As this challenging year heads toward a close, we reflect on what God has in store for us in the coming years. What should our Next Steps look like as we engage with our community in God’s mission. To inform those steps, we reflect on an historic turning point among God’s people, the dedication of their first temple. As a fixed symbol of God’s presence, it can inform our purpose as God’s new image bearers in our world.
Week 1: A Place of Worship (2 Chronicles 5:7-14)
God chose to visit this temple with His presence. Where do people find God in our world? How can our church become a place where people from all over the world, with all types of backgrounds, can encounter this God who is always with us?
Sermon Notes & Discussion Guide
Week 2: A Place of Prayer (2 Chronicles 6:12-21)
Solomon dedicates the temple with prayer. This prayer highlights our need to dialog regularly with God, to reconcile our will with His will. How can our church become a place where people can freely and frequently dialog with God about His will for our lives?
Sermon Notes & Discussion Guide
Week 3: A Place of Instruction (2 Chronicles 6:22-31)
Solomon continues his prayer by asking God to continue pouring truth into their sometimes-misguided journey. How can we ensure that our church is a place where people can find God’s truth in a mixed-up world?
Sermon Notes & Discussion Guide
Week 4: A Place of Restoration (2 Chronicles 6:32-42)
In the final section of Solomon’s prayer, he asks God to respond when people from all over the world come to seek His forgiveness and restoration. How can our church ensure that all those who are seeking truth and exploring their faith here will discover a God who forgives and heals?
Sermon Notes & Discussion Guide
Week 5: A Place of Celebration (2 Chronicles 7:1-16)
The people celebrate when God visits their temple. Even when we are tempted to focus on the brokenness of our world, how can our church remain a place to celebrate all the good that God is doing among us?
Sermon Notes & Discussion Guide