Title: The Ark of the Covenant

Series: Temple Prayer

Icebreaker: What is something your parents always say to you, or said to you growing up?  

This Sunday our Bishop delivered another powerful message in his latest sermon series, Temple Prayer. Through this series we've studied the historical temple as a template we may follow in spending quality time with God. This week we've come to the innermost section of the temple where the ark of the covenant was placed. The ark is the place where God's presence was made manifest and reminds us today of the way the Lord desires to dwell with us. 

Hebrews 9:1-5

I. Inside the Ark (Romans 3:25) 

a. The ark has always been God's chosen tool of rescue. He prepared an ark to save Moses as a newborn. He instructed Noah to build an ark to survive the great flood. He instructed the Israelites to construct an ark for His presence to reside, and The Ark, Jesus himself, came to the earth to bring the presence and saving power of God to all people.

b. When studying the historical temple and the earliest believers we must remember that they didn't have a Bible to read like we have today. They had to be sustained by the word of the priests and by reminders of what God had done among them before.

c. To help them remember, there were three articles contained inside the ark of the covenant: the Ten Commandments or God's instructions for his people to live by, Aaron's rod that budded to confirm his priesthood, and the jar of manna that fell from heaven to remind the people of how the Lord sustained them with daily bread. 

d. These articles continue to speak to us today as reminders of key elements of our faith that we must hold on to and enact.

Discussion:

How do you learn best? How do you show what you've learned best? For example, most learning and assessments are written, but some people learn and perform better when they can use visuals.

II. How to Hear the Voice of God (Numbers 7:89, John 10:27-28) 

a. It is normal and necessary to hear God's voice. The problem we face is clearing out the noise of this world that gets so much louder than God's voice at times. In order to hear God's voice above the other voices that try to distract us we must get and remain close to Him.

b. There are some people and some circumstances we may all face where we get desperate for a word, to the point that we'll seek other sources instead of depending on God. To hear God's voice it is important to keep the value of relationship over revelation, to desire His presence more than a word. 

c. Our relationship with the Lord and closeness with him is fostered in prayer. Our prayer time is not merely a time for venting to Him, but a time for communing, a time for building friendship with the Lord. Hearing the voice of God and discerning the meaning of words we receive is only a byproduct of the time we spend building this relationship.

d. We also grow familiar with God's voice as we spend time reading his written word, the Bible. If we commit to learning the scriptures and applying them to our lives, we'll find that nearly all the direction we need has already been written.

e. When we do hear the voice of God it is crucial that we obey what he says. There are times that God will stop speaking because we have yet to obey the last thing he told us. There are also times where God will go silent because we're being tested. Similar to a parent or a teacher, God knows how to direct us and wait for us to apply what we've already learned.

f. God enjoys speaking with us, he desires to be close with us. He is our friend, He is our comforter, He is our strength in difficult times, and He is our provider. He reveals more of Himself to us as we spend time in His presence.

Thank you for being a Belong Host this semester! Your commitment is a blessing and we pray you Blessed and prosperous New Year!

If you know anyone who would be interested in hosting a Belong Group please contact your district pastor.

REMIND:

Grow Classes: Grow classes have begun and are being held virtually within each District! Tuesday's at 7pm in the month of April. If you’re looking to take your next steps in Christ. Please visit citychurchnola.life/growworkshops to register.

GriefShare: Grief is one of life’s most difficult journeys, but you don’t have to go through it alone. If you, or someone you know, has lost a loved one you can begin your journey from mourning to joy through GriefShare at City Church. Meetings are held on Saturdays at 9:00 AM in the District Pastors’ Office. For more information please visit citychurchnola.life/GriefShare.

Wednesday Morning Prayer: You can participate in corporate prayer every Wednesday morning at 7 AM on Facebook. Join us each week as we continue to pray for our church, our city, and our nation.

City Life TV: You can watch our Bishop deliver thoughtful messages throughout the week. Tune in to WHNO, channel 20, Saturdays at 10:00 PM.

REPORT:

Please continue to report your in-person and virtual group meetings!

By using the same email you would normally receive, you may update your group information and report your weekly meetings.

If you need help with reporting, please contact your district pastor.

Have an amazing and spirit-filled group!