The Church Praises God

1 Based on what has happened with you since the last time we met, what is something you are thankful for?

2 What has stressed you out this week, and what do you need for things to be better?

3 What are the needs of the people in your community, and how can we help each other meet the needs we’ve expressed?

4 What was the story last time we met? What did we learn about God and people?

5 In our last meeting, you decided to apply what you learned. What did you do, and how did it go?

6 Who did you share something with from the last story? How did they respond?

7 We identified several needs last time we met and planned to meet those needs. How did it go?

8 Now, let's read today's story from God...

⁸ Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. ⁹ Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. ¹⁰ Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord. ¹¹ Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. ¹² Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given, ¹³ you children of his servant Israel, you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones. ¹⁴ He is the Lord our God. His justice is seen throughout the land. ¹⁵ Remember his covenant forever— the commitment he made to a thousand generations. ¹⁶ This is the covenant he made with Abraham and the oath he swore to Isaac. ¹⁷ He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant: ¹⁸ “I will give you the land of Canaan as your special possession.” ¹⁹ He said this when you were few in number, a tiny group of strangers in Canaan. ²⁰ They wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. ²¹ Yet he did not let anyone oppress them. He warned kings on their behalf: ²² “Do not touch my chosen people, and do not hurt my prophets.” ²³ Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. ²⁴ Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. ²⁵ Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. ²⁶ The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens! ²⁷ Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling. ²⁸ O nations of the world, recognize the Lord, recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. ²⁹ Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. ³⁰ Let all the earth tremble before him. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. ³¹ Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!” ³² Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! ³³ Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. ³⁴ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. ³⁵ Cry out, “Save us, O God of our salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.” ³⁶ Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people shouted “Amen!” and praised the Lord.

1 Now, let’s have someone retell this passage in their own words, as though they were telling a friend who has never heard it. Let's help them if they leave anything out or add anything by mistake. If that happens we can ask, "Where do you find that in the story?"

2 What does this story teach us about God, his character, and what he does?

3 What do we learn about people, including ourselves, from this story?

4 What do we learn from this story about being the church?

5 How will you apply God's truth from this story in your life this week? What is a specific action or thing you will do?

6 Who will you share a truth from this story with before we meet again? Do you know others who would also like to discover God's word in this app like we are?

7 As our meeting comes to a close, let's decide when we will meet again and who will facilitate our next meeting.

8 We encourage you to make note of what you said you will do, and to re-read this story in the days before we meet again. The facilitator can share the story text or audio if anyone doesn't have it. As we go, let's ask the Lord to help us.