THIS WEEK'S SCRIPTURE: Psalm 24

Main Themes: Victorious Living; Salvation; Stewardship
(See background information below.)

Guide for Crossroads Community GroupS:

1. Welcome: Read the purpose of your group:

   Our purpose is to multiply groups. We do this by inviting new people to our group and building them to be followers of Jesus. Each person here has the potential to be empowered to start and be the leader of a new group and multiply God's kingdom.

2. Worship: Spend a few minutes singing a worship song. Show a video with the lyrics, such as When You Walk Into the Room.

3. Review:

   1. What has God been telling you this week in your personal time with Him?
   2. How did you do with what you wanted to apply from last week?
   3. Who did you share what you learned last week with?
   4. Who did you invite to the group for this week?

4. Opening Question.

5. Introduction: Read the background information below.

6. Word: Read Psalm 24 aloud together. (Goal is that everyone understand the Bible story — keep at it until everyone knows the story.)

   1. What key (important) words do you see in these verses?
   2. Tell in your own words what happens in these verses.
   3. What are the details?
   4. What details can you add to what others in the group have said?

7. Discussion: Discuss the questions below together.

8. Application: For these questions, you may want to divide into two groups for males and females.

9. Prayer Time:

   • Pray for an empty chair, representing new people you want to join the group. Think of specific people to pray for by name.

   • Divide into two groups for males and females to pray for the needs of the members of the group.

10. For Next Time:

    • Assign group members who are ready to do different parts of the next meeting as you prepare them (opening question; prayer time; read background info; lead group).

    • Ask each person the name of someone they will invite to the group for next week.
      

Background Information

Background Information:

Psalms are prayers or songs from man to God. They are written in poetry like language. Psalm 24 was written by King David. Since Psalms are songs or poetry, they use images to help us understand key concepts. The images are not to be taken literally but instead they illustrate ideas in a creative way we can understand.

In Psalm 24 there are two main images. The first in verse 3 is the image of the mountain of the Lord. This does not mean that God lives on a mountain somewhere but rather gives us the idea of God's presence and heaven. The second image is in verse 7. This is the image of the gates or door to a city with big walls around it for protection. This represents a king entering a City in victory and with power sort of a victory parade entering the City. The meaning for us is that Jesus is all-powerful and has all authority.

Psalm 24 can be divided into three parts as follows:

• Verse 1-2: God the creator and owner of everything

• Verse 3-6: What is required to have a relationship with God through Jesus.

• Verse 7-10: The power and authority of Jesus.

Key Verse: The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. Psalm 24:1

THIS WEEK'S SCRIPTURE: Psalm 24

Discussion Questions

1. What new thing did you discover in the story or verses that you did not know before?

2. What did you learn about God (Father, Jesus or Holy Spirit) from the story?

3. What do you learn about people from the story?

4. What important lessons for us do you see in this story?

5. What will you take away from this discussion?

6. What will you do with what you have learned? (make sure everyone answers this)

7. As a result of this study what do you need to stop doing?

8. As a result of this study what do you need to start doing?

Commitment — Obedience — Application

1. Jesus taught you this today because someone in your life needs to hear it. Who in your in circle of relationships will you share what you have learned through this study?

2. What in specific will you commit to apply in your life from this study?