Theme: Experiencing the Face of God
Numbers 6:24-26
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
Pondering Point
Our theme this week revolves around the face of God. The concept is used multiple times in Hebrew, but often translated as the Presence of God. Former discipleship pastor Michael Hendricks devotes an entire chapter to understanding the face of God in his book, The Other Half of Church. Here is a quote from that chapter:
“When I compared the many scriptures that describe God's face shining on us with what I now know about how our brains were designed, I came to three important points of convergence:
(1) Joy is primarily transmitted through the face (especially the eyes) and secondary through voice.
(2) Joy is relational. It is what we feel when we are with someone who is happy to be with us.
Joy does not exist outside of a relationship.
(3) Joy is important to God and to us.”
p. 56, Wilder, Hendricks, The Other Half of Church
Use this priestly blessing as a basis for prayer as you move into the rest of your week looking for His face to shine upon you.
Prayer
Lord God, thank You for blessing us and keeping us; for making Your face shine on us and being gracious to us; for turning Your face toward us and giving us peace. Amen.
Micro-Group Connections
in the Discipleship Lifestyle
Micro-Group Moment (MGM)
Spiritual Micro-Group:
A connection with one to four others that acknowledges God.
We see group life as essential in connecting people with God and others as we read the Bible. A disciple's lifestyle includes participating in group life. And we aim for weekly connection that may sound like a big commitment. But hear me out. You'll be surprised how readily this adapts into the lives of people. Group life supplements the overall goal of connecting people with God daily through His word and prayer as we practice the values of being in God's word and under the influence of His Holy Spirit, these are enhanced as we share that Word and Spirit’s influence within Christ-centered groups. God uses us to shape one another: our experiences, our thoughts, our conversations, our struggles, our joys, our celebrations – all viewed through the lens of walking with Jesus our Lord.