Theme:
Surrender
Title:
Getting Comfortable Spending Time With God
Desired Outcomes:
The purpose of this uGroup is to encourage members and visitors to start being intimate with God by spending time with Him in the inner room.
The uGroup leader should act as the facilitator by asking questions and giving the member enough time to respond and ponder about the questions.
The outcome should be for each person to desire to spend time with God and be okay to be alone with Him, to want to pray, to want to study the word and to want to worship God in secret.
Core Scriptures:
- Matthew 6:3-4, 5-7.
- Isaiah 30:18-19
Welcome:
Any fun and welcoming Icebreaker that gets the members moving, on their feet, where all the members can participate in. If there are new members be careful not to create a space where they feel exposed or uncomfortable.
Word:
Introduce the message by asking the following questions:
- When last did you actually become quiet before God in your inner room?
Here you can ask various members for their opinions to make the word interactive. It is important that the uGroup leader enlightens and illuminates the importance of being alone with God.
- Can you be alone with God?
- How do you handle silence?
- When last was there a conversation between only you and God.
Now read through Isaiah 30:18-19 and ask your members:
- How many times do they think God waits for us to be still and speak to Him?
The scripture clearly says when God hears, He answers
- Why do we not value talking to God?
The uGroup leader should also address the issue here of praying to God in your “mind” or “head”. The leader should tell them that the scripture clearly states that God (hears) and then responds – do we then think God responds to our thoughts? God responds to our words.
The leader can use the following example: When being a baby, when you were hungry, you could not tell your mother that, because you couldn’t speak yet. How did your mother know what you wanted? The same is relevant with your inner room with God. How should God know what your needs are if you don’t make them known to Him.
The leader should explain that God illuminates most and works the most within you when you are alone. The leader can now tell the members that if you’re never alone what the consequences would be.
The leader can also address the following issue: We ask God to use us and speak to us but we are not willing to initiate a conversation with Him. They should tell their members that you get to know God in your inner room when speaking to Him, when reading His word and when worshiping Him. Now read Matthew 6:4-7. (Explore and explain the scripture to members, and ask them what they think it means).
The leader should make the following clear that it is easy to serve God in a crowd full of believers but, it takes courage to serve Him in secret when being alone.
Encourage members in the following: It is surprising how un-lonely, being alone can be.
The leader can also ask the following questions:
- How many times are we not alone with God, because we know God wants to restore, heal or fix our brokenness?
Issues get sorted in the inner room.
The leader can conclude with the following: Many of us claim to want to be instruments for God, but don’t want to be picked up, or played in the manner He wants to play or use us.
We get inline and inclined to God’s voice in our inner room. We build relationship here with God.
- If you are an instrument of God, why are you not willing to participate in practice in your inner room, so that God can use you on stage?
The inner room is crucial. If you honor God in your inner room and value time with Him, He can also honor you and reward you for your diligence.