(Message 5) Do you feel overwhelmed? Have you been tempted to throw in the towel and give up? Then you’ll want to be sure to hear this message, “Pre-Decide – When You Want to Give Up” #GCPreDecide
39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Matthew 26:42 (NLT)
42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”
John 19:30 (NLT)
30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
2 Timothy 4:5 (NLT)
5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.
Romans 8:11 (NLT)
11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Start talking. Find a conversation starter for your group.
Discuss a time when you completed something, or didn’t quit, even when you really wanted to give up.
Start sharing. These questions are to help get your group thinking and to create openness.
Read Matthew 26:39, Matthew 26:42 and John 19:30. What is the importance of Jesus’ commitment to the completion of the Father’s will?
“When I commit, I won’t quit.I am a finisher”. In what types of situations have those statements been true in your life? In what types of situations have they not been true? Is there a pattern?
What were the impacts to yourself and to others when you’ve given up?How about the impacts when you’ve persevered and completed something?
Discuss the difference between giving up on something and changing your mind.
Read 2 Timothy 4:5, Romans 8:11, and Philippians 1:6. What is Paul trying to tell his audience in each of these passages?What changes can you choose to make that will help you finish in a way that will bring resolution at the same that it brings glory to God in your life and/or the lives of others?
When faced with _______, I have pre-decided to ________. Does filling in those blanks cause you to pause and consider, or can you think of answers immediately? Pray as you consider your life right now and allow God to show you His answers for those blanks. Fill in or adjust accordingly.
Start doing. Commit to a step and live it out this week.
Use the fill in the blank exercise above to pre-decide, to cultivate commitment to one practice you know will help you carry out the ministry God has given you.
Start praying. Be bold and pray with power.
Pray over your decision making and obedience to God’s will for your life.Ask Him to help your small group to hold each other accountable, to help each other run the race well.
Here are some helpful tips. Most Smart TVs have an App or Channel Store or a way to search for applications to add to your TV or device. You’ll need to install either the “Vimeo” App or the “Facebook Watch” App. In some cases, you may need to have a Vimeo or Facebook account when installing these apps on your TV (you do NOT need an account when watching on the web).
The Vimeo App is available on the following devices:
Amazon Fire TV: search for “Vimeo” Samsung Smart TVs (2015 or newer) Apple TV (4th generation or newer): search for “Vimeo” in the App Store Android TV: search for “Vimeo” in the Google Play Store Roku: search for “Vimeo” in the Channel Store
*some helpful tips for locating us on Vimeo: • try searching for “Generations Church” under “People” or “Channels” rather than “Videos • link: vimeo.com/channels/generations
The Facebook Watch App is available on:
Samsung Smart TVs (2015 or newer) Amazon Fire TV: search for “Vimeo” Apple TV (4th generation or newer): search for “Vimeo” in the App Store Android TV: search for “Facebook Watch” in the Google Play Store Xbox One Oculus TV Portal TV
*some helpful tips for locating us on Facebook Watch: • search for “Generations Church” or “Generations Church NC” • link: facebook.com/GenerationsChurchNC
Note: If you don’t have one of the listed compatible platforms or prefer not to install the apps, you can stream Vimeo videos and Facebook videos from your iPhone/iPad and Android device to a TV:
Make sure your TV is connected to a streaming device (example: Apple TV, Chromecast or Samsung TV) and is on the same Wi-Fi network as your mobile device or computer.
Open Vimeo or the Facebook app on your mobile device or computer and find the video you’d like to stream.
Tap the video to expand it to full screen mode.
Tap in the top right of the video.
Select the TV/device where you’d like the video to play.