He Touched Me 07 Apr 19

(Message 1) “Nobody wants me, no one cares.” Have you ever thought that? The people around you may be holding you at arms length, like the man with leprosy who encountered Jesus. However, Jesus wants to come close and He’s not afraid to touch you. He cares enough love you, to heal you. #CloseEncountersWithJesus

Indignant: Feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment

Our close encounter with Jesus:

Jesus is indignant or angry about your leprosy
Jesus wants to touch your life in a personal way

Small Group Information

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Hebrews 4:16

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Luke 18:1

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”

Start talking. Find a conversation starter for your group.

Even the word makes us shudder. What do you think it would feel like to be a leper? What would it feel like to not be able to get that 20-second medicinal hug, or any form of touch, that Troy talked about?

Start thinking and sharing. Ask a question to get your group thinking and to create openness.

The laws of the Old Testament regarding leprosy were made to prevent the disease from spreading. Leprosy is a powerful symbol reminding us of sin’s spread and its horrible consequences. The physical disease is being used as a picture of our spiritual condition before Christ. Read Ephesians 2:1-3 in the New Living Translation (NLT). What is our spiritual condition before we begin our relationship with Christ?
Read Colossians 2:13-14 and Romans 6:6. What is our spiritual condition after we begin our relationship with Christ?
Troy mentions two ways that Christ touches our soul in a deep way after we trust Him for our salvation.
- First, he listed emptiness, guilt, and fear as very natural feelings of human beings. He also said that those are things that Jesus can fix. How has Jesus touched your soul?
- Second, he said that Christ touches us through the church. How has that happened in your life?
Troy shared that he isn’t promising that God will heal us in this life and that our healing might be in heaven, but one way to stay “a leper” is to give up, feel sorry for yourself, and be ok with it. Is there a “leprosy” (physical ailment, broken heart, addiction, guilt of past sin, or something else in your life) that you’ve gotten used to and so you’ve stopped asking God to make you “clean”? Share with your group.
Read Luke 18:1-8. When have you prayed most fervently?
Read Matthew 6:5-13 and Philippians 4:6-7. How should we pray?

Start doing. Commit to a step and live it out this week.

Commit to being “persistent widows” and start praying for specific things with your group.
Discuss how you as an individual and how your group as a whole can further plug into Generations through serving, praying, and inviting.
Commit to giving out Easter invite cards (available at church) to at least 2 people. Share their names and hold each other accountable.

Start praying. Be bold and pray with power.

Pray through Hebrews 4:16 and Psalms 103:10-12 with your group. Ask God to help you to be bold in approaching Him. Thank Him for not treating us as we deserve.

Start digging. For further study.