With All Your Heart Worship Series: Believing
April 21, 2019

Week 7 - Believing

Acts 10:34-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
I Corinthians 15:19-26
John 20:1-18

Fellowship – Snacks or a Meal (10 minutes with snacks; longer, obviously, if there is a meal)

Gathering Time (5-10 minutes) – In pairs or groups of three, consider how you have grown during this Lenten journey.

Group Dialogue (Approximately 30 minutes)

Read: Acts 10:34-43, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, I Corinthians 15:19-26, and John 20:1-18.

What’s your favorite part of the Easter story?
What part of the Easter story gives you the most hope? [empty tomb, linen wrappings (a sign of order in chaos), Jesus calling Mary by name, the disciples running to the tomb]
How has Easter, the resurrection of Jesus, made a qualitative difference in your life?
Where is God continuing the work of holiness in your life?

Prayer (10 minutes) – Share prayer requests and respond appropriately.

Sending Forth (2 minutes) – End by praying the following together:

God of resurrection. We confess too often we fail to see where you are at work in the world. Give us Easter eyes of belief that know you continue creating abundance when all we see is scarcity. Discipline us to be the Easter people you call us to be. Amen.

Additional Resources

Books:

John Wesley on Christian Beliefs: The Standard Sermons in Modern English by Kenneth Cain Kinghorn (Abingdon Press: Nashville, 2003). Volume I, 1-20.

John Wesley on Christian Practice: The Standard Sermons in Modern English by Kenneth Cain Kinghorn (Abingdon Press: Nashville, 2003). Volume III, 34-53.

A Perfect Love: Understanding John Wesley’s A Plain Account of Christian Perfection by Steven Manskar (Discipleship Resources: Nashville, 2003).

Websites:

Discipleship Ministries, www.umcdiscipleship.org

Sermon 85, “On Working Out Our Own Salvation,” https://www.umcmission.org/Find-Resources/John-Wesley-Sermons/Sermon-85-On-Working-Out-Our-Own-Salvation