Kingdom Community Primer

Set the Table

(before the gathering)

Communion: Have elements ready (bread and juice).

Atmosphere: Consider worship music to encourage quiet reflection.

Prayer: Take a moment to stop, pray, and prepare your heart before the Lord.

Bible: Have your Bible present and ready.

KINGDOM COMMUNITY

Conversation and Connection that Honors the Lord

(45 minutes)

Shared Meal: Facilitate the shared meal if the group is participating (consider sharing the act of cooking by inviting everyone to contribute each week).

Conversation: This is the time when people can get to know each other and learn about the daily events in each other's lives.

PURSUING THE PRESENCE

Partake in Communion

(15 minutes)

If you don’t already have a Communion liturgy, have someone read through 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 as written below, then pause for a moment of gratitude.

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

Take a moment to thank Jesus for the new covenant of grace.

Encourage quiet reflection.

Explain: “We take communion to remember Jesus’ sacrifice and proclaim His death until He returns. 1 Cor. 11:26

Take the Bread & Cup:

Bread: “And He [Jesus] took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” - Luke 22:19 (Eat together)

Cup: “And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” - Luke 22:20 (Drink together)

Close in Prayer: “Jesus, thank You for Your sacrifice. Help us walk in Your grace and love. Amen.”

TRANSFORMATIONAL DISCIPLESHIP

Read and Discuss

(45 minutes)

Read: John 17:9–26 (ESV):

I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Discuss: The following questions—help by leading the conversation and creating space for more than one person to speak. Every person does not need to answer every question.

Leader Note: Questions such as “what do you not like?” are designed to encourage conversation about difficult parts of scripture or to better identify what is misunderstood about scripture. Sometimes simply recognizing discomfort may lead to a greater understanding. Do not feel responsible for removing discomfort or explaining. To avoid "fixing" behaviors, set the tone for the group by saying, "It's okay to feel this way; we don't need to fix it. We are here to be honest and open, not to fill the role of the Holy Spirit.”

What did you like from the scripture?

What did you not like from the scripture?

What did you learn about God?

What did you learn about yourself?

What decisions are you being challenged to make?

SACRIFICIAL MISSION

Serve Together

(10 minutes)

Leader Note: This is an opportunity to teach the group about the many things that encompass “Sacrificial Mission,” such as how our church serves the nations through mission trips and the all people project, how we serve the community through Serve Saturday, Neighborhood Network, refugee ministry, and Go Week, the difference between tithes and offerings, and how Sacrificial Mission is more than money. This is not a space to create shame or pride - it is designed to create dialog among brothers and sisters who love one another and may have questions. As we grow in spiritual maturity together, part of development requires teaching and sometimes accountability. We can have honest and vulnerable conversations with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Did you know New Song Church is able to reach so many because of generosity?

The New Song Network: Is a partnership of ministries and non-profits around the world with whom we are positioned to answer the call to be the hands and feet of Jesus. As a church family, it is an honor to sow into the work of the Gospel in 11 countries where God has allowed long-term partnerships to grow and thrive, tended through shared relationships being formed on monthly international calls, intercession and prayer, and a heart to praise His name and make Him known. Going into 2025, this Network represents the work of the Gospel being shared in Ghana, Greece, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Moldova, Myanmar, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand, and Ukraine.

Local Outreach Partner Investment: It is our desire to be a conduit of the Gospel into the hidden, less accessible places of our metro. Through partnership and investment into the specialized services and concentrated ministry of organizations like Hope Is Alive, offering hands-on addiction recovery support, Behind the Walls, reaching inmates with the love and freedom of Christ, and OKC Crisis Nursery, a place for families in crisis to find the care and ministry of God, we are able to sow seed into what God is doing in some of the most fragile, formative environments in our metro.

Generosity: What does generosity look like in your life?

Optional Prayer (Giving Liturgy): Heavenly Father, everything I have is from you. You are the owner of all things. My money and possessions are rentals to be stewarded in love for the sake of others. Jesus generously gave himself on my behalf, and as His apprentice, I am learning to live my life in the key of extravagant generosity. I am committed to following the pattern of Christ in all areas of my life. To take what you have given me and use it only for myself is the way of the world. You have called me to swim against selfishness and to live sacrificially, making your Kingdom my priority. I desire to be a person of increasing, mindful, and joyful generosity until no one is in need among us. I yield to the transformative power of Christ in me. Amen.

PRAYER

Bring it Home

(5 minutes)

Pray: Close in prayer

Prayer Requests: You can collect prayer requests, have members put them in GroupMe, or pray over the known and unknown needs of the group.

Release: Group is over—consider discussing the practice of group members assisting in clean-up before leaving. This is a way of serving and honoring the hosting family/person.