Welcome to Week Two!

This week in the journey, we will be exploring who God is by seeking to understand the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Remember to write down any questions that come up for you to share with your mentor and group.

Week Two

 

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    Day One
     

     

    PRAY: Start your week by offering God your distractions in prayer. Begin a conversation with God, and as distracting thoughts or worries come into your head, ask God to take them from you as you continue to talk to Him.

    READ: In your Bible, or below, read Matthew 28:18–20, a passage called “The Great Commission”

    Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”

    WRITE: In your journal, respond to these prompts about the passage:

    1. What might this passage say about what it means to worship?
    2. Jesus mentions the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – God three-in-one, the Holy Trinity. We believe God is three persons in one being, each with equal power and authority. Spend some time writing down what you know about each of the Father, Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.


    ENGAGE: Take a few moments to watch the next Confirmation Video: A Life of Worship.

    WRITE: In your journal, respond to these prompts about the video:

    1. What is the difference between “Scenic Overlook” faith and “Journey” faith?
    2. Why do you think we are more attracted to the “faith transaction” than we are to a life of worship?


    God created us to engage in the journey and to live a life of worship rather than simply punching our ticket to heaven. However, before you train for an adventure, get all of your gear packed and embark on the trail, you must ask yourself, “Why am I going on this journey?” This week we will answer that question by exploring who we worship. As simple as it might sound, it’s actually a pretty difficult question!

    PRAY: Close your time in prayer, asking God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) to give you a heart for a journey type of faith and to live a life of worship.

     

     

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    Day Two
     

     

    PRAY: Open your time by praying to God the Father, asking Him to give you a deeper understanding of who He is today. Quiet your heart and mind and focus on your conversation with Him.

    WRITE: In your journal, respond to this prompt:

    1. What qualities of God do you think of when you think about the Father?


    READ: In your Bible, or below, read Isaiah 44:24 aloud 3 times.

    This is what the LORD says –
    your Redeemer who formed you in the womb:
    I am the LORD, the maker of all things,
    who stretches the heavens,
    who spreads out the earth by myself.

    WRITE: In your journal, respond to these prompts about the passage:

    1. As you read the verse, what words or attributes of God stick out to you?
    2. What does hearing that God is the “Maker of all things” mean to you?
    3. What do you think “stretching the heavens” and “spreading the earth” means?
    4. Why is it significant that God is defined as “your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb”?


    REFLECT: God the Father is creative, He is powerful, He is eternal. At the same time, He is extremely personal and intimate! As we learn about our Father, we have a better understanding of who we are and how we fit into this great journey!

    WRITE: In your journal, respond to these prompts:

    1. After spending time reflecting on Scripture about God as the Father today, How might you start to think about God differently?
    2. How would you describe the Father?


    PRAY: Close your time in prayer, praising God for who He is, bringing your questions to Him, and praying for those around you.

     

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    Day Three
     

     

    PRAY: Start your time with God by talking to Jesus, the Son. Ask Him to reveal to you new truths about Himself today!

    WRITE: In your journal, respond to this prompt:

    1. What qualities of God do you think of when you think about Jesus, the Son?


    READ: In your Bible, or below, read John 14:5–6.

    Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don't know where you are going,
    so how can we know the way?”
    Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
    No one comes to the Father except through me.”

    WRITE: In your journal, respond to these prompts:

    1. Rewrite Jesus’ response from the passage (verse 6). Circle words that stand out to you and underline words that spark a question in you.
    2. What do you think Jesus means when He calls Himself “The Way”?
    3. What do you think Jesus means when He calls Himself “The Truth”?
    4. What do you think Jesus means when He calls Himself “The Life”?
    5. Why is it significant that Jesus says “no one comes to the Father, except through me”?


    REFLECT: Jesus entered into our world as God in the flesh. He came to repair the relationship between God and His creation. He modeled a righteous life for us, pointed us back to what was good and true, and He resuscitated our spiritual life with God. While we were still in sin, we know that Christ came to defeat sin and lead us down the path into eternity.

    WRITE: In your journal, respond to these prompts:

    1. After spending time reflecting on Scripture about Jesus Christ the Son, how might you start to think about God differently?
    2. How would you describe Jesus?


    PRAY: Spend some time talking to Jesus, thanking Him for His loving sacrifice for our sins – both our collective sin and your individual sin. Thank Him for being the one who restores us into a perfect relationship with God and offers us eternal life with Him! (John 3:16)

     

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    Day Four
     

     

     

     

    PRAY: Open a conversation with God, the Holy Spirit. Quiet your heart and mind and focus on God’s presence around you! Ask Him to help you to be more aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit today.

    WRITE: In your journal, respond to this prompt:

    1. What qualities of God do you think of when you think about the Holy Spirit?


    READ: In your Bible, or below, read Jesus’ words from John 14:25–26.

    “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the advocate, the Holy Spirit,
    whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and
    will remind you of everything I have said to you.“

    WRITE: In your journal, respond to the prompts below:

    1. What attributes or words from that passage stand out to you? Why?
    2. Why is it significant that the Holy Spirit is your “advocate”?
    3. What do you think it means that the Holy Spirit will “teach” and “remind” us of Jesus’ life?


    REFLECT: The Holy Spirit is our advocate, constantly reminding us and nudging us back toward the path that Christ laid out for us. The longer we ignore the Spirit, the farther we get from the trail and the harder it becomes to work our way back. If we don’t quiet ourselves and listen to the Holy Spirit, we aren’t really on God's journey - we are on our own!

    WRITE: In your journal, respond to the prompts below:

    1. After spending time reflecting on Scripture about the Holy Spirit, how might you start to think about God differently?
    2. How would you describe the Holy Spirit?


    PRAY: Close your time by thanking God for His presence with you at all times, in the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to tune your heart to recognize His presence more often!

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    Day Five, Six and Seven 

     

    PRAY: Spend a few moments talking to God about who He is. Ask Him to help you be comfortable knowing that you will be unable to ever fully understand Him, but to give you the desire to grow in knowledge about Him nonetheless.

    REFLECT: As we embark on our journey, we must first wrap our minds around who God is. We worship One God, which presents in three persons, the Trinity. We believe:

    God the Father is creative, powerful, and personal.
    He sent His son Jesus to earth to bridge the gap between heaven and earth.
    The Holy Spirit is active and among us to constantly point us back to the trail.

    WRITE: In your journal, reflect on the prompts below:

    1. What have you learned about God this week?
    2. How might you describe the Trinity of God to someone who doesn’t know about it?


    ENGAGE: Spend some time watching the “God” video from the Bible Project. Feel free to pause and go back if there are places that are confusing.

    WRITE: In your journal, reflect on the prompts below:

    1. The video offers a cool (although difficult to follow) description of who God is and the Trinity. What did you learn from the video? What was confusing?
    2. What person of God do you normally think about: the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit?
    3. What questions about who God is do you still have? Be sure to share those with your mentor group when you meet next.


    REFLECT: As the video mentioned, God is impossible for us to fully understand – it's OK if you are feeling somewhat confused. A big part of the journey of a Christ–follower is to strive to learn more about God.

    PRAY: Go back over your journal this week and talk to God about the things you've learned about Him and the places you still might be confused. Thank Him for who He is and for what He has done in your life and ask Him to help you understand Him more.