LOOK:

There were eleven core values that we identified, and you may already have some of them incorporated in your own life. To have all eleven is quite a tall order, but I believe if we would adopt one or two of them to get started, I am confident that all of us would be running the race set before us much more effectively. So here’s the question to ponder:

Q: As we were processing today’s lesson, were there any core values that especially resonated with you such that you want to pray that the Lord instill them in you today? [Let people respond]

If you are resonating with a couple of core values, consider the possibility that the Holy Spirit is drawing you to them.

LOOK:

I don’t want anyone leaving class this morning wondering about whether you are baptized by the Holy Spirit. So if you are not sure whether you’ve been baptized by the Holy Spirit, then let me share with you how to be sure. Jesus said to us that we should come to Him with a child-like faith. So if you’re here this morning and can agree with God that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness, and that Jesus was His Son who came to earth to die on a cross to pay the penalty of your sins, and that you are professing your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then as you pray this to God, He will baptize you with His Holy Spirit. You are committing to a love relationship that requires you to follow Him.

LOOK:

As we close our time this morning, I want to first encourage us to thank God for the people He brought into our lives along the way who invested in our spiritual upbringing and growth as a Christian. Aren’t we glad they were willing to pour themselves out in the name of Jesus to help us grow?!

Second, I want us to seek God’s will as to who He wants each of us to spend more time with those who need to hear the good news, or those who need encouragement in their walk with God, or those who need our prayers, or whatever God wants us to do. We need to pray about our availability to disciple others/invest in others, and we also need to trust our adequacy to disciple others because it is the Holy Spirit through us who is really doing the work! Let’s pray.

LOOK:

Paul’s methods used to reach others for Christ were really basic:

• He was willing to adapt to whatever culture he was in:
  • He was willing to go to synagogues where many Jews and Gentiles gathered. He had a heart for his lost Jewish fellows.
  • He was willing to speak in the marketplaces and Areopagus to witness
• He always reasoned with others using the Scriptures.
• He always spoke of Jesus as the Messiah and King and His resurrection
• He was willing to introduce who God is and how He provides for us.

Q: Where is your “marketplace?” What group of people are you around whom you can reach for Christ? Will you commit to utilize the same methods Paul used to reach others for Christ?

LOOK:

We can be used of God to fulfill His purposes by listening, praying, and watching how the Holy Spirit IS leading us RIGHT NOW, NOT LATER. I want you to leave class today understanding that the Spirit is actively leading you, but our part is to pray, listen to His voice, and pay attention to when He’s opening or closing doors. We need to TRUST that if we didn’t listen to Him well, He knows how to redirect us because His purpose for our lives cannot be thwarted!! It took the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, and God to redirect Paul (Acts 16:6-10). It’s time to live more adventurously instead of in automatic pilot. Risk with Him. Talk to Him. Ask for a sign like Gideon did. Accept when the door is closed – for now. The timing may not be right, or maybe He has something even better in mind.

Q: Are you all in? Are you willing to be fully yielded and ready to respond with immediacy to follow the Spirit’s leadership? Let’s pray about that as we close.