Begin group time with 2 minutes of silent prayer. Assume a comfortable position and repeat the phrase “Come Holy Spirit” to yourself as you breathe. If your mind wanders, that's okay—simply notice it, repeat the phrase, and return your focus. After the silence, invite someone from the group to close in prayer.
READ OUT LOUD AS A GROUP: 2 Corinthians 3:7-18; Matthew 5:14-16
ICEBREAKER - Have you set any goals for the new year?
What do you hope your relationship with Jesus will look like this year? What do you sense God wants to do in and through you in this season?
READ - 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 out loud as a group again
Q1 - How does this passage challenge our understanding of what it means to encounter the glory of God personally? In what ways can those encounters transform not just our inner lives but also fuel how we live our lives daily?
Q2 - “Repentance always leads to an unveiling”. Where might you need to repent in order to live the life that God is empowering you to live?
Q3 - Explore the idea: "You become what you admire most." How does what you adore and admire shape who you are becoming? What are you currently attaching your adoration and admiration to?
DISCUSS - "So there is the cross, once for all to pay for my truth-suppressing, God-exchanging unrighteousness. There is new birth, once for all. You don’t get born again twice. The heart of stone is taken out. The blindness is removed. The Spirit is put within. God is restored as my treasure. And then the rest of my life, beholding the glory of the Lord, I am being changed from one degree of glory to the next." - John Piper
Q4 - How does this challenge or encourage you?
Q5 - What tangible rhythms are you building in your life as you step into this new year? How will those rhythms deepen your encounters with God’s glory?
READ - Matthew 5:14-16 out loud as a group again
Q6 - What does it truly mean to reflect the glory of God in your daily life? How might this look in the ordinary moments of your week, and what challenges might prevent you from being a conduit of His light?
Q7 - What does it look like for you personally to be commissioned for the glory of God?
Q8 - ACC believes in a merging of the Reformed, the Charismatic, and the Contemplative. Where do you historically tend to be more comfortable? Where could the Holy Spirit be inviting you to lean into more heavily in 2025: A return to the Scriptures, an attentiveness and participation in the active work of the Holy Spirit, or a call to slow down around rhythms and practices that root yourself in the love of God?
CHALLENGE:
Contemplative Prayer Exercise
Our team would like to resource you with a model of how to participate in a contemplative prayer exercise. This may be a helpful exercise to utilize inside of 21 Days of Prayer. Feel free to adapt towards a different image or pace. The point is to slow down and Contemplate the Lord’s Glory and this is a great tool to practice.
THE GARDEN PRAYER
Take a slow, deep breath. Get comfortable and close your eyes. If you’re willing, turn your hands upward as a sign of your availability to the Lord in this moment.
“Come, Lord Jesus.”
Give yourself grace if your mind wanders, and when you notice it wanders, just repeat “come, Lord Jesus – I give my mind to you”, and get your intention back to being with Jesus.
Imagine you’re in the garden. The garden of Eden, with all the details you can envision. There’s a table prepared for you. At the table, God is there. Sitting, waiting, happy to see you. And you sit down across from Him.
God prepared the table, so we are going to give Him the first word. Say, “God, what is it that you want to say to me right now?” Repeat that if you need to. Give yourself a few minutes, and trust Him to speak – even just one word or feeling.
Now, in response to who He is and what He’s said to you, what do you want to say to God at this moment?
Lastly, since God is the beginning and the end, and He will always have the final word in all things, listen again for what God may be telling you in response.
“God, I give you all of me”.
Make this a discipline in your life, and I pray that the Holy Spirit as our Great Counselor meets you where you are.
