Rebuilding Hope: Part 1 - Emergency Response

MICRO CHURCH GUIDE
September 04, 2022
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ANNOUNCEMENTS

MyOneLife - A 4-Week Small Group Experience, Starts September 11
MyOneLife is a 4-week small group experience where you’ll learn about the history, vision & values of our church, discover your personal mission and spiritual gifts, and have opportunities to get involved. It takes place on Sunday mornings during the 10:45am service in the Meeting Room at each of our campuses starting on September 11. For more information, check the “MyOneLife” box on your Connection Card.

MANday Night, September 19
September 19 isn’t going to be just another Monday night. For the guys of OneLife, it’s going to be a MANday night. Join us at the East campus at 7pm for some good food, a time to hang out and meet other guys, and a few other fun surprises. Let us know you’re coming by writing “MANday Night” on your Connection Card or visit onelifeknox.com/manday. Dads, bring your middle school and high school sons with you!

Stay Connected Through the OneLife App
From watching services, to Micro Church discussion guides, to online giving, family resources and more - the OneLife app has everything you need to stay connected to what’s happening among our church. The app is also available on Apple TV and Roku so you can watch services on your TV at home! Download the mobile version of the app on your phone by going to onelifeknox.com/app on your phone’s web browser. And on Apple TV and Roku simply search the app store for “OneLife” and look for our logo.

Baptism
If you’ve given your life to Jesus but haven’t gone public with your story through baptism then it’s time to take that step! Mark the baptism box on your Connection Card and we’ll help you get started.
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GIVE BACK
Give Jesus your best! Make a one-time tithe or offering or to set up a recurring tithe or offering: Click Here To Give Online.
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BOTTOM LINE: Prayer is always the right response. 

Nehemiah 1:1-4 NLT
These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” 4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.

1. Pray first. 

Nehemiah 1:5-6 NLT
5 Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned!

2. Acknowledge God's awesomeness.

Nehemiah 1:6-7 NLT
listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! 7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.

3. Confess my sins and weaknesses. 

Nehemiah 1:8-10 NLT
“Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. 9 But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’ 10 “The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants.

4. Claim His promises.

Nehemiah 1:11 NLT
11 O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer.

5. Ask with faith.
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START TALKING
When something goes wrong or breaks, or you find out something isn't working like you expected, what is your natural response: flight or fight? Do you find yourself shut down or look to others for answers (flight) or do you dig in and try to figure it out and make it work somehow, some way (fight)? We all naturally lean to one or the other! Which is yours and why do you think it is?

Give an example of when something went wrong or not the way you expected and how your fight or flight response kicked in. It doesn't have to be spiritual! It might be the car breaking down or something else not working, a bad grade at school or bad review at work, or finding out there was drama of some kind in a relationship.

START THINKING
Read Nehemiah 1:1-2.
   - What does Nehemiah say when he see his family and friends come to visit him in verse 2?
   - What do you think this says about Nehemiah's character?
   - What do you think you can learn and do to follow his example?

Read 1 Peter 4:12 and John 16:33.
   - What do you take from these verses?
   - Are they discouraging or oddly comforting? Why?
   - How do you think this should alter our expectations about life on this side of eternity?

START SHARING
Read Nehemiah 1:5.
   - When you think about how great and awesome God is and about his unfailing love, what do you think about?
   - What are ways that you have experienced how awesome God is?
   - How do you find that you best express this to him?

Read Nehemiah 1:6-7 and 1 John 1:9.
   - Why is it so hard to confess our sins to God?
   - Why do we often skip this step or just avoid it altogether?

Read Romans 8:1.
   - How does this verse explain why we might want to avoid confession, but yet how does it show that we have nothing to worry about?

Read Nehemiah 1:8-10.
   - Nehemiah claimed the promises of God to be fuel for his faith. What are some promises that come to mind for you, especially as it may relate to a crisis or emergency that you find yourself facing?
   - Share the promises of God that are most helpful to you and your faith.

START DOING
Read Nehemiah 1:11.
   - Nehemiah asks for very specific things from God, but it is also interesting to notice what it is - and is not - that he asks for.
   - What do you learn from this that you need to do when you ask God to provide for you?

What is an example of when you have made prayer your first response verses fight or flight, and how has that impacted your faith?
How can this now be part of your faith story that you can be prepared to share with other people?

START PRAYING
Take a moment to pray for each other in the micro church. Share the situations you are each going through, and rather than just praying for those situations, pray that each of you will make prayer the first response. Pray that God will help each of you to follow the model of first acknowledging His awesomeness, second confessing sin and weakness, third claiming His promises, and fourth asking in faith.
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CONNECTION CARDS
Be sure to fill out the online Connection Card to let us know next steps, prayer requests, or other information you'd like to share, Click Here.
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MULTIPLICATION
Share spiritual/missional conversations you've had where you live, work, and play:

Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be disciple-able or open to spiritual/missional conversations?
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WHAT'S NEXT?
Discuss the next step for your micro church. When will we gather again, and which purpose will it fulfill (missions, fellowship/care, growth, worship, multiplication)?/giveback/giveback

Discuss the next step for your micro church. When will we gather again, and which purpose will it fulfill (missions, fellowship/care, growth, worship, multiplication)?

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