim Shekleton
TESTIMONIES: Looking for your testimonies! If you have group wins to share, please email them to me! maparsons@waterschurch.org
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We all celebrate stuff and we love celebrations.
Celebrate ourselves on social media, birthdays, graduations, sports, etc.
Celebrate others on social media, birthdays, graduations, sports, tv shows, etc. For example, AGT (America’s Got Talent) people practice, give 110% of themselves, a panel of judges provide their judgment, and if deemed amazing by judges people receive the golden buzzer – straight through to the finals, bypassing all of the steps required of other contestants.
Celebrate things potentially unrelated to us: Cinco de Mayo, St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas
Celebrate as though we participated in the original event: July 4th, Sports
As though we’re one of them: stats, people, plays, history, etc.
Ice-breaker question:
Q. What do you enjoy celebrating?
We’re wired to celebrate and enjoy celebrations. For those that memorize sports info of their favorite teams, maybe it’s natural to you and you’re designed to memorize God’s word rather than other facts/stats/etc
The connection is that we don’t need to learn something new in order to celebrate Jesus, we simply need to redirect our focus of celebrations. Focused on eternal things rather than temporary.
How can you redirect your focus to celebrating Jesus?
The Golden Buzzer
Key Vers: Ephesians 2:1-10
1. I WAS DEAD IN SIN
Paul starts Ephesians 1 explaining and proclaiming the blessings in Christ and begins Chapter 2 with the first three verses. Possibly to remind us that we should remember where we came from, death in sin.
Remember where you came from…
Q. What trespasses and sins were you dead in before Christ?
2. GOD MAKES ME ALIVE WITH CHRIST.
Salvation is not your doing…
Q. Do you have a story in your life that depicts God being rich in mercy?
Q. Can you share a story of Christ being revealed to you? Where were you, did someone invite you to church, etc.?
3. NOW I CELEBRATE JESUS.
Good works = salvation – in the message, I directed people manually draw the slash through = to make it ≠
Good works = evidence of salvation
When someone saves your life, you want to do something good for them. People of armed services, police, firefighter, or others that have literally had their life saved can relate.
Q. Have you ever wanted to do something good for someone? Why?
Jesus makes me righteous
Righteous = made right with God; justified before God
Jesus did the ultimate good for us, that while we were still sinners he loved us. HE left his place on high, HE lived a life that we couldn’t, HE took the punishment of our sins so that we would be in right standing before God the Father.
Pray for the lost and for each other. Pray for Woonsocket’s permanent location, for the zoning to be approved. Pray for our nation and leaders. Guatemala missions and Compassion Weekend. Pray for our church and it’s leaders.
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