Prepare your heart for Sunday by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together.
You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and tangibly putting scripture to action in your personal life, and in our corporate body.
Carefully Think
- Briefly skim the book of 1 Chronicles, making mental note of the major events, people, and places mentioned. (Headings from the publisher can be helpful for this) What areas of life seem to be highlighted in this book?
- Read 5:26. During what period of time was this book written? What are the first nine chapters primarily focused on? Why to you think this content would have been important during this period of time?
- What events are recorded in chapter ten and why did they happen?
- What joyous event is recorded in chapters fifteen and sixteen? How was King David redirected in chapter seventeen? What does God reveal to him?
- What event marks the end of the book of 1 Chronicles?
Prayerfully Meditate
- How would having a record of their history have been important to the nation of Israel? What relevance does it have for us today?
- Considering the areas of life highlighted in this book, what would an overview of your life look like? What mistakes or celebrations would be recorded?
- What is the prevailing view of God among the accounts in this book that you were able to focus on? How does that compare with the prevailing view of God among our own culture?
Intentionally Act
- Consider how you might be able to use the less well-known portions of Scripture, such as the genealogies of the first nine chapters of this book, in the opportunities you have to share the gospel and defend the Bible.
- Plan time to study further any of the accounts in this book which may have piqued your curiosity.
- Pray for those in leadership of our nation; for their view of God, their salvation, and their role in history.
- Pray for your heart to become receptive to all circumstances God brings to you daily. Pray that in those circumstances He would bring opportunities for you to strengthen the church in unity and to evangelize the lost.
- Pray for our church to see the text as God intended and for its impact to change hearts toward God, toward other believers and toward the lost.
- Pray that the Lord would grant us understanding hearts and minds and that we would apply all that we learn through the preaching of his Word this coming Lord’s day.
- Pray that the Lord would use the preaching of his Word to restore his people.
- Celebrate the Lord’s work in the Gospel through rehearsing the songs chosen for our gathering this Sunday.
- Pray for those leading our corporate gathering this week and for the Holy Spirit’s work as the book of 1 Chronicles is further explained and applied: Dawson Bryant, music; Todd Arnold, Elders' prayer and Scripture reading; Bret Capranica, teaching.
Songs for Sunday
- Blessed Be Your Name (Video)
- Greater Than We Can Imagine (Video)
- Grace and Peace (Video)
- Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me (Video)
- How Great Thou Art (Video)